A Woman's Touch

by Jayne Ann Krentz

When Rebecca inherits the land her boss, Kyle Stockbridge, considers his--land that is the object of a centuries-old feud--she absolutely refuses to sell out. Especially after Kyle almost has her believing he loves her. Rebecca knows that she's facing a modern-day gunfighter, a throwback to the lawless time when men made their own rules in the Colorado wilderness. And despite Kyle's claim that their relationship is independent of the issue between them, she knows that selling the land won't solve all of their problems. For that to happen, Kyle must prove his love.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Harlequin, Category Romance

251 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Reviews

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Woman's Touch" is the story of Rebecca and Kyle.

A good story involving deception, rivalry and banter filled love, we have a hardworking h who ends up falling for her charming boss. Soon they begin a full fledged affair, only for the h to realize the H had dubious motives behind his courtship..
As she returns to his old town to uncover secrets and meet his nemesis, hidden truths reveal themselves, enemies become allies and love is realized all in a tale filled with deceit, feud and apology.

The grovel and the super satisfying epilogue were the cherry on the top. Enjoyed it!

Safe
3.5/5

PS. Hoping for a sequel with their kids!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite of mine. I've always wanted to have a sequel starring the Ballard boy and Stockbridge girl.

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one , I laughed a few times and practically giggled my way through .. Rebecca and Kyle were very intriguing and fun to see together. I enjoyed the Stockbridge vs Ballard thing .. it was entertaining and quite hilarious most of the time. One of my favorites.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I say the same thing about all this authors books. They are easy to read as the writing is smooth and flows easily. I rarely have trouble getting into her books immediately and wanting to read them without stopping. They make me smile all the time, cry occasionally, laugh out loud on occasion, and there is always a little to a lot of suspense. As the years have gone by her suspense has gotten more involved. Which I like. Truly a wonderful writer.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasionally funny with moments approaching poignancy. Better transitions would have helped overall, I think, but I still enjoyed it.
The heroine is smart and capable and recognized as such by herself and by the hero. The hero is closer to JAK's later standard of befuddled alpha with communication problems than the earlier douchecanoe rapist model.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

For generations the Stockbridges and Ballards have connived and fought over ownership of Harmony Valley. The competition has become a blood feud. Throughout the Valley has been owned by a family that tried to marry it’s women into partnerships with one family or the other, but the women have resisted being used as pawns and held the land themselves. Alice Cork is the last and leaves the Valley to a distant relative, Rebecca Wade.

As soon as he saw the will published in the local paper, Kyle Stockbridge searched for Rebecca, found her and offered her a job as his assistant at which she has been remarkably successful. He hopes to establish a relationship so that when she finds she has inherited, she will be willing to sell the land to him. Instead, she falls in love, and he becomes very attracted to her.

Standard early Krentz romance with the well-drawn characters, quirky plots and relationships, plus the humor she has become known for. Recommended.

Pace: Fast
Characters: Standard contemporary romance; manly men, strong, smart women
Story: Character-driven
Writing style: Engaging, humor
Tone: Steamy, upbeat
Frame: Denver & Harmony Valley CO; contemporary

Readalikes:
Robyn Carr series; Nora Roberts’ Chesapeake Blue series; Kathleen Eagle – The Night Remembers; Michael Baisden – Men Cry in the Dark; Sandra Brown – Seduction by Design; Jennifer Crusie – Maybe this Time; Rachel Gibson – Tangled Up in You; Janet Dailey – Calder Storm.

[Clarisse · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[TrishN29 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than Kyle calling her "baby" all the time, I really liked this story. Sexy and funny. Wonder if there's a sequel 20 years later!!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this many years ago. Cataloging for completeness. Very witty like all Krentz’ work

[Katherine Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story about a very strong and true love.

[Judy Tarver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent romance novel that held my interest. It was good but not excellent in my opinion.

[Tilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great book. Very cheesy storyline. This type of book, I'm sad to say, is what gives Romance a bad name. It was good enough for me to want to know what happened and finish the book though, so it wasn't horrible. But definitely not something I would read again. It does have a copywrite date of 1989 so maybe that's why it wasn't great? Maybe. I've read other reviews and I have gathered that this author is usually pretty good, but this wasn't one of her better books. I might have to test that theory out.(

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Krentz with great characters and dialogue plus humor, this one was more difficult to like for some reason, but after re-reading it more than three times, I have found that it really grows on me. Each time I seem to enjoy it more than the last. But I can say that about all of her books, even the ones I've loved from first reading.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and with a sirupy ending. But a great book compared to the other ones she wrote during the same decade. Here there's a woman who is worth of her name. The plot has the same betrayal as almost all her other books, but a different reaction: some steel in that backbone is really a welcomed change.

[Iola · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in 1989, so a bit dated, but JAK was ahead of the times in that her heroines actually had brains, careers and weren't helpless virgins waiting for the man to rescue them. I prefer her later stand-alone novels to this one.

[Nenya · Rating 4 out of 5]

rather old school. but still, a good read. a generational feud done pretty well. i also liked that the ow, Darla, isn't exactly "ow".

sweet read. (the 'business world' and h being executive secretary is a little cringeworthy... but still)

[Phifer, Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like her presentation to romance,

[Brenda Audiobooks Only · Rating 3 out of 5]

The abridged narration was just OK for me.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book - easy reading but surprising!! - I prefer the historicals.

[Season · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story. Didn't flow like I would have liked, but liked how it all turned out in the end.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another oldie from JAK that I've just re-read. Technology is a bit dated with the usual JAK H/H relationship. Nice and short read.

[Cem73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Titre vf : On ne triche pas avec l'amour (2001) / Harmony Valley (1989)

[Mem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this novel.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated.