Betrayed
28yo heroine hasn't been back in England since she left for New York City 10 years ago & has now returned to attend her estranged grandmother's funeral. She immediately encounters her now-married ex-BF Hero who lets her know that he's still not over her & wants to know why she suddenly left him 10 years ago. Heroine doesn't want to betray her mother's secret & wants to hear the truth from her but doesn't' want to rock the boat even more & risk her fragile health. A confrontation with Hero's wife about their r/s & a surprise visit from her American boyfriend compounds her pressures to decide what to do about her r/s with Hero. ******SPOILERS******
I've come to realize that Mather's books often leave me unsettled & this one was no exception. This one features blurred relationship boundaries & lack of concern about it on Hero & heroine's parts. I pondered quite awhile after reading this book if there was cheating b/c of the fuzzy nature of Hero's marriage. Hero initially declares his marital status as the reason he wants heroine to stop her seductive behavior towards him. But he soon changes his tune & goes after her with a vengeance without any obvious change in his marriage. Heroine seems bothered by Hero being married but her questions about his marriage is more targeted to bait Hero & not so much because she's hurt or jealous that he's married. Hero seems both accepting & mocking of his wife's prioritizing her horses over him & makes me wonder if a change of heart on her part would make him give their marriage a chance. Hero's wife makes it clear to heroine later that she won't stop their r/s & asks heroine to encourage Hero to divorce her. So the nature of Hero's marriage condones Hero & heroine's r/s. But it's still a cheating book b/c heroine has a boyfriend in NY while all this is going on.
The big secret that made heroine leave Hero & her family when she turned 18 was that Hero was very possibly her half-brother. She sacrificed her happiness & promising r/s with Hero to keep that secret from destroying both of their families. So her huge sacrifices didn't fit with her relative unconcern about dallying with Hero 10 years later. Mather writes in such a way to make their sexual attraction & intimacy not seem so taboo. Yet when I get reminded of the fact that they're half-siblings I'm appalled at heroine's lack of guilt or shame. Thoughts of her boyfriend doesn't stop her from engaging in intimacies with Hero either. There seems to be a moral disconnect on her part. Hero's not so great with his moral fortitude either to dally with heroine when he's still married & heroine has a boyfriend.
Recommended with provisions.
 - Anne Mather)
