Sharisee Hammond had resigned herself to marry Joel Parrington, the man her father had arranged for her. Though she did not love the man, she would never complain and always do what her father expected of her. That was until her younger sister Stephanie told her of her undying love for Joel and how miserable she would be is Sharisee married him. When their father refused to switch which daughter would marry, Stephanie took drastic measures. She set up her own engagement to a rancher in Newcomb, Arizona. Sharisee decides that until their father sees the way of reason, she will take Stephanie’s place as the rancher’s betrothed.Lucas Holt needs a wife. Or at least a pretend fiancé for a moment. So he’s arranged for a mail order bride from New York. When Sharisee finally arrives, he is pleasantly surprised and realizes she is nothing like he expected. The attraction he feels towards her is unsettling but he knows she feels the same. Despite his feelings for Sharisee, Lucas is set on getting his revenge for the man responsible for his father’s death. Sharisee is unknowingly playing her part of the plan, the only potential problem is his identical twin Slade. With two brothers so set revenge, only time will tell is Lucas can open his cold heart to love.This book was difficult to put down. Both of the characters were so different, it was enjoyable to read. Sharisee was such an interesting character because she came from a wealthy upbringing, only to sacrifice herself to a life on the Arizona ranch and give her sister a chance at true love. And Lucas showed her no mercy. After all, his goal was just to keep her for a little while and then scare her off. Little did he know what a difficult job that would be.“Didn’t your husband ever explain to you that sometimes a man has no control over his body? He can become inflamed by the sight of a beautiful woman, and there isn’t a dam thing he can do to stop his body from reacting?”“No, I didn’t know that,” she confessed. “That’s what happened last night?”“I’m afraid so...I wouldn’t force you, Sharisse. You do believe me, don’t you?”“I don’t know,” she admitted frankly.“Well, come here then and I’ll prove it to you,” he said.When she reached the table, he stood up and gathered her in his arms, ignoring her startled protests. He kissed her long and hard and didn’t stop until he felt her resistance ebbing. Then he let her go.“There you see?” Lucas said. “It’s not easy to walk away from you, but I’m going to do it.”And he walked away. Sharisse wanted to stamp her foot, watching him go, for he had flamed those feelings in her again and she hasn’t wanted it to end.Lindsey writes characters that you can connect with. They are very down-to-earth and amusing. In Tender Is the Storm these characters have an edge of mystery to them, yet at the same time, Lindsey reveals their insecurities and weaknesses that make them all the more alluring. They are never boring and always entertaining. You can easily get wrapped up in this story and the characters.My only complaint was the ending. I have to say it was very disappointing! The heroine was so intelligent, spunky and delightful only to have her become so dense at the end. There was also a huge reveal on the very last page that didn’t sit well with me either. It did take some of the magic away from the story as a whole. But still, the story was an enjoyable read. It was a novel about two people with hidden agendas trying to make sense of their unwanted and unexpected attraction to each other. All the while discovering that this other person was changing them for the better. The dialogue was witty and clever with a few surprises thrown in. It was a very charming and sweet western romance. Overall Rating: 4/5Heat Level: 4/5Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
In this book's defense, there is no way the plot could possibly live up to the cover's potential. But it was close. I've heard on Very Good Authority™ several horror stories of the Johanna Lindsey reading experience, but that was not going to deter me from having the pleasure/excuse to legitimately fondle this cover for at least a few days while I read it.So, the cover immediately prepped me to LURVE the hero, and I did. From the first moment he appeared, I was alland totally invested in the characters. The heroine was likeable, and even though she was a rich society girl in the most preposterous of plot contrivances (a mail-order bride?), stuck in a situation where she had no expertise (can't cook or ride a horse), she didn't pitch spoiled brat hissy fits that made the reader want to reach in and choke her.And have I mentioned how dreamy Lucas Holt was? All charming in such a westerny laconic way?Their scenes were tender and emotions were built steadily until the cherry-popping point halfway through the book. It was a nice, leisurely trip and I was enjoying it immensely.And then, at the 3/4 mark Lindsey really pulled out all the stops of Plot Contrivance, Inc. and it all started going downhill. My attention had been riveted up until that point, but once the action went back to NYC and all the loose ends flapping in the breeze were getting tied together, it was obvious it was a frantic, slapdash job which only seemed to emphasize the middle-school writing style. For one, the twist/reveal became glaringly obvious long before it was finally revealed. OK, maybe I'm just clueless, but Lindsey had totally snookered me up until that point. But more and more I was looking at the cover and losing interest in the contents inside. Even a backpacking overnighter, with nothing to do on the mountaintop but listen to the wind, birds, and wait for the sun to set, couldn't get me into the rest of this book. I finally finished it waiting for my ride at the trailhead. So...For the majority of the book being enjoyable and disproving the scientific theory that Lindsey sucks from pg. 1: 5 starsFor the last 80 pages of boredom: -1 starFor the ridiculous character of Charley the tomcat: -1/2 starBut since that McGuinness cover is Teh Awesumest EVAH I'm rounding up to a shiny, sparkly 4 stars.
What do You think about Tender Is The Storm (2003)?
THEY DIDN'T MEAN TO FALL IN LOVESharisse Hammond had no intention of giving herself to some rancher who had sent for a mail-order bride! She had gone West only to escape the New York society marriage her father was arranging.Lucas Holt's intentions were also less than honest. But their plans to use each other were soon complicated by unspoken desire. He never expected her to be so stunningly beautiful. And she never expected to want any man so much.While Lucas forced Sharisse to play in a dangerous game of revenge against the man who killed his father, she forced him to feel passions he could no longer control. Yet when her family asked her to return to New York, Lucas couldn't find the words to ask her to stay.Only when their stubborn hearts felt the pain of loss and separation did they come to know how completely they loved each other. And despite the distance and time--and misunderstanding--between them, somehow they had to be together....
—Booked
Satu lagi buku yang endingnya malah bikin penasaran dan berkesan gantung. Sebelum baca buku ini, gw baca Because you're mine-nya LK, itu gantung krn epilognya lupa dicetak. Ini gantung menurut gw, krn percakapan terakhir Slade dan Sharrise pada bab terakhir dibuku ini adalah Sharrise akan menceritakan mengenai putri kembar mereka berdua, tapi abis itu buku ini tamat. Lah... jadi apa kabar putri kembar mereka? hidupkah, matikah or diadopsikah? krn dibab-bab sebelumnya tidak dibahas sama sekali bahwa setelah Sharrise pergi meninggalkan Luke, tnyata dia benar2 hamil. Lalu setting cerita loncat ke 1 tahun kemudian. Nah pas akhirnya mereka happy end, muncullah percakapan tersebut yg bikin gw gregetan.Gw suka novel ini walaupun endingnya membuat penasaran, krn ceritanya menarik dan membuat susah untuk berhenti membacanya sebelum tamat. Karakter utamanya unik, walau sudah bisa ditebak apa rahasia dibalik kisah hidup Slade dan Lucas. Makanya buku ini tetap gw kasih rating #4.
—Sari
kenapa ya...selain kejutan yg disiapkan di akhir cerita, unsur yg lain terkesan biasa...ini nih ceritanya...Sharisse punya adik perempuan, Stephanie, ayah kandung dan tunangan yg dijodohkan sang ayah.Sharisse takluk ama ayahnya yg keras. jadi walopun dia ga suka, terpaksa Sharisse terima sang tunangan. Sharisse baru ngeh, adiknya suka dg tunangannya. menyetujui rencana adiknya, (karena Stephanie ga tahan ngeliat cowok pujaannya nikah dg sang kakak, dia menerima lamaran dari cowok tak dikenal di daerah Barat), Sharisse pergi ke barat mengganti peran adiknya.cerita selanjutnya bisa ditebak...Sharisse harus beradaptasi dg daerah barat yg lebih keras.ga lama kemudian, dia tertarik dg Luke, si cowok yg melamarnya.yg mw komentari :#adiknya ko agak egois. supaya Sharisse ga balik ke rumah lg, dia sengaja mengambil perhiasan Sharisse yg mw dipakai sbg penghasil uang#IMHO, Luke ini agak licik. dia sengaja "bertukar peran" hy supaya Sharisse mw tidur dg nnya...ughh #tapi di sisi lain, salut dg Luke. upayanya membalas dendam patut diacungin jempol.ada kaitannya dg kejutan yang disiapkan sang pengarang. termasuk dia berhasil menipu Sharisse.karena kejutan ini yg jarang kutemui di cerita hisrom lain, kuberi 4 bintang. ^_^
—Felita Hardigaloeh
