HORNSBLOW, Doreen (?)–2001

(Sally Wentworth)

PERSONAL: Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England; died in 2001; married Donald Alfred Hornsblow; children: one son.

CAREER: Romance novelist; Associated Newspapers Ltd., London, England, accounts clerk; Consumers' Association, Hertford, England, accounts clerk. Hertford Association of National Trust Members, founding chair, 1985, life president.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS UNDER PSEUDONYM SALLY WENTWORTH

Island Masquerade, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1977, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1978.

King of the Castle, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1978.

Conflict in Paradise, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1978.

Rightful Possession, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1978, published with The Master Fiddler by Janet Dailey and Forest of the Night by Jane Donnelly, Romance Treasury Association (New York, NY), 1988.

Liberated Lady, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1979.

Shattered Dreams, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1979, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1983.

The Ice Maiden, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1979, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1980.

Candle in the Wind, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1979, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1980.

Garden of Thorns, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1980.

Set the Stars on Fire, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1980.

Betrayal in Bali, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1980.

Race against Love, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1980, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1981.

Summer Love, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1981.

Say Hello to Yesterday, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1981.

King of Culla, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1981.

The Judas Kiss, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1981, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1982.

The Sea Master, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1981, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1982.

Semi-detached Marriage, New York, Silhouette, 1982.

Man for Hire, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1982.

Flying High, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1982, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1983.

Jilted, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1983.

The Lion Rock, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1983, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1984.

Backfire, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1983, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1984.

Dark Awakening, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1984.

Viking Invader, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1984.

The Wings of Love, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1985.

Fatal Deception, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1985.

The Hawk of Venice, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1985, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1986.

The Kissing Game, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1986.

Cage of Ice, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1986, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1987.

Tiger in His Lair, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1986, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1987.

Passionate Revenge, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1987, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1988.

Ultimatum, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1987, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1988.

Dishonourable Intentions, London, Mills and Boon, 1987, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1988.

Mistaken Wedding, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1988.

Satan's Island, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1988, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1989.

Driving Force, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1988, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1989.

The Devil's Shadow, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1988, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1989.

Strange Encounter, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1989, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1990.

Echoes from the Past, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1989, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1990.

Wish on the Moon, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1989, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1990.

Fire Island, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1989, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1991.

Lord of Misrule, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1990, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1991.

Taken on Trust, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1990, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1991.

Illusions of Love, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1990, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1992.

Broken Destiny, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1990, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1992.

The Devil's Kiss, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1991, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1992.

Twin Torment, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1991.

Ghost of the Past, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1991.

The Golden Greek, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1991, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1993.

Stormy Voyage, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1992, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1993.

Wayward Wife, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1992.

Yesterday's Affair, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1992, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1993.

Mirrors of the Sea, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1993.

Practise to Deceive, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1993.

Sicilian Spring, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1993.

Shadow Play, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Duel in the Sun, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

To Have and to Hold, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

One Night of Love, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Calum, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1995.

Francesca, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1995.

Chris, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1995.

Marriage by Arrangement, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1996.

Christmas Nights, 1996.

The Guilty Wife, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1997.

A Typical Male!, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1997.

A Very Public Affair, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1997.

(With Alison Fraser) For the Baby's Sake, 1997.

Runaway Fiancee, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1998.

Mission to Seduce, Mills and Boon (London, England), 1998.

(With Penny Jordan and Anne McAllister) Christmas Presents, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1999.

Also author of Best of Sally Wentworth: Liberated Lady, Shattered Dreams, 1984.

SIDELIGHTS: British author Doreen Hornsblow, who wrote under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth, was a prolific creator of contemporary romance novels. Her books are notable for their frequent integration of current women's issues, including breast cancer, abortion, and single motherhood, into their plots. For example, breast cancer is tackled in Broken Destiny. When Jancy is diagnosed with the disease and forced to have a mastectomy, she worries that her fiancee Duncan, who is out of the country at the time, will not continue to love her if she no longer has a perfect body. However, when Duncan receives her letter breaking off their engagement, he comes to find her and proves that he loves her regardless of how she looks. "This book is very moving, touching, and immensely encouraging to women who face the same problem," maintained a contributor to Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers.

Abortion comes into play in The Devil's Kiss, one of Hornsblow's combination romance/suspense novels. When Miranda discovers that her younger sister Rosalind is pregnant and is planning to get an abortion, but will not reveal who the baby's father is, Miranda goes snooping to try to determine the baby's paternity for herself. Rosalind's expenses at the abortion clinic were paid for with a credit card belonging to one Warren Hunter, whom Miranda finds and attempts to seek revenge on. But when Warren discovers this, he explains that his credit card was stolen and he had nothing to do with Rosalind's pregnancy—which Rosalind confirms—and Warren and Miranda end up in love.

Other Hornsblow novels that mix suspense with the romance include Christmas Nights, about two members of a jury who are being stalked by the killer they helped convict; The Guilty Wife, about a lawyer's wife with a secret past; and Runaway Fiancee, about a woman with amnesia. Runaway Fiancee was praised by RomanticTimes.com reviewer Shannon Short, who noted its "colorful characters and emotional intensity."

Hornsblow's more traditional romances include Marriage by Arrangement, in which a would-be actress becomes entangled with another show-business family; she agrees to become a live-in home health aide to her instructor, only to fall in love with the teacher's son, who is a producer. A Very Public Affair focuses on a high-profile businessman whose personal life becomes media fodder when it is revealed, five years after the fact, that he has a son by a woman with whom he had a one-night stand. In Shadow Play a woman's current relationship is endangered due to her inability to open up to her partner about past trauma in her life. Writing about Shadow Play for RomanticTimes.com, Linda Silverstein noted that "Wentworth does a splendid job portraying" her protagonist's shattered family.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, 3rd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1994.

ONLINE

Fantastic Fiction Web site, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (March 3, 2005), "Sally Wentworth."

RomanticTimes.com, http://www.romantictimes.com/ (March 3, 2005), Shannon Short, reviews of A Duel in the Sun, A Very Public Affair, Calum, Chris, Francesca, Christmas Nights, Marriage by Arrangement, Mission to Seduce, One Night of Love, Runaway Fiancee, To Have and to Hold, and The Guilty Wife; Linda Silverstein, review of Shadow Play.

[Sketch reviewed by husband, Don Hornsblow.]