Paradise Wild

by Johanna Lindsey

As far as romances go Paradise Wild has to be one of the worst love stories I’ve ever read. Jared and Corrine are the antithesis of a loving and caring relationship. Like Heathcliff and Catherine they bring out the absolute worst in each other, but neither has any redeeming or sympathetic quality. I finished the book quickly. I couldn’t put it down; it was like a horrendous car wreck that you can’t take your eyes off of.


Corrine is a young, spoiled, petulant, obnoxious, insecure girl who is obsessed with clothes, jewelry and gambling. Her goal is to find a man whom her father approves and make sure she can dominate him in the relationship. Corinne’s condescending dialogue towards everyone in the beginning of the book had me hating her less than 20 pages in.

Jared has serious anger management issues. Mixed with that is his body and soul consuming hate towards Corinne’s father. A man he blames for killing his mother. And if destroying Mr. Barrows destroys Corinne well then so be it.

Johanna Lindsey seems to have thought that bringing together a couple based on rape was a good foundation for an everlasting relationship which results in an unplanned pregnancy. Combined with a husband that deserts you less than a day after the wedding is not a romantic combination.

To exact revenge on her husband Corinne decides to move to Hawaii to flaunt her wanton behavior with the island men in her husband’s face. Not a brilliant move, especially if your husband has anger management problems. Throughout the story they rape, yell, hit, bruise and mistreat one another with anger sex mixed with lust thrown in. And every character in the book seems to think it’s okay to be abused if it’s love and the sex is hot.

Corinne through all her faults comes across as the more sympathetic character through her love and care of her son. Jared is a creep who needs to go back to his mistress.

Unless you like stories based on misogyny and hate and evil I suggest you forget this book was ever published and move on to something a little bit more fun and loving.