And she is not writing romance anymore – thats a hard loss. So sad, so sad. :(

As does Keeper of the Dream. And unlike some of the posters above, I freakin’ love that book. Raine is one of my favorite tortured heroes of all time. Any word on more Penelope Williamson upcoming goodness?

Yeah, I know a lot of readers love that one. I read it too long ago to remember the specifics of why it didn’t work for me, but I know that it didn’t. It just didn’t have the spark I’ve come to associate with the Williamson books that I really do love.

I really don’t know if she’s still writing the Penn Williamson mysteries, or what. It’d be a shame if she wasn’t writing at all anymore, because she is so talented.

For the others, I put The Passions of Emma at the top, and this one and The Outsider above Heart of the West (the separation of the h/h in that was too long for me). Those are all rated very highly though (TPoE was an A+ book for me).

I think with HOTW, if you’re reading it as a straight romance, you’re inevitably going to be frustrated because it’s like a 600-page book and the h/h get together in the last 25 pages or so. So I appreciate it for the other stuff that goes on, the heroine’s emotional development, the secondary romances (both of which are quite touching), the longing between the h/h (even though that is painful to even reread, knowing how much they end up having to go through to be together). In the end, it’s a little bittersweet to me; I tend to have that reaction to books where the h/h want to be together for a long time before they actually get together (which is why I’m sometimes a bit iffy on reunion romances). There’s just something poignant about that lost time. But ultimately I think HOTW is just beautifully written and compelling (and I say that as a non-fan of Westerns; my standard line is that I don’t want to have to read about pigs being mucked, whatever that might involve); I would love it even without the HEA.

Cheryl Holt writes the same book over and over again, and in her later books its obvious that she has no fondness at all for her characters.

I can’t remember how many books I’ve read by her (two or three?), but I don’t think she’s a very good writer. She’s one of those writers who goes crazy with the thesaurus trying to come up with synonyms (”countenance” for “face”, etc.) for simple words, and it makes her writing feel really clunky to me.

Hmm. I don’t remember finding The Passions of Emma downbeat, though I did cry a lot in the middle part. Tearjerking, yes, but not really downbeat. What you may be remembering is that I felt the women’s friendship dominated the book, and that the romance between the hero and the heroine seemed more understated in comparison.

Oh, maybe that was it. I did like the relationship between the h/h, maybe all the more because it wasn’t love or lust at first sight, at least on his part. For Emma’s part, I think there was a fascination right away but it really changed and deepened as she came to know him, and it was romantic for that reason.

Didn’t you also like Proctor’s mystery under her C.S. Harris name, What Angels Fear?

D’oh. Gosh, I am senile and totally forgot about the C.S. Harris nom de plume. Yes, I liked What Angels Fear, and also the third book in the series, Why Mermaids Sing. The second book in the series, When Gods Die, was a bit of a disappointment to me. But I’m definitely interested in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series and will continue to follow it.

I have a note on my book database about KotD. I gave it a 5/10 and just said “Hate, love, hate, love, humiliation, love”, lol.

For the others, I put The Passions of Emma at the top, and this one and The Outsider above Heart of the West (the separation of the h/h in that was too long for me). Those are all rated very highly though (TPoE was an A+ book for me).

IIRC, Janine read The Passions of Emma and liked it but found it slightly downbeat. I didn’t find it so, but I can see why someone might. It’s not a light book, though it does have an HEA.

Hmm. I don’t remember finding The Passions of Emma downbeat, though I did cry a lot in the middle part. Tearjerking, yes, but not really downbeat. What you may be remembering is that I felt the women’s friendship dominated the book, and that the romance between the hero and the heroine seemed more understated in comparison. It wasn’t a hugely romantic book to me, but I did find it well-written and moving, and I’d give it at least a B+. It reminded me a bit of LaVyrle Spencer’s November of the Heart, which is one of my favorite Spencers.

Yes, they are sisters. I can kind of sort of see it in their writing, though honestly, Night in Eden is the only Proctor book I really loved.

Didn’t you also like Proctor’s mystery under her C.S. Harris name, What Angels Fear?