Before Francine Rivers found God, she wrote, believe it or not, romances! I read maybe three or four them and enjoyed them. Not all of them were great but a few were worth sticking on my bookshelf to keep for good. Has anyone else read her? Her writing reminded me so much of LaVyrle Spencer. I don’t make that comparison lightly as I know LaVyrle Spencer is revered by all readers of romance. I thought she had just a bit more heat between her characters than Spencer but otherwise, their writing were somewhat similar in voice/style.
Will let you in on a little known secret. I couldn’t finish reading Redeeming Love. Her most popular book, ever. As far as romance is concerned. Can’t recall the book making too many top romance lists in my circles but, I just couldn’t get through it and the ending! Yes, I read it. Didn’t like it.
But Outlaw’s Embrace? Remember loving it. Also loved, Rebel In His Arms. Sad to hear that she’s renounced her writing romance(s). At least that’s what I’ve been told secondhand. Well, I’m hear to tell you that they were decent reads. So, next time your in the used bookstore and stumble across her name to get to Nora Roberts or somebody else, see if they have Outlaw’s Embrace or Rebel In His Arms. That’s some good reading.
Over the years I’ve tried to find them _all_. She mainly wrote historical romances with a few that you can say were westerns. One bookseller, who was also a fan, had no idea that she wrote category romances! Yes, she started early. I have those too! It felt good to know what somebody else didn’t btw. But I digress. I don’t know what made me think of her but I had to post about her when I went back through my collection. Yes, Francine Rivers wrote romances and a few of them were damn good, too!
Synopsis for Rebel in His Arms by Francine Rivers
The untamed passion of the West was no match for the fiery desires that burned within them!
IN THE HARSH LAND OF THE CALIFORNIA SIERRAS,
A WILD LOVE STRUGGLES TO BE BORNKathryn Durham was familiar with hardship — raising her younger brother, Jeremy, without a mother; keeping house for her father. But Katie loved their homestead, adored her family. Then one day, her father is fatally shot, the only clue to his murderer the initials he drew on the dirt before dying: M D.
Mace Donovan: the man who had offered to buy up the Durham spread. The man with muscles that rippled like a stallion in motion, and eyes as cold and as fierce as a puma’s. Mace Donovan: virile, powerful, wealthy — and a murderer.
Determined to avenge her father’s death, Kathryn is thwarted at every turn by this man who makes her churn with rage and tremble with emotions she is helpless to stop. Like two wildcats, they claw at each other, tempers as brutal as the land they live on. She is a shrew and he intends to tame her. He is a killer, and she wants him to hang.
Only when Jeremy becomes a pawn in a deadly game does Kathryn finally admit her deep love for Mace Donovan — a love that may have come too late to share.
Synopsis for Outlaw’s Embrace by Francine Rivers
Her love tamed his renegade heart.
HIS SAVAGE KISS AWAKENED HER FLESH…
HIS TENDER TOUCH AROUSED HER SPIRITIn the untamed frontier of the West, women married when they were young girls. So at the ripe age of twenty-one, Beth Tyrell was nearly an old maid.
But the wheat-haired sheriff’s daughter possessed a proud, gentle spirit that could not be compromised. She would marry only for deep, abiding love — and would settle for nothing less.
Not for Adam Buchanan, the town’s new physician — whose boyish face and laughing eyes were openly adoring.… Not for Avery Carlile — with whom she’d shared so much when they were younger.… Not for the sake of her father — who wanted nothing more than his daughter to find the happiness he had lost.
Then Logan Tanner rode into town — a gunslinger seeking revenge. His burning eyes pierced her soul — and made her ache.… For no blaze burns so hot, nor glows so bright, as the flame kindled by desire.…
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
@Janine: I read her probably during the 90’s, not that long ago. I have a bunch more of her stuff as well that I’d like to try. Thanks! And no, I didn’t know there were two versions of Redeeming Love
I remember loving Rebel in His Arms and This Golden Valley when I was a teenager in the eighties. Since I’m Jewish I was bummed when she switched to writing Christian books. About eight or so years ago, I tracked down a copy of Rebel in His Arms to see if it was as good as I remembered it being. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold up for me and I didn’t get very far with my reread.
BTW, there are two versions of Redeeming Love. The later version has much stronger Christian overtones.
She’s one of my favorite CHristian authors and I tried to find all her old romances on eBay! But then I didn’t really enjoy the one I read. I wish I had tried a different one, before passing them on!
@Rosie: Hey Rosie, I went to my bookshelf and saw that I had two of her westerns and I remember Wendy and Sybil were big western fans and it got me thinking of other little known western romance writers. I hardly ever heard a peep about River’s early romances because she now writes Christian novels but yeah, she’s got some keepers in there that I enjoyed a whole lot. Her writing style is very easy to get into, I think. I thought a post would be good to put her at least in reader’s minds and hopefully, someone will read her and tell me if I was wrong about her books being good reads
I have 4 or 5 of her books on the shelves. Oh Wendy, I didn’t know you were unaware of Ms. Rivers western roots. I’m a bad friend. She wrote some very good books.
Keishon, with REDEEMING LOVE you have to really buy into the redemption for the book to work and while I have to say I really liked the book, I’ve often also said she almost left the save ’til too late.
What made you think of her?
I did not know this! Or I did know it at one time, and have promptly forgotten it. Either way, next time I’m on a used bookstore jaunt, I shall take a look.
ohhhh awesome a new author to find!
Thanks!