 |
MY LOVER, MY FRIEND - Shirley Hailstock Harlequin Kimani/Romance November 2006 |
SYNOPSIS: Dr. Rosamund Albright could never stand by and watch someone in pain without helping. Evan Harper had been her best friend, but now the man was hurting. The Washington, D.C., speechwriter had come home to Lighthouse, Maine, to escape the demons that were chasing him. In doing so he'd reawakened a secret yearning in Rosie that she'd buried long ago.
SERIES ROMANCE |2| Adrienne Starkey
REVIEW: Evan Harper returns to
Lighthouse, Maine, a troubled man. The renowned speechwriter has a
painful past that he can’t put to rest. Dr. Rosamund Albright is
committed to the citizens of her hometown. She is the only physician in
Lighthouse now that her mentor is retiring. Her affinity for healing
people leads her back into Evan’s life and his heart. Knowing there is
more to his “vacation” Rose slowly unravels the secret Evan is keeping.
Evan on the other hand, realizes that Rose may be the answer to his
emotional healing, but discovers that she has a lot of her own healing
to do.
Although this story started out promising, it promptly fizzled and died.
Ms. Hailstock’s usual talent for lively dialogue and sizzling passion
are clearly missing from these pages. The slow pacing of the story, and the
two-dimensional lead characters, made the time spent reading this story
seem to crawl by. The chemistry between the Rose and Evan was lackluster,
at best, and the full potential of their story was never realized. From
reading, I understood that they were friends, but I never believed in
them as lovers. Not enough time was spent on developing their romance;
they were both too busy dealing with their own personal issues.
The supporting characters offered a little insight into the story but
not quite enough to liven up the plot. Maybe more dialogue and less
narrative would have helped move the story along; but even the dialogue
seemed somewhat pedestrian.
I am a fan of Ms. Hailstock’s books and have thoroughly enjoyed reading most of them. This one, however, left me less than satisfied.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com |15th March 2007