Penny Jordan

Here's another author I was clueless to her Harlequin ways. The B-grade premise sure attracted me, though: girl is violated by quartet, years later girl takes matters into her own hands, and voilà, a sure fire hit. The author then published many many other mainstream novels, but I never got around to them. Paint me anti-Harlequin romances. It's a barrier I scarcely cross--even without the publishing logo.


POWER PLAY by Penny Jordan (Mira, 1988)

Pepper Minesse (!) only has revenge on her mind when she sets out to destroy the men who did her wrong in the very compelling POWER PLAY. Author Penny Jordan paints an accurate portrait of the 80's woman whose money and power alleviate her to superwoman status in her quest to face inner demons. Her difficult path to fulfillment brings her to undiscovered territories that make for a fun and compulsive read. Some of her decisions may be hard to swallow (her feelings for rapist Miles, for example) but POWER PLAY stays an entertaining yarn that is narratively enjoyable and worth every (yes, dare I say it) penny.-----Martin Boucher