Wizard by Stephanie James

by Stephanie James

SHE PREFERRED COWBOYSSophia Athena Bennett had been raised by geniuses to shine in the rarefied atmosphere of academia. Instead she chose to live in Texas, where men were men, and a cowboy's prowess in barroom brawls and at breaking broncos was more important than any degree.Enter Dr. Max Travers, professor of mathematics, friend of her brilliant parents, wizard. Sophy told herself he was a nerd; she told herself he probably made love by the numbers; she insisted that she preferred cowboys. Why was it that she found Max sexy as all get-out, and infinitely more dangerous than any gunslinger in a ten-gallon hat?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Humor, Enemies To Lovers, Category Romance

Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1985

About the author

Jayne Ann Castle was born on 28 March 1948 in Borrego Springs, California. Her mother, Alberta Castle, raised her with her two brothers, Stephen and James. In 1970, she obtained a B.A in History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and later she obtained a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University, where she met Frank Krentz, an engineer. After her graduation, they married and moved to the Virgin Islands. She worked in the Duke University library system, where she began to write her first romance novels. The marriage moved to Seattle, Washington, where they continue living.

Now, Jayne Ann Castle Krentz with her seven pennames is considered a pillar in the contemporary romance genre. For some years, she only uses three pennames for each of three different periods from time: "Jayne Ann Krentz" (her married name) from the present, "Jayne Castle" (her birth name) from the future and her most famous penname: "Amanda Quick" from the past. She is famous for her work ethic, beginning her writing by 7 am six days a week. Her heroins never are damsels in hardships, they are often heroes. Her novels also contain mystery or paranormal elements.

Enthusiastic of the romantic genre, she has always defended its importance. To help educate the public about the romantic genre she became the editor and a contributor to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, a non-fiction essay collection that won the prestigious Susan Koppelman Award for Feminist Studies. She established the Castle Humanities Fund at UCSC's University Library to allow the library to purchase additional books and has given money to 15 Seattle-area elementary schools to enhance their library budgets. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Writers Programs at the University of Washington extension program.

Psuedonyms:

Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Jayne Castle
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just want to read an old school category romance, and that's why I ended up reading this. Plus, I never could resist a Nerd Hero. This is also a bit of an opposites attract kind of book. Sophy is the normal intellect daughter of two academic geniuses and she has a chip on her shoulder about academics. She likes cowboys. Her parents have mostly given up on making her in their image, but they are still trying to pair her up with an intellectual so they can have genius grandchildren. So of course, they push Max in her direction when he comes to Dallas for some consulting work, getting Max to meet her while he's in town.

Sophy is downright insulting to Max, initially, pretty much calling him dull as ditchwater to his face, and citing her preference for cowboys. Max is enchanted with Sophy and very, very jealous of her cowboy she's currently dating. For Max, it's practically love at first sight. He resolves to spend as much time with her as possible, and he ends up seducing her into giving this academic the old college try.

Stephanie James is a pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz and you can tell. Ms. Krentz/James seems to prefer intelligent, but very masculine alpha types, and well, who can blame her? I liked Max. He has a big POV, and you realize that he's a very layered man. Under his calm, intellectual exterior lurks a crouching tiger. I can see that he was more than willing to fight for his woman. I love a hero who doesn't give up on his heroine and pursues her despite all obstacles.

Although Sophy did come off a little bratty at first, it's apparent, she's a very sweet person. It was her way of dealing with the hurt of always being the normal kid around overachievers. I like that even though Max massacred the steak (steak-grilling is apparently a skill all men must possess or lose their man card), she still stroked his ego about it. That was very sweet of her. She didn't have to do that. She could have destroyed his fragile male ego, but she didn't. I like that Sophy is also very well-developed. She is a talented seamstress and designer, and her flair for color and design is apparent, even in the face of people (including her parents, dismissing it as trivial).

I lived in Dallas as a teenager (high school), and James captures it well. I have a book fondness for cowboys, but my real life experiences with them has left me disenchanted. Sophy's beau reminded me of some of the cowboys I went to school with, and he lives down to my worst experiences of that type. I can't say I ever met a real life cowboy I found sexy, but I will still cherish my fictional cowboys. However, nerds always win out. Max is one sexy nerd. I like that he's very supportive of Sophy and never treats her like she's his intellectual inferior. He seems to understand that being a book smart person isn't the sum total of experience. I liked that although her parents don't get her, Sophy's parents do love her, and she loves them. I think it took courage for Sophy to forge her own path, despite the fact that it took her in a very different direction from her family's aspirations.

This book lives up to the charm that old school category romances will always hold for me. It's amazing how much story a skilled writer can tell in under 200 pages. I'm really glad I was drawn in by the nerd angle, and I've enjoyed all the Stephanie James books I've read--this is no exception I'd recommend this if you can get a copy of it.

[StMargarets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Opposites attract. Mathematics professor and dress designer. Sounds fun, right?

Wrong.

Heroine was so mean to the hero. Belittling, taunting, insulting - from their first date to meeting her parents at the end. I don't understand what he saw in her. Hero was no prize, either. Threatening to beat her if she ever makes him jealous to show he's not a nerdy "wizard," is not my idea of a swoon-worthy hero.

The side plot of the slighted secretary who misrepresented herself to get a new job, was bizarre. That's not female achievement -that's just manipulation. And the good old boys club didn't learn a thing.

This is definitely a time capsule romance. Lots of fun early 80's details to soak up.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a departure from the usual Harlequin convention, we have here a nerdy mathematical genius for a hero and a vibrant, but intellectually average, heroine.

I did enjoy the little bit of role reversal we get in terms of power dynamics; Max starts off the book being endearingly unsure of himself, although he rapidly starts asserting himself. He and Sophie are overall decent, likeable characters with relatively non-angsty drama.

(I will say, however, that Max ridiculously picks up a Texas accent after spending a grand total of two weeks in the state)...

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so pleased to finish the year on a high! I stumbled across this little gem by accident as someone I follow on here is clearly binging on Stephanie James books. When I researched further this book popped up and it caught my attention enough that I hunted it down and devoured it in one go through the midnight hour into the start of a new day.

I LOVE both MC's in this they are both pretty adorable.
The H is a total genius nerd with questionable fashion sense, Clark Kent glasses and a physique under his dorky clothes to match (although how he achieves this considering his profession is anyone's guess, mark a point for the rules of romance that no H may not be a lean mean fighting machine)
He can even do a type of karate/judo because its all about angles and force etc, love him!

The h is the opposite of the H, the spawn of academics who expected her to be equally brilliant she struggled through they advanced classes and once university and adulthood beckoned got her degree and moved away to be normal. Despite this she still has an awesome relationship with her parents.

The H is dragged out of university to consult for the company the h works for and as he knows her parents well they ask him to look her up as they are hoping she will matty a braniac and produce genius grand children for him. He is instantly dazzled by the bright h who has adopted Texas as her home state and has a penchant for cowboys, bbq and dressmaking. H wants a piece of that and comes up with all kinds of ideas outside of his mathematical comfort zone to win his dream woman. He even manages to ruin a BBQ and the h tries to cover for him despite setting him up to fail.

He makes his move when her cowboy boyfriend is caught cheating and takes advantage of her sad state to seduce her, there is no forcing though so more H points here. The h has regrets though,she doesn't want a relationship with a wizard (her pet name for brainy types).

H respects her wishes while still hanging around and trying new things to win her, he defends her, listens to what she wants leaves her to give her time to need him and moves jobs to accommodate her at the end.

This H can do no wrong (other than dobbing her in to the bosses) the h is just what he needs and I have no doubt that an epilogue would have seen him dressed sharply by his artistic missus while being distracted by tons of kids he helps to raise!

Bloody lovely characters and just the book I needed!

[Evelyn Bryant · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weak,dated and unintentionally funny book about a woman too stupid to live. Glad she was in a book. I realize this was written in the 80's and while this was the audio version, I remember reading this way back. Characters lacking. Plot lacking. Story lacking.
Give it a skip. Its sad when the sex scenes are funny. Everytime the characters start to have sex he begins talking about rainbows(?) and she talks about wizards. Sad. And if thats not enough, the narrator (Renee Raudman)of this audio version used such a nauseating voice for the heroine. She would have done better to use her normal speaking voice. No one speaks with a psuedo Mae West imitation in their day to day dealings like Sophie does. It's laughable.

[D.G.]

DNF

I thought this might be a fun read, given the similarities of this couple to my personal situation (my husband is a college professor and he's so smart, he can do square roots in his head up to 4-5 decimal points...yes for real.) But this heroine is a snob! She spent all of her first date talking about herself as an 'underachiever' and how she'd never marry a man like him. (If I'd been him, I'd have told her "I don't remember asking you.")

And if her parents were really smart people, they would know that having a child with a genius IQ (over 140) is not a automatic.

[EeeJay · Rating 3 out of 5]

He deceived her and went behind her back to discuss a situation she had brought to his attention with her supervisors and she wasn't ANGRY? What is she? Superwoman??

[Brenda Audiobooks Only · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrated by Renee Raudman - Narration 5*s

Wizard starts out light and humorous. Sophia Athena Bennett is out on a duty date with professor Maximillian Travers because he is a friend of her parents (all of them being genius mathematicians). Sophia makes it clear to Max that she is only interested in cowboys not wizards/geniuses, no matter what her parents want for her.

Renee Raudman is perfect in bringing out all the best in this story – the humor, the bantering, attitudes, and emotions. Too perfect when it came to the section of the story where Max loses his easygoing way for a turn at domineering caveman. You want to get in there and personally take him down a peg or two!

Raudman was so good at the jerk quotient that I literally winced while listening. Fortunately Max’s attitude problem mellowed out before long and he redeemed himself nicely. On the positive side, Sophia was never a doormat – she gave as good as she got in their interactions. The chip she has on her shoulder about geniuses becomes annoying, though.

The age of Wizard shows, from the clothing descriptions (too funny,) the physical restraint Max tries, the slap Sophia gives him, the overbearing hero section, and basic cheesiness. With all that said, if you’re willing to drift back in time, to the series romance style of the mid 1980s, let Renee Raudman bring it alive for you. She makes this blast from the past a fun listen with her amazing skills, if you’re prepared.

[Carole Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly disliked this book in every way. I was in high school in the 80s. It wasn’t the dark ages unless you wanted it to be. I’ve seen a lot of people write about what an idiot the female mc is. They’re right. But the hero is also terrible, and I haven’t heard nearly enough about, specifically his casual threats of violence. Here’s what the “hero” Max says just before Sophie realizes she’s falling in love with him:

“Don't threaten me with cowboys ever again. Because if I ever catch you with another cowboy, or any other man, I'll beat you so thoroughly you'll think studying differential calculus was a treat by comparison.”

[Shawna Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I downloaded this audiobook onto my iphone, it went into the music section rather than the overdrive application and I couldn't figure out how to adjust the speed. The narrator's voice was extremely fast and quite annoying. I liked the usual humor and tension between the characters, but this book felt a little dated. Even the nerdy math wizard became a "he man" to win over the oddly defiant "feminine" heroine (more like hit her over the head with a stick and drag her back to the cave). I have to admit that it was funny to listen to the story and it was a super-fast read.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

MY RATING GUIDE: 3 Stars. This was a simplistic yet nostalgic listen from 1985 (with the crazy/dated book cover to match. My copy looks different). ;). (Young) readers without any history from this time or with this book/author would probably rate it lower.

1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= THIS WAS OKAY (and a nod from the past); 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I seldom give 5 Stars).

Sophia Athena Bennett, 28, is the only daughter of brilliant academic parents. Sophie grew up feeling generally misunderstood in their world. They expected greatness from her in either science or math and could never understand Sophie’s lack of interest. Sophie recently moved to Dallas with the goal of creating her own personal clothing design business.

Dr Max Travers, mid 30’s, is a gifted University mathematician visiting Dallas on a consulting trip. He is a colleague of Sophie’s parents and has agreed to take her out while in town. When Sophie meets Max and he arrives dressed in nerdy clothing mirroring her father her defenses immediately pop up and she decides to get rid of him asap. (After all, Max is only another brainy and clueless Wizard). But Max has an entirely different reaction to Sophie. Social polish and clothing have never been any interest to Max until now. He notices how Sophie’s personality and appearance sparkles and he determines to add her color and zest into his very dull world. But Max is very aware that it will not be easy to win over Sophie’s prejudice of his chosen profession.

Quote ~
“I prefer just about anyone to a (Wizard) genius.” Sophie

Comments ~
1) I originally read WIZARD in paperback years ago and on a lark picked up the audio copy during a recent sale. I’ve been enjoying Krentz novels for years. (Her writing has matured and changed but certain elements remain the same). WIZARD was written in the style popular during that period. The conflict is generated between the male and female lead characters rather than from a source outside the couple. The lead male character is an alpha-possessive type and the woman a mix between intelligent and emotional.
2) WIZARD was performed by Ashley Adlon. Her tone matched the writing as expected.
3) Ardent fans of Krentz and readers familiar with this style of fiction might be able to enjoy WIZARD as a nod to the past but I doubt young or new readers will find much to interest them. Not all books hold up after 35yrs. WIZARD fell somewhere in between. I smiled over certain sections and cringed through a few more. The male character explains a few of his actions in the final chapters which I would have appreciated knowing earlier but the vagueness in communication is also typical of the time. I wouldn’t recommend WIZARD unless the reader is in a nostalgic mood and familiar and okay with this type of Romance fiction. It isn’t among my favorite standalone Krentz novels from this time (Sweet Starfire/fantasy, Shield’s Lady/fantasy, Surrender/historical) but I’ve read worse elsewhere. My copy was less than the price of a coffee. It was a very quick listen. Perhaps I’ll listen again if in the mood. ;)

READER CAUTION ~
VIOLENCE - PG. Minor fisticuffs.
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used on a few occasions.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - Yes. Brief scenes (2?) with slightly open door (which could be easily skipped if desired).

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of opposites attracting. Sophia is the daughter of 2 academic geniuses. However, she is not a super brain and spent her school years striving to be something she wasn't. Max is a mathematical genius who feels he lives in a black and white world. Sophia is color. But Sophia doesn't want his world. The story line is a typical romance plot and was typical of the stories published in the 80s. Some of the devices are dated and a little overbearing; a little uncomfortable at times. Stephanie James is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz whose stories have matured over time. I have a lot of her early works that I haven't read in 30 years. I am planning on rereading them and weeding as I go. This will go.

[Last Chance Saloon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story with a kooky heroine (28) who has intellectual parents and never fitted the mould they wanted her in. Now she is living in Dallas, dating a cowboy, making clothes whilst working as a secretary and making plans to open her own boutique. In walks the hero, a mathematics genius who her parents had sent to meet her whilst he is in Dallas consulting. He is instantly smitten, but it takes a day or two to win her over (finding her boyfriend cheating helped it along more quickly). He's supportive, strong and not really that nerdy apart from wearing glasses, being genius level smart and lacking some practical skills (which he learns for her).
It's harmless, has a lovely HEA and I enjoyed it.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

En realidad este no era el libro que quería leer, pero tenía el mismo nombre jajaj.
No me gustó mucho la verdad.
La forma de hablar, que era tipo "formal" a veces me caía mal.
Después, nunca entendí muy bien que le gustaba a él de ella, porque el libro empezó de un solo con que la quería, era más deseo que amor.
Y ella me caía un poco mal por como lo trataba.

[Michelle Reddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not what I expected. The male lead was nice enough but then when he opened his mouth it was a different story. perhaps i am to has in my review, this behavior was possibly acceptable for the Time period it was written in.

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some books of hers are really unreadable both in plot/characterization and for the awful writing style. I can't believe she did become such a hot name with such unbearable and unbelievable dialogs.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the worst I’ve read by this author. Max was likeable in most regards, but Sophy was intolerable. Unbelievable that Max would find her attitude and hatefulness toward him attractive.

[Kathy Sue Stumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. I would recommend this book for those who want a lite easy enjoyable quick read.

[R · Rating 1 out of 5]

*** MINOR SPOILERS ***
I bought several books written under the pseudonym Stephanie James at the same time because I enjoy the later books written as Jayne Ann Krentz. I have been disappointed in all of them though it is not quite as true with this one. I read this book decades after they were published. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that the author of these books is the same person who writes her more recent books. The women in the later books are strong and equal partners to their male counterparts. That is generally not true of her earlier books.
Sophy is the daughter of two mathematical geniuses who assumed that she would be the same. Because she was not, she used to call herself a Disaster but now has come to an acceptance of who she is. She moved away from her parents and is interested in being a fashion designer.
Max is a mathematical genius, like her parents, and they ask him to connect with Sophy when he visits Dallas on a consulting assignment. He is immediately attracted to Sophy but finds out she is dating Nick, a cowboy. He persists and Sophy surprises herself by being attracted to him.
When Sophy meets Max for their first dinner, she is lively and interesting. She is a little condescending about mathematical geniuses which Max points out and she takes it with good grace. Given her history, I gave this a pass.
The book switches between Max and Sophy’s point of view.
I do not recommend this book.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading Ms. James old romances, and this one had an interesting twist--math genius vs dress designer...academia versus the "real world." Three stars as the physical side of their relationship starts with him taking advantage of her with him rationalizing it's okay.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not a book I would ever recommend. I listened to it on play-a-way while I walked on the treadmill. Convenience is the only reason I finished it. I realize the book was published in the 80's, but I got so sick of the constant man bashing and hatred of intellectuals! The main character, Sophie, was raised by two academic intellectuals, and because she was not a prodigy herself, Sophie grew to hate anyone who excelled in academics. At least that is how I have to describe her. I grew tired of her waspish tongue. How is a reader suppose to "like" a person who is always judgmental, denigrating and condescending to anyone and everyone she even "thinks" has a tertiary education? I started out liking the secondary (male) character, Max, until the author decided to develop him from a gentleman, into a chauvinist pig. I suppose this was done in order to make Sophie and her obnoxious attitude, arrogance and flippancy acceptable to the reader. The poor little rich girl who is intimidated by "wizards" plot was not acceptable to this reader. If you think all intellectuals dress in tweed, wear horn-rimmed glasses, wear a plastic pack of pens and pencils in their pockets, are severe, bland, reserved and unable to enjoy the "real" world, because they live in an "ivory tower," you might just like this book. If not, don't bother.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Jayne Ann Krentz was published in 1985 and contains the characterization and dialogue I would expect of her writing at that point in her career. The plot was a bit weaker in that there are issues that border on the unethical but overall it is an enjoyable re-read. I particularly liked that the male protagonist is an academician who is unused to dealing with emotions rather than logic. His reactions to being around Sophy, a businesswoman and designer, totally unlike anyone he has been accustomed to seeing, are delightful. The analogy with the crayons is great. Ms. Krentz gets you to see not only the problems of being an "ungifted" amongst the gifted but also that being gifted and never being allowed to do anything but study useful subjects is equally unfortunate. There are two sides to every coin, which is a revelation to Sophy.

[Brenda Audiobooks Only · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrated by Ashley Aldon - Narration 1*

What ruined this book was the nauseating over emphasis put on every single word from the narrators mouth. Plus Ashley Aldon got the whole tone of the book wrong! I've read the book many times and the heroine was not a smart mouthed *itch and the hero was not a quiet nerd! But that is what we get with this narration. Instead of the two very confident people finding common ground which is what Stephanie James / Jayne Ann Krentz wrote. An average but enjoyable enough JAK from 1985 trashed by the narration.

ETA - I was very happy when Brilliance choose to release their own Audio version of Wizard narrated by Renee Raudman. The story may be dated when you listen but Renee Raudman aces the pitch - timing and characters. A fun listen if you want to re-visit the series romance style from the mid 1980's.

[Cheryl Mclaws · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't know, at first, that this book was from the 80s. The descriptions of the characters' wardrobes and home decor soon gave it away though and it made me laugh. The office/corporate politics from 30+ years ago was interesting to read. However, I did NOT like the hero. Twice he threatened the heroine with physical violence and I immediately disliked him because of it. He lost all my respect and she did too for allowing that go and not calling him on it. "If you do that again I'll beat you." While some may argue that that is just because of when the book was written, but physical violence is NEVER okay.

[Alley Cat · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.
The narrator (Ashley Aldon) is absolutely TERRIBLE!
I'd like to think that I might have actually attempted to like the book, but the narration just accentuated the faults. The heroine came out as a total *itch, the hero as a timid mouse, and the plot out-right boring and ludicrous.
Maybe when I forget how bad this narrator is, I'll try reading the booking instead of listening to the audio version.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt very 80's and fairly old fashioned with it' s complaint of women being treated as secretaries and not being valued. However the heroine definitely had a chip on her shoulder about intellectual men; whether she learnt that they were just the same as other men such as cowboys I'm not too sure. It was an ok book but nothing special.

[Mindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

From Sophia's defensive cynicism to Max's somehow audacous insecurity, I really just couldn't get into this book. From the beginning I felt like they were a mismatch and I hated how Max ordered Sophia around and I hated how she was so sure she understood him and made really bad assumptions and decisions based on that flawed understanding. The book wasn't one of Krentz's best.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I read this one because I like Jayne Ann Krentz. This was well before book clubs reading smutty romances and book clubs through an on line social media. I didn't know where to turn to find the next book. So I went through every book an author wrote. This one, I could have done without.

[Chu-Salyer Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intellectual Sophia Bennett knew what kind of man she wanted: And in this book you will find out what kind of man Sophia is looking for. What Sophia says is not the same is what she means. It is a very funny, lath out loud, and amusing story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was different and quite fun. As always a smooth easy read as the author is exceptional.
Second read: A fun book and very good example of the changing attitudes.
Third read- still an excellent book