Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timless Crushes – from Cleopatra to Camus    by Kelly Murphy & Hallie Fryd Order:  USA  Can Zest, 2014 (2014) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch The famous and not-so-famous people included in this book include some rather unlikely individuals, such as Ada Lovelace, John Wilkes Booth, Mustafa Kermal Ataturk, Leni Riefenstahl, and Huey Newton. Although they won't appear on any heartthrob list I'd make up, they do add variety to this collection of folks. Beginning with Cleopatra, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Antoinette, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Nikola Tesla, this esoteric hodgepodge of supposed heartthrobs spans many time periods as it focuses on people from all walks of life, from sports, science, literature and art to politics. The entry for each individual contains a full page photograph of the subject along with three pages of biographical information. You'll also find a section aptly named The Story of His/Her Sex Life plus a few words explaining why this person matters. The author also shares her opinion on not only the person's best features but also the heartthrob's supposed Heat Factor. For example, according to Murphy, baseball player Roberto Clemente was a five. Why? Because, he always put others first, and 'overcame adversity without breaking a sweat'. Even though the selection of men and women included in this collection is rather odd, the book's format and the information it contains about each person is interesting enough that I think it is worth reading. How some of these folks kindle one's romantic imagination is definitely open to discussion though! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews