Anyone read anything by Elaine Barbieri?

[JennyG]

I have never read anything by Elaine Barbieri.

Have you? Do you have a favorite book by her? What would you recommend?

Her book Defiant Mistress sounds good. Has anyone read it? Are there any nasty surprises in it?

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

I pretty much have all her books Jenny,since they are all the old originals and I read them sooo.. long ago I can only go by my star rating whether I liked it or not as I cant remember most of them.I do remember being and still am a big fan of hers but her books are a hit and miss.Maybe Regan has read some of hers recently and can help. Guess it's time for a re-read on her books:)

[JennyG]

Thank you both.

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

Amber Fire is the first in a trilogy, too! Guess readers back then didn't care how stupid the heroine was, as long as they got plenty of "smut." Although with some of the recent self-pubs and new adult books, I see the more things change the more they stay the same! XD

I have a ton of Elaine Barbieri books as they came in a Zebra lot I ordered from e-bay. She seemed to be one of the stable of stars in the Zebra lines, like Constance O'day-Flannery, Janelle Taylor, Phoebe Conn, Penelope Neri, Deana James, etc., so maybe her later works are better than her oldies.

MAJOR SPOILER*********
(view spoiler)[I skimmed the Amber series and know that the main hero, Simon, from book #1 dies in book #2 Amber Treasure and Melanie finds a new hero, Worth. Her ex-lover from book #1, Stephen, is a major villain throughout the series. Book #3 Amber Passion finds Melanie kidnapped and sent to the exotic Orient, but I think she sticks with main hero #2 Worth.

I'm not a general fan of revolving heroes throughout a *series*, so I never felt the overwhelming urge to read the Amber series. (hide spoiler)]

But like I said, maybe her later books are better because by the late '80s Zebra gave her the "premier author" treatment by not sticking her in the the Heartfire or Lovegram/Hologram lines and giving her "dignified" covers and stepbacks.

[JennyG]

That is a no, no for the rest of the Amber series for me. Thank you Wendy!

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince]

No problem! That particular theme is a pet peeve of mine, and outside of Bertrice Small's Skye O'Malley & All the Sweet Tomorrows, one I've never appreciated.

[JennyG]

If I am going to read a book about revolving heroes then the book needs to be any other genre but romance.

I even have a hard time understanding the appeal of menage romance. It is not my cup of tea, but I do understand menage as an erotic fantasy just not as a romantic fantasy.

I guess I'm old fashioned.

[KatieV]

JennyG wrote: "If I am going to read a book about revolving heroes then the book needs to be any other genre but romance.

I even have a hard time understanding the appeal of manage romance. It is not my cup of t..."

Jenny, sometimes I think we share a brain. I'm totally on board. I read/watch and love lots of novels/tv shows/movies where I know the relationships will not last or will revolve, but I'm very narrow minded when it comes to something defined as "romance".

I totally get you on menage as well. I get the eroticism, but I don't get the relationship/romance element. I guess I'm old fashioned too and also too insecure to share.

I've wondered about this author myself, but haven't tried her yet. Now I'm leery.

[JennyG]

Jenny, sometimes I think we share a brain."

Katie, that thought occurred to me more than once. :)

[Mermarie]

JennyG wrote: "I have never read anything by Elaine Barbieri.

Have you? Do you have a favorite book by her? What would you recommend?

Her book Defiant Mistress sounds good. Has anyone read it? A..."

I read her "Dangerous Virtues" series some time back, and honestly they're mediocre at best; forgettable too. Even so, the tenor in romances were making a cleaner transition during that time period so I've got her Heartfire/Lovegram collection to keep my hopes afloat. >:D

[Joshua]

Only book I've read by her was Passion's Dawn and It was sooo good. I've been looking out for more of her books but they're hard to come by.

[BRNTerri]

Jenny, I read Defiant Captive in 2010 and rated it just 2 stars. I didn't write a review for it, for some unknown reason, and I don't remember anything about it. Sorry!