Johanna Lindsey


Johanna Helen Lindsey was an American writer of historical romance novels. All of her books reached the New York Times bestseller list, many reaching No. 1.

Personal life

Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952, in Frankfurt, West Germany. Her mother was Wanda Donaldson Howard, a personnel management specialist. Her father was Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed in West Germany, where she was born. The Howard family moved about a great deal when she was young due to her father's military career.
Her father always dreamed of retiring to Hawaii, but he died in 1964. That year, her family moved to Hawaii, likely to honor his wish.
In 1970, after she graduated school, she went on a blind date with Ralph Bruce Lindsey, whom she married 4 months later. The couple resided in Hawaii and had three children; Alfred, Joseph and Garret. After her husband's death, Lindsey moved to Maine and did not remarry.

Writing career

Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride, in 1977 "on a whim". The book was a success, as have been the forty-nine novels that followed. As of 2006 more than fifty-eight million copies of her books had been sold worldwide, and her work has been translated into twelve languages.

Style

Owing to their diversity of settings Lindsey's work covers a number of romance subgenres, including historical fiction and science fiction. Her most popular books are a series of Regency sagas about the fictional Malory family.
Richard Sandomir of The New York Times explained,
Lindsey set her passionate tales in many locales, including the Caribbean; the Barbary Coast; England as early as the year 873; Norway, when the Vikings ruled; 19th-century Texas, Wyoming and Montana; and the planet Kystran, in a series of science-fiction bodice-rippers.

By Reading Order

Viking Haardrad Family Saga Series

  1. Fires of Winter
  2. Hearts Aflame
  3. ''Surrender My Love''

Southern Series

  1. Glorious Angel
  2. ''Heart of Thunder''

Deep space/ Ly-san-ter Family Saga

  1. Warrior's Woman
  2. Keeper Of The Heart
  3. ''Heart Of A Warrior''

Wyoming westerns series

  1. Brave the Wild Wind
  2. Savage Thunder
  3. ''Angel''

Malory-Anderson Family Saga Series

  1. Love Only Once
  2. Tender Rebel
  3. Gentle Rogue
  4. The Magic of You
  5. Say You Love Me
  6. The Present
  7. A Loving Scoundrel
  8. Captive of My Desires
  9. No Choice But Seduction
  10. That Perfect Someone
  11. Stormy Persuasion
  12. ''Beautiful Tempest''

Straton Family Saga Series

  1. A Heart So Wild
  2. ''All I Need Is You''

Medieval (Shefford's Knights) Series

  1. Defy Not the Heart
  2. ''Joining''

Cardinia's Royal Family

  1. Once a Princess
  2. ''You Belong to Me''

Sherring Cross Series

  1. Man of My Dreams
  2. Love Me Forever
  3. ''The Pursuit''

Locke Family Series

  1. The Heir
  2. The Devil Who Tamed Her
  3. A Rogue of My Own
  4. ''Let Love Find You''

Montana Series

  1. One Heart to Win
  2. Wildfire in His Arms
  3. ''Marry Me by Sundown''

Single novels

Captive Bride A Pirate's Love Paradise Wild So Speaks the Heart A Gentle Feuding Tender Is the Storm When Love Awaits Secret Fire Silver Angel Prisoner of My Desire Until Forever Home for the Holidays A Man to Call My Own Marriage Most Scandalous When Passion Rules Make Me Love You
  • ''Temptation's Darling''

By Setting

Middle Ages

Medieval VikingsFires of Winter Hearts Aflame
  • ''Surrender My Love''
    Medieval England
    So Speaks the Heart A Gentle Feuding When Love Awaits Defy Not the Heart Prisoner of My Desire
  • ''Joining''

Early Modern Times

Arabian DunesCaptive Bride Silver Angel
Caribbean
  • ''A Pirate's Love''

Regency England

Love Only Once Tender Rebel Gentle Rogue The Magic Of You Say You Love Me The Present A Loving Scoundrel Captive of My Desires No Choice But Seduction Stormy Persuasion

Regency England & Scotland

Man of My Dreams Love Me Forever Home for the Holidays The Heir The Pursuit Marriage Most Scandalous The Devil Who Tamed Her A Rogue of My Own Let Love Find You
  • ''Temptation's Darling''

Eastern Europe

Secret Fire Once a Princess You Belong to Me
  • ''When Passion Rules''

America in 19th century

Paradise Wild Glorious Angel Heart of Thunder Brave the Wild Wind Tender Is the Storm A Heart So Wild Savage Thunder Angel All I Need Is You A Man to Call My Own One Heart to Win Wildfire in His Arms
  • ''Marry Me by Sundown''

Paranormal Fantasy

Deep space/ Ly-san-ter Family SagaWarrior's Woman Keeper Of The Heart Heart Of A Warrior
Time Travel
  • ''Until Forever''

Legacy

In December 2019, her son Alfred announced that Lindsey died on October 27, 2019, at the age of 67. The cause of death was Stage 4 lung cancer.
Italian model Fabio was often featured on the cover of Lindsey's work. In 1987, Fabio first appeared on Lindsey's novel Hearts Aflame, painted by Elaine Duillo. This has been credited with launching Fabio's career as a male model. By 1992, over 55,000,000 romance novels featuring Fabio were sold. Fabio expressed his condolences in 2019 upon hearing of Lindsey's death:
I loved being featured on her covers. To this day, Man of My Dreams is still one of my all time favorites. Rest in peace, Johanna. Thank you for sharing your gift. You will be missed.