Magnolia By Diana Palmer
I had high hopes for my first Diana Palmer because I have heard a lot of good things about her books. But she mostly writes contemporary romances and I almost never read anything contemporary. But I wanted to give her a try and this is one of her few historicals. So I started with my heart in the throat, hoping that I'd hit the jackpot.
For most of the book I was feeling kind of blah about it. But it isn't poorly written so I didn't mind reading on. I thought John's obsession over another woman very very distasteful and all the exclamation marks in the book didn't help either John or Claire. For 70% of the book I thought ok this is 3 stars, at least I don't hate it and I do want to see their happily ever after. But the last 30% became a wild goose chase of the real culprit behind the embezzlement, which left John and Claire very little time to overcome their relationship woes, and they had nothing but woes.
I quickly adjusted my rating to 2 because I couldn't be convinced that they really had a thing going. Claire's fascination with John seemed immature and John's obsession over his ex-fiancé was nothing but annoying. They had almost zero tender moments, I don't know how I am supposed to believe that John had finally fallen in love with Claire. When? When John was in love with another woman? The relationship was just not developed. All they had was Claire's ungrounded love for John which came out of nowhere in the book and her hurt pride. All John did was mooning over another woman and acting jealous when Claire was receiving attention from other men, which did not make sense. We were just told that he loves Diane, repeatedly, why would he feel jealous? Saying it doesn't make it so. A writer has to convince me of her claim with character building, plot planing and relationship development.
I may give Palmer another try. But this was one disappointing read for me. Because Ms Palmer is such a prolific writer, I was really surprised to see how immature this story seems. People did and said things. But most of the time I just wasn't convinced. I hope this was not the norm for her books. If my second try turns out to be the same, I probably won't read Palmer again. Fingers crossed. Mass Market Paperback This historical fiction book was my first in ages. John and Claire were a great couple. I love marriage of convenience stories and this one had it all! Sweetheart heroine, jealous hero, evil OW and even a few sensual love scenes.
There was no cheating, only a blind in denial hero who had idolized OW. Still he was extremely sexy, honorable and I thought heroine was unreasonably mean to him sometimes (after their lovemaking) but I guess I could see where her bitterness came from. Unrequited love is never easy.
Diana Palmer is such a good author! She sure knows how to write wonderful love stories with a heart. Mass Market Paperback I loved to hate the jerk hero and adored the feisty loving but silly heroine. Just like her other heroes and heroines the MC’s were quite talented and good hearted (the H was just for other people of course, to h, he was cruel. And even if there was no cheating, he kept thinking about OW after had sex with h. That’s why I hated him, he was very much dumb for a Harvard graduate.
“He understood. He was as helpless in his passion for Diane as Claire was in her need of him. In that one way, they were very much alike. It hurt him in an odd, new way, to see her suffer for his touch. He felt her need and ached to fill it.
WTF!
“Claire went right up to the old man’s bedside, staring down into his drawn, pale face. “I am married to your son John.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?” he asked bluntly.
Claire’s chin jutted. “Because he doesn’t appreciate his good fortune in having had the sense to marry me!” she replied pertly.
Go girl! Mass Market Paperback After my 15 birthday I’ve never understood how someone can be in love with a person who is not in love with him/her. Moreover if he is in love with someone else. This remains impossible to understand for me. Whatever. The book is too good and I am really surprised it’s DP because she usually writes contemporary. This historical was really very well done. Beautiful, accurate, detailed. I loved the heroine that is also not typical DP heroine, she’s smart, she stands for herself, she is brave and clever. I give four stars to the heroine and to the perfectly written story. The male character is pitiful, a stupid stupid stupid ( am I clear???) Man who cannot see that the woman he loves is a conniving worthless b***h, that left him for a richer guy, that is evil and envious. He couldn’t see how his wife was a million times better on every way. Yes, he falls in love with her eventually but my, how I wished him dead! Dear Claire deserved so much more! I cannot stand stupidity and cheating and he had it all, at least emotional cheating. I can’t call him a hero because I think a hero should be smart and intelligent and strong and able to read the real character of people while he was unable to do so. Anyway I enjoyed this book more than I thought, even if it has NOT a hero in it, only a weak pathetic creature. At least he was not cruel or a jerk. Only a basket case. Mass Market Paperback Come for typical Diana Palmer, stay for the awesome h.
For you safety folks, know going into it that it's an MOC entered into because the h is in dire financial straits and the H is trying not to have an affair with the OW, who is married to his business partner, and who originally dumped the H because he wouldn't reconcile with his estranged wealthy family. There is emotional cheating galore, and the H says some mean things because he is a Palmer H from around the turn of the 20th century.
However, the h is just so amazing, and the H's turnaround is so very pleasing, that it's well worth reading. I don't want to spoil it so I'm not going to provide details about why she is possibly the best Palmer heroine ever because she leaves all those helpless modern Palmer heroines in the dust in terms of self-esteem, determination, and general awesomeness. Mass Market Paperback
Thorndike Press large print basic series.
Atlanta in 1900 was a bustling place where commerce and high society flourished amid the languid rhythms of the sultry South. Claire Lang loved her life there, but one man’s presence unsettled her very soul. John Hawthorn’s dark eyes and lean, handsome face captivated Claire more than she wanted to admit. And when tragedy struck, Claire found herself desperate enough to marry him—a man who didn’t retrn her passionate love her. But Claire aroused fierce, unexpected desires in her elusive husband. And once she had tasted his kisses and savored his lovemaking, she dared to fight for him as a sizzling scandal threatened to engulf them and the love she began to believe could be theirs. Magnolia
4.5 stars.
Be careful what you wish for.
So yes, I've always wanted an asshole hero who is forced to marry the heroine while he is in love with someone else. In fact, I've dreamed about this trope for months. It came to me in a dream once, this type of marriage. And I loved it, been fantasising for it since, like, forever. Guy in love with someone else is forced by circumstances to marry girl. And even after marriage and sex (with heroine), said fantasy guy is stubborn and blind and still believes himself in love with the OW. (Don't start on me, I know I'm an emotional masochism junkie.) So, why, why on earth did I feel so uneasy and hurt and angry when I got exactly what I want??
To be honest, I loved this book. I loved it so. Damned. Much. So much that I could cry with my love for it.
But then why did I give it a 4.5? Because I didn't like the ending. No no, don't get me wrong, I loved everything about this book,
but yes, I admit it, the ending wasn't as epic as I wanted it to be. (Am I using too many italics?) I think I expected an ending more in line with the rest of the book. I didn't want The Great Arrest to be as easy as it was. I would have liked it better if both Diane and Eli (the antagonists) would have led them a merry chase before the neatly wrapped arrest. Because I don't mind neatly wrapped arrests or endings. I love them. I'm a sweet-and-slow-ansgty-HEA junkie, remember? But I like the angst and pain in the middle. And because the rest of the book was just so good, I wanted the ending to be that way too. The put-the-evil-people-in-jail ending, not the H-and-h-have-a-sob-worthily-HEA ending. Because that ending was perfect.
Before I get into details, I would like to comment on how smooth a writer Diana Palmer is. She executes the scenes so well, the plots are so beautifully carried on. Even the detail to setting was astonishing, especially in regard to the dresses. It's not easy writing a historical. I love her writing. AND I DON'T CARE IF IT'S CHEESY, AND I CARE LESS IT THAT MAKES ME CHEESY AND SHALLOW AS WELL, I LOVE THIS WOMAN.
I wish I could go and meet her. She's such a wonderful person :')
Anyways, I'll start with the heroine first. I loved her. 'Nuf said. She was so sweet and caring and such a...such a... *bursts into tears* I completely understood her bitterness, and I also loved that she wasn't a doormat. Diana Palmer writes heroines that are strong and independent but don't come off as bitches so damned well. There was one part I didn't like, though. Even though Claire knew that John was in love with Diana (evil OW), she still went on with the wedding. To say that I was pissed off at that is an understatement. But meh, minor grievances are okay. It's the big ones that matter.
Anyways, like I said, I loved how she wouldn't give up the car, and loved how she went on sewing and earned money under the name 'Magnolia'. I loved that name.
Now the hero. Like all Diana Palmer heroes, he was a Class A asshole. But like all other DP heroes, he grovels really well too :') The emotions I felt towards him were so intense, so strong, and so very jumbled. I hated him, loved him. Felt sorry for him, felt like throwing him in the sea. Wanted to kiss him, wanted to kick his ass. God.
The *ahem* in the book was amazingly wonderful too. Like I've said before, Diana Palmer gives me everything I want in a book. Literally.
It was amazing, this book. And know what? I'm going to change the rating to a 5 star because I effin' loved it so much.
Diana Palmer, I just want to say that
Mass Market Paperback How very un-DP. The heroine is in love with the hero, but she has no problem calling him on the carpet for his bad and dismissive behavior in loving the married evil OW as well as his cutting remarks to the h. Occasionally he is mean and cold to the heroine. He is DP hero after all, but he’s a DP-lite H and is nothing compared to her mean and hairy contemporary cowboys.
The setting is 1900 Atlanta, and the h is the star of the show. She’s not only enthralled with the newfangled horseless carriage but she’s actually a handy little mechanic when she’s not sewing haute couture fashion for Atlanta socialites.
She’s had a crush on the hero for years, and they end up in a MOC that he regrets right away. The evil OW drapes herself all over the H right before the wedding and makes cow eyes during the ceremony. The h is about a thousand times smarter than the H, and she’s the one that warns him about the gossip his mooning over the OW is causing. It’s not just personal issues the H is a big dummy about, but he gets himself set up as the guilty party in a bank scam that is very implausible. Implausible but fun as it allows the heroine to rush the H to the train depot in her automobile in true Keystone cops fashion.
The heroine is definitely NOT a DP heroine as she takes nothing lying down and lays out how terrible his behavior has been to her then leaves. He slowly wakes up to the fact that his beloved who dumped him to marry an older, rich man is probably not that great. A guilt induced brain transplant and lack of sex wakes the hero up to how much he loves the multi-talented heroine.
Very enjoyable heroine.
On to The Savage Heart as Matt, the Sioux Pinkerton detective, was one of the more interesting characters. Mass Market Paperback This is one of those books that I started too late at night, and stayed up until 2 am to finish. I'm just going to add a few thoughts.
Claire the h was amazing. She was strong, stubborn, and blunt but at the same time kind, sweet, and vulnerable. John was such a stupid, dense idiot that I wondered if he got his college degree off the back of a cereal box. He kept feeling guilty that he was developing feelings for Claire, his wife, when he was supposed to be in love with the OW Diane. He stubbornly held to those feelings, never seeing the OW for who she was, and never seeing his wife for who she was.
This book was very DP with angst, a jerk hero who treats the h badly and the OW better. I do wish his change of heart had been less sudden but he groveled well. The heroine saved the story because she was so blunt in her honesty and when she realized it was time, she told him off and then left. I loved it!
Safety Mass Market Paperback 3.5 Stars
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The premise. The different time setting. The h.
The Not-So-Good: While I appreciated that the h was not what I consider a doormat, I really wanted her to make the H explain himself better at times and grovel when he was a jerk!
The Bad: The lack of grovel. While I tend to enjoy the angst of the unrequited love story, I really need the grovel to balance it all out! I feel like this was too focused on other drama in the story to kind of bypass any good grovel that I think was greatly needed!
Overall: This was an enjoyable read with some unrequited love, which is my catnip when I want a good cry. Sadly, it didn't quite make me as emotional as I had hoped, but I still enjoyed it! If anyone has unrequited love type stories to recommend-- please send them my way!!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Claire and John's story. Claire finds herself alone and without a home after her beloved uncle dies. Her uncle's friend and man she's been secretly in love with, John, sees an opportunity to help shield his true love but ex-fiancé from gossip of an affair among them because she is married to his boss -- and proposes a marriage of convenience with Claire. Claire accepts because she has no other options, but she knows going in that he doesn't love her and he is still in love with his ex, who is very much in their lives. There are some secrets revealed, some scandals, and some sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Claire and John in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove:No, but the h is already in love with the H when the story begins
H (Hero) rating: 3 stars. John. He was alright. I wanted him to just freakin' communicate! He was also a pretty big jerk at times and I don't think he nearly made it up in the end.
h (heroine) rating: 4 stars. Claire. I liked how independent and smart she was while also holding her pride in a situation that would've been easy to become a doormat, but I don't think she ever crossed that line for me.
Sadness level: Low/moderate. As a sucker for unrequited love stories, this made me shed a few tears.
Push/Pull:Yes
Heat level: Alright. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes, IMO
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in an alright place but I wanted much more closure for the couple and to experience them as a healthy couple on page. I would call this a HEA ending
Safety: This one should be either Safe or Safe with exception for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences
Mass Market Paperback “Magnolia” is the story of Claire and John, set in the 1800s.. and WOW.
I’m the biggest Diana Palmer fan, and I’ve read almost everything by her- and loved many.
This has got to be BY FAR one of the best of her works.
A story set in the Wild West, a heroine to die for, a crazy plot and so much angst.
When Claire’s only living relative, her uncle dies unexpectedly, she is forced to marry John, the bank manager to survive. John is in love with his ex Diane even though she’s married, and thus begins this unexpected tale of two unlikely people falling in love.
We have
-A hero in love with OW- who’s a bloody biatch. Yes it’s a plot that can be trigger to many but oh it’s soooo well written- we see John realizing and regretting his “love” for her.. Nyahahhaa
-a fucking strong and kickass feminist heroine- she fought him head to head- called him out on his BS- had self dignity- was honest and hardworking- and didn’t give into pressure. I FUCKING adored her
-so much hot and hairy lovemaking.. like dayum by DP standards
-Crazy ass evil villains.. and drama!
-ANGST!! So many tears to shed. I basically cried throughout the book and loved it.
-Groveling and Regrets
-Amazing secondary characters
-Kickass purple cover
Not Safe by Definition
5/5 Mass Market Paperback
