Taming Tessa [Hardcover]

Brenda Hiatt (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Avon (2004)
• ISBN-10: 0739446150
• ISBN-13: 978-0739446157
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,669,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Hiatt began writing in 1988, an Army wife at home with two preschool children. She promised herself that if nothing sold before her youngest began school she'd get a "real job," so she was thrilled to sell a Regency romance novel to Harlequin six months ahead of that deadline. Originally from Virginia, Brenda received degrees in Biology and Psychology from the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, before attending graduate school at Texas A&M University. She has since lived in Hawaii, South Carolina and Texas. Brenda now writes full time and lives in Indiana, where she recently achieved her black belt in taekwondo. She also enjoys hiking, scuba diving and all kinds of travel when she gets the chance!

To date, she has published six Harlequin Regency Romances, one Harlequin Superromance, two single title historical romances with HarperCollins and six historical romances with Avon Books. Brenda's first single title historical romance, SCANDALOUS VIRTUE, received rave reviews in Publisher's Weekly and other media and was named Best Romance Novel of 1999 by the American Book Readers Association. She prides herself on her thorough historical research, and when she takes a break from the past, Brenda embraces the future by teaching writing classes on the Internet.

An active member of Romance Writers of America and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Brenda has also served as President of Novelists, Inc, an international organization of over 600 multi-published novelists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Really fence sitting on this one, September 27, 2004

By 

Bibliolati "historical romance junkie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taming Tessa (Mass Market Paperback)

On the plus side: Great writing (except for the seemingly now standard over use of the entirely redundant phrase "of course"). Wonderful characters. They're very real, and you LIKE them. You want things to work out for them (or not, in the case of the villains, who are marvelously nasty, in a believable fashion).

On the down side: Heroine's "magical" relationship with horses. Ick. I'd SOOOOOOOOOO much rather read about someone who was simply good at what she does. A gifted trainer. Not a "GIFTED" trainer. I want my heroine to be competent, not supernaturally talented (or at least WARN me that I'm wading into the shallow end of the paranormal pond before I buy the book). As if the heroine's "abilities" weren't enough, we also get a horse that is part bloodhound, and can track down other horses on command! I kid you not. I couldn't stop snickering. And then you get generally bad horse care from people who are supposed to know better: if your horse is gashed open and requires stitches, you don't wait all night in a crofter's cottage before having the gash attended to, it's too late to stitch it then.

If the utterly ridiculous aspects of the heroine and her tracking horse don't repulse you, it's an ok read. If (like me) you find yourself irritated by supernatural overtones in a book that was sold as an historical romance, then skip this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine fox and hounds historical romance, August 31, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taming Tessa (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1816 England Lord Anthony Northrup, owner of the Odd Sock Club, a hunting club, is riding his horse while escorting a second nervous steed home when the new horse panics. A woman races past Anthony and gains control of the runaway. She calms the horse down.

Anthony tells his three friends what happened and soon identifies the woman as Tessa Seaton of Wheatstone. The four pals visit Wheatstone where they meet Tessa's father wheelchair bound George crippled by a hunting accident, her Uncle Mercer and Cousin Emery who trains the horses. At a hunt Anthony quickly affirms that Tessa, a rare female participant, is the expert with a heavenly touch with horses while Emery is a brute. As Tessa and Anthony fall in love, he must persuade her that her odious relatives have lied to her about the fragility of her father's health if he wants to marry her.

This engaging Regency romance stars two nice protagonists who readers will care about as each wants to do the right thing for family, friends, and loved ones at the expense of their own happiness. Anthony is a caring soul and his three pals share his best traits of championing the underdog like an abused horse, a taken advantage of young lady, or even a stalwart fox. Tessa is his perfect counterpart as her love for her dad makes her sacrifice her desires. Though why she trusts her odious uncle and repugnant cousin when it comes to the health of her father and their stable is hard to accept. Still in spite of two villainous losers, the lead couple and their friends make for a fine fox and hounds historical romance.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars too foxy for me....., October 1, 2007

By 

retroredux - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Taming Tessa (Mass Market Paperback)

yes, I know fox hunting was legal and accepted in Regency England. But, that being said, I really don't want to read a Romance predominantly about two avid fox hunters. On top of that, the author goes into more depth about the horses relationships than the human ones. Honestly, by about page 75 of 375 pages, there had been twice as much horseflesh discussion than anything else. Too involved in that subject for a Historical Romance. It just made the book boring with a capital B. My suggestion-ride off into the sunset before buying this book.

1 star.