Romance Books Reviews & Treats

31yo divorcee encounters her 1st love 12 yrs after he left her, exceedingly heartbroken when her father told her that Hero only used her for her parents' connections to get him a position in the Naval Academy. Hero is now a Union Captain of soldiers invading their TN town & her family estate. Although she is still very angry with him (& he with her b/c he thought she betrayed him by marrying another man), they both give in to their powerful sexual attraction. Both try to keep their affair sexual & avoid talking about their past but their intimacy stir up their strong emotions for each other.

I don't know if this is Ryan's writing style since it's my 1st book of hers but she has a unique voice. This book is written according to various characters point-of-views & the sex scenes described are not limited to the hero & heroine. Ryan does well in portraying the characters' emotions, making it an emotionally-involving & even angtsy read. It also serves to help us understand & empathize with the characters, including the villains. This is another unique aspect of Ryan's writing: the "villains" redeemed themselves by regretting &/or coming clean with the bad that they did to hero & heroine. Sexual tension & love scenes were passionate.

I have 2 issues with this book. First, I didn't care to read about hero & heroine having sex with other people or heroine's parents having sex with each other or heroine's ex-husband having sex with another woman. It didn't add to the story or emotional emotional content of the book. It was TMI. Second, I was disappointed that hero & heroine didn't discuss with each other how the lies & deceit of her parents & ex-husband impacted their lives. They just rushed to their I-love-yous & marriage plans.

Recommended.