Monday 20 February 2012

Are Any of Harlequin Books 11 - 20 Worth Reading?

In the first post I introduced the new series where I select the Harlequin books from 1949 to 1959 worth reading.

What is worthy? At this point easier to say what isn't. I can be fairly certain that Harlequin westerns and historicals will not be worthies but I'll keep an open mind. So that eliminates three from this list. Also any medical romances. That eliminates His Wife the Doctor, the story of Dr. Serenity Dale and her unsuccessful novelist husband. Harlequin wasn't publishing the classic Mills & Boon romances yet but any early Harlequin titles that come close will not likely be worthies either. That leaves one book - A Killer is Loose Among Us. The blurb works - this deserves to be a Worthy®.

Running total is 2 Worthies®

11 Hall, Magdalen King                The Wicked Lady Skelton
12 Terrall, Robert                        A Killer Is Loose Among Us
13 McCord, Joseph                      His Wife the Doctor
14 Snow, Charles H.                    Six-Guns of Sandoval
15 Powers, Tom                          Virgin With Butterflies
16 Lindsay, Perry                        No Nice Girl
17 Petersen, Herman                   The D.A.'s Daughter
18 Snow, Charles H.                     Rebel Of Ronde Valley
19 Glay, George Albert                 Gina
20 Miller, Helen Topping               Flame Vine

Harlequin 12 - September 1949

Harlequin 12 back

2 comments:

  1. I've never touched these, but note that Virgin With Butterflies was one of the infamous Harlequin Vintage Collection titles. Of course, as we now know, this means nothing - the decision to republish having been based on little more than cover art.

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  2. Here's a modern review of Virgin:

    This is a TERRIBLE book, and I LOVED IT. It is like reading a B movie. If that's something you'd enjoy, you might want to check this out -- this pulp novel is a reprint of one of Harlequin's early releases, from before they began specializing in romance. Cliches! TERRIBLE HORRIBLE stereotypes that stand in for characterizations! War with Japan! Crazy plot that make no sense! This book has it all.

    "No Nice Girl" is also one of the Vintage Collection titles.

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