Doing this blog together may have exacerbated our smut-collecting tendencies. Case in point: last year Erin bought a whole box of 80s category romances. Obviously, we had to read (and discuss) these treasures together.
One of our goals for 2023 is therefore to do a couple of focused weeks on 80s categories romance, each loosely organized around a theme. And what better place to start than mustaches?
Which romance are you reading? Based on the blurb, what’s the basic premise?
Holly: I’m reading The Temptress Touch by Lori Herter. The hero is a painter, and he paints the heroine’s portrait (as evidenced by the portrait of the heroine creepily watching them kiss on the cover of the book). The heroine had rejected the hero’s advances, but then decided she liked him after all, so she’s going to use the opportunity to seduce him.
I admit that I opened the book randomly to the middle and read a bit, and it seems like the big conflict is going to be because the heroine seduced the hero, the hero now thinks she’s a big ole slut, and she does not appreciate the mistrust and shaming. I’ll be interested to see how this dynamic is handled.
Erin: I’m reading Calling the Shots by Kathy Alerding because it’s a hockey romance. The blurb is puntastic with hockey references. Apparently the heroine is a trainer for Omaha, and the hero sweeps in as…a player and a talent scout and a skating coach? I don’t even know how that would work, but I guess I’ll find out! Naturally, she will be irritated by both his usurpation of her position and her unwanted lustful feelings, but he will prove irresistible in the end. Of course, he is the sort of man who can’t be tied down, and that will make my head absolutely explode until he is somehow forced to confront his feelings and (presumably retire and) tie himself down.
Ingrid: I’m reading Walking on Air by Michele Robbe. Basically, we have Alexandra as the only woman on the ground crew for an airship (a freaking BLIMP, GUYS) who has carved out a place for herself with all the men, until womanizer Cameron comes along. He’s a womanizer and she’s desperately trying to hold on to her career and stay away from him…because obviously she’d have to choose between the two?
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