Tag Archives: Romance

Windswept Mystery-Romance #26: The Secret By Carol Beach York.

Posted on March 31, 2024 by mondomolly

Was the ghost of a dead girl seeking revenge? Teen romances with a photo cover were a staple throughout the 1980s: we have variously looked at Wildfire, Sweet Dreams, First Love and Caprice’s versions of this YA staple on a … Continue reading →

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Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley Saga: The Wakefields of Sweet Valley

Posted on January 30, 2024 by mondomolly

Follow the riveting stories of the women who came before Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield… Did any 1980s series spawn more sub-series than Sweet Valley High? Even excluding the hundreds of books featuring the Wakefield twins at different ages (your Sweet … Continue reading →

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Sunset High: The Night Before (#10) By Linda A. Cooney

Posted on December 19, 2023 by mondomolly

Will they spend the holidays apart, or will they set aside their pride in time to start the New Year right? I am starting to run low on holiday-themed YA titles (whither Elaine Harper?) so I’ve been reaching for a … Continue reading →

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Going To Camp Part 1: Fireworks (First Love From Silhouette #101) By Elaine Harper

Posted on July 3, 2023 by mondomolly

Originally posted on Lost Classics of Teen Lit: 1939-1989:
Patti was a serious student; Spencer was an irresponsible playboy! Background: Is it a major holiday? You can bet that Elaine Harper and First Love From Silhouette have got us covered with…

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Sing About Us By Winifred Madison

Posted on April 9, 2023 by mondomolly

How could a dream become a disaster?  Background:  Not to be confused with the similar-looking Sweet Dreams, First Love or Caprice paperback romances of the 1980s, Scholastic’s Wildfire tends to have a better quality of writing (Caroline Cooney and Ann M. Martin are a few … Continue reading →

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The Son Of Someone Famous By M.E. Kerr

Posted on February 24, 2023 by mondomolly

“MY MOTHER SUSPECTS I AM SLIGHTLY UNNATURAL.” We noted the death of YA giant Marijane Meaker, best known as M.E. Kerr, at the end of  last year: as one of the writers at Harper & Row under legendary editor Ursula … Continue reading →

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Checking In With The Imaginary Summer Book Club: Forever Amber By Kathleen Winsor

Posted on August 1, 2022 by mondomolly

(Click here for information on the 2022 edition of Molly’s Imaginary Summer Book Club Featuring Classics of Women’s Literature. This week, the first selection, Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor) Well, Constant Readers, I vowed to get to our first massive … Continue reading →

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Love At First Sight (First Love From Silhouette #9) By Elaine Harper

Posted on June 20, 2022 by mondomolly

How could nature have produced such virile perfection? Background: I am on the record about how I’ve turned around my opinion on Silhouette’s First Love romances (“AMERICA’S publisher of Contemporary Romance”), at least when it comes to Elaine Harper’s terminally … Continue reading →

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Kathleen (Sunfire Romance #8) By Candice F. Ransom

Posted on March 17, 2022 by mondomolly

There were times she wished she’d never come to America… Background: Scholastic’s Sunfire series is a cautionary tale about judging a YA Romance by its cover. Lurking behind the overheated cover art and melodramatic taglines are some of the best stories and most … Continue reading →

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Hawaiian Christmas (Super Seniors #2) By Eileen Goudge

Posted on December 22, 2021 by mondomolly

An island reunion of romance, surf and sun! The cover is telling: this book is just as busy and confusing yet generic as the graphic design choices. I had to defer to the folks at Fantastic Fiction over how to … Continue reading →

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