A Summer Smile (Sedikhan)

I love Iris Johanson and was surprised that she had a book I didnt know about!! I got this book used, but it was in excellent condition!

Another in the Sedikhan series..worth the time to read...I love the reissues of books published in the 1980's. They are guaranteed good reads.

I had never heard the term of a "summer smile" but learned that it's "wise and warm with the sweet promise of joy and fulfillment to come." Interesting depiction that summer is a time when things are renewed instead of spring but Johansen indicates that summer is that time. Johansen writes a decent romance novel but I prefer her romantic suspense books that she has recently written. A Summer Smile was a quick read, as it's only two-hundred-twenty pages so it was a nice reprieve from my hectic world. I'd recommend this for some down time in which you don't want to have to think too hard and want to just sit back and enjoy the escapades of Zilah, Daniel and Pandora. It was very enjoyable.

Many reviewers are rating this Johansen novel quite poorly. Please realize this novel is reissued from 1985. It is one of several related to the Sedikhan series in the line of Loveswept books. Iris Johansen was not able to adequately develop characters and storyline due to space constrictions involved in writing romance novels for Loveswept. These books were of a stipulated number of pages and followed a rigid format. It is only later in her career that Johansen was able to break away from the Loveswept "mould" and establish herself as the writer she is today. I enjoyed A Summer Smile while taking into consideration it's original year written and the fact that it is a Loveswept "novelette". I only wish I could read And The Desert Blooms to continue the relationship between Philip and Pandora...

This is another wonderful Iris Johansen romp through the desert. Daniel (huge barbarian mercenary, VERY sexy) is sent to rescue Zara (sweet innocent college graduate) from terrorists in Said Ababa. He mistakenly believes that she is David's lover (David, hero from Touch the Horizon). However, she is not and her secret past causes some miscommunication that almost tears them apart. If you have followed her Sedikhan series, this is a must have. This also sets up Philip & Pandora's story in ....And the Desert Blooms (#126). Great sex, fun characters and exotic locales...what more can you ask for?