“It’s a strange feeling knowing you’re being watched. Jessica was becoming quite familiar with the feeling, and she didn’t like it. The part that really puzzled her about Jeffrey’s pursuit was that he always presented himself when he knew she was not available.”
This is one of the high points of the novel. I would say that the first half was rather a tad boring; the first half could have been trimmed or even better, the author could have started her novel from the point where Jeffrey enters the scene (and might have used flashbacks to convey the first half of the ebook), as that is when things really start heating up and the novel takes the form of a thriller. Jessica, the heroine of the novel, has everything going for her; be it success in her career or the loving caresses of her mother, she’s got it all. The only thing she has never gotten is the love of a father, as her father had abandoned her and her mother long ago (a lurid past that Jessica would have to confront again in the novel’s sequel). The result is that Jessica takes a rather dim view of men in general, a view that won’t get changed until she meets the dashing and caring Brandon. As if one lover was not enough for Jessica, even Brandon’s brother too falls for her! Needless to say, this sudden turn of events ends up confusing Jessica.
This is a pretty good effort from the author, but it lacks some of the subtle and darker aspects which make up the story of the sequel (this is one of the rare cases when you love a book’s sequel more than its prequel). Even the overlong and mushy dialogs left me unimpressed:
She slumped against him. “It is I who should be sorry, I have no idea what just came over me. I’m feeling too sensitive today. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s supposed to be the happiest day of my life, and I’m ruining it.”
“You’re not ruining it. You have a lot on your mind and some big changes are in store for us, but mostly for you. You’re the one who’s had to give up your whole life to become my wife. Do you want me to tell Mrs. Cummerson you’re not interested in the job?”
Thankfully the novel takes a more interesting and mature turn toward the second half and the ending is handled well. Welcome to a world where women are so stupid as to not even use contraceptives and men like Jeffrey don’t have much to do other than stalking such stupid women! At the end of it I felt sorry for Brandon rather than Jessica (in spite of what happened to her baby). As for Jeffrey, it was as though he was made in the very image of her father; he is the typical ‘bad guy’ who makes a story interesting the moment he enters into it and when he meets his tragic end you feel a strange kind of longing for him even though you shouldn’t! I would suggest readers to skim the first part and wait until the appearance of Jeffrey on the scene; you are going to enjoy the ride from that point on. Highly recommended for those who want to read about a love triangle with a roller coaster ride and also for those who want to read romantic books with tame sex scenes.