Joanne, the Unpredictable

Joanne, the Unpredictable by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Books
Copyright 1976

The Saga of the Phenwick Women
JOANNE,
THE UNPREDICTABLE

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

Joanne was the most stunningly beautiful and danger-
ously wilful of all the Phenwick women. (WOW, that is
really saying something) Even before she reached
the age of twenty, she knew how to be all
things to all men in order to turn them into puppets of
her desire. And from the moment she arrived at Merrihew
Manor, the ancestral Phenwick family estate in England,
she began to cast her spell over everyone from her
elegant, aristocratic cousin, to the handsome, virile
master of the neighboring property, to the worldly,
irresistibly charming man of the theater who was visiting
from London.

Life at Merrihew Manor was a whirling, intoxicating
masked ball of romance for Joanne - until she realized
the occult horror that ruled this ancient place, and felt
the tightening embraced of a satanic force that neither
her beauty nor her guile could disarm or deceive ...

Joanne really is unpredictable if only for the conservative cut of her gown. I would think that in order to wield such incredible power over men, a little more skin would be involved. But what would I know, I mean, If I could turn men into puppets of my desire, I would have the cleanest house EVER!

Harriet, the Haunted

Harriet, the Haunted by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1976

Saga of the Phenwick Women
HARRIET,
THE HAUNTED

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

Lovely young Harriet was the picture of innocence - yet
within her seethed a secret that filled her with shame, and
threatened her with madness and death. (you know,
I am beginning to think these Phenwick men are simply
attracted to the wrong kind of girl)

Growing up on a lush Southern Plantation, Harriet had
been victim of a violent act that ripped her innocence from
her, and left her with a mind clouded by the unspeakable
event. Now years later Harriet hoped that time had healed
her ghastly emotional wound, and that she was free to give
herself to the handsome suitor who offered her his love and
the Phenwick name. Then Harriet discovered that terrifying
truth. The satanic spirit of the man who had caused her so
much misery was reaching out from beyond the grave to
claim her once again with his passion, and torture her with
his eternal vengeance. And not even love seemed able to
protect the most horror-haunted of all the Phenwick
women from this diabolical possession and the hellish abyss
that opened up to claim her ...

It is "So, is that a wedding dress or what?" week but when looking at this book, the question of whether our leading lady is wearing a wedding dress is actually secondary to the question of whether Katheryn Kimbrough had simply run out of good names. No offence to any Harriets out there but it doesn't seem to be a real romance novel kind of name. There is nothing inherently sexy about it, but I guess not all of us can have a name like Sugar Hill.


But, back to our question at hand. I would have to say that yes, that must be a wedding dress. Look how carefully she holds up the length to help protect it as she ... walk around in a swamp. Look at the hair she had curled so carefully and the subtle yet beautiful emerald earrings. And the neck line, cut to flatter her neck and narrow her shoulders. This absolutely has to be a wedding dress or she is really, really trying to over compensate for that name.

Rachel, the Possessed

Rachel, the Possessed by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1975

Saga of the Phenwick Women
PATRICIA,
THE BEAUTIFUL

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.

Startlingly lovely Rachel Phenwich knew that somehow
she was not like other girls. (um ... where exactly is this going?)
It was not only that she was a Phenwich, heiress to
the Phenwick wealth, and to the Phenwick
curse. But as she passed the borderline between
childhood and young womanhood, she felt a
strange and sinister force stirring within her - and then
she learned the nightmare truth.

Hesitantly, those close to her told her that she was sub-
just to strange fits that transformed her from an innocent
girl into an abandoned creature of unspeakable desires.
And desperately, fearfully, Rachel searched for the man
who might save her - the man who could resist and over-
come the horrifying spirit that possessed her, and not be
seduced and destroyed by the deadly weapon of Satan
that Rachel's beauty had become ...

FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK

At first I thought the weird dude on the cover was the double jointed Ringmaster flasher from Patricia, the Beautiful but reading the back cover, he is probably just one of a dozen men wandering the Phenwick property trying to score with one of these genetically predisposed Rick James style Super Freaks.

Clearly Rachel is looking for the wrong kind of guy anyway. If that is what she is into, why is she looking for someone who can resist it. She should really just lose those mourning clothes and hook up with Creepy over there.

Obviously, this was way before e-Harmony.

Olivia, the Tormented

Olivia the Tormented by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1976

Sage of the Phenwick Women
OLIVIA,
THE TORMENTED

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived -
THE SAGO OF THE PHENWICK WOMEN.
You won't want to miss the others,
exclusively in Popular Library editions.

The ghostly spirit of Augusta Phenwick predicted that
the future bride of handsome, virile Joshua Phenwick
would be named Olivia - but now Joshua was forced to
choose between three incredibly tempting women who
bore that name. One was lovely, aristocratic Olivia
Loring. One was the captivating actress, Olivia Prit-
chard. And one was the breathtaking Italian noble-
woman, Olivia di Luca.

One of these women would make marriage a paradise.
One would make it a hell. One could well turn it into
a grave. But until the terrifying night in an ancient Eng-
lish manor when their true natures were unmasked, each
was a creature of menacing mystery, as against a glit-
tering background of high society and satanic intrigue,
the eeriest and most spellbinding chapter of the Phen-
wick saga mounted to its shattering climax ...

If it were me, I would rule out the chic that would make marriage hell. And the one who would, more than likely, turn it into a grave would definitely be out of the running. So, once again, where is the dilemma? Do men never use logic when picking a woman? Does nothing matter but looks? I mean really, I don't care how good looking a man is, if he is threatening me with a bottle of acid, I'm not going to find him hot.

Moon Garden

Moon Garden by Jan Alexander
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1972

A STRANGE SATANIC POWER WAS STALKING HER ...

Fleeing from the tragedy of a loved-one's death, beau-
tiful Ellen Miles come to her aunt's Southern mansion to
regain her strength. Although she had only recently suf-
fered a nervous breakdown, Ellen found herself gradually
rediscovering life and romance - drawn to two handsome,
charming men and finding love with one of them.

Suddenly strange, terrifying events began to haunt her.
Were the mansion and its garden really possessed by
some diabolic force from the distance past? Or was Ellen's
illness slowly, subtly returning to poison her thoughts?

No one - not even the man she loved - believed her tales
of terror in the night. Was his affection genuine or merely
a means to keep her silent? Struggling against the dark
powers that engulfed her, Ellen began to doubt her own
sanity ...

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FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK

There is something wrong in the logic that would ever bring someone recovering from a nervous breakdown to a dilapidated old plantation house that looks to be sinking into the swamp. The ambience just wouldn't be good for a fragile mind. Neither would a helmet of hair that looks totally too heavy and out of proportion to your head.

And what is up with all these women falling for jerks? Rule number one, if a guy doesn't believe you when you tell him something, he is probably not the guy for you. Rule number two, if you suspect a guy is dating you to "merely keep you silent" , he is probably not the guy for you. Rule number three, if a guy likes hanging out in a dilapidated old plantation house that looks to be sinking into a swamp, once again, he is probably not the guy for you.