Throwback Thursday: The Wyndham Legacy by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
First published in 1994 by Jove

Marcus Wyndham never asked to become the Earl of Chase. The Duchess never asked to be illegitimate. And neither of these two asked that their fates become so entwined.

Marcus is passionate, quick to rage, just as quick to laughter. He's tough, opinionated, domineering, known as the devil's own son. The Duchess is serene and aloof -- she has silence down to a fine art. She is always in control, her smiles as rare as bawdy jests in the pulpit. She is self-reliant once she realizes that a very special talent can make her so, a talent no one suspects.

I love Ms. Coulter's historical books.  I really wanted to like this one.  Unfortunately, I didn't.  In fact, it ended up being a DNF for me.  It was just boring. It seemed to take forever to get through a scene.  Some of the conversations were unnecessary and seemed to be included as filler.

I hated the hero.  Marcus was whiny and acted like a 3 year old who didn't get his own way.  The way he spoke to Duchess was appalling.  I had to turn it off.  I also didn't like the narrator.  Her accents were horrible and the way she read the book was annoying.  I guess you can't win them all.

Throwback Thursday: Night Fire by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
First published in 1989 by Avon

ONLY HIS BURNING LOVE COULD SAVE HER.

Trapped into a loveless marriage, Arielle Leslie knew a life of shame and degradation. Even after the death of her brutal husband, she was unable to free herself from the shackles of humiliation. Only Burke Drummond's love could save her . . . if she let it. But as his passion blazed, his patience wore thin . . . and Arielle risked a future as terrifying as her past.

As much as I enjoy Ms. Coulter's romantic suspense, I love her historical romances even more.  Night Fire is the first in the "Night" Trilogy.  This one was very uncomfortable to read to at times.  The things that Arielle's first husband put her though were just brutal and despicable.  Ms. Coulter does not shelter the reader from the reality of the situation either.  While it was hard to read, I have to give her props for being willing to not sugar coat everything.  Had she done that, I don't think the love story that follows would have been believable.

Burke and Arielle's romance is a tender love story.  The way in which Burke helps Arielle to heal was so touching.  He show incredible patience and understanding and through this, Arielle is able to find her way back to herself. I love that he constantly reminds her that he loves her.  There is a little bit of a mystery, but the romance definitely shines through as the reason to read the book.

The peripheral characters are wonderful and seem to be featured in the other books of the trilogy.  The next book is Night Shadow and features Knight Wontrhop, Burke's best friend.  I look forward to reading that one soon!

Throwback Thursday: Aftershocks by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
First published in 1985 by Silhouette

When Dr. Elliot Mallory meets magazine model Georgina Hathaway, everything seems perfect. They love the same jokes, enjoy the same sports and have incredible chemistry together. But their worlds are so far apart--Elliot is ready for a home and family just as Georgina's career is starting to take off. Can they make it work, or will Elliot lose the best thing that has ever happened him?

After reading a number of early historical books by Ms. Coulter, I figured I'd give one of her early contemporary romances a try.  I can't say that I really enjoyed Aftershocks that much.  It started out great.  Elliot meets and flirts with "George" at a volleyball game.  There is a definite attraction between the two of them.  There is a bit of a mystery around George and who she really is.  Then we find out that she is a model, 23 and very inexperienced.  She has chosen Elliot to show her "the ways of loving".  At this point I was rolling my eyes. 

Neither character was very likable.  I thought Elliot was just too old fashioned in his ways of thinking. He acts way to old for his age.   George just came across as a spoiled brat who got everything she wanted.  Her behavior and downward spiral in the end was just ridiculous.  Ms. Coulter is a wonderful writer and has much better writings out there.  I think you can safely skip this throwback.  You won't be missing much.

Throwback Thursday: Calypso Magic by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter

First published in1988 by Onyx

Audiobook by Brilliance Corp in 2012

It is 1813 in London. The Earl of Saint Leven, Lyonel Ashton, doesn't like women, and he's got every reason not to. But fate, in the guise of Aunt Lucia, intervenes. She presents him with Diana Savarol, a young lady newly arrived from her family's Caribbean island and very unhappy at being forced into frigid England and tossed headlong into the marriage market.  When Diana insists upon returning home, she doesn't expect to have the earl share her cabin aboard ship. Then there's the ship's captain, Rafael Carstairs, who isn't just any ship captain sailing the seven seas. And on Savarol Island, there's a mystery to solve and wrongs to right.

This is the second in the Magic Trilogy by Catherine Coulter.  I enjoyed it was much as the first one.  Lyonel was first introduced in the first book in the trilogy, Midsummer Magic (read my review here).  Lyonel is a much more likable character than his friend, Hawk.   Diana is a great character.  She is headstrong and fiercely independent.  This causes all sorts of trouble for Lyonel.  The banter between Diana and Lyon is very amusing at times and I enjoyed their attraction. Their HEA was very sweet.

This one has a bit of a mystery and I was surprised at who the murderer turned out to be in the end. I had been thinking in a completely different direction. There are some other great characters in this installment.  The captain of the ship, Rafael Carstairs, seems very mysterious and I look forward to reading his story in the last of the trilogy, Moonspun Magic.

Anne Flosnik, the narrator, did an excellent job with the audiobook.  You don't have to have read the first one in order to know what is going on, so if you missed this one, I highly recommend it!

Throwback Thursday: Midsummer Magic by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
First published in 1987 by Penguin


Philip Hawksbury, the Earl of Rothermere, obeying his father's dying wish, hies himself to Scotland to offer for one of the daughters of Alexander Kilbracken, the Earl of Ruthven. 


Frances Kilbracken, informed of the earl's arrival and his mission, disguises herself as a bespectacled dowd so she won't be the one selected by the young earl. But choose her he does, and for all the wrong reasons. 


Midsummer Magic is one of Ms.  Coulter's earlier historical romances.  If you can ignore the fact that Hawk is a big jerk in the beginning, this book is actually pretty enjoyable.  This is an arraigned marriage story.  Philip has been promised to one of the Kilbracken daughters.  He decides that he will be safest by choosing the dowdiest looking one.  That way he can dump her at his country estate and head to London to party.  After leaving her for a while, he comes back to his estate to discover that she is not the woman he thought she was.  


It was fun to watch Hawk and Frances fall in love.  I thought he did a good job of redeeming himself in the end of the book. Both of them are head strong and are a good match.  There is a small mystery in the book.  It wasn't overly exciting but it was a nice edition to the story.  This is the first in a trilogy and I look forward the reading the rest of the books.  The audio book was enjoyable.  If you missed this earlier work, give it a shot.

Throwback Thursday: The Target By Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
First Published in 1998 by Putnam


In a secluded cabin high in the Rockies, Ramsey Hunt rescues a small girl unconscious in the forest and is mistaken for a kidnapper by the girl's mother. By the time she finally discovers Ramsey has saved the girl, Ramsey and the mother must flee pursuing strangers with the intent to kill. Facing constant danger, the pair ultimately discovers why they're at the center of the target.




The Target is the third book in the FBI series by Catherine Coulter and the third that I have reviewed for Throwback Thursday thus far.  All I can say is that this series keeps getting better and better!  I loved Ramsey and Molly.  Their fall into love was just too sweet for words. For a big, tough federal judge, he is such a sweet guy and any woman would be crazy not to fall for him. Sometimes I don't like the addition of a child to a romantic suspense, but little Emma just wraps you around her little finger and doesn't let go.  What a great set of characters.

The mystery was great  and kept me guessing. The beginning scenes were gut wrenching at times, but Ms. Coulter did a very good job of handing the subject matter. I also loved the addition of Savich and Sherlock.  Her reaction to hearing the "P " word was too funny! Can't wait to pick up the next one.

Throwback Thursday- The Maze by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter

First published in 1997 by Putnam

Remember Dillon Savich from The Cove? He's back and he's now the head of the FBI's Criminal Apprehension Unit (CAU), where Dillon has developed predictive analogue programs to aid in the capture of serial killers.

Enter Lacey Sherlock, a very well-qualified new agent who seems bright and eager and on the up-and-up. But is she really?

When there's a vicious murder in Boston, she's off like a shot, lying to Dillon.

When Dillon finds out what's going on, he realizes they'll all be in deep trouble, maybe even victims themselves, if he and Sherlock don't find out who murdered her sister seven years before.

I reviewed The Cove last month and I since enjoyed that one, so I decided to continue with the series.  The Maze focuses on Dillon Savich who made an appearance in The Cove.  Once again, Ms. Coulter has given us a great mystery.  While I did have part of the mystery figured out early one, I did no figure out the twist at the end. The chemistry between Dillon and "Sherlock" was great!  Although I would think that their HEA was a bit rushed.  I also have to wonder at the Bureau chief being OK with them having a relationship when Dillon is Sherlock's boss.  But, hey creative license, right? There is also an appearance of characters from The Cove.  It is always nice to catch up with previous characters.  Anyway, this is a great sequel to the first.  I look forward to the next one on the series.

Throwback Thursday - The Cove by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
First published in 1996 by Jove

Sally St. John Brainerd is on the run from the authorities, who want to question her about her possible involvement in her father's murder. FBI Special Agent James Quinlan goes undercover in the picturesque town of The Cove-home of the World's Greatest Ice Cream-where Sally seeks sanctuary. But The Cove and its elderly residents harbor sinister secrets of their own. After Quinlan and Sally discover two dead bodies, Sally vanishes, and Quinlan turns to his partner Dillo n Savich to rescue her from a place where no one should be held. Quinlan discovers she is indeed the key to a murder-but whose murder?

 The Cove by Catherine Coulter is a wild ride.  I really enjoyed it!  This book has so much going on in it that it is hard to talk about it without giving away major plot points.  Not only is there more than one murder, there is more than one killer.  Any book that keeps you on your toes is a great book.  I never knew who to trust.  This is a well thought out and well written mystery with a touch of romance.  Any fan of Ms. Coulter should seek this one out.