Johanna Lindsey

Johanna Helen Howard Lindsey
Born Johanna Helen Howard
(1952-03-10) March 10, 1952
Germany
Pen name Johanna Lindsey
Nationality American
Period 1977-present
Genre Historical Romance
Spouse Ralph Lindsey
Children 3

Johanna Lindsey (born Johanna Helen Howard, March 10, 1952), is one of the most popular American writers of historical romance novels worldwide. All of her books reached the New York Times bestseller list, many reaching No. 1.

Biography

Personal life

Her father was Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany, where she was born. The family moved about a great deal when she was young. Her father always dreamed of retiring to Hawaii and after he died in 1964, Lindsey and her mother settled there to honor him.[1]

In 1970, when she was still in school, she married Ralph Bruce Lindsey, becoming a young housewife. The marriage continued, the couple residing in Hawaii and producing three children; Alfred, Joseph and Garret, who already have made her a grandmother. After her husband's death, Lindsey moved to Maine and has not remarried.

Writing career

Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride, in 1977 "on a whim".[1] The book was a success, as have been the forty-nine novels that followed. As of 2006 more than fifty-eight million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, and her work has been translated into twelve language.

Style and reception

Owing to their diversity of settings Lindsey's work covers a number of romance subgenres, including medieval, Regency, western, Viking, and even science fiction. Her most popular books are a series of Regency sagas about the fictional Malory family (see Family Tree).

Lindsey's stories have been heavily criticised for what has been viewed as absurd and clichéd characterisations, poor structure and pacing, unrealistic plotting, and generally bad writing. They have also been accused of perpetuating outdated and problematic notions about sexual assault, the role of women in relationships, and other cultures.

In April 2017 popular YouTube book-vlogger LilyCReads reviewed Lindsey's 1989 novel Savage Thunder, one of three in the author's "Wyoming westerns" series. The video was called "This is literally the worst book i've ever read.."[2] and over the course of twenty minutes the titular Lily C derides almost every aspect of the novel, both in the writing and messages.

Messages challenged in the video include a scene where the hero, a half-white, half-Native American adventurer, sexually touches the heroine while she sleeps and, when she wakes up and questions him about this, tells her that she is his property and has been since she first allowed him to sleep with her. Meanwhile, scorn is also reserved for the heroine, an English duchess, who describes her seduction of the hero as a "rape" (even though he consented to sex) and heavily encourages him to dress less like a Native and more like a white man for her.

The covers of Lindsey's novels have been widely parodied,[3] fitting in as they do with a trend in romance publishing to use gaudy painted designs that feature a muscular male model (i.e. Fabio) with his chest exposed, towering above or otherwise dominating floridly dressed women.

Bibliography

By Reading Order

Viking Haardrad Family Saga Series

  1. Fires of Winter (1980)
  2. Hearts Aflame (1987)
  3. Surrender My Love (1994)

Southern Series

  1. Glorious Angel (1982)
  2. Heart of Thunder (1983)

Deep space/ Ly-san-ter Family Saga

  1. Warrior's Woman (1990)
  2. Keeper Of The Heart (1993)
  3. Heart Of A Warrior (2001) (Deep space - Earth)

Wyoming westerns series

  1. Brave the Wild Wind (1984)
  2. Savage Thunder (1989)
  3. Angel (1992)

Malory-Anderson Family Saga Series

  1. Love Only Once (1985) (Regina Ashton/Nicholas Eden)
  2. Tender Rebel (1988) (Anthony Malory/Roslynn Chadwick)
  3. Gentle Rogue (1990) (James Malory/Georgina Anderson)
  4. The Magic of You (1993) (Amy Malory/Warren Anderson)
  5. Say You Love Me (1996) (Derek Malory/Kelsey Langton)
  6. The Present (1998) (Christopher Malory/Anastasia Stephanoff)
  7. A Loving Scoundrel (2004) (Jeremy Malory/Danette "Danny" Hilary)
  8. Captive of My Desires (2006) (Drew Anderson/Gabrielle Brooks)
  9. No Choice But Seduction (2008) (Boyd Anderson/Katey Tyler)
  10. That Perfect Someone (2010) (Richard Allen/Julia Miller)
  11. Stormy Persuasion (2014) (Judith Malory/Nathan Tremayne)
  12. Beautiful Tempest (2017) (Jacqueline Mallory/Unknown)[4]

Straton Family Saga Series

  1. A Heart So Wild (1986)
  2. All I Need Is You (1997)

Medieval (Shefford's Knights) Series

  1. Defy Not the Heart (1989)
  2. Joining (1999)

Cardinia's Royal Family

  1. Once a Princess (1991)
  2. You Belong to Me (1994)

Sherring Cross Series

  1. Man of My Dreams (1992)
  2. Love Me Forever (1995)
  3. The Pursuit (2002)

Locke Family Series

  1. The Heir (2000) (Duncan MacTavish and Sabrina Lambert)
  2. The Devil Who Tamed Her (2007) (Raphael Locke and Ophelia Reid)
  3. A Rogue of My Own (2009) (Rupert St. John and Rebecca Marshall)
  4. Let Love Find You (2012) (Devin Baldwin and Amanda Locke)

Montana Series

Single novels

By Setting

Middle Ages

Medieval Vikings

Medieval England

Early Modern Times

Arabian Dunes

Caribbean

Modern Times

Regency England

Regency England & Scotland

Eastern Europe

America in 19th century

Paranormal Fantasy

Deep space/ Ly-san-ter Family Saga

Time Travel

References

  1. 1 2 "Author Information: Johanna Lindsey". iblist.com. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSIb8rcGEpA&t=912s
  3. ↑ http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2007/08/cover_makeovers/
  4. ↑ http://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Beautiful-Tempest/Johanna-Lindsey/Malory-Anderson-Family/9781501175213
  5. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/1476714266?keywords=One+Heart+to+Win


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