What do you think?
Rate this book
Reluctant Lark #1
The Reluctant Lark
Romance, LoveSwept Series
180 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1983
About the author
Iris Johansen
239 books7,480 followersIris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
http://www.irisjohansen.com
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
http://www.irisjohansen.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 9, 2022
2.5🌟 kinda dragged.
- obsessed stalker H, kidnaps the h.
- h is a singer.
Safety
He’s been stalking her for 5 yrs, following her concerts, having her pictures all over his rooms, acting like a true stalker, but he still slept around with ow and had mistresses. After kidnapping the h, one of his mistresses even showed up to the cabin where he had the h. That little scene with the mistress - the one he broke up with only “almost” 4 months before, made his “obsession” contrived, and I lost interest.
-🧨
To cover up the kidnapping, I think the H was planning to make out with that mistress to send her home happy, so she wouldn’t mention seeing the h to anyone. But the h went out, he thought she ran away, and the H ended up sending everyone back.
Scene where the h confronts the H about his ex mistress:
““So you decided to take her to bed to keep her mouth shut,” Sheena scoffed, her black eyes flashing. “I’m not entirely the fool, Rand Challon!”
“The hell you’re not. I know how to handle Donna, and it wouldn’t have gone that far, damn it. All you had to do was to keep a low profile, and everything would have been fine. Donna would have been on that plane tonight purring like a kitten, her lips firmly sealed.”
H told the mistress to meet him in his bed room. Hmm…what would keep a mistress purring? So I guess he had planned to pleasure her without penetration?
- no cheating.
- virgin 22yr old h. H is 12 yrs older.
- this might be triggering to some readers, but this author is well known for writing heroines who look like a 12 yr old child, and the H complimenting her for looking like a child right before sex. The author does this in most of her romance books, it’s seriously disgusting.🤢🤢
“But the rest of you is so tiny and delicate. You’re like a lovely, perfectly formed child. I never noticed that you had that almost breakable quality.”
And of course, all of his ow were stunning, had big boobs and were voluptuous. But he falls for the flat chested child.🙄
- obsessed stalker H, kidnaps the h.
- h is a singer.
Safety
He’s been stalking her for 5 yrs, following her concerts, having her pictures all over his rooms, acting like a true stalker, but he still slept around with ow and had mistresses. After kidnapping the h, one of his mistresses even showed up to the cabin where he had the h. That little scene with the mistress - the one he broke up with only “almost” 4 months before, made his “obsession” contrived, and I lost interest.
-🧨
To cover up the kidnapping, I think the H was planning to make out with that mistress to send her home happy, so she wouldn’t mention seeing the h to anyone. But the h went out, he thought she ran away, and the H ended up sending everyone back.
Scene where the h confronts the H about his ex mistress:
““So you decided to take her to bed to keep her mouth shut,” Sheena scoffed, her black eyes flashing. “I’m not entirely the fool, Rand Challon!”
“The hell you’re not. I know how to handle Donna, and it wouldn’t have gone that far, damn it. All you had to do was to keep a low profile, and everything would have been fine. Donna would have been on that plane tonight purring like a kitten, her lips firmly sealed.”
H told the mistress to meet him in his bed room. Hmm…what would keep a mistress purring? So I guess he had planned to pleasure her without penetration?
- no cheating.
- virgin 22yr old h. H is 12 yrs older.
- this might be triggering to some readers, but this author is well known for writing heroines who look like a 12 yr old child, and the H complimenting her for looking like a child right before sex. The author does this in most of her romance books, it’s seriously disgusting.🤢🤢
“But the rest of you is so tiny and delicate. You’re like a lovely, perfectly formed child. I never noticed that you had that almost breakable quality.”
And of course, all of his ow were stunning, had big boobs and were voluptuous. But he falls for the flat chested child.🙄
February 18, 2009
First published in 1983, this is one of those effed-up stories that posed as Romance back in the day.
It's about a fan who had been following an Irish singer nicknamed "Ireland's Mournful Dove" for five years. He's had a detective follow her and takes pictures for all the shrines in his various homes. Finally, he cant wait anymore (now that she is 22 instead of the 17 when he first noticed her) and decides to kidnap her. He holds her in his cabin in Canada and tells her that he loves her and they will be together always. I found it all so verycreepy interesting.
Now since thestalker, um, hero has golden eyes and makes her tingly in her girl parts, the singer eventually falls in love with him and shags him silly. She doesnt even mind that he constantly calls her "little dove" or just "dove". For that alone, she should have Bobbitted him, IMO.
Oh, and to add to the joy, I did mention that the singer is Irish, right? So, of course her uncle turns out to be a hardcore political terrorist. Way to leave no sterotype unturned.
It's about a fan who had been following an Irish singer nicknamed "Ireland's Mournful Dove" for five years. He's had a detective follow her and takes pictures for all the shrines in his various homes. Finally, he cant wait anymore (now that she is 22 instead of the 17 when he first noticed her) and decides to kidnap her. He holds her in his cabin in Canada and tells her that he loves her and they will be together always. I found it all so very
Now since the
Oh, and to add to the joy, I did mention that the singer is Irish, right? So, of course her uncle turns out to be a hardcore political terrorist. Way to leave no sterotype unturned.
September 22, 2017
"The Reluctant Lark" is the story of Rand and Sheena.
Now if you're someone who is not fond of the stalker and kidnapping genre, this isn't for you. But for a fan like me, it was perfect.
The premise is that Sheena is a famous singer, who sings melancholic songs and lives with her controlling uncle who took her and her now dead brother in. She is Irish and famous worldwide, but has never found happiness..
All changes when she starts noticing a familiar face in the crowds, and soon after a confrontation, Rand kidnaps and whisks her away to his private getaway.
What follows is a predictable storyline, a lot of Stockholm Syndrome, angst and a HEA.
The hero is obviously crazy about the heroine. He stalks her for years and admires her, until he can finally take her away and make his "Dove" a "Lark".
The heroine resists but soon his caring/domineering/loving makes her give in- however she is never portrayed as weak and stands up for herself again and again.
Hot kisses and lovemaking, painful pasts and loads of running away make this an entertaining read.
That being said, the end was sort of a climax for what the h is suffering from, but the lack of any sort of HEA/Epilogue was a bit disappointing.
Safe with major exceptions
3.5/5
Now if you're someone who is not fond of the stalker and kidnapping genre, this isn't for you. But for a fan like me, it was perfect.
The premise is that Sheena is a famous singer, who sings melancholic songs and lives with her controlling uncle who took her and her now dead brother in. She is Irish and famous worldwide, but has never found happiness..
All changes when she starts noticing a familiar face in the crowds, and soon after a confrontation, Rand kidnaps and whisks her away to his private getaway.
What follows is a predictable storyline, a lot of Stockholm Syndrome, angst and a HEA.
The hero is obviously crazy about the heroine. He stalks her for years and admires her, until he can finally take her away and make his "Dove" a "Lark".
The heroine resists but soon his caring/domineering/loving makes her give in- however she is never portrayed as weak and stands up for herself again and again.
Hot kisses and lovemaking, painful pasts and loads of running away make this an entertaining read.
That being said, the end was sort of a climax for what the h is suffering from, but the lack of any sort of HEA/Epilogue was a bit disappointing.
Safe with major exceptions
3.5/5
August 15, 2018
Rand, the hero, too obsessive hero to next level it was pretty creepy but he was uber smitten with Sheena, the heroine. It was love at first sight for him took him time convince to her. The guy is in a league if his own. I never a hero like this before he was obsessive like Hero found in Charlotte lamb's novel the disturbing stranger but he was much kinder and sweet. Memorable story a keeper for me!
May 15, 2018
I never write book reviews, but for this I had to. There are so many strong undertones of pedophelia that I had to stop reading. During the couple’s first sex scene he literally tells her that she has the body of a well formed child and believe me when I tell you that’s a pretty minor detail compared to the fact the hero has been stalking her since she was 17 and when he was 30. PROBLEMATIC ON SO MANY LEVELS.
March 4, 2011
Sometime ago Rand spotted Sheena, a folk singer known as Ireland’s Mournful Dove at one of her concerts. He sees right thru her brave facade and falls for her before he even meets her. Falls for her to the point of creepy obsession. He has pictures of her all over his office and follows her to all her concerts. When he sees her conniving uncle continuing to push her to the point of exhaustion, he takes matters into his own hands and rescues her. He sweeps her off to a cabin in the woods where he wears down any resistance- though, implausible to the point of suspending belief- she puts up little fuss.
When his secretary and an ex-lover drop by for an unexpected visit- unexpected on the ex-lover’s behalf- he decides it’s time to find another place before her uncle tracks them down. Taking her to his huge ranch in Texas, she finally gives in to the passion oozing from him.
Rand is so manipulative, for her own good ::roll eyes::, and she so accommodating- though she does make token gestures of protests- that this one was hard to swallow even for me, a huge alpha male lover and old IJ fan from way back . I think I understand why this one is rarely found in reprint editions.
I suppose this was par for the course in the romance genre from the 80’s. We’ve come a long way baby. :\
When his secretary and an ex-lover drop by for an unexpected visit- unexpected on the ex-lover’s behalf- he decides it’s time to find another place before her uncle tracks them down. Taking her to his huge ranch in Texas, she finally gives in to the passion oozing from him.
Rand is so manipulative, for her own good ::roll eyes::, and she so accommodating- though she does make token gestures of protests- that this one was hard to swallow even for me, a huge alpha male lover and old IJ fan from way back . I think I understand why this one is rarely found in reprint editions.
I suppose this was par for the course in the romance genre from the 80’s. We’ve come a long way baby. :\
January 5, 2014
I'm one of Iris Johansen's many fans, but let's just say this book, written early in her career, wasn't my cuppa tea.
It's waaaay too much of a stretch for me to swallow the concept of "romance", when a billionaire becomes obsessed with a young woman after he sees her picture in the newspaper and then single-mindedly plots to make her his own. With the help of well-paid private investigators, he essentially stalks her every waking moment for the next five years, while preparing and stocking his homes with clothes for her. Then, for "her own good", he has her kidnapped and whisked away to one of his homes in a remote area of Canada.
A love nest? A premise for passion to flare and love to bloom? YUK! Not in my mind.
Maybe because I am such a fan of Johansen's later books, I expected a lot more from this one. People who enjoy sappy unrealistic romances might love it. Me? If I were Johansen, I'd want to banish every single copy of this book to a remote area of Canada. To be buried.
It's waaaay too much of a stretch for me to swallow the concept of "romance", when a billionaire becomes obsessed with a young woman after he sees her picture in the newspaper and then single-mindedly plots to make her his own. With the help of well-paid private investigators, he essentially stalks her every waking moment for the next five years, while preparing and stocking his homes with clothes for her. Then, for "her own good", he has her kidnapped and whisked away to one of his homes in a remote area of Canada.
A love nest? A premise for passion to flare and love to bloom? YUK! Not in my mind.
Maybe because I am such a fan of Johansen's later books, I expected a lot more from this one. People who enjoy sappy unrealistic romances might love it. Me? If I were Johansen, I'd want to banish every single copy of this book to a remote area of Canada. To be buried.
April 12, 2016
Johansen's protagonists seem to blend into one another. Nothing really stands out, character-wise. The men are bossy and arrogant. The women are gorgeous, and no matter how "stubborn" the author describes them, they are all submissive to the men. Annoying after awhile. Rand is borderline stalker. Actually, borderline is too nice because he is straight up stalker, obsessive behavior. And I honestly don't know why that is supposed to be attractive.
January 21, 2014
Too sappy and the main character had stalking tendencies
February 12, 2014
This book was a bit on the creepy side - like I'd expect from Iris' thrillers. The stalker theme creeped me out but I will say the ending was unexpected.
June 21, 2014
Honestly the H seemed a psycho at the start and definitely gave out the creepy stalker vibes, the story turned out good and ended well.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews