Carol, the Pursued & NIghts with Sasquatch

Carol, the Pursued by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1979

KATHERYN KIMBROUGH'S
Saga of the Phenwich Women
CAROL
THE PURSUED

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of Gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

A captive of a nightmare religious cult - that was the
fate that beautiful young Carol Ingraham fled, as she
fought to achieve her destiny as a Phenwick woman. It
was her parents who first put her in the power of the
Shilohite cult, led by a man who turned his followers
into puppetlike slaves, made every woman an instru-
ment of men's lusts, and forbade all contact with out-
siders. It was a savage attack on her person that woke
her to danger, and a freakish accident that let her make
a break for freedom. It was a Phenwick heir who fell in
love with her, yet could not understand the inner
demons tormenting her or the evil closing in on her.
And it was only her own courage and strength that
could save her when she could fee no more ...

The idea of a crazy religious cult is not new. The idea that a crazy religious cult leader would make all the females in his cult there for his pleasure is also not new. But there are two things that stand out to me. Firstly, a religious cult survivor as the heroine of a Gothic romance book. I have never seen that and I have seen a ton of these. And secondly, that these Phenwick men really know how to pick'em.

So, the question is this , is THAT how a sex slaves dressed in ... um ... covered wagon times? I guess it is a well known fact that school marms are naturally attracted devil cults, so it would have been a logical jump for the artist to take.

Still, there is something wanting in this cover. Perhaps it is the lack of robes.

Now I would like to share another paperback I picked up a few weeks ago for the cover.

Apparently the true life tale of a woman assaulted by a bigfoot, I wouldn't want to belittle the tragedy or her pain BUT I feel the cover artist already did that SO it's now fair game.

If I was ever raped by bigfoot and then wrote a book about it I don't think I would give it such a sexy title. I would go for something more along the lines of "I was raped by a Bigfoot. I swear." And, if I WAS going to give it a sexy title, I would also give it a sexy cover. Or at least have the cover artist make me look hotter than THAT!

Okay, I give you that her make-up isn't smeared at all, which seems unlikely in the circumstances, but that hair is terrible.

Also it looks like the Sasquatch is having trouble holding her. He is a freaking Sasquatch! Aren't they supposed to be as strong as shit? I would want to have glamorous make-up, perfectly wild hair tumbling past my shoulders, and the look of near weightlessness.

Also Bigfoot should be hotter.

Chateau Chaumand

Chateau Chaumand by Andrea Delmonico
published by: Ace Books
Copyright 1968

Chateau Chaumand

An ominous storm was brewing the night Geraldine (Really? Geraldine?)
arrived at Chateau Chaumand as bride of Charles Chau-
mand. After a whirlwind courtship Charles had swept
her away with him to his gracious but intimidating home,
a vast resort on a lake in Wisconsin.

Vaguely apprehensive before meeting his family,
Geraldine too soon became aware of real, definite fear.
Someone at the chateau resented her sudden marriage
to Charles. Was it the Indian girl, Fawn, who had loved
Charles? Or her husband's handsome cousin, Matt, who
rivaled Charles for mastery over the estate ... and cov-
eted Charles' new bride?

Whoever it was, Geraldine was certain the "acci-
dents" pursuing her was the intentional acts of a
murderer ...

You might be asking yourself why I would shell out cash for a book with such a large tear in the cover. Well there are, in fact, three reasons:

Firstly, it is a "EASY TO READ - LARGE TYPE" and one never knows when a dreadful tragedy might strike that would leave you with a Vincent Price "Fall of the House of Usher" sensitivity to light. A sensitivity that would force me to read only by the barest amount of candle light, therefore making large type books quite useful.

Secondly, my husband and I once drove 10 hours to attend a Halloween Party in Wisconsin were we happened upon a very cheap haunted house that had actually stolen nearly all of dialogue from Disney World's Haunted Mansion and used it in ways that made no sense.

And thirdly, and most importantly, the publisher actually thought this book was so packed with sexual tension that it was wagering we readers would need a smoke somewhere between pages 64 and 65.

Newport, your "Alive with pleasure" ad is dated and oh so cheesy but Kent, as always you are a class act.

The Dark Shore

The Dark Shore by Susan Howatch
published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1965

The Dark
Shore

The anonymous voice from the past
whispered into the receiver, "Welcome
home, Mr. Towers. Does your financée
know how you killed your first wife ten
years ago?"

Soon after Sarah moved into her new home
as the bride of charming, enigmatic Jon
Towers, some instinct warned her to run
for her life. Too many "accidents" were
beginning to plague her.

Sarah knew only that her husband's first
wife had plunged to her death from a
nearby cliff, under mysterious and ques-
tionable circumstances. Now someone was
trying to kill Sarah.

So, newlywed Sarah has an inside voice telling her to run. Could it be that some part of her knows that her "charming" new husband had something to do with his first wife's death? Could it be that Jon's home titters on the edge of a cliff. Could it be that she couldn't possible get cell service out there?

The fact is you can't put a biker-chick in white heels and a maxi skirt and expect her to be happy.

The Face of Danger

The Face of Danger by Willo Davis Roberts

published by Prestige Books
Copyright 1972

A STRANGER TO LOVE

Sharlee Adams was a girl without a
past, but she learned early in life not to
waste her time wondering about the
family that might have been. She was a
plain girl, perhaps too plain;
unattractive to men, she never knew
dates ... never knew love.

Until the day of the accident-the
accident that left her so horribly scarred
that plastic surgery was a must. When
the doctor operated, he corrected
nature's oversight, and suddenly
Sharlee was beautiful.

The change was unexpected; Sharlee
did not know how to live with her
new face. And then Ross Dutcher came
into her life, promising her love,
bringing her the family she had never
known...bringing her death!

Assignment: If you are plain, perhaps too plain, please go out and know "dates" and know "love". You don't want to go so long in life not knowing these things that your first boy or girl friend brings you death. Flowers are far more appropriate.