Throwback Thursday: Tender Taming by Heather Graham

 

Author: Heather Graham
First published in 1983 by Dell Publishing Company
Re-issued by Open Road Media on in March 2013

Twenty-five-year-old Whitney Latham has worked hard to prove herself to her controlling father and his business partner—her ex-husband. As public relations director for a housing development company with its sights set on Seminole land in the Florida Everglades, Whitney is confident she can pave over any obstacle. But everything changes when her car gets stuck in the mud during a research trip to the swamp and a rugged stranger, named White Eagle, comes to her rescue. Soon, she is having second thoughts about her company’s mission, and nothing is quite as it seems—especially when it comes to love.

The great thing about Open Road Media is that they are re-issuing older books by well known authors in ebook format.  This is a great way to catch up on books that you may have missed.  Tender Taming is one such re-issue.  An early book by Heather Graham, it does show a little of its age.  The one obvious way is the use of the word "Indian" to describe the Native Americans in the book.  You don't really see that much anymore.  I was glad to see that the book had not been " updated".  I really dislike that, preferring to read an older book as it was originally written.

Tender Taming was a fairly enjoyable read.  Whitney has gone to Florida to negotiate with the tribes there to have them release parts of their land for a new housing development. At first, I didn't like Whitney's character.  She was arrogant and really should have done her research before heading to Florida for negotiations.  I didn't blame White Eagle for playing a little joke on her.  She redeemed herself in the end as she was genuinely willing to learn more about the tribes. The romance was a bit cheesy, but that is why we love these throwbacks, right? I enjoyed reading about the Seminole traditions and the Everglades on which their land sits. It made me want to go to Florida for a visit.

The book is a very quick read and worth it for fans of Ms. Graham.  Give it a shot if you missed it!