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Wild Orchids
Book by Robards, Karen
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
147 people are currently reading
1529 people want to read
About the author
Karen Robards
126 books3,246 followersKaren Robards is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than fifty books and one novella. She has won multiple awards including six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite author.
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
August 2, 2020
ONE tiny STAR
Another towel thrown in, another book bites the dust.
NO spoilers. Just a good ol' rant.
As usual, it’s not the book, just me and my complicated self. I mean, the writing is solid and the story itself isn’t bad. But principles are principles and I will not compromise when it comes to my beliefs.
#1 THE HERO
Annoyance level: MILD
*shudders*
I had such a perfect image of the hero in my head. Why did she have to ruin it? I tried to erase the info from my brain. And I would have pulled it off had I not been reminded of his long, glistening Frito Bandito-like black mustache 34 times.
Sadly, the disgusting stache is the only lively thing on him. He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t listen. He doesn’t watch. He doesn’t smile.
#2 THE HEROINE
Annoyance level: HIGH
She is too stupid to live. It's unbelievable how much oxygen goes wasted by keeping her alive.
She's dull, old-fashioned, easily shocked, inexperienced, prim and proper, whiny and selfish. Deadly combo. Did I saystupid difficult? Honestly, I felt sorry for her captor and admired his patience. I would have offed her on page 5.
Not to mention her racist and sexist prejudices. For more details, see point 3 below.
#3 SEXIST, RACIST AND STEREOTYPICAL IDEAS
Annoyance level: SKY-HIGH
This book is full of of them. For instance:
- Female teachers are dull, inexperienced and old-fashioned.
- You can visit Cancún only if you're loaded.
- Teachers can’t afford to travel.
- Mexico is a very poor, filthy and stinky country.
- Mexican food is inedible.
- Mexicans are short, ugly, dangerous and lazy.
- Mexicans will do anything for money.
- Mexican police is disinterested and inefficient.
- Nothing works properly in Mexico.
- Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Want some proof?
Another towel thrown in, another book bites the dust.
NO spoilers. Just a good ol' rant.
As usual, it’s not the book, just me and my complicated self. I mean, the writing is solid and the story itself isn’t bad. But principles are principles and I will not compromise when it comes to my beliefs.
#1 THE HERO
Annoyance level: MILD
*shudders*
I had such a perfect image of the hero in my head. Why did she have to ruin it? I tried to erase the info from my brain. And I would have pulled it off had I not been reminded of his long, glistening Frito Bandito-like black mustache 34 times.
Sadly, the disgusting stache is the only lively thing on him. He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t listen. He doesn’t watch. He doesn’t smile.
#2 THE HEROINE
Annoyance level: HIGH
She is too stupid to live. It's unbelievable how much oxygen goes wasted by keeping her alive.
She's dull, old-fashioned, easily shocked, inexperienced, prim and proper, whiny and selfish. Deadly combo. Did I say
Not to mention her racist and sexist prejudices. For more details, see point 3 below.
#3 SEXIST, RACIST AND STEREOTYPICAL IDEAS
Annoyance level: SKY-HIGH
This book is full of of them. For instance:
- Female teachers are dull, inexperienced and old-fashioned.
- You can visit Cancún only if you're loaded.
- Teachers can’t afford to travel.
- Mexico is a very poor, filthy and stinky country.
- Mexican food is inedible.
- Mexicans are short, ugly, dangerous and lazy.
- Mexicans will do anything for money.
- Mexican police is disinterested and inefficient.
- Nothing works properly in Mexico.
- Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Want some proof?
"…broken air conditioners that might, or might not, be repaired mañana (how she had grown to dread that ubiquitous tomorrow, which could just as easily mean next week, or next month, or next year!), inedible food, the mosquitoes that feasted on her fair skin every time she set foot outdoors after dark and the sun that broiled her alive during the day, a tour bus that had been broken for four days while its driver waited unconcernedly for a part that would surely arrive mañana, she had had to work hard to keep her wonderful vacation from turning into nothing but an expensive exercise in aggravation."
"The smell of rotting vegetation was everywhere."
"Mexican farmers fertilized their fields with human excrement. Shuddering, she stopped in her tracks. There was no way she was venturing into one of those fields."
"The scenery was wildly beautiful, as exotic as anything fromLost Horizon.The only ugly thing was the smell. Composed of rotting vegetation and, she feared, the decomposing corpses of animals, the stench was heavy…"
"The jail itself was not nearly as bad as she had been led to believe Mexican prisons were."
"At the rate things moved in Mexico, it could be several weeks, or a month!"
"She had had experience with Mexicans’ ideas of 'not long'."
November 14, 2010
What can I say about this book? Firstly, it is utterly ridiculous. Quite terrible actually. I picked up Wild Orchids at Walmart looking for a quick weekend read, and I figured I could trust one of Robards' books to be relatively enjoyable. Oh man was I wrong.
The premise? Teacher Lora Harding's dream vacation to Mexico takes a horrible turn for the worse when a tall, dark, and muscular stranger commandeers her car at gunpoint taking her hostage, forcing her into a world of danger. Max, our hard as nails hero, is cold, menacing, and aggressive. He threatens Lora with death, rape, and overall violence, and yet, our dear Lora finds herself oddly attracted to him. Can someone say Stockholm syndrome? Why yes, actually, Lora herself recognizes the symptoms, and yet despite the fact that Lora knows her attraction is wrong, she still falls in love with murderer Max, who underneath his tough-guy exterior apparently has a heart. Could have fooled me when he tied her to a bed nude and threatened to rape her or what about that time he chillingly promises to kill her and a family with small children if she tries to escape? Yeah, Lora, a heart of gold there. I mean what was Robards thinking? Rape. Not cool. Killing children. Not cool. A hero who seriously threatens both? Not cool at all. Of course Lora rationalizes that many men would have done much worse than threaten in that situation. Oddly enough that did not cut it for me. For some reason, I found the fact that our hero is not as bad as some heartless and violence criminals to be a great defense of his character. Real hero? He wouldn't have even threatened to rape her. Thank you very much!
Add to all this, a female lead who has no commonsense panics at everything, is always screaming in fear, and is overall just Too Freakin Stupid to Live...Yeah. This book? One word. Terrible.
The premise? Teacher Lora Harding's dream vacation to Mexico takes a horrible turn for the worse when a tall, dark, and muscular stranger commandeers her car at gunpoint taking her hostage, forcing her into a world of danger. Max, our hard as nails hero, is cold, menacing, and aggressive. He threatens Lora with death, rape, and overall violence, and yet, our dear Lora finds herself oddly attracted to him. Can someone say Stockholm syndrome? Why yes, actually, Lora herself recognizes the symptoms, and yet despite the fact that Lora knows her attraction is wrong, she still falls in love with murderer Max, who underneath his tough-guy exterior apparently has a heart. Could have fooled me when he tied her to a bed nude and threatened to rape her or what about that time he chillingly promises to kill her and a family with small children if she tries to escape? Yeah, Lora, a heart of gold there. I mean what was Robards thinking? Rape. Not cool. Killing children. Not cool. A hero who seriously threatens both? Not cool at all. Of course Lora rationalizes that many men would have done much worse than threaten in that situation. Oddly enough that did not cut it for me. For some reason, I found the fact that our hero is not as bad as some heartless and violence criminals to be a great defense of his character. Real hero? He wouldn't have even threatened to rape her. Thank you very much!
Add to all this, a female lead who has no commonsense panics at everything, is always screaming in fear, and is overall just Too Freakin Stupid to Live...Yeah. This book? One word. Terrible.
November 7, 2018
I've read this one before many, many years ago, BG (Before Goodreads). I only add that information because, as a rule, I don't reread. This one was a good, solid hot romance with a suspense that kept you wondering just how it was all going to turn out and I did enjoy it the second time around.
Lora Harding is a high school teacher from Augusta, Kansas. She has spent the last eight years as care give for her mother, who has recently died. Lora's whole life revolved around her mother and her job. Now she is finally free and on a dream vacation to Cancun, Mexico, except the "dream" is all in the vacation brochure. Fed up with the tour she rents a car and set out for the nearby ruins. At a traffic stop a stranger jumps into her car, points a gun at her and orders her to drive. Fearing for her life, Lora drives. The adventure of a lifetime unfolds for Lora and a love for the ages is her vacation souvenir.
Lora Harding is a high school teacher from Augusta, Kansas. She has spent the last eight years as care give for her mother, who has recently died. Lora's whole life revolved around her mother and her job. Now she is finally free and on a dream vacation to Cancun, Mexico, except the "dream" is all in the vacation brochure. Fed up with the tour she rents a car and set out for the nearby ruins. At a traffic stop a stranger jumps into her car, points a gun at her and orders her to drive. Fearing for her life, Lora drives. The adventure of a lifetime unfolds for Lora and a love for the ages is her vacation souvenir.
August 31, 2011
Reading Wild Orchids by Karen Robards for the 3rd time doesn’t seem to have diminished my enjoyment factor of the novel by even one iota. Call me crazy but even with the massive amount of books I have on my review pile, I just had to pick this one up and read it in one sitting yet again because the magic that is Max and Lora is an unbeatable one for me.
37 year old John Roberts Maxwell (Max) is a man hardened by the reality of war that had been his way of life when he had been enlisted in the Vietnam war. Leaving a piece of his soul behind due to the decisions he had been forced to make, Max comes home a changed man, a man incapable of giving what his innocent wife had demanded of him. A cynic to the core, Max doesn’t realize that life as he knows it would cease to exist the moment he kidnaps the prim and proper Lora in his attempt to evade the authorities of Mexico.
27 year old Lora Susan Harding is finally a free woman with the right to while away her time as she pleases. Having spent most of her life trying to put others needs first, Lora is ecstatic with the thought of exploring the exotic Mexico, the first vacation she has ever taken in her life. However, from the very start, her vacation refuses to proceed along as she envisoned it and being kidnapped at gun point by a disreputable looking man with an American accent just seems to be the icing on the cake.
At first, Lora is scared out of her wits at the thought of the less than savory acts her captor might try and force on her. A lady through and through, Lora hardly accepts herself to find her captor ridiculously sexy to the extent of ogling him and eating him up with her eyes every chance she gets. No stranger to the world of intimacy, Lora however has no clue that the uninhibited creature that emerges from deep within her that just wants to lick her delectable and broody captor from head to toe is a side of her that exists.
After Lora’s multiple attempts to escape which falls flat on her face every single time, Lora comes to the disturbing conclusion that she has a bad case of the Stockholme’s syndrome if judging the way all her emotions go haywire around Max is anything to judge herself by. Through a chain of events, Lora finds herself stranded in the midst of a Mexican jungle, depending on Max for her very survival. As the proximity heightens the already taut live wire of sexual tension between them, both Max and Lora find themselves to be no match for its heady power.
Wild Orchids would always remain by far my most favorite novel by Karen Robards. For some, Max might not be the stuff dreams are made out of. But when push comes to shove, Max is a man who delivers and Lord does he deliver! A man who is leery of commitment and relationships, Max cannot believe himself when he starts lusting after the prim schoolteacher who lands in his life. The harder he tries to shove her thoughts and presence out of his mind, the more tenacious her hold on him becomes and its a match that Max loses, rather ungraciously at first. Vital, sexy and the ultimate dangerous hero is how I would describe Max.
Lora’s character is an endearing mix of innocence and practicality all laced into one with a body that practically drives Max to the brink of insanity. It is the way she reaches far deeper than just his baser emotions that has Max struggling to shove her away with all his might, a man reluctant to share his demons with a woman Max thinks would be just as incapable of handling reality as his ex-wife had seemed to be.
Though towards the end, I definitely want a bit more grovelling from Max every time I read this one, I think the ending itself might be growing on me as I didn’t find it that sorely lacking the third time around. It seemed a fitting ending based on both Max and Lora’s characters and my bet is Lora loves Max too much to even give him enough leeway to do much grovelling even if it were to come to that.
The best thing about this book, hands down is the raw, explosive and primitive passion between two people that just serves as one whole session of sensory overload from start to finish.
Highly recommended!
Rating=5/5
My quotes included below the review.
Reviewer's Note : From time to time, I get a hankering to re-read my favorite novels and sometimes I find myself with the urge revise the review that I had written down previously. Since I feel that revising a review that had been published a long time back is not something that ought to be done, I have resorted to start a new reviewing process aka the Re-Read Review. Books that rate a Re-Read Review would mostly be books that I am quite gushy about and cannot recommend highly enough!
37 year old John Roberts Maxwell (Max) is a man hardened by the reality of war that had been his way of life when he had been enlisted in the Vietnam war. Leaving a piece of his soul behind due to the decisions he had been forced to make, Max comes home a changed man, a man incapable of giving what his innocent wife had demanded of him. A cynic to the core, Max doesn’t realize that life as he knows it would cease to exist the moment he kidnaps the prim and proper Lora in his attempt to evade the authorities of Mexico.
27 year old Lora Susan Harding is finally a free woman with the right to while away her time as she pleases. Having spent most of her life trying to put others needs first, Lora is ecstatic with the thought of exploring the exotic Mexico, the first vacation she has ever taken in her life. However, from the very start, her vacation refuses to proceed along as she envisoned it and being kidnapped at gun point by a disreputable looking man with an American accent just seems to be the icing on the cake.
At first, Lora is scared out of her wits at the thought of the less than savory acts her captor might try and force on her. A lady through and through, Lora hardly accepts herself to find her captor ridiculously sexy to the extent of ogling him and eating him up with her eyes every chance she gets. No stranger to the world of intimacy, Lora however has no clue that the uninhibited creature that emerges from deep within her that just wants to lick her delectable and broody captor from head to toe is a side of her that exists.
After Lora’s multiple attempts to escape which falls flat on her face every single time, Lora comes to the disturbing conclusion that she has a bad case of the Stockholme’s syndrome if judging the way all her emotions go haywire around Max is anything to judge herself by. Through a chain of events, Lora finds herself stranded in the midst of a Mexican jungle, depending on Max for her very survival. As the proximity heightens the already taut live wire of sexual tension between them, both Max and Lora find themselves to be no match for its heady power.
Wild Orchids would always remain by far my most favorite novel by Karen Robards. For some, Max might not be the stuff dreams are made out of. But when push comes to shove, Max is a man who delivers and Lord does he deliver! A man who is leery of commitment and relationships, Max cannot believe himself when he starts lusting after the prim schoolteacher who lands in his life. The harder he tries to shove her thoughts and presence out of his mind, the more tenacious her hold on him becomes and its a match that Max loses, rather ungraciously at first. Vital, sexy and the ultimate dangerous hero is how I would describe Max.
Lora’s character is an endearing mix of innocence and practicality all laced into one with a body that practically drives Max to the brink of insanity. It is the way she reaches far deeper than just his baser emotions that has Max struggling to shove her away with all his might, a man reluctant to share his demons with a woman Max thinks would be just as incapable of handling reality as his ex-wife had seemed to be.
Though towards the end, I definitely want a bit more grovelling from Max every time I read this one, I think the ending itself might be growing on me as I didn’t find it that sorely lacking the third time around. It seemed a fitting ending based on both Max and Lora’s characters and my bet is Lora loves Max too much to even give him enough leeway to do much grovelling even if it were to come to that.
The best thing about this book, hands down is the raw, explosive and primitive passion between two people that just serves as one whole session of sensory overload from start to finish.
Highly recommended!
Rating=5/5
My quotes included below the review.
Reviewer's Note : From time to time, I get a hankering to re-read my favorite novels and sometimes I find myself with the urge revise the review that I had written down previously. Since I feel that revising a review that had been published a long time back is not something that ought to be done, I have resorted to start a new reviewing process aka the Re-Read Review. Books that rate a Re-Read Review would mostly be books that I am quite gushy about and cannot recommend highly enough!
January 4, 2013
2 stars. The whole story line is really unrealistic, but even getting past that I didn't like the characters. Except Tunafish :)
Lora is just....dumb? Falls in love with her kidnapper, who is running from the law and for his life, within nine days. He threatens to kill her (and later a family with small children), rape her, he humiliates and terrorizes her. He steals all of her money and eventually leaves her stranded. Such an awesome guy, right? Of course her reasoning is that a "bad" man would do much worse and would have actually raped her. Even while she fears he might rape her, she is attracted to him. Anyway, throughout their adventure he is mean to her and speaks harshly to her at the best of times. He places her in a situation where she is nearly killed several times and is at one point arrested. But nevertheless, she loves him and if only he would love her he wouldn't have so many problems.
Anyone thinking Stockholm Syndrome? Lora sure is, and considers it over and over and over. Does that stop her from caring for him? No.
Max is obviously not the greatest guy. He is arrogant, rude, cruel, etc. He has a lot of problems that are later "explained" to originate from his time serving in the Vietnam War. Not really sure how Lora sees any of it as an excuse. Won't give away spoilers, but his "tragic" time there leaves me liking him less.
The only thing that kept me going is that for one, I can't NOT finish a book. For two, I liked Tunafish's character a lot. And three, I had to know what happened. The wilderness survival and adventure was interesting enough to keep me reading.
I think this book must have been published around the time when female writers were starting to write romances with heroes (lololol at that word for this story) who were a little more...violent? rough? or maybe the whole kidnapper thing?
Whatever. If you like cheesy and seriously twisted romance, but with some good laughs and adventure, go for it. There are definitely a lot of laughs that help out with the weirder parts.
Lora is just....dumb? Falls in love with her kidnapper, who is running from the law and for his life, within nine days. He threatens to kill her (and later a family with small children), rape her, he humiliates and terrorizes her. He steals all of her money and eventually leaves her stranded. Such an awesome guy, right? Of course her reasoning is that a "bad" man would do much worse and would have actually raped her. Even while she fears he might rape her, she is attracted to him. Anyway, throughout their adventure he is mean to her and speaks harshly to her at the best of times. He places her in a situation where she is nearly killed several times and is at one point arrested. But nevertheless, she loves him and if only he would love her he wouldn't have so many problems.
Anyone thinking Stockholm Syndrome? Lora sure is, and considers it over and over and over. Does that stop her from caring for him? No.
Max is obviously not the greatest guy. He is arrogant, rude, cruel, etc. He has a lot of problems that are later "explained" to originate from his time serving in the Vietnam War. Not really sure how Lora sees any of it as an excuse. Won't give away spoilers, but his "tragic" time there leaves me liking him less.
The only thing that kept me going is that for one, I can't NOT finish a book. For two, I liked Tunafish's character a lot. And three, I had to know what happened. The wilderness survival and adventure was interesting enough to keep me reading.
I think this book must have been published around the time when female writers were starting to write romances with heroes (lololol at that word for this story) who were a little more...violent? rough? or maybe the whole kidnapper thing?
Whatever. If you like cheesy and seriously twisted romance, but with some good laughs and adventure, go for it. There are definitely a lot of laughs that help out with the weirder parts.
January 13, 2011
Wow! I always dream to read this kind of book! & YES..I got it! one of the best with 'kidnapping' theme around...Luckyly I buy this without even considering the 'not high' rating
A story of Stockholm Syndrome between the Kidnapper and His victim. It's so good that once I get started, I don't want it to end. Both characters are great. Hero is ruthless in the beginning, reserved but not brooding. Heroine is brave & witty. She try to escape several times, but seems can't escape from him and her heart...
Great tension, great chemistry, hot love-scenes, great adventure, great action, no boring moment at all, and great ending, what can I asked more??...
( should be 10 stars for me )
**Spoilers**
In one of the scene it kind remind of 'Honor Bound' by Sandra Brown...when she try to escape, hero force to tied her around the bed "naked"...
In the action itself, this book full of surprises - I never thought - really!!. How they both traveling along the lonely road in Mexico' farm, staying in Ortega (Mafia)'s Fortress, breaking jail, stranded together in the rain forest jungle between Mexico & Guatemala in a plane crash together with Max's friends and two outlaws. How they struggle to live in that forest..is remarkable...
(it seems like watching a movie)
**End of Spoilers**
Let me put the summary behind the book :
From the moment the American holding the gun jumped in her car, Lora Harding suspected her Cancun dream vacation might not turn out quite as she expected. Her abductor, John Roberts "Max" Maxwell, had shoulders like a linebacker, a handsome face under his faded sombrero, and the audacity to order her to drive...or else. The man scared the hell out of her, but his touch excited her as her staid fiance back home in Kansas never had. She read in romance novels about the irresistible "chemistry" between a man and a woman. She just never believed it could happen to this sensible, levelheaded English teacher like her.
Determined to learn Max's story and do something wild for once in her life, Lora dared herself to surrender to the desire growing between her and this mysterious man-on-the run. Now, as intrigue and danger closed in, they raced headlong toward an Eden-like jungle hideout, where Lora vowed to hold on to the paradise she found - kisses that left her trembling and a lover who satisfied the secret hungers of a woman's flesh and heart.
** at the end I do hope to agree with Johanna Lindsey words: "Karen Robards is one of those writers I buy without needing to read a review."
I'm gonna check her other book : "Walking After Midnight" (it had similar story as this book)...^^
A story of Stockholm Syndrome between the Kidnapper and His victim. It's so good that once I get started, I don't want it to end. Both characters are great. Hero is ruthless in the beginning, reserved but not brooding. Heroine is brave & witty. She try to escape several times, but seems can't escape from him and her heart...
Great tension, great chemistry, hot love-scenes, great adventure, great action, no boring moment at all, and great ending, what can I asked more??...
( should be 10 stars for me )
**Spoilers**
In one of the scene it kind remind of 'Honor Bound' by Sandra Brown...when she try to escape, hero force to tied her around the bed "naked"...
In the action itself, this book full of surprises - I never thought - really!!. How they both traveling along the lonely road in Mexico' farm, staying in Ortega (Mafia)'s Fortress, breaking jail, stranded together in the rain forest jungle between Mexico & Guatemala in a plane crash together with Max's friends and two outlaws. How they struggle to live in that forest..is remarkable...
(it seems like watching a movie)
**End of Spoilers**
Let me put the summary behind the book :
From the moment the American holding the gun jumped in her car, Lora Harding suspected her Cancun dream vacation might not turn out quite as she expected. Her abductor, John Roberts "Max" Maxwell, had shoulders like a linebacker, a handsome face under his faded sombrero, and the audacity to order her to drive...or else. The man scared the hell out of her, but his touch excited her as her staid fiance back home in Kansas never had. She read in romance novels about the irresistible "chemistry" between a man and a woman. She just never believed it could happen to this sensible, levelheaded English teacher like her.
Determined to learn Max's story and do something wild for once in her life, Lora dared herself to surrender to the desire growing between her and this mysterious man-on-the run. Now, as intrigue and danger closed in, they raced headlong toward an Eden-like jungle hideout, where Lora vowed to hold on to the paradise she found - kisses that left her trembling and a lover who satisfied the secret hungers of a woman's flesh and heart.
** at the end I do hope to agree with Johanna Lindsey words: "Karen Robards is one of those writers I buy without needing to read a review."
I'm gonna check her other book : "Walking After Midnight" (it had similar story as this book)...^^
May 6, 2012
The H kidnaps the h and treats her badly, abusing her, humiliating her by stripping and tying her etc, all the while she doesn't stop trying to escape. He leaves her, she goes to the police who don't believe her, he rescues her, their plane goes down and they are stranded with an injured guy and two bad guys. The h has been engaged to a fellow teacher for 4 years, the H gives her adventure & she likes having hot sex with him. He is a complicated guy, Nam war messed him up & he is divorced and crude and not someone that can be controlled, she still falls for him & thinks sex will help bind him to her.
Romance didn't work for me much coz I didn't understand how the h could fall for him after his despicable behaviour at the start which he doesn't apologize for. It felt like Stockholm Syndrome to me and the fact that a good girl like her liked getting it on with him.
Romance didn't work for me much coz I didn't understand how the h could fall for him after his despicable behaviour at the start which he doesn't apologize for. It felt like Stockholm Syndrome to me and the fact that a good girl like her liked getting it on with him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2009
This romance had everything I love wrapped up into one great book. Starts off with the heroine being kidnapped at gunpoint by our scary, bad-boy hero. Then the story takes off into adventure in the jungle, plane crashes and jail-breaks, stand-off's at gunpoint - even the heroine gets the chance to kick butt a time or two, when she isn't soothing our tortured hero from his nightmares because his time spent in 'Nam. *Sigh* it was just a great story overall. Page-turning suspense and adventure. Good little schoolteacher falls for the bad boy. What's better than that?
October 16, 2014
I still luuuv this book!
August 28, 2010
One of my favorites.
My review: http://bit.ly/bKv9D5
My review: http://bit.ly/bKv9D5
March 9, 2018
Setting: Mexico
Genre: Listed as romantic suspense
So the heroine is a teacher who takes the inheritance she got after being at her mother’s beck and call since she was 17. Do you see a problem with this? I certainly do. If she couldn’t leave her mother except for the occasional evening out, at what point was she supposed to go to college and then get a job? And her fiancé of four years that is mentioned in the first 5%? At what point was she supposed to be dating if her disabled mom wouldn’t allow anyone but family to care for her, and heroine’s older married-with-children sister wouldn’t cooperate? Then there’s her whining about her chosen vacation site (hello? wouldn’t you expect heat and mosquitoes in Mexico in July?), and her racist attitude.
Okay, then there’s the “hero”. The guy takes her hostage at gunpoint, calls her bitch and gets physically abusive. And I’m supposed to believe romantic love develops from this? No, that’s not love, it’s Stockholm Syndrome! Granted, I read only 6%, but how can this guy redeem himself? Regardless of what’s going on to stress him enough to get ugly with a complete stranger, how does he suddenly become hero material? How does she know he isn’t going to take his frustrations out on her next time he gets miffed? As they say, “in vino veritas,” but the same could be said for you extraordinary circumstances, right? Nothing like adversity to show true personality. Some people shut down, crippled by fear, some get super calm and make plans. And some take people hostage and become abusive. So, whatever is happening in the “hero’s” life, at 6% into the book he’s already showing that he can’t handle the stress. Imagine how he’ll be when the baby gets colicky at 3:00 in the morning (provided the heroine gets him to the altar).
Books like this, published in the 70’s & 80’s, is why I quit reading romance for over a decade. Heroines had to be raped or otherwise coerced in order to justify there being sex in the book. Because, you know, “good girls” don’t willingly have sex.
So that’s my rant. Keep in mind that I put it down at 6%, so this review is based on only that much. Also, that 6% includes the cover and front matter, which means I lost patience fast. Now I’m going to go see if Amazon will let me return the Kindle edition. I could spend that $4+ on something that won’t raise my blood pressure.
Genre: Listed as romantic suspense
So the heroine is a teacher who takes the inheritance she got after being at her mother’s beck and call since she was 17. Do you see a problem with this? I certainly do. If she couldn’t leave her mother except for the occasional evening out, at what point was she supposed to go to college and then get a job? And her fiancé of four years that is mentioned in the first 5%? At what point was she supposed to be dating if her disabled mom wouldn’t allow anyone but family to care for her, and heroine’s older married-with-children sister wouldn’t cooperate? Then there’s her whining about her chosen vacation site (hello? wouldn’t you expect heat and mosquitoes in Mexico in July?), and her racist attitude.
Okay, then there’s the “hero”. The guy takes her hostage at gunpoint, calls her bitch and gets physically abusive. And I’m supposed to believe romantic love develops from this? No, that’s not love, it’s Stockholm Syndrome! Granted, I read only 6%, but how can this guy redeem himself? Regardless of what’s going on to stress him enough to get ugly with a complete stranger, how does he suddenly become hero material? How does she know he isn’t going to take his frustrations out on her next time he gets miffed? As they say, “in vino veritas,” but the same could be said for you extraordinary circumstances, right? Nothing like adversity to show true personality. Some people shut down, crippled by fear, some get super calm and make plans. And some take people hostage and become abusive. So, whatever is happening in the “hero’s” life, at 6% into the book he’s already showing that he can’t handle the stress. Imagine how he’ll be when the baby gets colicky at 3:00 in the morning (provided the heroine gets him to the altar).
Books like this, published in the 70’s & 80’s, is why I quit reading romance for over a decade. Heroines had to be raped or otherwise coerced in order to justify there being sex in the book. Because, you know, “good girls” don’t willingly have sex.
So that’s my rant. Keep in mind that I put it down at 6%, so this review is based on only that much. Also, that 6% includes the cover and front matter, which means I lost patience fast. Now I’m going to go see if Amazon will let me return the Kindle edition. I could spend that $4+ on something that won’t raise my blood pressure.
April 1, 2012
First off I feel it's only fair to say that the rating came from the mostly action oriented plot line. I mean there was a lot of action. There was a plan crash, car crash, gun fights, and much more. Too much action for me.
The book starts with Lora on her vacation in Mexico when a frightening man jumps into the cars passenger side and orders her at gun point to drive the car. So she does. Very badly, trying to draw attention to herself and the situation going on and he doesn't like that. So he tells her if she doesn't drive right then he'll kill her. So she does what any person would have done. She wrecks the car and makes a break for it, not succeeding in getting away. She tries three times to escape during this part and all the attempts fail. So for the moment it looks like she was stuck with him.
He fixes the car up and they head to a farmhouse where they can spend the night and she tries to tell he couple that she needs them to call the police but doesn't get the chance and her stunt has some embarrassing consequences for her. The next morning they both wake and continue driving until they reach a friend of his Ortega or something like that. And crash at his place. Once well rested they hit the road again and eventually Max leaves Lora and tells her to take the road and she'll pop out on a major interstate that will take her anywhere she wants to go, and to not go to the police. So what does she do? She goes to the police. And they lock her up, thinking that she is an accomplice of his. So when Max gets word of what happened he does a jailbreak and busts her out. And they continue on a journey where they fall in love with each other.
I did not particularly care for this story. After everything that Max did to her she fell for him. She must have been seriously messed up in the head. 2.5/5 stars.
The book starts with Lora on her vacation in Mexico when a frightening man jumps into the cars passenger side and orders her at gun point to drive the car. So she does. Very badly, trying to draw attention to herself and the situation going on and he doesn't like that. So he tells her if she doesn't drive right then he'll kill her. So she does what any person would have done. She wrecks the car and makes a break for it, not succeeding in getting away. She tries three times to escape during this part and all the attempts fail. So for the moment it looks like she was stuck with him.
He fixes the car up and they head to a farmhouse where they can spend the night and she tries to tell he couple that she needs them to call the police but doesn't get the chance and her stunt has some embarrassing consequences for her. The next morning they both wake and continue driving until they reach a friend of his Ortega or something like that. And crash at his place. Once well rested they hit the road again and eventually Max leaves Lora and tells her to take the road and she'll pop out on a major interstate that will take her anywhere she wants to go, and to not go to the police. So what does she do? She goes to the police. And they lock her up, thinking that she is an accomplice of his. So when Max gets word of what happened he does a jailbreak and busts her out. And they continue on a journey where they fall in love with each other.
I did not particularly care for this story. After everything that Max did to her she fell for him. She must have been seriously messed up in the head. 2.5/5 stars.
May 3, 2014
1.5 Stars
Lara has been looking forward to her vacation to Cancun, but what should be a dream holiday turns into a nightmare when she is kidnapped by the mysterious and sexy Max. The heat rises between them, even as their situation gets worse, winding up with them both being stuck in the jungle with two bad guys and seemingly no way out.
It took hard work and lots of discipline, but I did manage to finish this book. Not matter how exasperated I get with a book, I don't like to leave them unread, and Wild Orchids definitely tested my patience. I realise this isn't a very positive start to a review, but I didn't get on with this book very well.
Because I didn't like this book very much, I am going to keep this short and sweet, I am not going to rag on about what annoyed me. Suffice to say, Lara's actions and reactions puzzled me, and Max was okay when he wasn't being a ass hat, which was a lot of the time.
This wasn't for me, I have seen a lot of positive reviews on this book, so maybe I was having a bad day...but I am not going to risk a reread.
August 4, 2016
DNF @48%
All the reasons why you should really avoid this drivel, sorry, book.
-It's racist to the point of pain. Yes, I'm sure Mexico has its problems, but this book is so racist in its description to be embarrassing. (Purely personal: I've been in the area, almost the same route, and it seems an other planet from what I remember.)
-The heroine. She deserves to die, painfully and slowly. She's a moron and a straightlaced goody two shoes and an hypocrite. Usually painful-to-read heroines have a few TSTL moments, this woman is TSTL.
-The way women are written off: (see heroine above) we only have rape or sex in mind; we are stupid, unable to think, constantly panicking and whining. We are simply useless.
The "good" note: the american tourist stereotype is as bad as the Mexican one.... :D
All the reasons why you should really avoid this drivel, sorry, book.
-It's racist to the point of pain. Yes, I'm sure Mexico has its problems, but this book is so racist in its description to be embarrassing. (Purely personal: I've been in the area, almost the same route, and it seems an other planet from what I remember.)
-The heroine. She deserves to die, painfully and slowly. She's a moron and a straightlaced goody two shoes and an hypocrite. Usually painful-to-read heroines have a few TSTL moments, this woman is TSTL.
-The way women are written off: (see heroine above) we only have rape or sex in mind; we are stupid, unable to think, constantly panicking and whining. We are simply useless.
The "good" note: the american tourist stereotype is as bad as the Mexican one.... :D
July 26, 2015
Even though the publication is pretty old by my standards, the romance is hot. It made me all tingly at times. The typical alpha male character of Max must have been the hot guy in a lot of women's dreams at one point of time.
March 6, 2010
finished it only to get it finished
Read
March 29, 2013Loved it of course
September 8, 2025
The only reason I've given this older book four stars is because I read it in the 90s and thought about the book off and on ever since. I didn't have a copy and couldn't recall the name. I just remembered that the main male character was named Max, he was morally grey before it was trendy, there was a plane crash and drugs with drug money and a cartel. The writing is good and the characters are well developed. You spend the book wondering if Max is a good guy or if MFC is just stupid for being attracted to him so very much. She isn't a dumb character but naive and probably too sweet for literally anyone else in the entire book. No joke. SPOILERS!
He drops her off somewhere so she can get home. I thought it took place in Columbia but it was Mexico.
I joined a "help me find that book" group on FB and occasionally posted about this book. Because it's older and I had the location wrong people had recommendations but none of them were it. I could recall the 1990s cover but didn't know there were reprints with different covers. I always thought it was out of print and I had the publisher wrong.
A couple weeks ago I was thrifting and just looking at the books and saw the spine of an older book. The moment I saw the title on the spine and the color scheme I knew it was the book. I pulled it out and it was the exact cover I remembered.
I skimmed the book because my schedule is tight right now and I remembered why I liked it so much. I liked all the characters and the settings and it was well written. Max seems like a man of many secrets and he struggles with PTSD. In the original publication (I haven't read the reprint) it's from Vietnam. I remember all those years ago wondering if he was good or a bad person. He confused my young romantic heart. lol Max isn't traditionally handsome more like rugged with a mustache, also before that was trendy. She is a quiet teacher from Kansas. She's engaged but she doesn't seem in love and feels conflicted about what happens. She gets kidnapped by Max who is on the run. She is reluctantly drawn to him and the attraction is mutual as much as he pretends it's no big deal. They end up in an insane spot and it's about survival. Once they get out of it he literally just drops her off at a hotel covered in grime with some money and she has to check in, clean up and make her way home. When she gets back, we find out fast why she isn't so torn up about basically cheating by falling into love and bed with Max. Her sister and fiance barely started looking for her. Her sister is callous about love and commitment and basically is like married people cheat all the time get over it your fiance is stable. 🤢 She tells her to marry him anyway. She confesses to her fiance and breaks up with him and he tries to forgive her but basically like it's better they just get married anyway. Not because he loves her but because it's what you do. Also, a no for her. So she tries to carry on with life because she has no idea how to find him or any of his friends. I'll leave the ending a mystery but it's good.
He drops her off somewhere so she can get home. I thought it took place in Columbia but it was Mexico.
I joined a "help me find that book" group on FB and occasionally posted about this book. Because it's older and I had the location wrong people had recommendations but none of them were it. I could recall the 1990s cover but didn't know there were reprints with different covers. I always thought it was out of print and I had the publisher wrong.
A couple weeks ago I was thrifting and just looking at the books and saw the spine of an older book. The moment I saw the title on the spine and the color scheme I knew it was the book. I pulled it out and it was the exact cover I remembered.
I skimmed the book because my schedule is tight right now and I remembered why I liked it so much. I liked all the characters and the settings and it was well written. Max seems like a man of many secrets and he struggles with PTSD. In the original publication (I haven't read the reprint) it's from Vietnam. I remember all those years ago wondering if he was good or a bad person. He confused my young romantic heart. lol Max isn't traditionally handsome more like rugged with a mustache, also before that was trendy. She is a quiet teacher from Kansas. She's engaged but she doesn't seem in love and feels conflicted about what happens. She gets kidnapped by Max who is on the run. She is reluctantly drawn to him and the attraction is mutual as much as he pretends it's no big deal. They end up in an insane spot and it's about survival. Once they get out of it he literally just drops her off at a hotel covered in grime with some money and she has to check in, clean up and make her way home. When she gets back, we find out fast why she isn't so torn up about basically cheating by falling into love and bed with Max. Her sister and fiance barely started looking for her. Her sister is callous about love and commitment and basically is like married people cheat all the time get over it your fiance is stable. 🤢 She tells her to marry him anyway. She confesses to her fiance and breaks up with him and he tries to forgive her but basically like it's better they just get married anyway. Not because he loves her but because it's what you do. Also, a no for her. So she tries to carry on with life because she has no idea how to find him or any of his friends. I'll leave the ending a mystery but it's good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2024
Hard "NO" after page 66. A "hero" that threatens rape is extremely hard to find remotely likable, hot or not.
I have had terrible luck with this author's books. The hits are only "ok", but man..the misses... they miss big time. 😣 Annoying heroines, violent heroes, and sometimes baffling sentence structures make for a difficult reading experience.
Wild Orchids suffered from the infernal heroine type that makes you want to rip your hair out. Lora's "I'm a lady" type prissy attitude would have been more fitting in a historical romance than in any modern setting. So having Lora almost wet her pants because she didn't want to mention having to pee to her kidnapper was baffling. Of course, given that she'd attempted an escape like a dozen times before, she'd certainly put a strain on our "hero's" patience with her. But come on..
Speaking of the "hero"....🤦♀️🤔 👿 In the 66 pages I read he came off far more like a true villain than a hero struggling to survive. Threatening a woman at gunpoint is one thing, but assaulting her when she tries to escape, literally trying to choke her out on multiple occasions, and then (the final straw) threatening rape is never ok, never excusable, and certainly did nothing to create any sort of warm fuzzy feelings around the idea of the two of them "getting together".
Don't get me wrong, a strong alpha male with a dangerous edge is a favorite hero type of mine. But there is an art to finding a balance between being dangerous enough to cause a bit of tension, and actually writing a villain that just so happens to be hot.
In this case, Max has about as much personality as a rock. 🤨 Other than ordering Lora to "drive" and then not doing any explaining or bothering to attempt to get her on his side, he scares the crap out of her and threatens her with death if she dares defy him...which she does anyways. Even giving us a moment of fear in his eyes before they get very far would have given him a smidgen of humanity. Instead, he barely blinks, let alone emits any emotion other than anger and aggression.
One of the other patterns I'm seeing in this author's writing is a tendency to ramble in the plot. This one certainly isn't as bad as another of hers where the initial inciting incident took nearly 1/3rd of the book! But it still felt drawn out and repetitive since Lora took off running multiple times in a short span of time, and when she wasn't actually running she was planning on it. Oh, and wondering if he was going to rape her...that word was thrown around as though there were extra points for using it. 🙄
I have had terrible luck with this author's books. The hits are only "ok", but man..the misses... they miss big time. 😣 Annoying heroines, violent heroes, and sometimes baffling sentence structures make for a difficult reading experience.
Wild Orchids suffered from the infernal heroine type that makes you want to rip your hair out. Lora's "I'm a lady" type prissy attitude would have been more fitting in a historical romance than in any modern setting. So having Lora almost wet her pants because she didn't want to mention having to pee to her kidnapper was baffling. Of course, given that she'd attempted an escape like a dozen times before, she'd certainly put a strain on our "hero's" patience with her. But come on..
Speaking of the "hero"....🤦♀️🤔 👿 In the 66 pages I read he came off far more like a true villain than a hero struggling to survive. Threatening a woman at gunpoint is one thing, but assaulting her when she tries to escape, literally trying to choke her out on multiple occasions, and then (the final straw) threatening rape is never ok, never excusable, and certainly did nothing to create any sort of warm fuzzy feelings around the idea of the two of them "getting together".
Don't get me wrong, a strong alpha male with a dangerous edge is a favorite hero type of mine. But there is an art to finding a balance between being dangerous enough to cause a bit of tension, and actually writing a villain that just so happens to be hot.
In this case, Max has about as much personality as a rock. 🤨 Other than ordering Lora to "drive" and then not doing any explaining or bothering to attempt to get her on his side, he scares the crap out of her and threatens her with death if she dares defy him...which she does anyways. Even giving us a moment of fear in his eyes before they get very far would have given him a smidgen of humanity. Instead, he barely blinks, let alone emits any emotion other than anger and aggression.
One of the other patterns I'm seeing in this author's writing is a tendency to ramble in the plot. This one certainly isn't as bad as another of hers where the initial inciting incident took nearly 1/3rd of the book! But it still felt drawn out and repetitive since Lora took off running multiple times in a short span of time, and when she wasn't actually running she was planning on it. Oh, and wondering if he was going to rape her...that word was thrown around as though there were extra points for using it. 🙄
December 2, 2023
I write books that I’ll never have the guts to try and publish. I say this to explain that I always round up a rating if I feel a book falls between stars. I do this because I respect that someone put themselves out there in such a personal way. In this case, that would have meant a 4 rating, because I was torn between 3.25 and 3.5 in my head, and so I’d have maybe talked myself into the 3.5 rounded to a 4. I tend to rate things too high, really. I wish we had 10 stars to work with. I’d have an easier time of it.
So why didn’t I give this a 4? Why was I annoyed enough to give it the lower rounding? And why am I done with this author? I can explain it in one word: animadversion. There were several times in this book where I was pulled out of a fun, light read so the author could show off. That’s annoying. Knock it off.
Here’s the thing. If your vocabulary is strong enough that you know that word, you also know the commonly used synonyms. Use one. Nobody likes a showoff. I’ve read two of this author’s books, and both did this. Not a lot. Just enough to get on my nerves.
For fun, I looked at the Ngram for this word. Then I pulled up the “search in google books” link. You know what other books this word appeared in since the 1800s? Almost the only reason there are *any* uses of the word at all since the 1800s? Books about words. Books about how to expand your vocabulary and sound clever. Very few books, by the way. Because nobody uses it. Except to show off.
So why didn’t I give this a 4? Why was I annoyed enough to give it the lower rounding? And why am I done with this author? I can explain it in one word: animadversion. There were several times in this book where I was pulled out of a fun, light read so the author could show off. That’s annoying. Knock it off.
Here’s the thing. If your vocabulary is strong enough that you know that word, you also know the commonly used synonyms. Use one. Nobody likes a showoff. I’ve read two of this author’s books, and both did this. Not a lot. Just enough to get on my nerves.
For fun, I looked at the Ngram for this word. Then I pulled up the “search in google books” link. You know what other books this word appeared in since the 1800s? Almost the only reason there are *any* uses of the word at all since the 1800s? Books about words. Books about how to expand your vocabulary and sound clever. Very few books, by the way. Because nobody uses it. Except to show off.
August 9, 2024
So wrong it’s right!
I was on the hunt for the perfect survival/suspenseful romance whereby two characters, preferably enemies, slowly turn to lovers alongside the dangers and perils of being in an unknown place with no human civilisation or chance of escape. It sends the tension through the roof, and i love it when it finally builds to that climax.
This book COOKED. like I feel fed. Innocent female heroine, Lora, meets dark, aggressive (undeniably sexy, even with that moustache?) hero, Max. She’s low-key in fear for her life but within a few chapters, her curiosity is piqued for him and this turns into some very well done sexual tension between the two. THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. I know this was published in 1986 and has the potential to be considered somewhat politically incorrect but damn I loved this story. Robards made every character unique and engaging despite the fact that the real mains were Lora and Max - loved the conversations between her and Tunafish! I immediately wanted to know more about him and the other people/criminals surrounding Max’s past. He was such a fascinating character, and I liked how we eventually got that reveal that he fell for Lora just as she fell for him!
My senses were so alive reading this, and the descriptions were magnificently clear. I could feel being in that jungle with those characters, it was a very immersive, three-dimensional read.
Glad I took the time to delve into this one, definitely will check out more from Karen Robards. Writing this now I already want to read it again. Perfect summer night book!
I was on the hunt for the perfect survival/suspenseful romance whereby two characters, preferably enemies, slowly turn to lovers alongside the dangers and perils of being in an unknown place with no human civilisation or chance of escape. It sends the tension through the roof, and i love it when it finally builds to that climax.
This book COOKED. like I feel fed. Innocent female heroine, Lora, meets dark, aggressive (undeniably sexy, even with that moustache?) hero, Max. She’s low-key in fear for her life but within a few chapters, her curiosity is piqued for him and this turns into some very well done sexual tension between the two. THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. I know this was published in 1986 and has the potential to be considered somewhat politically incorrect but damn I loved this story. Robards made every character unique and engaging despite the fact that the real mains were Lora and Max - loved the conversations between her and Tunafish! I immediately wanted to know more about him and the other people/criminals surrounding Max’s past. He was such a fascinating character, and I liked how we eventually got that reveal that he fell for Lora just as she fell for him!
My senses were so alive reading this, and the descriptions were magnificently clear. I could feel being in that jungle with those characters, it was a very immersive, three-dimensional read.
Glad I took the time to delve into this one, definitely will check out more from Karen Robards. Writing this now I already want to read it again. Perfect summer night book!
October 23, 2022
Do you know what finally made me stop reading? It's not Max threatening rape, it's not that he was serious about murdering Lora, it's not even Max threatening to kill a whole family WITH CHILDREN.
It was the starving part. I was really really really annoyed as fuck that Max AFTER doing all those horrible things above AND MEANING THEM he would sit beside her on the bed AND EAT HER FOOD! You know what? To starve her while he enjoys himself AND then sleeping besides her while she is bound to the bed by arms and feet I CALL THAT A MOTHER FUCKER BECAUSE IF HE WASN'T HE WOULD AT LEAST THINK ABOUT HER FUCKING SURVIVAL!!
No, Max was not just a villain, he was a disgusting human being who should know better than to sleep while another human being was suffering besides him.
STARVATION is my new no no in a villain and thanks to this book I now have another trigger which I didn't even know I had in the first place!
It was the starving part. I was really really really annoyed as fuck that Max AFTER doing all those horrible things above AND MEANING THEM he would sit beside her on the bed AND EAT HER FOOD! You know what? To starve her while he enjoys himself AND then sleeping besides her while she is bound to the bed by arms and feet I CALL THAT A MOTHER FUCKER BECAUSE IF HE WASN'T HE WOULD AT LEAST THINK ABOUT HER FUCKING SURVIVAL!!
No, Max was not just a villain, he was a disgusting human being who should know better than to sleep while another human being was suffering besides him.
STARVATION is my new no no in a villain and thanks to this book I now have another trigger which I didn't even know I had in the first place!
July 6, 2023
This book was written in 1986 and it very much feels like it. It’s amazing how much character types and personal tastes change over time. It made it a bit hard to relate to the heroine Lora. Max was a good antihero. I did feel that the book was extremely unrealistic. I know we have to willingly suspend our disbelief. However, our MC’s were unable to bathe, brush their teeth, change, clothes, use toilet paper, etc. and it just didn’t seem like they could possibly be feeling amorous lol, they must have stunk to high heaven. 🤮 Not to mention they were in a humid, hot, rainy, muddy, jungle. It was just about the unsexiest setting possible. The book seemed way longer than it needed to be and it was really hard to finish writing this 1.5 stars and rounding up to 2.
May 30, 2024
2.5 stars
This did not age well.
It was written in the 1980s and it SHOWS. I’m glad romance as a genre has changed from that time because the overall rapey vibe of Max at the start did nothing to endear him to me. (There is no rape, but he was certainly questionable.)
Lora managed to diagnose herself with Stockholm Syndrome, but never really handled it. I also didn’t like that she had a fiancé back home. I don’t care that their relationship was ho-hum — cheating is and always will be a big no no from me.
I did like the jungle setting and seeing Max and Lora and Tunafish overcome the odds against them.
Also I feel like Max’s mustache was referenced constantly and because I’m not a fan of them, that really detracted for me.
This did not age well.
It was written in the 1980s and it SHOWS. I’m glad romance as a genre has changed from that time because the overall rapey vibe of Max at the start did nothing to endear him to me. (There is no rape, but he was certainly questionable.)
Lora managed to diagnose herself with Stockholm Syndrome, but never really handled it. I also didn’t like that she had a fiancé back home. I don’t care that their relationship was ho-hum — cheating is and always will be a big no no from me.
I did like the jungle setting and seeing Max and Lora and Tunafish overcome the odds against them.
Also I feel like Max’s mustache was referenced constantly and because I’m not a fan of them, that really detracted for me.
July 16, 2018
Ever wonder what Romancing the Stone would have been like with a strong neoliberal bias? Unlike the big hair, there's a lot about the Reagan era that doesn't hold up no matter how much spray you lacquer on. This week, Morgan and Isabeau take Wild Orchids by Karen Robards to task for its worldview and experience some unexpected trickle-down titillation. Dedicated to all the far flung Midwesterners out there trying to find love in this mad world.
https://soundcloud.com/user-282269790...
November 3, 2019
Years since Lora had a vacation. For years she took care of her mother. But she died and Lora pays a vacation for Mexico. Tour bus broken, so decides to rent a car to see some of the local sites. Oh my, she careless and don't lock car doctor.
This is the beginning of adventure she not planned for. Max jumps in her car and holds a gun on her and tells her to drive. Not knowing that he won't kill her if she don't follow orders, ends up in some very risky situations. It's an older book, but had read books from this author before
This is the beginning of adventure she not planned for. Max jumps in her car and holds a gun on her and tells her to drive. Not knowing that he won't kill her if she don't follow orders, ends up in some very risky situations. It's an older book, but had read books from this author before
July 13, 2017
I actually liked the hero. But the heroine was a stupid, racist woman. The biggest thing that turned me off this book is the subtle racism. It is very evident from the writing that the author has never left the United States and that she thinks that the United States are better than any other country in the world. Had it not been for the continuous uneducated, racist remarks, I would have given this book more stars.
January 30, 2020
Lora Harding is vacationing in Cancun after years of tending her late Mother's illness. Renting a car to visit the ruins, she is surprised by a man jumping in her car and forcing her at gun point to drive him into the jungle. Despite several attempts to escape she cannot and ends up on a terrifying adventure that tests her and shows her her true inner strength. Typical of 80s capture style romance, but a good writer who I've enjoyed in the past.
May 31, 2019
The beginning starts off very captivating with Lora being kidnapped while on vacation in Mexico. The story was a different setting and plot than I was used to, so I kept on reading. But I was really disappointed in the author's writing style. I just felt more variety of words could of been used. Still I managed to breeze through the book in a week's time.
Read
November 27, 2020DNF
If you are into abusive degrading hero ,and a dump heroine who gets off by being hundled roughly than go for it ( I can't believe she got horny while he was hurting her physically and humiliatinh her more than one occasion).
I tried to give it a chance till 50 %, but now I mourn the wasted time.
If you are into abusive degrading hero ,and a dump heroine who gets off by being hundled roughly than go for it ( I can't believe she got horny while he was hurting her physically and humiliatinh her more than one occasion).
I tried to give it a chance till 50 %, but now I mourn the wasted time.
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