Once Around [Paperback]

Barbara Bretton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998

From the national bestselling author of Sleeping Alone--an unforgettable story of commitment, courage, loss and love...

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425164128
• ISBN-13: 978-0425164129
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #803,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In the month of February 1982 I wrote and sold my first novel. And no, I wouldn't believe it either if it hadn't happened to me. I sent in my manuscript on Thursday February 21, 1982 and four days later the telephone rang and I heard the amazing words, "We want to buy your book." How I wish you could have seen me. I was standing by the kitchen door of our North Babylon house, the picture of cool sophistication, as I listened to Vivian Stephens explain the terms of the deal to me. You would have thought I'd sold a first book every single day of my life. Yes, I said. Sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for calling. I look forward to our association. That cool sophistication hung on until I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, then promptly threw up on my shoes.

I was thirty-one years old, unagented, unschooled, unfamiliar with anything to do with the business of publishing. To put it mildly, I was in shock. My husband was working in Manhattan at the time (and finishing up his degree at night) so it would be hours until I could break the news to him. This was too exciting to waste on a phone call. I wanted to see his face when I told him that my dream had finally come true -- and came with a $6000 advance!

He pulled into the driveway at midnight. I was waiting in the doorway, holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses. I didn't have to say a word. He knew right away and the look of joy and pride in his eyes warms me now, years later, long after the advance faded into memory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One for the "Keeper" Shelf !, May 28, 2000

By 

MaryannJr "MaryannJr" (PHILADELPHIA, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Once Around (Paperback)

As with all of Barbara Bretton's books, this one is one that I know I'll take down every few months and re-read for the simple joy of getting lost in a sweet, romantic, touching love story that stays with you long after you read the last chapter.

Molly is a determined woman, forced to find the strength and the courage to make a life for herself and her unborn baby after her husband deserts her, and Rafe is the epitome of the big, strong, silent Dream Man we'd all sell our souls to claim as our own. The only thing they have in common is Molly's good-for-nothing husband, and an empty, lonely house. With the promise of true love, and the anticipation of 'their' baby's birth Molly and Rafe turn a house into a home, and help each other heal some very old and painful wounds.

Don't even hesitate. Get this book, now, and enjoy it over and over and over and over.........

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Simple Story, April 22, 2004

By 

Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Around (Paperback)

This is not the type of romantic blockbuster that Nora Roberts often turns out, but it is sweet and sensitive nevertheless, and a nice, soothing read for one of those days when you've simply had enough of everything around you.

The story opens as pregnant Molly Chamberlain, pregnant and married to a Princeton lawyer, is coping with the fact that her so-called perfect husband has left her and his unborn child for a judge's daughter. Not only that, he has stripped their house bare of every stick of furniture, every knicknack, even a broken lamp. As Molly literally bends over from the shock and emits a long, heartbroken wail, she is overheard by Rafe Garrick, a handyman who just happens to be in the neighborhood. And so the scene is set.

Can Molly, unaccountably attracted to the gorgeous, hunky Rafe, overcome her own prejudices, pain, and outrage over being dumped by her husband to find new love? Can Rafe, who has fallen in love with Molly on first sight, trust his heart when the secret he carries is so full of hurt? Each of these people is more than they seem...but neither will let the other one see what is inside.

It's a typical romance, a typical plot, but it all comes together so sweetly that it is just the thing for a night in a warm bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, with hot cocoa and the lights down low. Barbara Bretton's books are always like that--nothing spectacular, but wonderful nonetheless.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Love Story!, November 13, 2000

By 

Judith E. Pavluvcik (Dreaming of the beach in Hawaii, but living in the reality of the desert in Arizona!!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Around (Paperback)

Once Around is the first Barbara Bretton novel I have read and it won't be the last! Contrary to other reviewers, I found Molly to be an evolving character, gaining strength and becoming powerful and self-assured. Bretton does a great job on character development, which enables the reader to easily embrace and relate to all of the characters. You are drawn into Molly's tragedy and can feel her pain and heartache. I found Rafe to be a strong and compassionate character and you genuinely cheer for both he and Molly and a life of happiness together.

Bretton is another one of those authors expounding upon the power of love in the midst of tragedy.

This story was nicely written, tender and compassionate and a story you want to savor for a long time. It is a story of hope and joy and I thoroughly recommend it!