Thorpe, Kay

PERSONAL:

Born in England; married, 1960; husband's name Tony; children: John.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England.

CAREER:

Writer. Worked as a dental assistant in the 1950s. Military service: Women's Royal Air Force.

WRITINGS:

The Last of the Mallorys, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1968.

Devon Interlude, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1968.

Opportune Marriage, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1968.

Curtain Call, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1971.

Man in a Box, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1972.

Not Wanted on Voyage, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1972.

Sawdust Season, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1972.

The Man at Kambala, Linford (Leicester, England), 1973.

Olive Island, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1973.

Remember This Stranger, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1974.

Iron Man, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1974.

An Apple in Eden, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1974.

Sugar Cane Harvest, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1975.

The Shifting Sands, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1975.

Safari South, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1976.

Storm Passage, Chivers (Bath, England), 1977.

Lord of La Pampa, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1977.

Bitter Alliance, Chivers (Bath, England), 1978.

Timber Boss, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1978.

Full Circle, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1978.

The Wilderness Trail, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1978.

The Dividing Line, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1979.

This Side of Paradise, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1979.

The Man from Tripoli, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1979.

No Passing Fancy, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1980.

Chase Meeting, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1980.

Floodtide, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1981.

Temporary Marriage, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1981.

Cooper Lake, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1981.

A Man of Means, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1982.

The New Owner, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1982.

Master of Morley, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1983.

Never Trust a Stranger, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1983.

The Land of the Incas, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1983.

Caribbean Encounter, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1983.

The Inheritance, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1984.

Double Deception, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1985.

Dangerous Moonlight, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1985.

South Seas Affairs, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1985.

Win or Lose, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1986.

Jungle Island, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1986.

Time out of Mind, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1987.

Steel Tiger, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1989.

Tokyo Tryst, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1989.

Skin-deep, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1989.

Against All Odds, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1990.

Night of Error, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1990.

Intimate Deception, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1990.

No Gentle Persuasion, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1990.

Lasting Legacy, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1991.

Trouble on Tour, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1991.

The Alpha Man, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1992.

Wild Streak, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1992.

Left in Trust, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1992.

A Reckless Attraction, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1993.

The Spanish Connection, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1993.

Worlds Apart, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1994.

The Wedding Deception, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1995.

Trial in the Sun, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1995.

All Male, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1997.

The Rancher's Mistress, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1997.

The Thirty-day Seduction, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1998.

Contract Wife, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1998.

Virgin Mistress, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1999.

A Mistress Worth Marrying, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

Bride on Demand, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2001.

Mistress to a Bachelor, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2002.

The Italian Match, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

Mother and Mistress, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2004.

The South American's Wife, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2004.

The Billion-dollar Bride, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2004.

Bought by a Billionaire, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kay Thorpe is an English writer. Having published her first romance novel in 1968, she continued to write and has published scores of novels. Thorpe published All Male in 1997. In the book, a woman has been employed as a secretary by an aging actress in the midst of writing her memoirs. When the woman realizes that the actress's son broke her roommate's heart, she tries to teach him a lesson without getting herself in trouble as well. Shannon Short, reviewing the novel on Romantic Times Online, commented that it had "great characterization and unique scenes."

Thorpe also published The Rancher's Mistress in 1997, in which a beautiful model flees her lifestyle in the city to hide at her brother's rural home after a scandal rocks her world. She soon falls in love with her sister-in-law's brother but worries that her past life and secrets will find her and destroy her relationship with the rancher. Short, again writing for Romantic Times, observed that the story was "layered," contained a "sensual tone," and was populated by "excellent characters."

In Thorpe's 2001 novel Bride on Demand, a businessman bumps into an old flame and starts to develop romantic feelings again. He later learns, however, that the woman has been keeping their son a secret from him. Conflict arises as he tries to create a unified family. Writing for Romantic Times, Short described the story as being "realistic" in addition to having "layered conflict." Short appended that the novel was populated by "a diverse array of characters."

In 2003 Thorpe published The Italian Match, in which Gina Redman looks for clues about the identity of her late father, whom she never met, in Italy. She becomes the victim of a hit-and-run accident, and while sorting the matter out with the driver, she develops a relationship with his brother, Count Lucius Carandente. He knows that through her father, Gina is the rightful heir to his estate and quickly acts to marry her. Short, reviewing the novel for Romantic Times, recognized that the book contained "some entertaining scenes" and that the characters had "chemistry." Short noted, however, that "too many coincidences mar the story."

With a new ethnic flavor, Thorpe published The South American's Wife in 2004. Karen regains consciousness in a Brazilian hospital with memory loss and goes home with Luiz Andrade, who claims to be her husband. As her memory slowly starts to come back, whereupon she recalls running off with another man and having a miscarriage, she realizes that perhaps remembering her past is not such a good thing. Writing for Romantic Times, Short opined that "this book will definitely raise temperatures this summer." Short also called the novel "full-out sensual," "edgy," and "intense."

Thorpe's romance The Billion-dollar Bride was also published in 2004. In this tale, Briton Gina Saxton goes to Los Angeles to say goodbye to her dying biological grandfather, and she learns that his will states that she will become a billionaire if she marries his adopted son, Ross Harlow. The pair agree to form a marriage of convenience, but as passions get out of control, they are unsure how to progress. Short, writing for Romantic Times, observed that "the pacing is very slow" and pointed out that "the characters are inconsistent."

Once more pursuing the billionaire theme, Thorpe published Bought by a Billionaire in 2005. Leonie Baxter has refused to marry Vidal Dos Santos, but two years later she finds that she must marry him to keep her father out of prison. Even though Dos Santos is arrogant, she finds him attractive, complicating the matter even further. Stephanie Schneider, reviewing the novel for Romantic Times, concluded that Bought by a Billionaire "has rich locales that add spice to the romantic" tale.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

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

ONLINE

Fantastic Fiction,http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (June 18, 2008), author profile.

Romantic Times,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (June 18, 2008), Stephanie Schneider, review of Bought by a Billionaire; Shannon Short, review of The Billion-dollar Bride, Bride on Demand, All Male, The Italian Match, The Rancher's Mistress, and The South American's Wife.