What a month y’all. This was a veritable roller coaster of emotions as yr girls Morgan and Isabeau took stock of Johanna Lindsey’s legacy and work, and sussed out how to feel about the harsher realities depicted in her novels. This week, our last installment of JOHANNAuary, features a viking novel of your choosing: Fires of Winter, Book 1 in the Haardrad Family Saga Series. Published in 1980, it’s not without its difficulties, but just as this novel has Lady Brenna, a headstrong and agential heroine, even roses have their merits. Held captive by the strikingly dangerous Garrick Haardrad, Lady Brenna witnesses the subjugation of her people as she is held in relative, if hostile, comfort. It's a problematic tale of passion guaranteed to melt your permafrost. A special thanks to all those who threw their support behind their favorite viking - you’re the real heroes.
As the ghost of JOHANNAuary continues to plague this humble project, we are reminded here at Whoa!mance of the importance of friends when doing battle with distraught paranormals. Yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are joined this week by Erin, the Veteran of Learning the Tropes, for a gracious re-recording to once again discuss Brave The Wild Wind, Book 1 of Johanna Lindsey’s Wyoming series. We meet our heroine, Jessie Blair, as her family is torn asunder by the quick anger of her father. This prologue of violence is a mark of frontier life, and a distinguishing characteristic of our hero, Chase Summers, who, along with a litany of other details, combine to make this a difficult read from the moral high ground of our current moment. But what’s a western without a little grit? What’s a boot without a spur? This one’s for all you cowpokes and horse girls.
00h00m00s: message received via interplanetary communications systems re: distress signals circa terrestrial surface Kystran [] <<<< >>>> [] terrestrial being i.e. “heroine” identified Tedra De Arr: class known: warrior re: terrestrial being i.e. “hero” Challen Ly-San-Ter: class known: bronzed_barbarian [] <<<< >>>> [] unclear if distress product of misery/ecstasy; unclear as to issues of consent re: sexbots; unclear re: whoa/no spectral alignment; requires discussion [] <<<< >>>> [] re: terrestrial beings i.e. "yr girls" Morgan: class known: Whoa!mance and Isabeau: class known: Whoa!mance [] <<<< >>>> [] joined this week by terrestrial being i.e. "special guest" writer/critic Esme Brett: class known: FeministRomance [] re: celebrating life/works re: terrestrial being i.e. "subject" Johanna Lindsey: class known: lioness. [] >>>> [] end transmission
It's another beautiful JOHANNAuary day, and yr girls Morgan and Isabeau are embarking on a farcical romp on the high seas. This week, Gentle Rogue, the third installment of Lindsey's Malory-Anderson Family Saga series, a sultry comedy worthy of the great Bard himself. The novel centers on Georgina Anderson, who, fed up with England, disguises herself as a cabin boy to secure safe transport back to America. But unbeknownst to our heroine, the ship's captain, ex-pirate James Malory, is aware of Georgia's ploy, and takes great pleasure in trying to reveal her true identity, and hopefully spark the passion they both feel churning within. Make ready your sea legs for this one you scalawags.
As many of you know, JOHANNAuary has fallen under a somber hue. With the news of Johanna Lindsey’s passing, this month’s project will take on a retrospective, celebratory stance that we hope will dovetail nicely with our usual bouillabaisse of critical and irreverent commentary. So, without further ado, JOHANNAuary commences with a real keeper, Defy Not The Heart by the indomitable Johanna Lindsey. Set back in the 1100’s, we meet Reina, armorclad and defending her stronghold from the mercenary Ranulf, sent to kidnap her into a forced marriage by the loathsome Lord Rothwell. But their chemistry proves greater than any amount of gold, and our hero must learn how to please a woman a fraction of his colossal size. It’s a stunning work by an artist in full command of her creative palette. Let your hair down and put the cat outside for this medieval romp.
Who’s the hottest of Santa’s reindeer? We posed this question to you, our dear listeners, and you replied with Vixen. So in the spirit of the season, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau took a trip to the North Pole to spend a little time with the deer/man himself, in Vixen’s Fated Mate, Book 4 of R. E. Butler’s Arctic Shifters Series. There’s a lot to unpack with this novella: Santa as a quasi-authoritarian leader, a Tom Clancy-esque crew of male shifters pulling Santa’s sleigh, a rigid caste system that excludes equal rights for elves, all sugar dusted with yuletide erotica that never cracks a smile. Polish up your favorite harness for this seasonal tale of fated mates, and make sure to invite any strange yet gorgeous men into your home this holiday season because you never know, they just might be a reindeer.