Customer Reviews

TENDER IS THE STORM

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Tender is the Storm" is a clever Western romance that involves a mail-order bride from New York and the gorgeous horse trainer in Arizona who sends for her. Both have big secrets.

I really enjoyed this book and its personable characters. The heroine, Sharisse, has NO idea what it's like to rough it in the desert as she's accustomed to maids doing everything for her, including removing her clothes. It's hysterical to see her attempt to cook. As for the Holt brothers - yummy. Identical twins, one is charming and easy going, the other an ominous gunslinger. It's fascinating to realize that Sharisse wants them both!

The plot is straightforward, though there are twists aplenty. I read it in one day, and realized it was just as good now as it was the first time I read it more than 10 years ago.

FYI: Other great Westerns romances by Johanna Lindsey include "A Heart So Wild" and "Heart of Thunder," as well as the marvelous "Savage Thunder."

Sharisse Hammond is set to be married to a man she doesn't love. She is shocked to discover that Stephanie, her younger sister, does love him and has arranged to become a mail order bride because she can't bear to see her sister marry the man she loves. When Sharisse discovers that Joel is in love with her sister, she agrees to change places with Stephanie and sets out for Arizona. Lucas Holt agrees to give his bride time to get to know him before their wedding. The truth of the matter is that he doesn't plan on marrying this woman. He just needed her temporarily until he and his twin brother Slade can settle a score with the man who had their father killed. But Lucas is undeniably attracted to her. Sharisse is drawn to Lucas. His kisses leave her breathless, but she is only here to hide until it is safe to go home. Then Slade, a ruthless gunslinger, shows up. She knows that she is only attracted to him because he looks so much like Lucas, who she realizes that she is falling in love with.

I really enjoyed this story all the way up until their separation. I would have rather the discoveries in the story take place in Arizona rather than have Lucas and Sharisse split up for so long. The chemistry between the two characters was wonderful. And when Slade entered the picture, I actually got chills. A good book overall.

As I read these reviews I wondered if people were reading the same book! It seems you either loved it or hated it.I just finished reading it for the second time. The first time I read it 6-8 yrs ago, I didn't like it at all but I accidentally started reading it again and got caught up in it. I really enjoyed it this time around. The characters were great. The plot was certainly different from the usual western stuff. And while some of you put the ending together before I did, it was still unique. This is not a pulitzer prize winner, but it gets the job done for an enjoyable historical western romance. I think the clue is that as we grow and evolve, our reading tastes also change. And different reading is enjoyed at different times in our life. It has helped me greatly to understand why any book can have so varied a response from readers and critics.

Sharisse Hammond is a New York city heiress whose entire life has been planned out for her by her father. He wants her to marry his best friend's son and she agrees--glad to have it out of her hands after being seduced by a French rake. When Sharisse's little sister Stephanie admits to her that she is in love with Sharisse's fiance, Sharisse does the sisterly thing and agrees to leave town for awhile so that Stephanie can have time to lure Joel her way. Her plan: pose as a mail-order bride and stall as long as possible.

Lucas Holt is an Arizona rancher looking for a woman who will earn her keep and keep they prying eyes in his small town away from him. He is now, however, looking for a wife. He advertises for a mail-order bride with the hopes of getting some rich society heiress who will run back to daddy when she realizes the hard work in store for her on a horse farm. His twin brother Slade, a notorious gunslinger, only adds to the foreboding air of the Holt home.

With too many lies between them to count, Lucas and Sharisse fall in love under the hot Arizona sun. Only Sharisse can't help but feel a little attracted to his brother as well. She can't really be in love with them both; or can she?

I really liked this Lindsey novel mostly because it's a departure from the historical romances that I'm used to. While halfway through the book there was an outrageous plot turn, I rolled with it and wasn't disappointed. The ending was a bit too easy for my taste, but I definitely enjoyed the journey. It was very similar to another of her books I read recently, A Man to Call My Own, another story of twins (girls this time) from the East coast who try to make their way in the old West. If you enjoy Tender is the Storm I think you'll definitely like A Man to Call My Own, and vice versa.

This book is Johanna Lindsey at her best: the characters, Sharisse and Lucas are engaging and fun, and the reader easily begins to care about what happens to them. The wild west setting is perfect for all romantics who like the idea of a rugged hero, with a city slicker's heart, falling in love with a city born young socialite - two worlds seemingly at odds, coming together. I immediately fell in love with both brothers, Slade and Lucas, and couldn't decide which brother Sharisse should be with...which is a good thing (read the book and you'll find out why). However, I realised something wasn't right about Lucas and Slade's story, and guessed it long before Sharisse did (another winner in story-telling, always keep the readers guessing and make them feel like they've guessed the truth before the character has). Perhaps the old adage 'love is blind' is fitting here, otherwise I'd be tempted to say Sharisse was a touch slow in realising what was literally staring her in the face.

I enjoyed the romance and pace of this book and if you're looking for a classic Johanna Lindsey novel that doesn't disappoint, this one is for you. It's better than a lot of her more recent publications, so if you haven't read this, don't bother with the more modern books: give this one a go. It's one of her best books and I should know, I've read all of them!

I think I've read this book a 100 times! Lucas Holt is a hottie! I love the situations he puts Sharisse in! This is a must-read!

I honestly dont understand how this book got less than a 4 and 1\2. it was so good to me. The characters were really good and the endwas PhE-NomenAL.....I love the end it was sooog ood. Well not really the end end more like the beginning of the end.Well read it you will get an excellent story

So many of Ms. Lindsey's novels are Regency or Medieval romances, that I hesitated about reading a "Western" novel, since gunslingers and Indians do not appeal to me. Should I have worried knowing what gripping stories Ms. Lindsey always writes? Never again! This was a remarkable novel with a thriling love story which was enhanced by its western background. There is almost always some deception in her novels, between the hero and heroine, and this was no exception. Ms. Lindsey has an uncanny ability to create awesome heroes. Too bad she isn't one of those scientists mixing up DNA to create them for real!

With romance novels, the ending is never a surprise, so I read these books more for the journey than the destination and Lindsey always makes it worthwhile. I am a big fan of Johanna Lindsey and this book did not dissappoint me. Johanna Lindseys books are always of a high quality and the story of Lucas and Sharisse kept me interested. I would definitely recommend this novel but I have to say the books concerning the Malory family are the best of the lot!

The hero of this novel is one of my favorites in all of romance fiction. I'm usually able to spot or at least suspect when I'm being set up for the kind of surprise that is revealed about the hero at the end of this story, but I never did until I read it. I was only able to go back afterward and see where I SHOULD have noted that Ms. Lindsey had something special up her sleeve. Bravo, Johanna! "Tender Is the Storm" is one of the brightest jewels in your crown.