Romantic Times Rewind: October 1988 Reviews

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In this week’s podcast episode, we’re looking at the book reviews for the October 1988 issue of RT Magazine.

Thank you to Amy M. for this issue!

You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind.

And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and absorb all the visual goodness:

This cover is VERY unique compared to the other covers we’ve looked at, and I mean it is UNIQUE.

Romantic Times for October 1988 with a picture of a cruise ship, author Sylvia Sommerfield and a man dressed like Napoleon, and then three book covers - Cactus Flower by Shirl Henke, Defy the Sun by Mallory Dorn Hart, and Myra Rowe's A Splendid Yearning

LOOK AT ALL THE FUCHSIA.

It’s a crying shame that much of the magazine is black and white newsprint, because it took me a long, long time to get through reading this issue. I kept googling all the covers and They Did Not Disappoint.

Note the top left corner: Over 100 new romances reviewed!

Y’all, there’s like one genre.

Also, get a load of this grading rubric:

four hearts - excellent three hearts - good two hearts - fair one heart - poor

I did not spot any one-heart reviews. As with the rest of the magazine for the following thirty years of its publication, most of the reviews are 3 to 4 stars. Hearts. Whatever.

As I mention in the episode itself, this was a time period in which writers were engaging with other time periods, and not always well. Mostly not well. So CW/TW for references to enslavement, assault, colonialism, assorted slurs for marginalized groups, and extremely appropriative plots and language.

Also mustaches.

As an example, this is a line from a review for Shared Passions that we discuss in the episode:

CW/TW: YIKES

“John Randolph is rumored to be a pirate, slave runner, and bounty hunter. Despite this, Sydney is attracted to him.”

NO.

So that’s what we’re dealing with here. Let’s get started.

Historical

I selected Mistress of the Seas by Ruth Langan. ( A | BN | K | AB )

Look at this badass!

Mistress of the seas - a woman in a red blouse and black leather corset against an orange sky with a smaller image of this woman about to kiss a shirtless man who has one hand on a ships wheel in the bottom

Apparently her name is Anne Courtney Elizabeth? ACE?

Passage West, Destiny's Daughter In an act of calculated revenge the bloodthirsty pirate Thornhill captures his enemy's innocent four-year-old daughter, Anne Courtney Elizabeth. He raises her and trains her to be an expert fencer, master sailor as well as a useful pawn in his treacherous games. Thornhill sends her to England as lady-in-waiting to Henrietta Maria

Remember when historical romance characters would be bopping alongside historical figures? That was an era.

Oh, and remember when the plots were all “daughter of my enemy,” revenge visited upon a young lady who had nothing to do with the original crime? There’s a lot of that.

Also – 400 pages, $3.25. WHOO DAMN.

Amanda selected Fortune’s Choice by Michalann Perry ( A ):

Fortune's Choice by Michalann Perry, featuring an orange and yellow sky, giant purple flowers like the biggest goddam hydrangeas you've ever seen, a cowboy dud with a mullet and buckskin vest, a red headed lady with PURPLE eyeshadow that matches her skirt and an off the shoulder blouse and a VERY phallic horse.

WE LOVE A WILD HORSE.

We especially love a phallic wild horse.

Surprise evil twin!
FLAME RIDER.
I went to college with someone named LaRaine. She was awesome and I hope she’s doing well.
SPICY!
Five hundred and seven pages at $3.95

I also wanted to share this truly incredible Hero Name.

The only way Prudence Varney can escape her vengeful guardian's henchman is to disguise herself as a lad and hide on a ship bound for the American colonies. For added safety she indentures herself to the mysterious, masked Flint Birket. Everything goes just as she plans until Flint uncovers her charade and begins to woo her with tender kisses and caresses.

“For added safety she indentures herself to the mysterious, masked Flint Birket.”

FLINT BIRKET.

Flame Rider and Flint Birket probably hung out. I hope so.

Series

Most of the books were four stars in this section. Sorry, hearts. Four hearts.

Amanda selected Always Amy by Billie Green ( A ) – there’s a lot of heroine odd jobs here, and in this book!

Always Amy by Billie Green - an illustration of a couple embracing. She's got red hair and fair skin and an off the shoulder drapey violet gown. He's got a mullet, his face is kinda red though that could be the scan, and is wearing a VERY PUFFY white shirt.

Crown/Pageant Pageant brings out the big guns in November, introducing the Now and Forever line, a series of books by some of the genre's top authors. Billie Green starts the ball rolling with a charming and offbeat love story of a wealthy heiress who decides to find out what life is like on

her own. ALWAYS AMY (4) is full of "Green" magic, a blend of wry humor, tender yearning and deep, abiding passion.

Did we stumble over the idea of “Green” magic thinking it was a reference to witchcraft? Yes, yes we did. It’s the writer’s last name. LOL US.

I selected Water Witch Jan Hudson ( A | BN | K ):

A mostly pink background with a big white swirl in the middle, and a couple embracing. She has a strapless teal gown on and is curled up mostly on the ground. Behind her is a guy with a 90s floppy hair cut and a burgundy shirt. Her hand is resting on his cheek and he's got one hand on her hip.

LOOK AT THAT DRESS. WOW. I wonder if that was based on a real dress? I bet it was. I would pass out entirely if I spotted that dress on Poshmark.

The review is right below a review for Janet Evanovich’s Thanksgiving! ( A | BN | K | AB | Au )

Loveswept - Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich. A blonde white woman in a pink dress is dancing? With a white guy with dark hair and a blue jacket and chinos

Speaking of cool careers: Water Witch is about dowsing, and we took a side trip as to whether dowsing was legit. Farmer’s Almanac is undecided.

Contemporary

There is ONE CONTEMPORARY. ONE. Aspen by Lorayne Ashton. ( A )

ONE.

Sex, Shopping and Schmaltz!

AND THERE’S A BRAZEN NYMPHO.

A blonde woman with blue eyes close up with her head surrounded by a fur hood

Wow.

Regency

Amanda passed on this one, and I chose The Ungrateful Governess by Mary Balogh ( A | BN | K | AB ):

The Ungrateful Governess - a woman with brown hair in a hood with white fur lining is skating? And there's a dude in a top hat and regency garb and a giant scarf and caped great coat holding her hand

This was also a popular plot: terrible man is repeatedly terrible until he yanks his head out of his ass.

This review is the source of our subtitle. Leave her alone! Let her pick a book in peace!

Also, I do love a social dragon grandma who just tells everybody, “Look, this is my friend’s kid, you don’t know him, it’s fine.” It’s like the Regency version of having a boyfriend in Canada.

And that’s it! Can you believe it?

Those are all the reviews from October 1988! Our next episode will examine the advertisements and features in this issue, and that’ll air on October 18.

It’s 1988. The covers are going to be INCREDIBLE.

And remember, if you join the Patreon, you’ll get access to the entire issue as a PDF.

What do you think? Do you remember where you were in October 1988? WERE YOU BORN YET, LOL?

Do you remember any of these books?

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