Doreen Owens Malek

This one is more intense than the usual First Love romance. The characters struggle with a relationship that becomes very physical very soon. Although the writing is not graphic in nature, the feelings portrayed are very raw and believable.

This book was originally published in 1989, and while it may be dated, I really enjoyed it. The main characters are hopelessly flawed, which added a bit of realism to an unrealistic predicament. Tay is hot-headed and insecure, especially around Sharon. He worries she'll look down on him because she is a successful attorney, while he is a hard-working rancher. Sharon, on the other hand, denies their mutual feelings for one another, even though they are blatantly obvious. However, there are show more many redeeming qualities to this second-chance love story. It's well-written, and there are many twists and turns for the couple as they seek a happily-ever-after. The ending is very satisfactory, and I really appreciated the Epilogue.

When Sharon's father dies, he leaves her half of his California ranch, provied she marries her stepbrother, Tay (who inherits the other half of the ranch). If Tay and Sharon do not marry, they will lose the ranch. Sharon, a successful attorney in Philadelphia, knows the antiquated will cannot hold in court, but challenging it will cost a lot of time and money she doesn't have. She decides her only choice is to marry him for a few months until the will is probated, then divorce him and continue with her life as planned. The problem is, she and Tay have a history together, and things are not going to be that easy for her.

The story then goes back a decade to the summer when she first met Tay, when her father and his mother were married. He was a soldier who'd survived two years in a Vietnam POW camp, and she was an 18-year-old high school graduate. Love blossomed for them, but it ended bitterly. Sharon's humiliated to have to return back to the California ranch that was the scene of so much pain. When she arrives in California, one look at Tay sends her mind back in time. He's just as handsome as ever, and she quickly realizes she's not going to be able to let go so easily this time. show less

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this story, but once I got into it I was gripped and read into the early hours. You hear the story from both Sarah and Kalid. I had to keep reading to find out what Kalid would do next and what Sarah would do to outsmart him. I also enjoyed that although Kalid was determined to keep Sarah, he wasn't completely inflexible and did change, throughout the story. I hate it when the woman falls in love and just capitulates, whilst the man stays the same. In this show more story, both of the main characters change a little, but not too much. I also liked that the other characters in the story were fully-fleshed out and not just sketchy background characters, there to move the plot along.

I really wanted to give this one 5 stars, but the scenes in England. Hmmm! Not being Turkish I don't know how authentic those scenes were, but some of the english ones really grated. Mainly because of things like saying that "Star gazey pie" is similar to shepherds pie, that yorkshire pudding is similar to american biscuits. And the one that always irritates me, saying "blocks" instead of streets or roads.

These were small points but did interrupt the flow of the latter part of the story, a bit more research perhaps? show less

First thing first! If I am ever held hostage I want a man like Colton to rescue me. That is first things first.

What I did not like: I think they should have given more background to the hostage situation. I think it would have been good to begin the book with more than just the rescue. Just my thoughts. Also why is the hero in the book always an orphan this irks me to no end from a readers standpoint because sometimes I want to see the normal guy become a hero join the armed forces and show more protect his heroin. Just a little thought on the situation. Okay I don’t want to spoil the book but, at this point I have cried, laughed, and cursed this darn book and I still don’t know if I like it or not! The author takes so long to get to the good stuff I found myself bored in between but I am still not saying it is a bad book. I am still intrigued by the entire story just don’t know how much I really got into it. show less