3 columns: Worthy Read
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Publisher: Rebecca J. Clark, December 2012
Blurb
Haunted by a tragic accident 20 years
ago, John Everest knows he doesn't deserve a family of his own, so he spends
his days building the most successful fitness franchise in Seattle...and his
nights alone. But that all changes when Samantha Rossi storms back into his
life.
Happily single, Samantha feels there are only two types of men in this world: those who are good for nothing and those who are good for one thing. Now she needs that one thing desperately, because she wants a baby. John, a man from her past, is the perfect donor. He doesn't want children. He doesn't want a wife. He just wants her body. She can deal with that.
John agrees to Samantha's no-strings-attached proposal, never expecting to fall for the fiery beauty he'd wronged so many years ago. It'll take more than a shameless proposal to overcome their tragic past, but with a little luck and forgiveness, anything is possible.
Happily single, Samantha feels there are only two types of men in this world: those who are good for nothing and those who are good for one thing. Now she needs that one thing desperately, because she wants a baby. John, a man from her past, is the perfect donor. He doesn't want children. He doesn't want a wife. He just wants her body. She can deal with that.
John agrees to Samantha's no-strings-attached proposal, never expecting to fall for the fiery beauty he'd wronged so many years ago. It'll take more than a shameless proposal to overcome their tragic past, but with a little luck and forgiveness, anything is possible.
Review
Airmid, Lady of Speed Reading, was pleased to read a story with
such a sexy premise. She applauded Samantha Rossi's strength and conviction to
become a single mother and yet puzzled over Sam's flamboyance and loudly promiscuous
advances as she attempted to seduce John Everest once she had decided to invite
him to be the sperm donor for her hoped-for child. Samantha's reasoning for her
outward appearance and behavior was rooted in her teenage years when she let
herself go due to the traumatic events of that one fateful night. So, in order
to keep in shape and remind herself not to let that happen again, she wore
tight-fitting clothes to alert herself should she put on a few extra pounds.
The lady can understand those who use trellises and arbors to train their
vines, shrubs and trees, but the realities of nature make this a lovely, yet
false impression of the individual. As the story progressed Samantha abandoned
those outward features and became someone entirely different. Airmid would have
been able to better accept this transformation had Sam admitted from the outset
that this was not who she truly was. Airmid admired the way John Everest was
portrayed as a caring and thoughtful, and yet he was also demanding of Sam and
determined to get the most out of their temporary relationship. Both Sam and
John were enigmatic characters, as unpredictable as a bloom of mold on a good
patch of tansy and rue.
Airmid was delighted with the secondary characters in the story
who carried many scenes where the main characters became less than sympathetic
as they failed to find a way to work out their differences and a rift grew
between the lovers. The flow of the story was somewhat disjointed, like an
ordered bed of herbs left to go wild for a few seasons. Some secondary
characters, such as dear Brian, who reminded Airmid much of her beloved and
brave brother, Miach, were introduced, and Airmid became quite attached to
them, but then they disappeared for a long, lonely time leaving the lady to
grieve over their whereabouts and worry what had become of them. Thankfully, they
eventually reappeared, though the lady still grieves for Brian's outcome. After
finishing the story and with its wonderfully satisfying ending, Airmid decided
that there were really two stories in one. The first story had to do with
Samatha's brave, bold goal of having a child and the second story had to do
with John's growth beyond the terrible events of his youth that made it
possible for him to finally find peace and happiness.
The lady Airmid will make one further suggestion to the author and
that is not to summarize or skim over scenes that the reader and the lady were looking
forward to experiencing in person. One scene that Airmid was disappointed not
to find in the book was the scene where Sam announced her pregnancy to John,
ending their temporary relationship. The anticipation of this scene was strong
in the lady's mind and she was sorely disappointed to find that she was not
able to harvest the fruit of the lovely tensions that the author had built
toward that scene. Airmid realizes that the story took place over a long period
of time and that some summarizing would be needed, but she suggests that if
authors are going to build up the anticipation for an announcement they should
deliver on that promise and allow the reader to see the scene in full bloom.
Overall, lady Airmid enjoyed reading the story of bringing
together these two worthy people to become parents and share the love and joy
of children in their lives. The lovely message put forth by this story is that
we must all first forgive and learn to love ourselves before we can learn to
love another. The author did a wonderful job of touching Airmid's emotions and
she freely shed tears at one or two points in the story. If you are looking for
a heart-wrenching and enjoyable story to lose yourself in, you would do well to
choose Shameless by Rebecca J. Clark.
