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Anne Stuart's Out-of-Print Gems
Anne Stuart's Out-of-Print Gems is a special collection of some of Anne's personal favorites from her long career. She has added comments to share why each book was, and still is, important to her. In her own These are some of my favorite books --over the top, with a dollop of humor, a streak of darkness, quirky heroines, devastating heroes, and the really satisfying happy ending you can only find in a series romance. Enjoy! Bundle includes Night of the Phantom, One More Valentine, Cinderman, The Soldier and the Baby, and Wild Thing,
918 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2007
About the author
Anne Stuart
205 books2,077 followersAnne Stuart is a grandmaster of the genre, winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, survivor of more than thirty-five years in the romance business, and still just keeps getting better.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 1, 2013
(updated 2-28-2013, to include reviews for all 5 books in the collection.)
Too much fun! And a bargain! This is a digital collection of five old romances by Anne Stuart, with each story being about 180 pages. Four of the stories are paranormal romances -- or at least spooky -- and one is a romantic action-adventure jungle romp. I enjoyed them all. They are much lighter than Stuart's fabulous Ice series.
From AS, in the Forward: "These are some of my favorite books -- over the top, with a dollop of humor, a streak of darkness, quirky heroines, devastating heroes, and the really satisfying happy ending you can only find in a series romance. Enjoy!"
★★★★★ Night of the Phantom, © 1991
Loved it! This one is spooky, and kept me REALLY guessing. It has an eerie feeling, and you wonder where and what the "phantom" is -- if Ethan Winslowe is invisible, or paralyzed, or half-man, half-machine. He is an architect out for revenge on the rich builder who destroyed his reputation and brought about the death of several people -- and he doesn't mind taking it out on the builder's daughter, Meg.
Certainly NOT your typical Valentine's Day love story. Long ago, seven men were killed in the Valentine's Day massacre. The gangsters somehow magically come back to life every year on Valentine's Day, but they can only stay alive for 48 hours -- unless they fall in love, and the love is reciprocated. Can they remember what happened on the preceding Valentine's Day resurrections? Who they met? What they did? Echoes of Groundhog Day.
(good, but not too special)
★★★ Cinderman, © 1994
This is like the X-Men meets Mutant Ninja Turtles. A scientist and a reporter are caught in a sudden explosion in the laboratory. They quickly realize that it was NO accident. They've got enemies, the deadly kind, but they've also got new POWERS! The scientist can turn invisible for a few hours each day, and start fires. The reporter gains superior vision. Lots of fun! Sex and suspense, all rolled into pure nonsense.
(good, but nothing too special)
★★★★ The Soldier and the Baby, © 1995
The Soldier and the Baby is a hoot, as ex-soldier boy Reilly leads a would-be nun and a baby boy through the dangerous jungles of Central America. On the way, he falls in love. It's a bit dark, with some ugly bits, and with nonstop adventure, a fast pace, witty dialogue, violence, and a cynical hero with a melting center. Sizzling smexy times, too, plus a sweet epilogue with a little surprise in store.
It's like "Romancing the Stone" and even the old classic "African Queen" but with sex. It reminds me of the last book in Stuart's incredible Ice series, On Thin Ice.
★★★★ Wild Thing, © 2000
Another hit! Tarzan meets Jurassic Park. This one is set on Ghost Island, where a millionaire keeps a man in a cage, observing how he behaves under certain conditions and stimuli. The man is John Bartholomew Hunter, a "wild child" because he grew up in the jungle, the only survivor of a small plane crash. The millionaire invites Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Holden to the island to observe his pet, but when she realizes he is a human being, she helps him escape, with Hunnicutt's minions hard on their heels.
John does not speak at all, so Libby -- who gets chatty when she's nervous or scared -- pops the cork on all her secrets as they hide out in the jungle. Yup, she even shares her disappointments in sex. (So what's a man to do?)
John really doesn't want to let Libby go, once they are free from the loopy millionaire. Maybe he will just, um...keep her ツ
╍●‿●╍ Lots of sexy fun in this cool collection!
Too much fun! And a bargain! This is a digital collection of five old romances by Anne Stuart, with each story being about 180 pages. Four of the stories are paranormal romances -- or at least spooky -- and one is a romantic action-adventure jungle romp. I enjoyed them all. They are much lighter than Stuart's fabulous Ice series.
From AS, in the Forward: "These are some of my favorite books -- over the top, with a dollop of humor, a streak of darkness, quirky heroines, devastating heroes, and the really satisfying happy ending you can only find in a series romance. Enjoy!"
★★★★★ Night of the Phantom, © 1991
Loved it! This one is spooky, and kept me REALLY guessing. It has an eerie feeling, and you wonder where and what the "phantom" is -- if Ethan Winslowe is invisible, or paralyzed, or half-man, half-machine. He is an architect out for revenge on the rich builder who destroyed his reputation and brought about the death of several people -- and he doesn't mind taking it out on the builder's daughter, Meg.
What does Stuart say about NotP?★★★ One More Valentine, © 1993
"This is one of my all-time favorite books. I wrote it during a dark time in my life -- we'd just had a tragedy in our family and in response I threw everything I had into the book, going completely over the top and holding nothing back."
Certainly NOT your typical Valentine's Day love story. Long ago, seven men were killed in the Valentine's Day massacre. The gangsters somehow magically come back to life every year on Valentine's Day, but they can only stay alive for 48 hours -- unless they fall in love, and the love is reciprocated. Can they remember what happened on the preceding Valentine's Day resurrections? Who they met? What they did? Echoes of Groundhog Day.
(good, but not too special)
★★★ Cinderman, © 1994
This is like the X-Men meets Mutant Ninja Turtles. A scientist and a reporter are caught in a sudden explosion in the laboratory. They quickly realize that it was NO accident. They've got enemies, the deadly kind, but they've also got new POWERS! The scientist can turn invisible for a few hours each day, and start fires. The reporter gains superior vision. Lots of fun! Sex and suspense, all rolled into pure nonsense.
(good, but nothing too special)
★★★★ The Soldier and the Baby, © 1995
The Soldier and the Baby is a hoot, as ex-soldier boy Reilly leads a would-be nun and a baby boy through the dangerous jungles of Central America. On the way, he falls in love. It's a bit dark, with some ugly bits, and with nonstop adventure, a fast pace, witty dialogue, violence, and a cynical hero with a melting center. Sizzling smexy times, too, plus a sweet epilogue with a little surprise in store.
It's like "Romancing the Stone" and even the old classic "African Queen" but with sex. It reminds me of the last book in Stuart's incredible Ice series, On Thin Ice.
★★★★ Wild Thing, © 2000
Another hit! Tarzan meets Jurassic Park. This one is set on Ghost Island, where a millionaire keeps a man in a cage, observing how he behaves under certain conditions and stimuli. The man is John Bartholomew Hunter, a "wild child" because he grew up in the jungle, the only survivor of a small plane crash. The millionaire invites Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Holden to the island to observe his pet, but when she realizes he is a human being, she helps him escape, with Hunnicutt's minions hard on their heels.
John does not speak at all, so Libby -- who gets chatty when she's nervous or scared -- pops the cork on all her secrets as they hide out in the jungle. Yup, she even shares her disappointments in sex. (So what's a man to do?)
John really doesn't want to let Libby go, once they are free from the loopy millionaire. Maybe he will just, um...keep her ツ
╍●‿●╍ Lots of sexy fun in this cool collection!
May 23, 2015
This was an ongoing read that I started almost exactly a year ago. I checked the date, and wow, that's symmetry. I have made an effort to do some rereading because I want to recapture the magic of romance books in my life. Anne Stuart is the best, in my opinion. I could do worse than spend a year with her. I squeezed these in when I could, so that's why it took me a year. :)
I wrote reviews for each of the books as I read them. I won't post all the reviews here, because they are quite long. I will instead give my brief thoughts, and you can look up the long reviews if you are so inclined.
Night of the Phantom: This was never one of my favorites by Ms. Stuart, but it stands up to a reread. There are aspects I appreciate more than I did when I read it initially. It definitely captures the magic of "Phantom of the Opera" and the Beauty and the Beast motif. 4/5 stars.
My long review
One More Valentine: I was really feeling this book when I did my reread. I have a fondness for the early 20th century and the idea of one of the victims of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre getting a happy ending appeals to my die hard romantic. 4/5 stars
My long review
Cinderman: A fun superhero romance that should be a primer for excellent romantic chemistry. Loved it! 5/5 stars.
My long review
The Soldier And The Baby: Definitely one of my Anne Stuart desert island keepers. I love romance where the H/h is on the run and have to use their skills and wits to survive nature. I also liked that the heroine was a novice nun and the hero was a dangerous man. Such chemistry. 5/5 stars
My long review
Overall, this comes out to 4.5 stars (since it was 50/50 in the ratings).
I highly recommend getting this volume for your Kindle. It's not as inexpensive as it was, but it's still a good bargain, considering that all of these are out of print, and if they were in print, it would cost more to get copies of each book. If you're a fan of Anne Stuart, it's a must have. If you want to see what some of her older category books are like, this is a good opportunity. The prospects are good for all these to get reissued, at least as ebooks, so you might be able to get these individually again. I definitely want these all to come back in print, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's soon.
I wrote reviews for each of the books as I read them. I won't post all the reviews here, because they are quite long. I will instead give my brief thoughts, and you can look up the long reviews if you are so inclined.
Night of the Phantom: This was never one of my favorites by Ms. Stuart, but it stands up to a reread. There are aspects I appreciate more than I did when I read it initially. It definitely captures the magic of "Phantom of the Opera" and the Beauty and the Beast motif. 4/5 stars.
My long review
One More Valentine: I was really feeling this book when I did my reread. I have a fondness for the early 20th century and the idea of one of the victims of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre getting a happy ending appeals to my die hard romantic. 4/5 stars
My long review
Cinderman: A fun superhero romance that should be a primer for excellent romantic chemistry. Loved it! 5/5 stars.
My long review
The Soldier And The Baby: Definitely one of my Anne Stuart desert island keepers. I love romance where the H/h is on the run and have to use their skills and wits to survive nature. I also liked that the heroine was a novice nun and the hero was a dangerous man. Such chemistry. 5/5 stars
My long review
Overall, this comes out to 4.5 stars (since it was 50/50 in the ratings).
I highly recommend getting this volume for your Kindle. It's not as inexpensive as it was, but it's still a good bargain, considering that all of these are out of print, and if they were in print, it would cost more to get copies of each book. If you're a fan of Anne Stuart, it's a must have. If you want to see what some of her older category books are like, this is a good opportunity. The prospects are good for all these to get reissued, at least as ebooks, so you might be able to get these individually again. I definitely want these all to come back in print, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's soon.
July 13, 2011
This is 5 of Anne's books. I have finished 2 of them so far. I am not very good at writing reviews, but since there is really nothing online here that tells what the books are or what they are about, I thought I would try. Her books so far have suspense and romance. This is my first time reading any of her books, but they are a nice change to what I usually read and I have enjoyed them.
"Night of the Phantom"
The first is a Beauty and the Beast type story. It is the story of an architect that is wanting revenge on the builder of some of his plans that has used inferior materials that has caused some deaths and has blamed the architect. The architect, a recluse demands that he be at his house by Friday. The builder sends his daughter instead. The recluse is a bit creepy and decides to keep the daughter as part of his revenge.
"One More Valentine"
The author was asked to write a Valentine's Day story. This story is about the gangsters that were killed in the Valentine's Day massacre. The gangsters end up coming back every year on Valentine's day for 48 hours. The only way to be able to stay and live their lives was to find and receive love. All of them had found it but the 7th gangster. This is the story of when he comes back.
"Cinderman"
"The Soldier and the Baby"
"Wild Thing"
A crazy millionaire has a female scientist brought in to observe a jungle man he had captured in a forest. The scientist is drawn to the handsome man and soon assist him in escaping. She didn't plan on leaving with him, but he dragged her along with him when he left. I really can't say more about it, without giving away the plot.
So far all of the stories are 4+ and an interesting change of pace.
"Night of the Phantom"
The first is a Beauty and the Beast type story. It is the story of an architect that is wanting revenge on the builder of some of his plans that has used inferior materials that has caused some deaths and has blamed the architect. The architect, a recluse demands that he be at his house by Friday. The builder sends his daughter instead. The recluse is a bit creepy and decides to keep the daughter as part of his revenge.
"One More Valentine"
The author was asked to write a Valentine's Day story. This story is about the gangsters that were killed in the Valentine's Day massacre. The gangsters end up coming back every year on Valentine's day for 48 hours. The only way to be able to stay and live their lives was to find and receive love. All of them had found it but the 7th gangster. This is the story of when he comes back.
"Cinderman"
"The Soldier and the Baby"
"Wild Thing"
A crazy millionaire has a female scientist brought in to observe a jungle man he had captured in a forest. The scientist is drawn to the handsome man and soon assist him in escaping. She didn't plan on leaving with him, but he dragged her along with him when he left. I really can't say more about it, without giving away the plot.
So far all of the stories are 4+ and an interesting change of pace.
could-not-finish
September 18, 2018Anthology
I didn't read every story but here are reviews of the ones I did read. Okay, I ended up not reading any of the stories. I kept skipping and am either going to read this some future date or not.
I didn't read every story but here are reviews of the ones I did read. Okay, I ended up not reading any of the stories. I kept skipping and am either going to read this some future date or not.
May 22, 2019
A very good read... It contains 5 full length novels, overall a 5 star rating.
Individual rankings:
Night of the Phantom = 5 Stars
One More Valentine = 5 Stars
Cinderman = 4 Stars
Soldier and the Baby = 4 Stars
Wild Thing = 5 Stars
Very entertaining early works from Ms. Stuart!
Individual rankings:
Night of the Phantom = 5 Stars
One More Valentine = 5 Stars
Cinderman = 4 Stars
Soldier and the Baby = 4 Stars
Wild Thing = 5 Stars
Very entertaining early works from Ms. Stuart!
July 6, 2020
These are just silly. Hard to believe the great Anne Stuart had a silly phase. The "gems" are made of paste.
October 11, 2011
I thought these were great little stories! The first one was reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera. Another was a Spiderman-like story where the scientists main character gets super powers after a lab accident. Another was a ghost story from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre (yeah, that's what I thought - a totally normal premise for a romance), an adventure with a mercenary having to lead a nun and a baby out of the jungle, and finally a Tarzan story.
The characters were enjoyable and I really liked the takes on familiar stories. I think my favorites were the Phantom story and the St. Valentine's Day story. All of them were fun, however. I enjoyed each of them as quick, quirky and enjoyable reads.
The characters were enjoyable and I really liked the takes on familiar stories. I think my favorites were the Phantom story and the St. Valentine's Day story. All of them were fun, however. I enjoyed each of them as quick, quirky and enjoyable reads.
January 16, 2012
I bought this one for Night of the Phantom, which I remember reading with great fondness years ago. My favorite, though, was Wild Thing. The Tarzan who wasn't is a great storyline, and I love Anne Stuart's offhandedly arrogant heroes. What, I'm a product of the 80s. I loved Woodiwiss and Rogers...
February 29, 2012
Good collection of Anne's oldies.
Read
January 5, 2015really loved some of the stories. she is a great writer with a vivid imagination. the stories are short but have plenty of detail and love the other worldliness.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews