Romantic Times Rewind: May 2014 Review Images

by SB Sarah · Oct 6, 2023 at 1:59 am · View all 4 comments

Smart Podcast Trashy Books Romantic Times RewindI’m honestly not sure what having all the images from the episode in the podcast entry would do to the feeds it serves, so I’ll be doing a separate entry with all the visual aids and linking it.

You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind. 

And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and absorb all the visual goodness:

Let’s take a look at all the screengrabs and visual fascinations we found in the reviews section of RT Book Reviews, May 2014!

The cover of RT Book Reviews which features the cover of Valerie Bowman's The Unexpected Duchess which has a white woman in a green dress that's being pulled off her shoulders and down her back by a shirtless man but you can't see any of their faces. their heads were cropped out, poor models. The headliners are Valerie Bowman, Charlaine Harris, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Brenda Novak, Megan Hart, and Bella Andre

Amanda pointed out how neat it was that instead of celebrity names or brands or whatever in the sidebar, the headliners are all romance authors – which is just so cool.

Also: two hundred and ninety-eight books reviewed and rated. MY GOSH.

A close up of the barcode for May 2014 showing a sticker price of $4.99

I will never get over that the magazine sticker price was $4.99.

Before we get into the individual books, let’s take a look at this rubric:

The rubric or review ratings explained in detail: scorcher borders on erotic very graphic sex hot most romance novels fall into this category ranges from conventional lovemarking to explicit sex. Mild: may or may not include lovemaking no explicit sex. And then the grades four and a half stars GOLD phenomenal in a class by itself, four and a half stars fantastic- keeper. Four stars, compelling - page-turner. Three stars - enjoyable, pleasant read. Two stars: problematic, may struggle to finish, and one star Severely flawed Pass on this one
We have MANY THOUGHTS about this rubric and taxonomy.

Ok, for starters, there’s two classes of info here, right? The ‘heat level’ and the grading rubric.

The heat level is baffling:

  • Scorcher: borders on erotic, very graphic sex
  • Hot: most romance novels fall into this category, ranges from conventional lovemaking to explicit sex
  • Mild: may or may not include lovemaking, no explicit sex.

What’s the difference between “lovemaking” and “sex?”

For that matter, what is the difference between “conventional lovemaking” and “explicit sex?”

What about “conventional sex” and “explicit lovemaking?”

And why make a taxonomy for heat levels that has a mid-level so broad that ‘most romances fall into this category?’

Baffling, I tell you.

And then the grading rubric really adds to the alluring scent of WAT?

  • Four and a half stars GOLD:  phenomenal, in a class by itself
  • Four and a half stars: fantastic – keeper
  • Four stars: compelling – page-turner
  • Three stars – enjoyable, pleasant read.
  • Two stars: problematic, may struggle to finish
  • One star: severely flawed, pass on this one

If the SBTB grades were to be aligned with this rubric, and I did no math here so my results may be wonky, it seems like there’d be A+, A, A-, B, D, F.

But further complicating the confusion perfume: most of the grades are between the top four grades. For example, these are the rankings for the historical romances in May 2014:

A screenshot of one column of reviews, with scores ranging from 3 to 4.5TP It's a VERY narrow rubric

Everything is between 3 and 4.5 TP? So the range is really 4.5TP, 4.5, 4, 3, with an elusive 2 in a few sections in this issue. Alas, no 1-star reviews, but we shall perhaps find one in a future issue.

Also, every time I see “TP” I think ….

an emoji of toilet paper

Let’s get into the reviews, shall we?

In the podcast episode we explain that we’ll be talking about a book from each genre section that jumped out at us.

One aspect of RT that remains interesting is that most of the reviews do not include an image of the book cover. Was the idea was to entice publishers to book ads for their current releases, and those would contain the visual imagery of the cover? Either way, the text and the rating are what stand out, and only a few covers are included.

For example, this is the review for the book I picked, The Witch of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney:

There's a blue and turquoise TOP PICK! logo, and the text reads THE WITCH OF CLAN SINCLAIR Karen Ranney four and a half stars, HOT SETTING: Victorian Scotland With powerful characters and depth of emotion, Ranney’s latest Sinclair romance hits the mark. Readers won’t fail to empathize with the strong-willed feminist heroine and will desire the kilt-clad alpha hero. Ranney adds plenty of sexual tension, danger and historicalText of review reads detail to round out the story and keep readers enthralled. SUMMARY: Newspaper editor Mairi Sinclair is determined to make it in a man’s world. When she’s turned away from a lecture because of her gender, Mairi is furious. Logan Harrison, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, is intrigued by the fiery young woman. She certainly doesn’t have the makings of the ideal politician’s wife, but her spirit calls to him. Then, he rescues her from men attacking her for speaking out on women’s rights. She’s unable to resist the temptation — all it takes is one kiss for passion and tempers to flare, forcing Mairi and Logan to decide if politics and love make perfect bedfellows. (AVON, May, 380 pp., $7.99) Kathe Robin

But the cover is not included. Would the cover have influenced me to pick up the book?

The Witch of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney - Ewa da Cruz is straddling a White male model with shaggy hair. she's wearing a red off the shoulder dress that flows over both of them and they appear to be in some kind of grotto

Eh? I wouldn’t have gotten “Lord Provost of Edinburgh” or “women’s rights activist” from the image, but I also wouldn’t have thought that image matched that review. Oh – and Addicted to Romance has an image of the stepback, if you want to see it.

Similarly, the review for A Wedding by Dawn by Alison DeLaine jumped out at Amanda:

A WEDDING BY DAWN Alison DeLaine Four and a half stars, HOT SETTING: Georgian-era Europe DeLaine’s high seas adventure/romance will win her loyal fans who will adore the seafaring escapades as much as the sensuality and battle of wills between her headstrong characters. The nonstop action keeps the pages flying even as they singe readers with sexual tension. The power of this character-driven story will seize readers’ imaginations and emotions. SUMMARY: Lady India will do anything to maintain her freedom, so she steals her friend Katherine Warre’s ship and sets sail for the Mediterranean. She doesn’t count on Nicholas Warre, whose determination to save his estate sends him on a mission to find and marry India and return to Eng- land. Surrender isn’t in India’s vocabulary, but seduction is — and as her daring plan nearly backfires, India and Nicholas have to face that love and hate are close emotions. When the truth of Nicholas’ heritage and India’s secrets are revealed, only their faith, trust and love can vanquish their pasts. (HQN, May, 380 pp., $7.99) Kathe Robin

But there’s also an image of the book, and THIS DRESS MY GOSH.

I just had some Jessica McClintock for Gunne Sax prom dress flashbacks:

A man with a high collar and vest and puffy sleeves embraces a woman from behind while out a window behind them are some old buildings including a red cupola. but lets talk about HER DRESS MY GOSH it has lace and ruffles in the sleeves, and the bodice is low with pink and ivory bows and ruffles down the front it is OPULENT and FLUFFY

Yes, I wanted to wear a dress like that to prom. IT WAS THE EARLY 90s, ok?

MAINSTREAM FICTION

I stand by my assertion that this is a horror novel disguised as Giffin-esque women’s fiction:

cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro - a sage green background with the title and author inlower case , very emily giffin style, with Raggedy ann and andy dolls hugging each other, tilted to the right side of the image and STARING RIGHT AT YOU.

The review, in case you’re wondering why I’m saying it’s horror – it’s NOT THE DOLLS making me say that!

CUTTING TEETH Julia Fierro FOUR STARS Mandy Boles Fierro’s powerful debut nails the complexities of being a parent in the 21st century. Filled with a huge cast of moms (and a dad), this novel brilliantly captures the highs and lows that come along with having children. Poignant, relatable and at times gasp-worthy, Cutting Teeth is a page-turner told from the perspectives of a variety of characters. Summary: When a group of parents from a Brooklyn mommy group get together for a weekend away with their significant others and their children, things go side- ways. Each parent has issues: anxiety, money problems, the desire for more children with a partner who doesn’t want more. This group of imperfect parents tries desperately to hold on to their identities and their minds while striving to please their spouses and parent their children. (ST. MARTIN’S, May, 336 pp., $24.99)

A Brooklyn mommy group on a weekend away with spouses and children where things go sideways.

No. A thousand screams of no. That is all a nightmare.

Amanda mentioned Under a Summer Sky by Nan Rossiter:

Under a Summer Sky - a blue sky with no clouds, below a grey shingled beach house looking out over the ocean alongside a dune path in the sand, with a tiny bride and groom near the water

Can you guess why this jumped out at Amanda?

uNDER A SuMMER SkY Nan Rossiter THREE STARS Continuing with the characters from the Gin and Chowder Club, Rossiter’s Under a Summer Sky explores other facets of their lives. It’s a meaningful tale, yet doesn’t seem to make it past the surface of things. There are many different storylines, but Rossiter never delves deep into the emotions caused by the various events. SUMMARY: Laney and Noah Coleman are looking forward to a busy summer on Cape Cod with their five boys. As the school year winds to a close, Laney reflects on her past and also worries about her youngest son, Asher, who is being bullied. Meanwhile, Noah has agreed to host the wedding of his brother, Micah, on their beach-front prop- erty — much to Laney’s dismay, as she wasn’t consulted first. Noah and Micah’s parents, Asa and Maddie, have some secret struggles of their own. (KENSINGTON, May, 352 pp., $15.00)

 

I can’t say that I’m aching to join a Gin and Chowder Club, but I do like gin, so maybe Gin and…assorted snacks? On the beach?

A special mention to Wendy Williams’ (!!) novel, Hold Me in Contempt.

Hold me in Contempt by Wendy Williams, an image of a woman with light brown skin from behind with her hands peeking over her shoulders, and she's wearing a dress that's unzipped nearly to her backside, showing a beautiful curve of her back

That is a very sexy cover.

Teen Scene

I talked about Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige and Y’ALL the COVER. It wasn’t in the magazine and WOW. I feel like I missed out!

Dorothy Must Die an outline of a blue gingham pinafore dress, white heels and a gingham hairbow, with Dorothy must DIE written in red on top

We also talked about a cover that was so visually bothersome to us both, I’m putting it behind a spoiler tag.

Seriously, it gave both of us the creeps.

Show Spoiler

Capturing Peace by Molly McAdams the cover image is an asian man in a black tshirt with a sleeve of tattoos holding a blonde white woman by the side of the neck. he's looking at the reader. The woman is wearing an off the shoulder shirt but is looking up at the man with a wary expression, and her hand is wrapped around his wrist like he's trying to stop him from grabbing her? it's very unsettling.

So uncomfortable. Her hands and her expression especially. Very unsettling.

Inspirational Romance

Amanda was curious about While Love Stirs by Lorna Seilstad, which features a “peppery heroine and a tasty hero” according to the review, and a fantastic Easter hat on the cover according to us:

When Love Stirs has a blonde white womn on the cover in a blue squarenecked gown with some lace and a matching periwinkle blue hat with a big white sash and flower.

Now that I’m looking at a larger scale version of the cover, I’m pretty sure I made a seed bead necklace like that one back when I was teaching art at summer camp.

That periwinkle, though!

Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Today in THIS COVER IS GORGEOUS MY GOSH GOLLY:

Long Hidden anthology with the tag line Speculative Fiction from the margins of history featuring a group of people with brown skin braids and cloak/drapey clothing being led by a man with braids and a staff through a portal with water pouring out of it. The portal is shaped like a person's profile and behidn them a city is on fire.

This book appears to be out of print, and used copies are $50-115 dollars. What gorgeous art, right? My goodness. This was edited by Daniel José Older and Asher Rose Fox, and I’m so curious about their experience with this anthology.

Amanda was charmed by this 4 1/2 star TP (heh heh) review by Regina Small for The Severed Streets: 

Using a politically charged London as a backdrop, Cornell puts a clever, subversive twist on a Jack-the- Ripper-esque murder case. This super- natural serial killer doesn’t target vulnerable women — he’s strictly into killing powerful white men. Bringing back the fascinating cast of London Falling — detectives Quill, Sefton, Costain and intelligence analyst Ross — The Severed Streets is part thrilling-as-hell spook story and part meditation on guilt, loss and trust. And I can admit it: I swoon just a little over our compelling, three-dimen- sional angsty heroine Lisa Ross. Summary: James Quill and his investiga- tive squad are getting a handle on the Sight, the ability to see the otherworldly creatures that populate London. Their lat- est case concerns an “impossible” killer who seems able to walk through locked car doors and into homes to disembowel his prey: white men in relative positions of power. The team searches for a link with a little help from their mysterious superior, Rebecca Lofthouse. Meanwhile, investigators Costain and Ross build an uneasy trust as both pursue similar agen- das: Ross will do anything to spring her dead father from Hell and Costain will do anything to make sure he doesn’t end up there. (TOR, May, 416 pp., $26.99) Regina Small

“He’s strictly into killing powerful white men.”

Ok!

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

You could tell me this book was brand spanky new in 2023 and I’d believe you.

The goodbye Witch with an illustration of a woman with Bratz dolls dimensions, giant head, very very stick thin limbs, chilling in front ofa roaring fire with some extremely scruffy animals on the mantel and the floor

Not just the cover, either – the plot, too!

Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Paranormal, Series THe GoodBye WiTcH Heather Blake HHHHH Blake has written another winner! Her narrative and character growth keep getting better with each book. The plot is entertaining and fast moving. The usual gang is back to solve an intriguing crime, and the determination of Darcy and her friends is remarkable. Readers will want more from this mega-talented author. Summary: Local witch Darcy Merri- weather’s closest friend, Starla Sullivan, survived a horrific attack by her husband, Kyle, two years ago. No one has seen or heard from Kyle since he escaped from his jail cell. Now his body has turned up in Starla’s apartment. Under the assump- tion that Starla must be innocent, Darcy and the rest of her magical gang join forces to find the real killer. Will they solve the crime before Starla is arrested?

A group of witch friends keeping one of their own from being framed for the murder of an abusive spouse? I wouldn’t be surprised to see that as a tv series or short-run miniseries tomorrow.

Romantic Suspense

I was mighty squicked out by the premise of this couple’s connection as described in the review:

BetWeen the SheetS Genie Davis & Linda Marr THREE STARS Hot A quick little book with a lot of poten- tial. Heroine Jenna is the shy type who has no real experience with men and channels all her desires into writing erotic romance novels. It seems like Riley could be a nice enough guy, but readers are not given much of his histo- ry, and the fact that he uses quotes from her books in real conversation seems like a bad choice. The mob-next-door storyline needs to be fleshed out more to give readers a real sense of urgency, although Evan Heath, the enforcer, is a completely creepy guy. It would be interesting to have more backstor y, but overall this is a fun afternoon read. Summary: Romance writer Jenna Brooks is literally swept off her feet when Riley Stone rescues her from being run over by a speeding vehicle, just like the scene she’s been writing for her latest book. She doesn’t know that he’s cur- rently undercover with the FBI, trying to catch a ruthless mobster and his en- forcer that happens to be her neighbor, or that meeting her was part of his plan all along. Riley tries to keep his actions strictly business but something about Jenna makes him want so much more. (ENTANGLEDPUBLISHING.COM, dl $2.99) Anna Dougherty

He “uses quotes from her books in conversation” seems like a bad choice for dating technique, right? That’s so creepy. And the cover is really…something.

Between the sheets by genie davis and linda marr - silhouettes of two people one of whom has george Washington's profile, then an imge of two hands holding a yellow book open against a blue background. It's like clip art galore.

The silhouette on the left…is that George Washington?

Amanda was charmed by Partners in Crime by Downey Greene, because it’s “filthy [and] engrossing.” So I’m guessing no “lovemaking” and more straight to explicit, filthy sex?

Honestly, I’ve said this so many times over the years: if we sell reviews, they will be of one type: “this book had too much sex in it,” with a side order of “FILTHY.”

A clsoe up of a woman with no shirt on and long blonde hair and very tight jeans with a shirtless man embracing her against a dark backdrop. He is cupping her ass so you KNOW it's filthy.

Look at that hand on that ass, and they’re about to get down to it in an…alley? Backstage? I’d suggest an alternate location but they seem determined.

Paranormal Romance 

Both Amanda and I flagged this review because it was one of the very few two-star ratings in the entire issue.

M/M ASHES OF THE DAY P.G. Forte TWO STAR HOT As the fourth book in Forte’s series, this is a confused narrative made more confusing by the back-and-forth-in-time storytelling. There are a few spicy love scenes, but the rest has little progres- sion or story arc. The overall plot of the series may make a little headway, but in the confines of a single book, thiswill make little to no sense to new readers, and may leave even fans wondering what’s going on. Most of the past timeline may add background, but doesn’t advance the plot and muddles the plot points in the present day. SUMMARY: After 30 years living together to protect their secret — the strange and talented vampire twins they’ve sworn to protect — Conrad is determined to save Damian from him- self. In a narrative going back and forth between 1999 —- when Conrad and Damian renew their romance — and present day, when their reunion is still tentative, their secret grows more difficult to protect. One twin is forming his own vampire house, and the other has to determine her future with human guard Brennan. (SAMHAIN, May, 224 pp., $14.00)

Vampire twins forming vampire houses? I’d also be completely unsurprised by that miniseries.

Urban Fantasy

Alien Collective cover a woman in a pencil skirt nd blouse shooting a gun with a german shepherd dog behind her with his mouth open like he's yodeling

Amanda was ticked that this book was described as “an irresistible hoot!”

Meanwhile I was fascinated by Sparrow Hill Road to the point that I downloaded the audiobook – review for that tomorrow!

There are two covers, as I discussed with Amanda in the episode. This is the original cover as pictured in the magazine:

Sparrow Hill Road - an illustration of a young girl with brown hair wearing a 50s diner blouse and jeans but her legs are fading into transparency as she's leaning aginst the hood of a 50s car

And this is the newer cover:

A paper cut out style rendering of a hitchhiking skeletal hand in a diamond above the title sparrow hill roa in gold with the hood of a classic 50s car below it sort of looks like the inside of a car engine

Which do you like better?

Shortest review: if you like ghost stories and puzzles and folklore, you’ll like this.

Series

Amanda is right: that first line!

OSSESSED BY A WARRIOR (4H) by Sharon Ashwood: After wedding planner Chloe Anderson’s uncle is murdered, she works with his former partner Sam Ralston, a vampire operative from a different country, to figure out who killed him. They will also have to solve the puzzle of a wedding dress adorned with diamonds that her uncle left for Chloe to return. But when Chloe is attacked, Sam is desper- ate to keep the woman he’s falling for safe, even if it means revealing what he really is. Ashwood has created an origi- nal and fun mythology about two warring kingdoms. The chemistry between Sam and Chloe is hot and believable in spite of the supernatural elements.

But check out the cover!

A woman in a massive and I mean MASSIVE gown is being swooped up by some guy but her dress is like 2/3 of the entire cover like how does she walk in that?!

Are they…flying? 

And this is the cover for Twelve Hours of Temptation by Shoma Naryanan, which received two stars.

12 hours of temptation a woman with long brown hair in waves wearing a bright yellow and orange shirt laughs as a man whispers in her ear.

I struggled with the review because of the language choices (“challenging…to engage with” and similar gets my hackles way way up) and I’m now second guessing my criticism.

TWELVE HOURS OF TEMPTATION (2) by Shoma Narayanan: Tasked with restructur- ing his company’s latest advertising acquisition, Samir Razdan becomes attracted to Melissa D’Cruz, a talented young copywriter. It isn’t long before an intoxicated Melissa sleeps with her boss. But it will be up to Samir to con- vince her that they deserve more than a one-night stand. With their differing religions and social strata, can their relationship withstand the world outside of the bedroom? A poorly executed plot with forced chemistry, slow to develop

conflict and too many secondary characters make this story challenging for readers to engage with

Erotica

Remember when so many of the covers looked like these?

Beth Kery - SInce I saw you - a close up of a string of black pearls (LOL) beneath a sheer white drapery with the title in blue Giving In by Maya banks -a neon yellow red and pink infrared looking cover with some eucalyptus? orchids? in black and white

 

And that’s the last of the books we discussed as we read all the reviews in this issue. There were SO MANY.

Our next episode will examine the advertisements and features in this issue, and that’ll air on October 20. And remember, if you join the Patreon, you’ll get access to the entire issue as a PDF.

What do you think? Have you read any of these? Which would you recommend?

And most importantly: Would you join a Gin & Chowder club?

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Romantic Times Rewind

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Comments are Closed

  1. Rebecca F says:
    October 6, 2023 at 9:33 am

    The cover designer for the redesigned Sparrow Hill books actually got that job from making fanart shirts of sparrow hill and the October Daye books.

  2. SusanS says:
    October 12, 2023 at 11:16 am

    IIRC, RT rarely gave negative reviews bc they were promoting the genre and its authors and didn’t want to ruffle any feathers. That’s why 1990s sites like The Romance Reader and All About Romance were so important in providing reviews that weren’t fluff.

  3. Andie C says:
    October 13, 2023 at 11:09 pm

    I didn’t know Wendy Williams wrote a romance novel!? The things you learn almost a decade too late! It’s interesting how some novels seem completely different from the cover art. There were quite a few that I might not have wanted to read based on the cover, but the review sold me and vice-versa.

    Bernadette Banner has a YouTube series where she repaints romance covers to match the descriptions in the book and the historical setting. I wonder what she would do to some of these.

  4. PamG says:
    October 19, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    re: Between the Sheets. No, the silhouette on the left is definitely Ruth Buzzi!

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