Cautious Lover

by Stephanie James, Jayne Ann Krentz

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE

Jess Winter always operated with a master plan, and Elly Trent found herself on schedule to marry him. He said she was everything he wanted: undemanding, reliable, tolerant--and she could cook! Elly wanted to scream. Jess claimed he wasn't arrogant, merely assertive, as he rearranged her life to suit him--and herself, as well. How could she object when Jess gave her everything she wanted:?.. Well, almost everything.

Just once, Elly wanted to shake Jess's iron control. She was no femme fatale, but there is little that can stop a truly determined woman. Bearding a lion in his den is never without consequences--but Elly hadn't realized they could be so delightful.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Category Romance

187 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Jayne Ann Castle was born on 28 March 1948 in Borrego Springs, California. Her mother, Alberta Castle, raised her with her two brothers, Stephen and James. In 1970, she obtained a B.A in History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and later she obtained a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University, where she met Frank Krentz, an engineer. After her graduation, they married and moved to the Virgin Islands. She worked in the Duke University library system, where she began to write her first romance novels. The marriage moved to Seattle, Washington, where they continue living.

Now, Jayne Ann Castle Krentz with her seven pennames is considered a pillar in the contemporary romance genre. For some years, she only uses three pennames for each of three different periods from time: "Jayne Ann Krentz" (her married name) from the present, "Jayne Castle" (her birth name) from the future and her most famous penname: "Amanda Quick" from the past. She is famous for her work ethic, beginning her writing by 7 am six days a week. Her heroins never are damsels in hardships, they are often heroes. Her novels also contain mystery or paranormal elements.

Enthusiastic of the romantic genre, she has always defended its importance. To help educate the public about the romantic genre she became the editor and a contributor to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, a non-fiction essay collection that won the prestigious Susan Koppelman Award for Feminist Studies. She established the Castle Humanities Fund at UCSC's University Library to allow the library to purchase additional books and has given money to 15 Seattle-area elementary schools to enhance their library budgets. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Writers Programs at the University of Washington extension program.

Psuedonyms:

Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Jayne Castle
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass

Reviews

[*CJ* · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Cautious Lover" is the story of Elly and Jess.

Probably, one of the most boring SJ novel I've read in the recent days.

Another super overpowering H who wants to dictate his relationship with the h, is crazy possessive and not afraid of using coercion to get her to marry him. The hindrance- her reluctance, her greedy relatives and his *dead* psycho ex and her brother. Loads and loads and loads of drama later, the torture ended.

I did not enjoy this book and dint find both the h/H likable. She was needy, he was controlling.

Meh.

Safe
1.5/5

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 2 out of 5]

This early work by James (who is also Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, and Jayne Castle) is definitely a product of its times. The guy we adored back in 1986 seems ridiculously out of touch and patronizing in today's view.

The character of the heroines written by the author has also changed over time. This one needs assertiveness lessons we never had but gave to our daughters.

I was not too fond of the plot. The suspense elements do not mesh well with the developing relationship.

A weakness of the story that has nothing to do with when it was written is that the heroine's parents are away, the hero's family is never mentioned, and the only bits of their backstory that we are given are those that affect the plot. They seem to be floating in the world. Where are his siblings, family, pals? He is singularly unconnected in this world. She has one friend who is mentioned in the story, I suspect only so the plot can remove our heroine from her responsibility as a store owner and introduce the villain to a scene.

I think it's fun to read some of these early works in order, so as to watch the development of the author's skill. Other than that, this tale has little worth. Being a fanatic fan of the author, I do reread her books in order sometimes, which is why this book is a keeper for me.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A definite precursor of her later work, this book has progressed to a more involved plotline while her characters, Elly Trent and Jess Winter, have a bit more depth than in some of her previous books. Jess's approach to marriage seems a bit coldblooded by today's standards but once you get to understand him, you can see why. I had trouble visualizing him as the type that would enjoy the "fast lane" of life, since by the time this book takes place, he is definitely a practical, down-to-earth, no-nonsense man. I love Elly's old-fashioned looks and modern thinking, which juxtaposed with each other, added to her character immensely. I think Ms. Krentz could have spent a bit more time with Elly's fears when she finds herself in a terrible position vis-à-vis water, which terrifies her, but the time she does spend on this scene did make me squirm a bit.

[Jadzia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hero as always - managing, stubborn and I wanted to kick him more often than not. The heroine though - she was horrible. Unlike those from later Krentz's books she wasn't able to stick to her own mind, one moment she started to get angry, which was good, but the next moment she goes and apologizes. So dull... Without backbone. And the romance plot was very underdeveloped in comparison to the suspense plot.

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta love it when the heroine makes the move !! Elly and Jess were sure interesting together , I liked how Elly wasn't afraid of expressing her feeling , wants and needs ... and Jess was a little adorable in his own stiff way. Fun quick read.

[Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Her characters are always different than expected. I enjoyed all of her 80's books and took them for the era they were in and what was selling. I do wish they were all in Kindle Format!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do so enjoy her books, even the first ones. She has a way of writing that is smooth, easy to read and it has you smiling & laughing at well described antics.
Second Read - Small amount of mystery. Well written and enjoyable still. Will continue to keep and re-read again in a year or two

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that I know Jayne Ann Krentz wrote under Stephanie James, I've borrowed all her books to read. I'm a fan of Ms. Krentz. This book though, isn't doing it for me. Still okay.