Rating: Summary: This book is not up to Linda Howard's usual standards. Review: "All That Glitters" is a reprint, first issued in 1982. The heroine, Jessica Stanton, a.k.a. The Black Widow (a 23-year-old crybaby) keeps the hero, Nikolas Constantinos (an overbearing billionaire bully) in line by bursting into tears every time they have an encounter. The love scenes are flat and uninteresting. All I can say is that I'm glad I read the "Mackenzies" first or I would have missed a lot of good reading if I had read this book first.
Rating: Summary: Culture Clash! Review: After reading all these reviews, I wonder if we read the same book. I did not find the hero to be abusive. Controlling, yes. He was raised in a culture where males are the definite heads of their households; he was very handsome, extremely rich and I'm sure used to having willing women at his beck and call. So, when from the very beginning, the heroine tried to make it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him, he was frustrated and challenged, so he came on rather strong.The heroine was emotionally immature, evidentally from having married a much older man who apparently protected her from life's rough edges. So she lacked the experience of dealing with a man like the hero. On top of it all, she was attracted to him, much to her chagrin. I will say that she did cry much too much and much too often. Ultimately, she had to decide if she wanted to be with him enough to give up her independence to live in the patriarchal society in which he lived. The hero had a very gracious mother who had been married to a man much like her son and was able to give the heroine some very wise advice. I would have given this book five stars except for what the author didn't tell us. It had great sexual tension but when it came to the wedding night, it was behind closed doors and subsequent scenes were brief and uninformative. It was a letdown in that respect. Otherwise it would have been a keeper.
Rating: Summary: I'm deaf from all the chest-thumping! Review: As a confirmed Linda Howard fan, I looked forward to a story I'd not yet read - but oh boy, this one was not one of her better efforts! Linda's heroes are renowned for their "alpha" male characteristics, but Niko Constantinos takes it two steps past alpha, and does Greek men a disservice at the same time. Jessica Stanton is a whiny, tearful idiot, who lacks the courage of her convictions. She's also never read the instruction manual for heroines - you don't mention marriage the first time you're in bed with the hero! Tsk tsk. It's an interesting read for Howard fans, but if you're looking to try one of her books, don't start with this one unless you're still convinced that men are dominant and should control the lives of their women. If you do feel this way, then by all means take this book back into your cave, but make sure you skin the woolly mammoth carcass before you settle down to read!
Rating: Summary: I'm deaf from all the chest-thumping! Review: As a confirmed Linda Howard fan, I looked forward to a story I'd not yet read - but oh boy, this one was not one of her better efforts! Linda's heroes are renowned for their "alpha" male characteristics, but Niko Constantinos takes it two steps past alpha, and does Greek men a disservice at the same time. Jessica Stanton is a whiny, tearful idiot, who lacks the courage of her convictions. She's also never read the instruction manual for heroines - you don't mention marriage the first time you're in bed with the hero! Tsk tsk. It's an interesting read for Howard fans, but if you're looking to try one of her books, don't start with this one unless you're still convinced that men are dominant and should control the lives of their women. If you do feel this way, then by all means take this book back into your cave, but make sure you skin the woolly mammoth carcass before you settle down to read!
Rating: Summary: This is a romance don't Review: As an avid Linda Howard fan my eyes are always open for new releases and reissues. I cannot express just how disappointed I was with this story. How can this be called romance? I would never want this kind of love. Nikolas Constantinos is the single most abusive (both verbally and physically) male character I have ever encountered in a Romance novel. Jessica Stanton was weak and I would never consider her a role model. Nikolas' behavior was inexcusable yet Jessica repeatedly forgave him for his rages. Do not judge Linda Howard by this book! I would have never read her books again if this were my first! Try "Diamond Bay" or "Dream Man" to discover a real man.
Rating: Summary: Lacks glitter Review: Even though I adore Linda Howard, "All That Glitters" was definitely not one of her best works. There was something lacking in the story... a sense of loving, a real relationship of equal parts between Jessica and Nikolas. The story itself was pretty good, but the essence of the characters was lacking the usual luster Linda Howard puts into her works.
Rating: Summary: Linda Howard fans, remember when this was written! Review: Fellow Linda Howard fans, you certainly have a right to be angry about a heroine who has a backbone as rigid as a wet spaghetti noodle, and a hero who was not only domineering, but also downright sadistic, but that's what almost all the series romances were like then. This was the Harlequin formula at the time, and Silhouette, who originally published this book, was still following the Harlequin formula. Jayne Castle/Krentz/stephanie James, Nora Roberts, etc., were just beginning to change America's series romance readers views on doormat-ish women and psychotically possessive heroes. But even then, Linda Howard showed her talent; I did not like All That Glitters in 1982, but Linda's ability as a storyteller was very much in evidence, and boy, did she improve over the years. New writers have to start somewhere and if you love the Mackenzies, Dream Man , and Son of the Morning, then realize how far Linda has come since All That Glitters, and also how far we readers have come--in the 1970's and early 80's , we category-romance readers used to accept those kind of heros and heroines as the norm. My quarrel is with publishers who cash in on an author's popularity by republishing his/her older books without considering whether they deserve republishing (and, I might add, at a much higher price). If Ms. Howard wanted it reprinted, she might be thinking twice now . Those people who are just discovering her might not buy another book of hers if this is the first they read, but I hope they will try one of her more recent books (but not Now You See Her) and find out why we Linda Howard fans are so loyal.
Rating: Summary: Awful, Awful, Awful Review: I agree with the other reviewers, this was the worst. I can't believe Linda Howard wrote it -- in fact I'm convinced someone else has the same name and is cashing in on her writing reputation. An abusive hero (yuk) with an uncontrollable temper and a whining (fearful) heroine who can't make up her mind whether to go or stay with him is not a story for the 90's. This novel should have been rewritten before being reprinted. The publisher is really cashing in on a well-liked and prolific author.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing Review: I also didn't like the book; it made me very uncomfortable. I've noticed that older romances run along these lines - very young girl with no career & older man who is definitely the boss. Someone like I in my early 30s cannot relate to such a scenario. I loved her Mackenzie novels, & expected this book to be similar...not so. The couple was very disfunctional; should have been in therapy, not in a marriage.
Rating: Summary: Not up to Howard's standards. Review: I am a big fan of Linda Howard but was very disappointed in this book. What a whimpy woman, I thought if she cries one more time I would scream! I think this book needed a little updating before it was reprinted. Please don't let this book keep you from trying Linda Howard's other books- they are great!
|