Sometimes Carol Marinelli works in a big way for me and this was one. You all know I like HPs and I don't feel the need to pretend that they always or even often have great redeeming qualities. I can get behind some tiaras and tycoons, secret babies and blackmail just for the fun of it. Still as a 70 year microcosm of women's fiction you can follow current sentiment on important issues through the stories of some of the greater efforts. This one is a clear example of that. If romances in general serve to show and validate that all women are worthy of love then this story is a focus on yes, even a girl who had been sexually abused as a teenager was worthy of love. Romances at their best also show that a woman can overcome difficulties and move on through her own power and self motivation. Sure this hero helped the heroine forgive herself for the past but she had already done most of the work herself. He just gave her a final safe resting place. He was able to do that because he was a sexual abuse survivor himself. If that is not a clear example of romances in general and Harlequins in particular reflecting back social mores I don't know what is. Can you imagine this issue being raised so blatantly in an HP of 30 years ago? These books as I have said before keep a finger on the pulse of important social issues. Abuse is an important topic that is getting more and more exposure and here it is in HP world. If there is some woman somewhere feeling bad about her past or even present and she can glean a little comfort from reading about another woman who made it through this book will have served a greater purpose than an hour's entertainment.

As entertainment though, for me, it succeeded quite well. I loved the quirky heroine who had no filter on her mouth. She just said what she thought, but not in a hurtful way. She just wouldn't let the hero hide in his comfort zone. Here again he needed her just as much as she needed him. There's another good message. The hero was a thoughtful man who grew to realize that he himself had more to offer than he had ever considered. All around well written, well plotted with lovely use of the English language. ( )

A well-written romance, with complex, believable characters. ( )