Contemporary Romance

SCARLET WOMAN

Gwynne Forster

Arabesque

1-58314-192-8

July 2001

(3+) Shereen Jones

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

Stunned to discover that her late husband's will dictates that she must set up a charitable foundation and marry within a year or lose her inheritance, Melinda Rogers refuses to marry again unless it is for love, but finds herself drawn to Blake Hunter, the executor of the will and a man she has longed for years, and as desire flares between, she must make a decision that will change her life forever.

REVIEW: 

What do you get when you combine a young, potentially wealthy widow who has a year in which to find a new husband, a small town with a number of ‘eligible’ bachelors of all age ranges, a ‘hell-fire” preacher father and an upstanding, respectable lawyer?  You get hours of fun and amusement with Gwynne Forster’s latest, SCARLET WOMAN.

In SCARLET WOMAN, Melinda Rogers, The young widow of the rich, elderly Prescott Rodgers, finds herself in a peculiar dilemma.  She must find herself

a husband within a year or risk losing a massive inheritance.  Painted a ‘scarlet woman’ by the citizens of the small town in which she lives, all of whom believe that she married Prescott Rodgers for his money, Melinda is now hounded by all the ‘available’ men of Ellicott City.  All except the one man she is attracted to Blake Hunter, friend of her now deceased husband, lawyer and executor of the Prescott Rodgers Estate.  Shouldn’t be much of a problem for a pretty, potentially wealthy young woman?  Well, Blake Hunter prides himself on being a wholesome gentleman looking for more than another bed partner.  He doesn’t want a woman who would prostitute herself by marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather, purely for his money.  So, despite his growing attraction for her, Blake refuses to be taken in by the innocent expressions, coy looks and the warm yet sexy demeanor that is all part and parcel of Melinda Rogers.

Thrown together as they are forced to set up a foundation in compliance with Prescott Rodgers’ will, Melinda and Blake find it increasingly difficult to resist the growing attraction, and as they begin to get more and more involved in each other’s lives, the inevitable spontaneous combustion occurs.  But even then the road is not a smooth one.  Melinda and Blake both bring serious issues to the relationship that must be dealt with if they are to be together.

This story is about both persons discovering themselves, coming to terms with who they are before they are able to fully share in a loving relationship.

The reaction of the citizens of Ellicott City to Melinda and her new found independence and wealth is the source of much humor in the story.  The secondary characters are absolutely hilarious, starting with Ruby the housekeeper with ‘I shore do wish I’da been a widow before I got married.  It must be somethin’ having a pack of mens chasing you.’  Other colorful secondary characters include the fire-breathing father who undergoes a transformation to the amazement of his children, and the stern professor brother who is felled by a look from a special lady.   And who could forget the eclectic board of the Prescott Rodgers Foundation.

There is never a dull moment in Melinda’s life in Ellicott City.  The small town aura surrounds you as you sink into this romantic tale.  I thought the storyline was good and well developed.  And I really enjoyed the insights into the various characters.  And Blake Hunter sure knows how to turn up the heat!

Despite my enjoyment of the plot and the settings, I found, however, that I had problems sinking into both Melinda’s and Blake’s characters.  Having finished the story, I’m not convinced that I really know who they are, that I understand the issues they dealt with and how those issues were resolved – especially with Blake.  I’m left with this feeling that I missed something somewhere along the line.  I’ll probably have to read the story a second time just to make sure I didn’t.  It just seems to me that one minute Blake had some serious issues and the next he was able to easily discard his concerns and move on to being totally open and deeply committed.    I felt somehow that the main characters were a little two-dimensional, while I want them live and in living colour.  I want to feel what they feel in my heart and in my soul, rather than merely in my head.  They didn’t reach out and grab me in the way that I have grown accustomed to with Ms. Forster’s characters.

All in all, I think the SCARLET WOMAN is a worthwhile read.  Not Ms. Forster’s best effort, but still one worth reading, especially if you need a little humor, along with the romance, in your life.

15th July 2001