5 Stars! ~~~ What a powerful story! This one earns five stars all the way!
A Lost Love by Carole Mortimer
Harlequin Presents #740 ~ November 1984
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After a short 18 months, Jacqui Charlwood found herself in a loveless marriage with a husband who seemed to hate her. Her sister-in-law told her Rafe only married her for the child she gave him, so in rebellion she defied her husband and went to London to attend a party with her friends from before the marriage. When Rafe turned up at the party she flirted with her old boss, not thinking that Rafe would assume the worst. Returning to their home she discovered herself locked out at the main gate and refused entry. When she called Rafe refused to speak to her claiming all discussions would take place through the lawyers. And so young Jacqui lost not only her marriage (though she was given a very generous settlement) she also lost custody of her six month old son. She’d fought hard for her son, but Rafe had all the tricks and power behind him to see she was declared an unfit mother. And though the courts awarded her visitation, Rafe refused to allow it. Left with no life, she decided to travel to America with her friends to hopefully begin again. Only once there she’d been in a horrible car crash. Rafe had sent his Aunt Jocelyn to America to identify her body, but once there she found Jacqui barely alive with a body badly broken and a face unrecognizable. Jacqui pleaded with Jocelyn to allow her to remain “dead” and then had the surgeons create a new woman. And so Brooke Adamson was created and once her body and spirit was healed she returned to England as Jocelyn’s dear friend, often visiting with her at her cottage and playing with Jocelyn’s great nephew, Robert. Upon Jocelyn’s death, Brooke inherits her cottage on the Charlwood estate, ensuring that Brooke will always be close to her son. When Rafe tries to get close to her, Brooke continually pushes him away for fear that he’ll discover her secret.
Oh wow! What a powerful story! Brooke has always felt like the one who had been wronged, but as she spends time with Rafe she slowly sees that there was more going on in her marriage than she had seen. She’d been very young, and hadn’t known how to stand up for herself when Rafe had taken complete control of her life. As in most early Presents, we are not given the heroes POV, but Ms. Mortimer shows us deftly how very much Rafe has suffered. This story allows both Brooke and Rafe to come to terms with all that had happened to make their marriage fail. I loved the ending when Brooke’s identity is revealed. Such a powerful love story! This one earns five stars all the way!
Excellence: Excellent! ~ Steaminess: Sensual
My Totals = 74 ~ Harlequin Imprint = 68 ~ Other Publisher = 6
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
