Friday, March 19, 2010

These Golden Pleasures by Valerie Sherwood.

I am late. Last time I posted I was so organized! Apparently this was a one off occurrence! O-o

So, this book should really should be on the DIK island but I don't think it is. It's one of the books that got me into reading romance novels and despite somehow going missing off my shelf, I still have rather fond memories of it.

I don't think I ever sat down and read it in its entirety. I'll admit to reading all the good bits by themselves (and often). I always read the bit where Roxanne finally ends up with the bad boy hero, it was epic stuff. I even took it away to Pony Club Camp and we all sat around in our sleeping bags with a torch reading it. Terrifically educational!

Roxanne lives the lifetimes of 20 woman and was still reasonably well adjusted at the end of the story. She is the stuff true heroines are made of; orphaned, beautiful (of course), clever (of course), well traveled (Baltimore, Georgia, Klondike, the South Seas and San Fran), attacked by some man in a wardrobe if I remember rightly or maybe a cupboard. Dreadfully unlucky in the love department she finally meets with Rhodes and rides off into the sunset. Absolutely classic Sherwood and despite it's many godawful flaws it was such a treasure.

After reading most of this glorious and totally old school romance I ended up with a love of secondhand book shops. I trawled through them looking for more Valerie and was able to read such classics as Bold Breathless Love (a love affair between asthmatics) and I came across Steve and Ginny from Rosemary Rogers, Shirlee Busbee and Kathleen Woodiwiss. I had what I guess you'd call a classical education in romance reading. hehe.

I wonder if anyone else read her books as a teenager and developed the same obsession with romantic literature that I did? Shanna, Her Shining Splendor, Gypsy Lady, and Sweet Savage Love - who else has these gems tucked away somewhere on their shelves?

13 comments:

Chris said...

Nope. :)

Tracy said...

Gosh I used to read these kinds of novels all the time but couldn't tell you the name of one of them if you paid me. They were good but nothing from way back when has stuck in my mind. lol Too bad we didn't have computers and goodreads back then. Ok, now I've just made myself feel old. lol

Never read Valerie Sherwood, I don't think.

Sarah said...

Checking out Fantastic Fiction is like taking a walk down memory lane!!

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/rosemary-rogers/

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/valerie-sherwood/

I especially love some of the author photos!!

lisabea said...

Bold Breathless Love (a love affair between asthmatics)


That just made me ridiculously happy.

I loved the old school stuff--Shanna! Sweet Savage Love! and early Beatrice Small. Whoooo those harems were naughty.

Sarah said...

I know! All that delish purple prose and crazy bit hair. I think what was also cool was gloms it allowed as I discovered these new authors. Magic stuff.

Kris said...

I never read Valerie Sherwood, but did dip into the old school Rosemary Rogers' and Beatrice Small's. Judith McNaught was another of my early secondhand bookstore finds as was, but of course, Johanna Lindsey. Fabio! God, love him. :)

Awww, the bittersweet memories.

Joanna Chambers said...

Oh yes. I imprinted on romance as a pre-teen and teenager and there are many titles that I can remember absurd little details about, including minute details about the covers. The Wolf and the Dove made a huge impression...

Jessica said...

OMG! I read every Valerie Sherwood book I could get my hands on! Couldn't tell you anything about them now, that was over 30 years ago. They were my introduction to romance novels. Wow, I had forgotten all about her, sorry Val.

KC Burn said...

I've never read a Valerie Sherwood either.

Kris - Fabio was the reason I picked up my very first romance novel, a Johanna Lindsay!

Sarah said...

Hey Kris, I remember finding Judith McNaught too. The one about Kingdom... title escapes me, that is the one I remember the most. It was so sad. Him on his knees towards the end of the book. Liked all her Dukes too. Broody and dark. omnom.

I like the term imprinted Tumperkin, I think that's what I did! Shirlee Busbee, Kathleen, Rosemary, Valerie and maybe a little bit of Linda Howard and Susan Johnson. All there books were such tomes too!

Hey Jessica, I loved all those Wild books and she was an author you could get here quite readily. Others were a little more difficult. I remember spending a year hunting for Busbee's Gypsy book and finding it in its original cover in some little town on the west coast. magic stuff.

KC, I hate to say it, but I picked up most of the Lindsey books because he was on the cover. I liked those man boobie covers!!!!

Kris said...

KC & Sarah: Fabio was King of the Man Titty. And who could resist those covers where he was wearing all that eye shadow. Rowr.

Sarah said...

LOL, it wasn't until he opened his mouth that all my dreams of man boobie came crashing down. Good gravy, what a tit. Pun intended.

Nicola O. said...

oh, ME!! I totally can't connect titles to authors to characters for any of them any more though.

I've been thinking for awhile that we should an Old Skool week or month or meme or something here in Romlandia.

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