Published by Orpheus Books.
Michelle Lee has a strong, sure hand in painting character. Within a few paragraphs, the hero and heroine emerge as fully rounded, real people. It is a poignant start, where a widow of five years has her wounds or grief reopened by her dear husband's friend. And he, on his part, had been kept sane through four years of hell as a prisoner of war by a memory of her photograph.
Personally, I am not a reader of romances, though I enjoy a romantic element in any book. In this genre, we are introduced to a man and a woman. It is certain that by the end of the book they will have become a couple, and presumably live happily ever after. The tension is in admiring the author's ingenuity in throwing obstacles in their path. Michelle Lee does very well indeed in this, so if you like romaces, you'll love this book. What hijacked my admiration was the way she dealt with some very difficult psychological issues: the effects of trauma and imprisonment. She made me feel how it would be like to have spent years as a maltreated prisoner of war, and then an over-idolized media hero, and yet there is nothing heavy about her handling of these difficult issues.
I have no criticims of this author whatever, but I do have a bone to pick with Orpheus Books, the publisher. They don't know how to present an e-book. My copy was PDF, and was obviously a straight 'photo' of the paper book. The design that is probably wonderful in hard copy is annoying on Acrobat Reader. Orpheus Books need to learn the requirements, limitations and strengths of electronic formats if they want to sell more titles to people like me.
Reviews List Submit a Book Read Bob's Writing Bob's editing service