Love Will Find a Way
Grade : C

What would you do if you had loved someone for years, someone whom you could never acknowledge. Then one day that person was no longer forbidden to you? That's the question that the main characters in this book have to answer. Forbidden desires, secrets and family ties are the heart of this story.

Rachel Tanner shows up at Dylan Prescott's office out of the blue because she needs his help. Rachel's late husband, Gary, was Dylan's best friend. Gary died in a car wreck, and the insurance company believes it was suicide, not an accident. Rachel turns to Dylan to find answers about Gary's life. Theirs had been a commuter marriage, so there were large chunks of Gary's life Rachel knew nothing about. One of the first things she finds is a perfume bottle - not hers - in Gary's city apartment. This scares Rachel so much that she returns to her apple farm, changing her mind about what she wants to do. Then Dylan shows up, determined to help her. Together they begin the task of finding out what Gary's secrets were while trying to decide what to do about their feelings for each other. Rachel and Dylan are each other's deep dark secret: there's always been an attraction between them and one forbidden kiss in their past.

It's obvious that Rachel and Dylan share a special relationship. The one kiss they shared right before her wedding has haunted them both. And when they meet again, as hard as Rachel tries to resist him out of respect to her husband's memory, she can't. The kisses they share now, show the feeling between them.

Rachel was not an appealing character. She came off as whiny, needy and stubborn to me. Her need to believe in her husband was certainly understandable, as was her determination to almost block out anything she found out to color that perception. Rachel's mother abandoned her when she was young, and that explained some of her actions, but as a person grows and matures, I'd think that logic would show through more than it did in Rachel's case. Rachel is, however, totally devoted to her family, and fortunately she finally shows some growth, and even admits she's held on too tightly to the people she loved. That redeemed some of the whininess.

Dylan was a pretty nice beta hero. He always kept his desire for his best friend's wife to himself, and he's there for Rachel after Gary's death to help her. He takes Rachel's son Wesley under his wing and helps him come to terms with his father's death. He is a kind man.

Rachel's sister, Carly, is a major secondary character. She's as whiny and needy as Rachel and afraid to share a big part of her life for fear of upsetting Rachel, who raised her. Carly is Rachel's younger sister, and it really shows, especially in the way she is determined to catch a man she thinks is her ticket to a better life. There is a good side to Carly, and she does want to be there for Rachel, which makes up for some of her immaturity. There is a nice moment when Carly finally lets go of her secret and is honest with everyone and herself about her dreams and desires. I could see her mature when she did that. I also enjoyed Carly's scenes with the man who was obviously the one meant for her.

There's a legend that plays a big part in the story. Rachel owns and operates the family apple farm, and there's one tree in particular that is supposed to be magic. The legend behind it is if a woman in Rachel's family gives her true love one of these apples, their love will last forever. Carly's and Rachel's almost rapt belief in this legend was a little hard to swallow. As I was telling someone about this book and explaining the legend, it sounded even more ridiculous stated out loud. I know everyone needs something to believe in, but the apple legend just didn't do it.

Kudos to Freethy for not making Gary's secret the obvious one. I know I've read one too many stories where the deceased character with a secret turns out to have been a bad person beneath the nice facade so the main character can move on with his or her life freely.

While it may sound like there's more to the story that I didn't like than things that I liked, that's not necessarily true. The love blooming between Dylan and Rachel was sweet, and the moments that they let go and enjoyed each other were some of the best parts of the book. Dylan's interaction with Rachel's son was another of the best parts of Love Will Find a Way, as was the overall love among the family. Because there were a some major parts of the book I didn't enjoy, I can't quite recommend it, but there are definitely worse ways to spend your time.

Reviewed by Andrea Pool
Grade : C

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : February 22, 2002

Publication Date: 2002

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