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Emerald Storm
PASSIONATE TORRENT ...
When defiant Patricia Morgan first gazed into Cole Gifford's striking blue eyes, raw desire raged in her blood. His lean physique made her want to trace his rippling muscles; his powerful arms made her want to drown in a whirlpool of endless rapture. But the willowy beauty had loved and lost before and sworn never to be vulnerable to a man again. Now she had to instantly decide if she could risk another heartbreak for the waves of physical satisfaction only Cole could bring!
SENSUAL CASCADE ...
Handsome Cole Gifford had vowed to concentrate on his career but when he first set eyes on the gorgeous young woman, her supple curves shot a current of craving through his veins. The virile male knew he should forget the green-eyed witch ... then the promise of pleasure proved too much for him. Cole had to have her respond to his masterful touch, crave his warm lips --- and forever surrender to the invincible force of her EMERALD STORM.
When defiant Patricia Morgan first gazed into Cole Gifford's striking blue eyes, raw desire raged in her blood. His lean physique made her want to trace his rippling muscles; his powerful arms made her want to drown in a whirlpool of endless rapture. But the willowy beauty had loved and lost before and sworn never to be vulnerable to a man again. Now she had to instantly decide if she could risk another heartbreak for the waves of physical satisfaction only Cole could bring!
SENSUAL CASCADE ...
Handsome Cole Gifford had vowed to concentrate on his career but when he first set eyes on the gorgeous young woman, her supple curves shot a current of craving through his veins. The virile male knew he should forget the green-eyed witch ... then the promise of pleasure proved too much for him. Cole had to have her respond to his masterful touch, crave his warm lips --- and forever surrender to the invincible force of her EMERALD STORM.
524 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Rosalyn Alsobrook
30 books11 followersRosalyn Alsobrook, who lives in Gilmer, Texas, attended Kilgore College where she was features editor for the college newspaper. She enjoys doing intricate research for the authentic details she includes in her historical romances, and is the author of twelve books, including the bestselling Mail-Order Mistress, Wild Western Bride, Desire’s Gamble and Brazen Heart. Rosalyn, who married her high school sweetheart Bobby, has two sons and recently became a grandmother—but a very young one, she adds. Rosalyn would like to hear from her readers. Write to her c/o Zebra Books, 475 Park Ave. So., New York, N.Y. 10016. Please include a stamped self-addressed envelope if you’d like a reply from the author.
Pen names: Gina Delaney
Jalynn Friends
Jean Haught
Pen names: Gina Delaney
Jalynn Friends
Jean Haught
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 3, 2021
Like Data’s cat poetry on Star Trek, there’s nothing really *wrong* with this, per se. It’s competently written in terms of grammar. It follows romantic formula—a virtual tribute to form (if you’ll pardon me mining Trek dialogue :P). It’s nicely researched, & even unique in terms of setting. But does it evoke an emotional response? Nope. Because while it’s technically correct, it’s also not particularly interesting.
And therein lies the fatal flaw of Data’s long-winded odes to Spot: balancing technical ability & emotional resonance.
Like the audience at an android poetry reading, I felt my mind wander almost from the get-go, but pushed onward until I couldn’t stand to hear any more about our perfectly pleasant heroine worshipping our perfectly pleasant hero, & vice versa. Patricia & Cole are the Mary Poppins(es) of romance—practically perfect in every way, & that’s just boring as hell. 😶 So I skipped ahead to the flood section, which was actually pretty good, & saves this interminable ode to perfection from a meh 2-star rating. Alas, it was too little, too late; the flood doesn’t happen until nearly 75%, which leaves a boatload of boring romance to wade through. I’m sad to say I cared more about the stray dog on the floating roof than our main couple—which is surely a Romance Novel Fail, even for animal lovers.
…But I’m a woman of my word. The dog survived, & even thrived—Ms Alsobrook didn’t leave that thread unresolved, so I’ll round up to 3 stars. 🐶
And therein lies the fatal flaw of Data’s long-winded odes to Spot: balancing technical ability & emotional resonance.
Like the audience at an android poetry reading, I felt my mind wander almost from the get-go, but pushed onward until I couldn’t stand to hear any more about our perfectly pleasant heroine worshipping our perfectly pleasant hero, & vice versa. Patricia & Cole are the Mary Poppins(es) of romance—practically perfect in every way, & that’s just boring as hell. 😶 So I skipped ahead to the flood section, which was actually pretty good, & saves this interminable ode to perfection from a meh 2-star rating. Alas, it was too little, too late; the flood doesn’t happen until nearly 75%, which leaves a boatload of boring romance to wade through. I’m sad to say I cared more about the stray dog on the floating roof than our main couple—which is surely a Romance Novel Fail, even for animal lovers.
…But I’m a woman of my word. The dog survived, & even thrived—Ms Alsobrook didn’t leave that thread unresolved, so I’ll round up to 3 stars. 🐶
April 30, 2021
Nice, Pleasant, but Frustrating. Book.
There are authors I read who frustrate me greatly, because their books look so good in reading the synopsis on the back cover or on FictionDB, but the book itself doesn't live up to the potential it might have. That is the case with many of the books written by Rosalyn Alsobrook that I have read, including her first for Zebra Books, "Emerald Storm."
"Emerald Storm" begins in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889; however, it doesn't begin happily. It begins in the aftermath of a tragedy, a tragedy that could have potentially been avoided had people listened. But they didn't listen, and the result of that is a tremendous amount of loss of both property and life. Before we get to the end, we need to know how we got to that point.
It all started nearly one year earlier. Johnstown Hospital and one of it's doctors, Harrison Rutledge, brother-in-law to the heroine of the book, Patricia Morgan, held a box lunch/basket auction, with the winners receiving both the lunch and the chance to share it with the young lady who made the food and the proceeds going to the hospital to provide more and better services to the citizens of Johnstown. When Patricia's basket comes up for bid, her "boyfriend/fiancee'", banker William Speck, bids. but is soon challenged by the hero of the book, Cole Gifford, an engineer at the local Cambria Iron Works. Cole eventually forces the bid to $100, a large sum of money at that time and significantly more than William-who is rather cheap-wanted to pay before backing out.
Cole and Patricia meet again when Cole comes to see her father, Clayton Mackey, at his brewery business where Patricia works as a bookkeeper. Cole is trying to get signatures on a petition to get the dam that holds back Lake Conemaugh fixed or replaced; he feels that it's inevitable that the dam will fail and flood the city. Mackey, and most of the other citizens of Johnstown, won't sign the petition because they believe that the dam will never break or for financial reasons, but Patricia does. Cole then asks Patricia for a date, which she agrees to go on.
On the night of the date, however, Patricia's younger sister Jeanne, comes by to see Patricia and claims that Cole is really a adulterer named Ben Butler. Patricia and Jeanne devise a plan to get back at "Ben Butler" by having Patricia play at seducing him. When Patricia does this, she throws Cole's clothes out into the street after he undresses, anticipating a night of love. Much to Patricia's horror, however, Cole really is who he says he is and now Patricia has to make amends for the wrong she and Jeanne have done him.
Despite their rocky beginning, Patricia and Cole are seriously attracted to each other and begin to really date, much to the chagrin of both Clayton and William, both of whom are conspiring to break up the burgeoning relationship. Cole and Patricia eventually start dating, make love, and agree to marry; meanwhile, Patricia's youngest sister, Catherine, is being wittingly by Clayton and unwittingly by Patricia, being urged to have a relationship with a young lawyer, Tony Alani. Although Catherine is attracted to Tony-they nearly end up making love after one date-Catherine is in love with another man, her first love Franklin Hitt, who was chased away from her and whom she still holds a torch for. Catherine, it is implied, though not actually stated, is married to Hitt; this storyline is not explored much, however.
Cole and Patricia soon become engaged, and both Clayton and William express their displeasure in various ways. Cole, Tony, and Andrew Edwards, a minister who works at a local church, also receive threatening letters warning them off working to increase the dam's security. Soon, the anonymous letter writer escalates their actions to vandalism of Tony's office, Andrew's church and arson of Cole's home. To no one's surprise, the architect of these acts is William, who wants Patricia back, although he never really had her in the first place.
As things transpire further, Patricia unwittingly tells William that she has the petitions. This leads to William vandalizing her home and, for a spell, Patricia and Cole break up; he wants to keep her safe; she wants to continue the work they are doing. They do reconcile. William hires a man to kill Cole, but before that happens, the event that would change everything in Johnstown 1889 occurs. The rains come, the dam breaks, and the flood happens. Among those killed in the flood and its aftermath: Clayton, Tony, Catherine, and Cole's sister, Faye, a nun. Patricia, Cole, Jeanne and Harrison survive, although Patricia and Cole both suffer physical as well as emotional injuries from the tragedy. Patricia, in fact, falls into a coma as a result of injuries she suffers in the flood, but eventually, she recovers and she and Cole have their happily ever after.
With the exception of the flood-which really did happen in Johnstown in 1889- this is mostly a nice, pleasant book. That, however, is Mrs. Alsobrook's strength and weakness. Most of her books-I own 12 of them-fall into the same category. Nice, pleasant, but boring, lacking passion, juice, and that indefinable something that makes me as a reader care about the characters I am reading about. I never thought about the characters after I put the book down, and that is a big negative in my eyes.
Sex: If one is looking for hot, passionate sex, look elsewhere. Mrs. Alsobrook's love scenes are almost tame enough to be read by children. She also has a tendency, which I find very annoying, to use the EXACT same phrasing in all of the love scenes in her books.
Violence: Most of the violence occurs in the flood; the violence is not overly descriptive. The other acts of violence are the already mentioned vandalism by William and one other time when he threatens to shoot Cole with a gun. No gunshot is fired, however.
Bottom Line: Mrs. Alsobrook's books are far more interesting in the synopses on the back cover than in the pages between the covers.
There are authors I read who frustrate me greatly, because their books look so good in reading the synopsis on the back cover or on FictionDB, but the book itself doesn't live up to the potential it might have. That is the case with many of the books written by Rosalyn Alsobrook that I have read, including her first for Zebra Books, "Emerald Storm."
"Emerald Storm" begins in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889; however, it doesn't begin happily. It begins in the aftermath of a tragedy, a tragedy that could have potentially been avoided had people listened. But they didn't listen, and the result of that is a tremendous amount of loss of both property and life. Before we get to the end, we need to know how we got to that point.
It all started nearly one year earlier. Johnstown Hospital and one of it's doctors, Harrison Rutledge, brother-in-law to the heroine of the book, Patricia Morgan, held a box lunch/basket auction, with the winners receiving both the lunch and the chance to share it with the young lady who made the food and the proceeds going to the hospital to provide more and better services to the citizens of Johnstown. When Patricia's basket comes up for bid, her "boyfriend/fiancee'", banker William Speck, bids. but is soon challenged by the hero of the book, Cole Gifford, an engineer at the local Cambria Iron Works. Cole eventually forces the bid to $100, a large sum of money at that time and significantly more than William-who is rather cheap-wanted to pay before backing out.
Cole and Patricia meet again when Cole comes to see her father, Clayton Mackey, at his brewery business where Patricia works as a bookkeeper. Cole is trying to get signatures on a petition to get the dam that holds back Lake Conemaugh fixed or replaced; he feels that it's inevitable that the dam will fail and flood the city. Mackey, and most of the other citizens of Johnstown, won't sign the petition because they believe that the dam will never break or for financial reasons, but Patricia does. Cole then asks Patricia for a date, which she agrees to go on.
On the night of the date, however, Patricia's younger sister Jeanne, comes by to see Patricia and claims that Cole is really a adulterer named Ben Butler. Patricia and Jeanne devise a plan to get back at "Ben Butler" by having Patricia play at seducing him. When Patricia does this, she throws Cole's clothes out into the street after he undresses, anticipating a night of love. Much to Patricia's horror, however, Cole really is who he says he is and now Patricia has to make amends for the wrong she and Jeanne have done him.
Despite their rocky beginning, Patricia and Cole are seriously attracted to each other and begin to really date, much to the chagrin of both Clayton and William, both of whom are conspiring to break up the burgeoning relationship. Cole and Patricia eventually start dating, make love, and agree to marry; meanwhile, Patricia's youngest sister, Catherine, is being wittingly by Clayton and unwittingly by Patricia, being urged to have a relationship with a young lawyer, Tony Alani. Although Catherine is attracted to Tony-they nearly end up making love after one date-Catherine is in love with another man, her first love Franklin Hitt, who was chased away from her and whom she still holds a torch for. Catherine, it is implied, though not actually stated, is married to Hitt; this storyline is not explored much, however.
Cole and Patricia soon become engaged, and both Clayton and William express their displeasure in various ways. Cole, Tony, and Andrew Edwards, a minister who works at a local church, also receive threatening letters warning them off working to increase the dam's security. Soon, the anonymous letter writer escalates their actions to vandalism of Tony's office, Andrew's church and arson of Cole's home. To no one's surprise, the architect of these acts is William, who wants Patricia back, although he never really had her in the first place.
As things transpire further, Patricia unwittingly tells William that she has the petitions. This leads to William vandalizing her home and, for a spell, Patricia and Cole break up; he wants to keep her safe; she wants to continue the work they are doing. They do reconcile. William hires a man to kill Cole, but before that happens, the event that would change everything in Johnstown 1889 occurs. The rains come, the dam breaks, and the flood happens. Among those killed in the flood and its aftermath: Clayton, Tony, Catherine, and Cole's sister, Faye, a nun. Patricia, Cole, Jeanne and Harrison survive, although Patricia and Cole both suffer physical as well as emotional injuries from the tragedy. Patricia, in fact, falls into a coma as a result of injuries she suffers in the flood, but eventually, she recovers and she and Cole have their happily ever after.
With the exception of the flood-which really did happen in Johnstown in 1889- this is mostly a nice, pleasant book. That, however, is Mrs. Alsobrook's strength and weakness. Most of her books-I own 12 of them-fall into the same category. Nice, pleasant, but boring, lacking passion, juice, and that indefinable something that makes me as a reader care about the characters I am reading about. I never thought about the characters after I put the book down, and that is a big negative in my eyes.
Sex: If one is looking for hot, passionate sex, look elsewhere. Mrs. Alsobrook's love scenes are almost tame enough to be read by children. She also has a tendency, which I find very annoying, to use the EXACT same phrasing in all of the love scenes in her books.
Violence: Most of the violence occurs in the flood; the violence is not overly descriptive. The other acts of violence are the already mentioned vandalism by William and one other time when he threatens to shoot Cole with a gun. No gunshot is fired, however.
Bottom Line: Mrs. Alsobrook's books are far more interesting in the synopses on the back cover than in the pages between the covers.
June 16, 2016
Six stars!
The synopsis doesn't do this book justice. In fact, it's almost a disservice, because while "Emerald Storm" is a steamy romance, it is so much more than that!
Patricia Morgan and her family, Cole Gifford, and the other characters are fictional, but their story is set just before and during the Johnstown Flood in 1889. This flood destroyed entire towns, and took thousands of lives. Most of the story centers around the developing romances of Patricia and her two sisters, but it ends with the flood and its aftermath. So this is an unique combination of historical fiction and hot romance.
So what makes this story unforgettable?
1. Gorgeous Prose and Vivid Imagery
From the clothing styles of the day, to home furnishings, to interaction between characters, "Emerald Storm" is filled with some of the most beautiful writing I've come across in a long time. Rosalyn Alsobrook is a master of words, whether she's making your pulse race with love scenes, or breaking your heart with the aftermath of the flood.
2. Genuine Characters and Complex Storylines
Cole, Tony, Faye, Andrew, Harrison, Patricia, Katherine, and Jean aren't stock characters. They're people, with hopes and fears and dreams that come across as so genuine, you will shed tears for them. And their stories are mature, well-developed, and "real." This isn't a melodramatic soap-opera-style "danger and rescue" tale. It's the story of a real town, with real people, who loved, and hoped, and lost, and grieved, and eventually healed.
3. The Best Treatment of a "Tragedy" I've Read
Real-life tragedies are delicate things, when it comes to writing a fictional account of them. It would be easy to overdo the gruesome details for effect, but it would also be just as easy to oversentimentalize and avoid the things that made the tragedy real. Alsobrook is like a tightrope walker, balancing perfectly between these two extremes, so that the resulting work is a masterpiece of genuine emotion.
4. Unique Ending
As with real life, the finish of the novel isn't 100% happy or 100% sad. It's a mix, and while your heart will be broken by some of it, you'll be soothed by other parts of the ending.
One thing that stands out is the portrayal of female characters. In many romances, especially the historicals, heroines are often characterized as helpless, vulnerable, etc., and "Emerald Storm" is just the opposite. The women in this book are courageous, intelligent, independent, and feisty, without sacrificing their femininity. They think for themselves. It's refreshing to read about such thoughtfully-developed characters.
This book isn't easy to read in some places, but it's worth the pain, because I feel I've been given a glimpse into history. I felt an emotional attachment to every one of these characters that is rare for its intensity. "Emerald Storm" is a book you won't be able to forget!
And as a side note, I chose this book out of the blue. Sometimes, I'll pick up a book, just based on the title, without reading its synopsis, or reviews, or anything. That was the case with this novel, and it proves that sometimes, it's worth it to try something you wouldn't normally try. From the looks of Goodreads, it appears that hardly anyone has read this, and I think I've found a real gem!
The synopsis doesn't do this book justice. In fact, it's almost a disservice, because while "Emerald Storm" is a steamy romance, it is so much more than that!
Patricia Morgan and her family, Cole Gifford, and the other characters are fictional, but their story is set just before and during the Johnstown Flood in 1889. This flood destroyed entire towns, and took thousands of lives. Most of the story centers around the developing romances of Patricia and her two sisters, but it ends with the flood and its aftermath. So this is an unique combination of historical fiction and hot romance.
So what makes this story unforgettable?
1. Gorgeous Prose and Vivid Imagery
From the clothing styles of the day, to home furnishings, to interaction between characters, "Emerald Storm" is filled with some of the most beautiful writing I've come across in a long time. Rosalyn Alsobrook is a master of words, whether she's making your pulse race with love scenes, or breaking your heart with the aftermath of the flood.
2. Genuine Characters and Complex Storylines
Cole, Tony, Faye, Andrew, Harrison, Patricia, Katherine, and Jean aren't stock characters. They're people, with hopes and fears and dreams that come across as so genuine, you will shed tears for them. And their stories are mature, well-developed, and "real." This isn't a melodramatic soap-opera-style "danger and rescue" tale. It's the story of a real town, with real people, who loved, and hoped, and lost, and grieved, and eventually healed.
3. The Best Treatment of a "Tragedy" I've Read
Real-life tragedies are delicate things, when it comes to writing a fictional account of them. It would be easy to overdo the gruesome details for effect, but it would also be just as easy to oversentimentalize and avoid the things that made the tragedy real. Alsobrook is like a tightrope walker, balancing perfectly between these two extremes, so that the resulting work is a masterpiece of genuine emotion.
4. Unique Ending
As with real life, the finish of the novel isn't 100% happy or 100% sad. It's a mix, and while your heart will be broken by some of it, you'll be soothed by other parts of the ending.
One thing that stands out is the portrayal of female characters. In many romances, especially the historicals, heroines are often characterized as helpless, vulnerable, etc., and "Emerald Storm" is just the opposite. The women in this book are courageous, intelligent, independent, and feisty, without sacrificing their femininity. They think for themselves. It's refreshing to read about such thoughtfully-developed characters.
This book isn't easy to read in some places, but it's worth the pain, because I feel I've been given a glimpse into history. I felt an emotional attachment to every one of these characters that is rare for its intensity. "Emerald Storm" is a book you won't be able to forget!
And as a side note, I chose this book out of the blue. Sometimes, I'll pick up a book, just based on the title, without reading its synopsis, or reviews, or anything. That was the case with this novel, and it proves that sometimes, it's worth it to try something you wouldn't normally try. From the looks of Goodreads, it appears that hardly anyone has read this, and I think I've found a real gem!
March 26, 2015
Book based on the historic Johnstown flood, great characters, real events, a great read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews