When holding a manuscript instead of a book, it is not difficult to imagine how much work an author puts into writing anything of any size. Even knowing that, I had only a teeny bit of guilt over the rating. Remember the 80’s folks, where romances mostly lingered on like a nasty aftertaste, due to too much drama, weak female characters, and heroes that are more like authoritarian fathers than partners? Well, they are back, at least in this case, and aren’t we lucky?!

Rachel was 18 when she met her true love. Jake Reardon was older than Rachel when they met, and knew the ways of the world. He met Rachel, but knew she would be his, so he seduced her, and being experienced in the ways of the world, didn’t use protection and Rachel (gasp) got pregnant. Through a huge misunderstanding that is pretty much the basis for twenty years of unhappiness and separation for the couple (not to leave out a few hours of my valuable time), Rachel headed off to parts unknown without telling anyone she was pregnant. She was rescued by a Vietnam vet who married her to give her child (Clint) a name and a father, and to protect Rachel (her being a woman and all). He also married her because she would help him to hide his secret from the world – his injury in Vietnam was such that he was made impotent.

Twenty years into the future, we again catch up to the happy couple. Rachel’s grandmother, who raised her from the time she was five, has died. Rachel was disowned by her due to the Big Misunderstanding, and is surprised to find out that her grandmother has supposedly left her a very large inheritance. Enter Jake, who is assigned as trustee to the supposed estate. She is about to throw all that money back at him (even though she has no visible means of support except for her 20 year-old son’s rodeo career) when her Clint is injured, and needs expensive medical care.

Jake, who never once allows Rachel out of his sight now that he has found her again, blackmails her with the money to come with her son to live at the Ranch with him while her son heals. He does not yet know that Clint is his son – and we have yet another Big Misunderstanding. As Clint heals, Rachel and Jake hash through the past while Jake blackmails Rachel into marrying him, and then they work out their difficulties (ok, they talk) and live happily ever after.

First off, I apologize for my grumpiness. I usually find something to like about a book, but in this case it was very difficult. There were no likeable characters. The heroine was weak, and completely self-involved. I kept wanting to shout, “GET OVER YOURSELF!” Who could respect a character that lets her uneducated, 20 year-old son support her, all-the-while over-mothering him? She was always pushing her food away – I was surprised she hadn’t starved herself by the end of the book. The hero was no better. He called her a tramp and accused her of sleeping with everybody, and yet just couldn’t resist her. Then, at the end he spouts, “No other woman ever gave me anything more than relief. Only with you is there this exquisite completeness, this uniting of spirit and flesh, this glittering enchantment that makes the act of love so different from the gratification of mindless sex.” Hoo boy. There was purple prose, lots of B-movie drama, and no joy whatsoever.

What is the plus for an F+? There was a clever moment at the end when all was revealed, and the person responsible for everything that took place 20 years before was a surprise to me – one slightly interesting moment in a book that caused me a great amount of personal anguish.