Susanna here, with a post that I first wrote five years ago, but which seems fitting to me for the day before Valentine's Day (and I'm really in need of a hero these days, so I can't wait to see who you recommend afterwards):
One of the first things I learned as a child watching Saturday matinee movies was that, in a western, the guys in the black hats were usually up to no good. There were few shades of grey in those films: If a man wore a black hat and rode a black horse, he was bad to the core. (Well, or Zorro, but Zorro was Spanish and from California so he had more fashion sense than other heroes…)
The point is, if somebody looked like a villain, he was. This holds true for most bad guys in fiction as well, so I secretly love it when skilled writers put a black hat on a hero and send him out into the plot to confound us.
One of the best of these, in my opinion, is Severus Snape, who in head-to-toe black with his devious ways fits the matinee mould of a villain so well that the great revelation and shift of perception that comes near the end of the last Harry Potter book hits with the force of a punch in the heart.
It's that moment I love—when we're forced to look back through the story and see the events from a different perspective; to see, for the first time, beyond that black hat to the hero beneath.
It's what happens in Mary Stewart's Madam Will You Talk?, when the heroine, Charity, says to the man who's spent half the book stalking her, scaring her, cursing her, that his own son is afraid of him. (Spoilers ahead, if you've not read the book..)
He said, in a curiously flat voice:
"Of me? Are you sure it's of me? Did he say so?"
Then suddenly, I knew. I felt my own eyes widening as his had done, and I sat staring at him like an owl.
"Why" I whispered, "why, I don't believe you killed your friend. I don't believe you ever hurt David in your life. I believe you love him. Don't you? Don't you?"
Richard Byron gave me a queer little twisted smile that hurt. Then he picked up his cigarette again and spoke lightly.
"I love him more than anything else in the world," he said, quite as if it didn't matter.
And just like that, we realize that the way that we've been seeing Richard Byron is all wrong. We have to stop, as does the heroine, and look back at the book's events and try to understand what really happened.
In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (a favourite novel of mine, and one that contains another brilliant black-hatted hero in Arthur "Boo" Radley), Atticus says: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
Like Harry encountering Snape's cloud of memories, or Scout standing out on the Radley's front porch, we as readers are given a new view of everything, and I admire the talented writers who pull this off well. It's a level of skill I aspire to, one day when I find a hero who doesn't mind wearing the wrong-coloured hat.
They're not thick on the ground, really, heroes in black hats. Can you think of any to add to my list?
I love Reggie in Mary Jo’s the Rake and the Reformer. Here is a guy with lots of problems, who was nothing but bad news but really, he had good in him, it just took Alys to dig it up.
I love Reggie in Mary Jo’s the Rake and the Reformer. Here is a guy with lots of problems, who was nothing but bad news but really, he had good in him, it just took Alys to dig it up.
I love Reggie in Mary Jo’s the Rake and the Reformer. Here is a guy with lots of problems, who was nothing but bad news but really, he had good in him, it just took Alys to dig it up.
I love Reggie in Mary Jo’s the Rake and the Reformer. Here is a guy with lots of problems, who was nothing but bad news but really, he had good in him, it just took Alys to dig it up.
I love Reggie in Mary Jo’s the Rake and the Reformer. Here is a guy with lots of problems, who was nothing but bad news but really, he had good in him, it just took Alys to dig it up.
Samantha, my thanks! Reggie was a jerk who showed just enough flashes of honor in my first book, THE DIABOLICAL BARON, for me to think he needed deeper exploration.
Susanna, I LOVE that scene when everything changes in MADAM, WILL YOU TALK? That’s in the Gothic mode–when you’re not sure if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is the villain or the hero. Yum!
Good luck at finding your hero–I’m sure there’s one out there waiting for you to lure him into your book!
Samantha, my thanks! Reggie was a jerk who showed just enough flashes of honor in my first book, THE DIABOLICAL BARON, for me to think he needed deeper exploration.
Susanna, I LOVE that scene when everything changes in MADAM, WILL YOU TALK? That’s in the Gothic mode–when you’re not sure if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is the villain or the hero. Yum!
Good luck at finding your hero–I’m sure there’s one out there waiting for you to lure him into your book!
Samantha, my thanks! Reggie was a jerk who showed just enough flashes of honor in my first book, THE DIABOLICAL BARON, for me to think he needed deeper exploration.
Susanna, I LOVE that scene when everything changes in MADAM, WILL YOU TALK? That’s in the Gothic mode–when you’re not sure if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is the villain or the hero. Yum!
Good luck at finding your hero–I’m sure there’s one out there waiting for you to lure him into your book!
Samantha, my thanks! Reggie was a jerk who showed just enough flashes of honor in my first book, THE DIABOLICAL BARON, for me to think he needed deeper exploration.
Susanna, I LOVE that scene when everything changes in MADAM, WILL YOU TALK? That’s in the Gothic mode–when you’re not sure if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is the villain or the hero. Yum!
Good luck at finding your hero–I’m sure there’s one out there waiting for you to lure him into your book!
Samantha, my thanks! Reggie was a jerk who showed just enough flashes of honor in my first book, THE DIABOLICAL BARON, for me to think he needed deeper exploration.
Susanna, I LOVE that scene when everything changes in MADAM, WILL YOU TALK? That’s in the Gothic mode–when you’re not sure if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is the villain or the hero. Yum!
Good luck at finding your hero–I’m sure there’s one out there waiting for you to lure him into your book!
I loved this post, and I agree with your heroes; they are prime examples of the type of character you are portraying. I also agree with Samantha about Mary Jo’s Reggie. I know there are others, but just cannot think of any others right now. I’m sure that I’ll read the following post with “WHY didn’t I think of him!?”
I loved this post, and I agree with your heroes; they are prime examples of the type of character you are portraying. I also agree with Samantha about Mary Jo’s Reggie. I know there are others, but just cannot think of any others right now. I’m sure that I’ll read the following post with “WHY didn’t I think of him!?”
I loved this post, and I agree with your heroes; they are prime examples of the type of character you are portraying. I also agree with Samantha about Mary Jo’s Reggie. I know there are others, but just cannot think of any others right now. I’m sure that I’ll read the following post with “WHY didn’t I think of him!?”
I loved this post, and I agree with your heroes; they are prime examples of the type of character you are portraying. I also agree with Samantha about Mary Jo’s Reggie. I know there are others, but just cannot think of any others right now. I’m sure that I’ll read the following post with “WHY didn’t I think of him!?”
I loved this post, and I agree with your heroes; they are prime examples of the type of character you are portraying. I also agree with Samantha about Mary Jo’s Reggie. I know there are others, but just cannot think of any others right now. I’m sure that I’ll read the following post with “WHY didn’t I think of him!?”
The first one that came to my mind was Constantine Huxtable in Mary Balogh’s Huxtable series. Although I suspected from the beginning that he must really be a good guy, he does enough unsavory things in the first book, that it makes you wonder.
The first one that came to my mind was Constantine Huxtable in Mary Balogh’s Huxtable series. Although I suspected from the beginning that he must really be a good guy, he does enough unsavory things in the first book, that it makes you wonder.
The first one that came to my mind was Constantine Huxtable in Mary Balogh’s Huxtable series. Although I suspected from the beginning that he must really be a good guy, he does enough unsavory things in the first book, that it makes you wonder.
The first one that came to my mind was Constantine Huxtable in Mary Balogh’s Huxtable series. Although I suspected from the beginning that he must really be a good guy, he does enough unsavory things in the first book, that it makes you wonder.
The first one that came to my mind was Constantine Huxtable in Mary Balogh’s Huxtable series. Although I suspected from the beginning that he must really be a good guy, he does enough unsavory things in the first book, that it makes you wonder.
I am reminded of Mr. Darcy. At first no one likes him. He presents such a pompous and elitist personality, even though he has no title, but his money and looks makes up for it.
I believe somewhere in his ancestry there must have been those who came up through trade and made money that way before it was inherited and invested to create more wealth. Darcy, if my theory were true, would never admit it. I don’t think Austen delved into how his family developed wealth from one generation to the next.
After Elizabeth makes him aware of how he appears to her and others and his high-handed interference with her sister, Jane, does he undergo a clarity of self and change outwardly with those who really matter to him.
I am reminded of Mr. Darcy. At first no one likes him. He presents such a pompous and elitist personality, even though he has no title, but his money and looks makes up for it.
I believe somewhere in his ancestry there must have been those who came up through trade and made money that way before it was inherited and invested to create more wealth. Darcy, if my theory were true, would never admit it. I don’t think Austen delved into how his family developed wealth from one generation to the next.
After Elizabeth makes him aware of how he appears to her and others and his high-handed interference with her sister, Jane, does he undergo a clarity of self and change outwardly with those who really matter to him.
I am reminded of Mr. Darcy. At first no one likes him. He presents such a pompous and elitist personality, even though he has no title, but his money and looks makes up for it.
I believe somewhere in his ancestry there must have been those who came up through trade and made money that way before it was inherited and invested to create more wealth. Darcy, if my theory were true, would never admit it. I don’t think Austen delved into how his family developed wealth from one generation to the next.
After Elizabeth makes him aware of how he appears to her and others and his high-handed interference with her sister, Jane, does he undergo a clarity of self and change outwardly with those who really matter to him.
I am reminded of Mr. Darcy. At first no one likes him. He presents such a pompous and elitist personality, even though he has no title, but his money and looks makes up for it.
I believe somewhere in his ancestry there must have been those who came up through trade and made money that way before it was inherited and invested to create more wealth. Darcy, if my theory were true, would never admit it. I don’t think Austen delved into how his family developed wealth from one generation to the next.
After Elizabeth makes him aware of how he appears to her and others and his high-handed interference with her sister, Jane, does he undergo a clarity of self and change outwardly with those who really matter to him.
I am reminded of Mr. Darcy. At first no one likes him. He presents such a pompous and elitist personality, even though he has no title, but his money and looks makes up for it.
I believe somewhere in his ancestry there must have been those who came up through trade and made money that way before it was inherited and invested to create more wealth. Darcy, if my theory were true, would never admit it. I don’t think Austen delved into how his family developed wealth from one generation to the next.
After Elizabeth makes him aware of how he appears to her and others and his high-handed interference with her sister, Jane, does he undergo a clarity of self and change outwardly with those who really matter to him.
With Lisa Keypas’s second-generation tale Devil in Spring releasing this month, Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter is the first one that comes to my mind. Opinion is divided on whether Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, the male lead in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin makes the transition.
Some of Romancelandia’s most beloved heroes–Bronte’s Rochester, Heyer’s Avon, Loretta Chase’s Dane–could wear black well.
With Lisa Keypas’s second-generation tale Devil in Spring releasing this month, Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter is the first one that comes to my mind. Opinion is divided on whether Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, the male lead in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin makes the transition.
Some of Romancelandia’s most beloved heroes–Bronte’s Rochester, Heyer’s Avon, Loretta Chase’s Dane–could wear black well.
With Lisa Keypas’s second-generation tale Devil in Spring releasing this month, Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter is the first one that comes to my mind. Opinion is divided on whether Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, the male lead in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin makes the transition.
Some of Romancelandia’s most beloved heroes–Bronte’s Rochester, Heyer’s Avon, Loretta Chase’s Dane–could wear black well.
With Lisa Keypas’s second-generation tale Devil in Spring releasing this month, Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter is the first one that comes to my mind. Opinion is divided on whether Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, the male lead in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin makes the transition.
Some of Romancelandia’s most beloved heroes–Bronte’s Rochester, Heyer’s Avon, Loretta Chase’s Dane–could wear black well.
With Lisa Keypas’s second-generation tale Devil in Spring releasing this month, Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter is the first one that comes to my mind. Opinion is divided on whether Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, the male lead in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Sin makes the transition.
Some of Romancelandia’s most beloved heroes–Bronte’s Rochester, Heyer’s Avon, Loretta Chase’s Dane–could wear black well.
I remember that scene in Madam, Will You Talk!! Such a great book. Mary Stewart was fond of giving the hero a black hat, at least for a while. She did a great job of it in Nine Coaches Waiting, too. My favorite of hers is Wildfire at Midnight, and although I never really believed the heroine’s ex was bad, she did a great job of making the murderer look like a good guy.
I remember that scene in Madam, Will You Talk!! Such a great book. Mary Stewart was fond of giving the hero a black hat, at least for a while. She did a great job of it in Nine Coaches Waiting, too. My favorite of hers is Wildfire at Midnight, and although I never really believed the heroine’s ex was bad, she did a great job of making the murderer look like a good guy.
I remember that scene in Madam, Will You Talk!! Such a great book. Mary Stewart was fond of giving the hero a black hat, at least for a while. She did a great job of it in Nine Coaches Waiting, too. My favorite of hers is Wildfire at Midnight, and although I never really believed the heroine’s ex was bad, she did a great job of making the murderer look like a good guy.
I remember that scene in Madam, Will You Talk!! Such a great book. Mary Stewart was fond of giving the hero a black hat, at least for a while. She did a great job of it in Nine Coaches Waiting, too. My favorite of hers is Wildfire at Midnight, and although I never really believed the heroine’s ex was bad, she did a great job of making the murderer look like a good guy.
I remember that scene in Madam, Will You Talk!! Such a great book. Mary Stewart was fond of giving the hero a black hat, at least for a while. She did a great job of it in Nine Coaches Waiting, too. My favorite of hers is Wildfire at Midnight, and although I never really believed the heroine’s ex was bad, she did a great job of making the murderer look like a good guy.
My brain is dead and I can’t think of any examples from my own reading, but I was delighted to be reminded of a Mary Steward novel I hadn’t thought of in years. I, too, love this trope, so I’m looking forward to reading more comments with other examples. Thanks, Susanna!
My brain is dead and I can’t think of any examples from my own reading, but I was delighted to be reminded of a Mary Steward novel I hadn’t thought of in years. I, too, love this trope, so I’m looking forward to reading more comments with other examples. Thanks, Susanna!
My brain is dead and I can’t think of any examples from my own reading, but I was delighted to be reminded of a Mary Steward novel I hadn’t thought of in years. I, too, love this trope, so I’m looking forward to reading more comments with other examples. Thanks, Susanna!
My brain is dead and I can’t think of any examples from my own reading, but I was delighted to be reminded of a Mary Steward novel I hadn’t thought of in years. I, too, love this trope, so I’m looking forward to reading more comments with other examples. Thanks, Susanna!
My brain is dead and I can’t think of any examples from my own reading, but I was delighted to be reminded of a Mary Steward novel I hadn’t thought of in years. I, too, love this trope, so I’m looking forward to reading more comments with other examples. Thanks, Susanna!
I’m one who doesn’t think Valentine Napier is redeemed at the end. Never did I see any remorse on his part for all the truly rotten things he’s done, or any attempt to make restitution. And I don’t believe his horrible childhood is any excuse for his behavior. He’s an adult now, and responsible for his actions. I also don’t like the heroine, because she loves such a miserable excuse for a human being, but hey, she’s a rich duchess now, and that makes up for a multitude of evils. (I’m being sarcastic now.) I was very disappointed in the book.
I’m one who doesn’t think Valentine Napier is redeemed at the end. Never did I see any remorse on his part for all the truly rotten things he’s done, or any attempt to make restitution. And I don’t believe his horrible childhood is any excuse for his behavior. He’s an adult now, and responsible for his actions. I also don’t like the heroine, because she loves such a miserable excuse for a human being, but hey, she’s a rich duchess now, and that makes up for a multitude of evils. (I’m being sarcastic now.) I was very disappointed in the book.
I’m one who doesn’t think Valentine Napier is redeemed at the end. Never did I see any remorse on his part for all the truly rotten things he’s done, or any attempt to make restitution. And I don’t believe his horrible childhood is any excuse for his behavior. He’s an adult now, and responsible for his actions. I also don’t like the heroine, because she loves such a miserable excuse for a human being, but hey, she’s a rich duchess now, and that makes up for a multitude of evils. (I’m being sarcastic now.) I was very disappointed in the book.
I’m one who doesn’t think Valentine Napier is redeemed at the end. Never did I see any remorse on his part for all the truly rotten things he’s done, or any attempt to make restitution. And I don’t believe his horrible childhood is any excuse for his behavior. He’s an adult now, and responsible for his actions. I also don’t like the heroine, because she loves such a miserable excuse for a human being, but hey, she’s a rich duchess now, and that makes up for a multitude of evils. (I’m being sarcastic now.) I was very disappointed in the book.
I’m one who doesn’t think Valentine Napier is redeemed at the end. Never did I see any remorse on his part for all the truly rotten things he’s done, or any attempt to make restitution. And I don’t believe his horrible childhood is any excuse for his behavior. He’s an adult now, and responsible for his actions. I also don’t like the heroine, because she loves such a miserable excuse for a human being, but hey, she’s a rich duchess now, and that makes up for a multitude of evils. (I’m being sarcastic now.) I was very disappointed in the book.
In the Amelia Peabody series, Emerson’s half brother is thought to be a terrible villain. He does some not so great things, but he loves Amelia, Emerson and Ramses and in his own strange way, he tries to do good. Not a huge hero, but not the villain he first appears.
In the Amelia Peabody series, Emerson’s half brother is thought to be a terrible villain. He does some not so great things, but he loves Amelia, Emerson and Ramses and in his own strange way, he tries to do good. Not a huge hero, but not the villain he first appears.
In the Amelia Peabody series, Emerson’s half brother is thought to be a terrible villain. He does some not so great things, but he loves Amelia, Emerson and Ramses and in his own strange way, he tries to do good. Not a huge hero, but not the villain he first appears.
In the Amelia Peabody series, Emerson’s half brother is thought to be a terrible villain. He does some not so great things, but he loves Amelia, Emerson and Ramses and in his own strange way, he tries to do good. Not a huge hero, but not the villain he first appears.
In the Amelia Peabody series, Emerson’s half brother is thought to be a terrible villain. He does some not so great things, but he loves Amelia, Emerson and Ramses and in his own strange way, he tries to do good. Not a huge hero, but not the villain he first appears.
I agree with you, Linda. In fact, the book was a DNF for me even though I am a fan of Hoyt and of the series. But I have friends whose opinions I respect who think it is one of her best books. Different strokes, I guess.
I agree with you, Linda. In fact, the book was a DNF for me even though I am a fan of Hoyt and of the series. But I have friends whose opinions I respect who think it is one of her best books. Different strokes, I guess.
I agree with you, Linda. In fact, the book was a DNF for me even though I am a fan of Hoyt and of the series. But I have friends whose opinions I respect who think it is one of her best books. Different strokes, I guess.
I agree with you, Linda. In fact, the book was a DNF for me even though I am a fan of Hoyt and of the series. But I have friends whose opinions I respect who think it is one of her best books. Different strokes, I guess.
I agree with you, Linda. In fact, the book was a DNF for me even though I am a fan of Hoyt and of the series. But I have friends whose opinions I respect who think it is one of her best books. Different strokes, I guess.
Great post, Susanna.
Janga, I loved Devil in Spring and the redeeming of Sebastian St Vincent.
I also loved — and it was a similar style of set-up — Mary Balogh’s hero , Frederick Sullivan, who was a bad hat in Courting Julia, then redeemed himself so beautifully in Dancing with Clara.
Great post, Susanna.
Janga, I loved Devil in Spring and the redeeming of Sebastian St Vincent.
I also loved — and it was a similar style of set-up — Mary Balogh’s hero , Frederick Sullivan, who was a bad hat in Courting Julia, then redeemed himself so beautifully in Dancing with Clara.
Great post, Susanna.
Janga, I loved Devil in Spring and the redeeming of Sebastian St Vincent.
I also loved — and it was a similar style of set-up — Mary Balogh’s hero , Frederick Sullivan, who was a bad hat in Courting Julia, then redeemed himself so beautifully in Dancing with Clara.
Great post, Susanna.
Janga, I loved Devil in Spring and the redeeming of Sebastian St Vincent.
I also loved — and it was a similar style of set-up — Mary Balogh’s hero , Frederick Sullivan, who was a bad hat in Courting Julia, then redeemed himself so beautifully in Dancing with Clara.
Great post, Susanna.
Janga, I loved Devil in Spring and the redeeming of Sebastian St Vincent.
I also loved — and it was a similar style of set-up — Mary Balogh’s hero , Frederick Sullivan, who was a bad hat in Courting Julia, then redeemed himself so beautifully in Dancing with Clara.
I loved that Balogh too, Anne. In fact, I mentioned yesterday in reply to a comment on my review of Balogh’s current book, which features a heroine in a black hat (at least a metaphorical one), how pleased I am that Dancing with Clara and the other books in that trilogy are being reissued this year.
I loved that Balogh too, Anne. In fact, I mentioned yesterday in reply to a comment on my review of Balogh’s current book, which features a heroine in a black hat (at least a metaphorical one), how pleased I am that Dancing with Clara and the other books in that trilogy are being reissued this year.
I loved that Balogh too, Anne. In fact, I mentioned yesterday in reply to a comment on my review of Balogh’s current book, which features a heroine in a black hat (at least a metaphorical one), how pleased I am that Dancing with Clara and the other books in that trilogy are being reissued this year.
I loved that Balogh too, Anne. In fact, I mentioned yesterday in reply to a comment on my review of Balogh’s current book, which features a heroine in a black hat (at least a metaphorical one), how pleased I am that Dancing with Clara and the other books in that trilogy are being reissued this year.
I loved that Balogh too, Anne. In fact, I mentioned yesterday in reply to a comment on my review of Balogh’s current book, which features a heroine in a black hat (at least a metaphorical one), how pleased I am that Dancing with Clara and the other books in that trilogy are being reissued this year.
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I replied to this earlier, but Type-Pad, not content with removing my apostrophes whenever I use my old computer, now thinks anything I send from it is spam. So here goes from the new laptop:
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I replied to this earlier, but Type-Pad, not content with removing my apostrophes whenever I use my old computer, now thinks anything I send from it is spam. So here goes from the new laptop:
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I replied to this earlier, but Type-Pad, not content with removing my apostrophes whenever I use my old computer, now thinks anything I send from it is spam. So here goes from the new laptop:
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I replied to this earlier, but Type-Pad, not content with removing my apostrophes whenever I use my old computer, now thinks anything I send from it is spam. So here goes from the new laptop:
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
I replied to this earlier, but Type-Pad, not content with removing my apostrophes whenever I use my old computer, now thinks anything I send from it is spam. So here goes from the new laptop:
I am so pleased to hear they’re being rereleased, Janga. Thanks for that. Have not read your review of the new Balogh — she is an auto-buy with me, so in that situation I wait and only read reviews after I’ve read the book.
Too many romance novels go into too much detail to convince you that the heroine is beautiful. All Mary Stewart does is to have Richard Pryor say “All right you beautiful bitch, what have you done with my son?” That sentence does so much to create the characters and the tension, and back when it was published it must have been fairly transgressive to use the b-word.
Another book with a black hat/white hat hero is Penelope Williamson’s “The Outsider”. She too creates vivid, 3-dimensional characters by showing, not telling. I love both these books.
Too many romance novels go into too much detail to convince you that the heroine is beautiful. All Mary Stewart does is to have Richard Pryor say “All right you beautiful bitch, what have you done with my son?” That sentence does so much to create the characters and the tension, and back when it was published it must have been fairly transgressive to use the b-word.
Another book with a black hat/white hat hero is Penelope Williamson’s “The Outsider”. She too creates vivid, 3-dimensional characters by showing, not telling. I love both these books.
Too many romance novels go into too much detail to convince you that the heroine is beautiful. All Mary Stewart does is to have Richard Pryor say “All right you beautiful bitch, what have you done with my son?” That sentence does so much to create the characters and the tension, and back when it was published it must have been fairly transgressive to use the b-word.
Another book with a black hat/white hat hero is Penelope Williamson’s “The Outsider”. She too creates vivid, 3-dimensional characters by showing, not telling. I love both these books.
Too many romance novels go into too much detail to convince you that the heroine is beautiful. All Mary Stewart does is to have Richard Pryor say “All right you beautiful bitch, what have you done with my son?” That sentence does so much to create the characters and the tension, and back when it was published it must have been fairly transgressive to use the b-word.
Another book with a black hat/white hat hero is Penelope Williamson’s “The Outsider”. She too creates vivid, 3-dimensional characters by showing, not telling. I love both these books.
Too many romance novels go into too much detail to convince you that the heroine is beautiful. All Mary Stewart does is to have Richard Pryor say “All right you beautiful bitch, what have you done with my son?” That sentence does so much to create the characters and the tension, and back when it was published it must have been fairly transgressive to use the b-word.
Another book with a black hat/white hat hero is Penelope Williamson’s “The Outsider”. She too creates vivid, 3-dimensional characters by showing, not telling. I love both these books.