The Growing Season

by Rebecca Flanders

He had never faced a real crisis. Pierce Lanson's charm and looks had carried him gracefully through life's challenges. Until he was forced to run from a jealous husband with underworld connections. Alone and broke, Pierce accepted a job on an Alabama soybean farm. Then he met Christine Walsh. Christine was a woman of the land, as natural as a spring day, strong and confident and so different from the other woman he'd known. Both Christine and Pierce tried to convince themselves a life together could never be, but the fruition of their love was as certain as the cycle of the growing season.

Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

aka Donna Ball, Donna Carlisle, Donna Boyd
With Shannon Harper as Leigh Bristol, Taylor Brady

Donna A. Ball born in 1951 in Georgia, USA. Her ancestors were one of the first pioneer families of North Georgia, and her family still lives on the land they purchased from the Cherokee in 1782.

Her first book was published in 1982 as Donna Ball, since them she has written over a dozen works of commercial fiction under her name and under diferent pseudonyms: Rebecca Flanders, Donna Carlisle and Donna Boyd. She also signed novels with Shannon Harper as Leigh Bristol and Taylor Brady. And a novel with Linda Dano as Felicia Gallant. She is known for her work in women’s fiction and suspense, as well as supernatural fantasy and adventure. Her novels have been translated into well over a dozen languages and have been published in virtually every country in the world. She has appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and has been featured in such publications as the Detroit Free Press, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and even T.V. Guide. She is the holder of the Storytelling World award, 2001, the Georgia Author of the Year Award, 2000, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Awards for consecutive years 1991-1996, the Georgia Romance Writer’s Maggie Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times, among others.

Donna lives in a restored turn-of-the-century barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northeast Georgia with her dogs, they have won numerous awards for agility, obedience, and canine musical freestyle. Her hobbies include oil painting, hiking and dog obedience training.

Reviews

[Rappaccini's Daughter]

The "hero" is literally a man-whore. Women pay him for sex. But he's a high-class std carrier. No street corners for this "call-guy". Rich female clientele only, if you please. And age is not a barrier for him. Hopefully, he has other barriers...like latex, but this book was written in the 80s, so I'm thinking no. Anyhoo...age is obviously not a barrier for him because the book opens with him waiting to get paid after a just ended sex sesh with his latest client, a woman over 50.
He has manners, so he doesn't ask for the money up front. He negotiates the fee beforehand and collects the cash afterwards. His "jobs" last a few days, a week... But he is always looking for his next "long-term employment"(<--his actual words) as mistress manstress(?). That's when he collects all the goodies: loads of fancy clothes, high priced jewels, cars, etc
He just finished an 18 month gigalo in France, so now he's back to doing short-term quickies and hoping to meet a new long-term benefactress p.d.q. because he likes nice things and his bank account is almost as empty as his character.

....aaand I'm feeling queasy now. That was all just in the 1st chapter. I'm done with this guy's sleaziness for now. Odds are I'll never find out how the author redeemed this loser. If you're interested in finding out, it just showed up on archive.org. Look for it there first. New uploads always take longer to show up on openlibrary.

P.S. The over 50 lady he just serviced? She's a mafioso's wife and her husband's henchman has just burst through the door, ready to pound his ass and hers.

Hero: "It's nothing personal old man. The lady paid me to spend the weekend with her. That’s what I do, you know. I didn’t even know she was married..."

Henchman: "You...paid..." The words were a strangulated roar coming deep from within the throat of an enraged animal. "You...paid...money for this rutting stallion—"

Hero trying to make it better: "She hasn’t paid anything yet—"

😂

TMI thought-bubble from the "hero" about the mafioso's wife: "...the woman he had just spent two days making love to in every conceivable fashion"

"Making love"...how quaint 🙄