Wild Orchids (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "One moment he was a faceless stranger standing on a Mexican street corner; the next, he was opening the passenger side door and sliding into..." (more)
Key Phrases: glittering black eyes, splinted leg, obsidian eyes, Mei Veng, Stockholm Syndrome, Guatemala City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Robards is one terrific storyteller." (Chicago Tribune )

"One of the most popular voices in women's fiction." (Newsweek )

Product Description

Vacationing in Cancu+a7n, Kansas English teacher Lora Harding is abducted by ""Max"" Maxwell, a man whose handsome features challenge her to cast aside her reservations, learn his story, and give herself over to his irresistible touch. Reissue.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (January 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446326925
• ISBN-13: 978-0446326926
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #297,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 41/2 stars for an adventurous romp through the Rain Forest!, October 4, 2001

By	Tracy Talley "Book Addict" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wish the ratings had the option of 41/2 stars, but they don't. I thought this was an extremely fast-paced adventure chalked full of villians and similar to 'Romancing the Stone' with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner from the 1980's.

Max is an ex-patriot on the run in Mexico's most dangerous sections of the jungle. He carjacks a woman named Lori Harding while she is on a much-needed vacation in Cancun. Lori hasn't been on a vacation in years due to her constant care of her ailing mother, when she dies, she leaves money to her two daughters and Lori uses some of it to travel. Little does the prim school-teacher know that her proper and controlled life is about to be turned upside down! Lori is dangerously attracted to the carjacker's muscular body, but chastizes herself for such "ditzy" thoughts and has a hard time trying to control her thoughts and feelings. Max is also dangerously attracted to the uptight woman he deems as "a good girl" and very out of his reach. Max has many deep-rooted problems and he cannot share his life with any woman. Lori soon finds out why and tries desperately to help him, but he doesn't want her help.
The story takes you through the steamy and tropical jungles of Mexico's Montana Mountains, one of the most remote jungles in the world and through the backroads of Mexico's rainforest. The descriptions were unreal and you felt as though you were there with Max and Lori. This tale teems with excitement and action and never stops! This should be a movie! The love that blossoms between them is steamy and heartwreching! Max is one of those heroes you wish you knew and Lori is someone you can connect to on a realistic level. If you're looking for adventure, non-stop action, running, hiding, druglords, and a little taste of 'Romancing the Stone', this is it! I loved it and couldn't put it down! This book restored my faith in Karen Robards. The only other book I read by her was "Island Flame" and I was dissapointed, but I decided to try again with this book, "Wild Orchids" and I was pleased. This is definately a keeper!!!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars We're supposed to forgive him?, May 15, 2005

By	J. D. Witt (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really had a difficult time with the first half of this book. The "hero" was so hateful and treated her so bad that even though I knew the romance was coming I had a really hard time accepting him. The things he said and did to her were too over the line for me to backtrack to sweet nothings later. Actually there weren't any sweet nothings. He was a jerk to the very end.

It is a testament to Ms. Robards writing style that I kept reading this book even though I found the hero not living up to that title at any point. I guess some women love that kind of rough and angry man but he didn't give me shivers at all.

And I really had a difficult time with him calling her a b*tch every time she dared to try to escape from the very probable rape and murder he threatened her with constantly. The very nerve of the heroine for trying to protect herself. I like this book even less the more I think about it.

I'm still giving it two stars because I did manage to finish it and I really did like the secondary character "Tunafish."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a story!, September 7, 2006

By	Mrs. J. Ball "judith3794" (England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was the very first book I read by Karen Robards, after that I was hooked! From the first page the suspence never lets up, there is also lots of romance and humour which is just what I like, the hero is very macho but the heroine gives as good as she gets and one of the scenes left me laughing out loud whilst the other ones left me breathless! This book made me go and buy all her others it was that good.