Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
This book is a re-issue of two Soldiers of Fortune stories by Diana Palmer.
The first, Mercenary's Woman, is the story of Eb Scott and Sally Johnson. It lacks the emotional angst of most Palmer books and the conflict that arises is quickly resolved. Not surprising considering it was originally released as a vanilla Silhouette Romance.
Having said all that, it's an important story because it links the Soldiers of Fortune series with the Long, Tall Texans series and introduces characters that will have stories of their own, including Cy Parks (Winter Soldier, which is the other book in this 2-story anthology), Micah Steele (The Last Mercenary), Cord Romero (Desperado), and Rodrigo Ramirez (Fearless, which will be released in June 2008).
The second story, Winter Soldier was initially released as a Silhouette Desire story about Cy Parks and Lisa Monroe. Of the two, it is a better story, with more angst and suspense.
It, too, introduces or links the Soldiers of Fortune series to characters who are featured in other stories. Look for Alexander Cobb (Man in Control), Blake Kemp (Boss Man), Jeb "Copper" Coltrain (Coltrain's Proposal) and Luke Craig (Love with a Long, Tall Texan, who is married to Belinda Jessup, sister of Ward Jessup, Unlikely Lover). Also mentioned are Gretchen Brannon (Lord of the Desert, sister of Marc Brannon The Texas Ranger) and Simon Hart (Beloved). And, of course, Micah Steele, Eb Scott, and Rodrigo Ramirez are secondary characters in this story.
What can I say? Every book I read by Diana is awesome. Exciting, adventurous, romantic. She is one of the best. I have read most of her books. But sure there are some I have yet to read. Thank you for such entertaining stories.
The Winter Soldier is about Cy Parks and Lisa Monroe. These two have loss in their lives and are trying to find a balance for feelings they start having for each other and where to go from there. Gotta laugh at the dogs names in this story being Puppy Dog (who's parentage is Moose a HUGE dog from another story) and Bob (which is a girl dog). We're introduced to Harley in this one and he weaves through a few stories until he gets his HEA down the road. There is a great twist in regards to Lisa's pregnancy that made me happy.
Mercenary's Woman is about Eb Scott and Sally Johnson. I enjoy Sally's wit throughout this story. Stevie cracks me up when he tells Eb and Sally he's gotta learn self defense real fast so he can hit that "big blond man" who makes his mama cry! He's precious you just gotta love him. A small sideline story is Jess and Dallas who have a history together that didn't end well and they have a lot to work through but I am so glad it plays out the way it does.
Just a side note Eb Scott & Cy Parks are both ex-mercenaries who still have the alpha male thing down pat and skills to back it yum ;-)
I really rate this 3.5 stars. I liked both stories in this book; Mercenary's Woman and Winter Warrior.
Both were written for the monthly romance publisher Harlequin and have the compressed feel of the relationship between the hero and his girl. I say his girl because this girls are not the modern kick ass gun toting bad ass of a lot of books now. These girls are sweet innocent and well the perfect girls next door. I love the heroes, the girls, not so much. I was constantly thinking to these girls "come on even living under rock you cant tell when a man desires you?".
I liked how Palmer got around the monthly serial format by creating an ongoing situation between a group of old Mercenaries, solders and law enforcement and a Drug Lord. While this book contains two stories it clearly ends with the start of at least two more. I think that I just might have to read about some more Alpha guys and their to sweet girls just to see how she gets the bad guy in the end.
I light quick read that has plenty of angsty romance.
This probably isn't as good as some of my other 3-star ratings but Ms Palmer has a tried and true (and yes cheesy) formula recycling the same stories and characters; what you have come to expect is what you get and as long as that's what you wanted you're golden.
Very good book I like how she always puts her characters in other stories so they aren't forgotten. I own most of her books and I can honestly say I've read them all and most of them moire than once.
A duet, featuring the Eb Scott and Cy Parks stories originally released under the soldier of fortune series. Both excellent stories and central to the Long Tall Texans series.