Customer Reviews

Scarlet Woman (Arabesque)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Schoolteacher Melinda Jones marries a much older man Prescott Rodgers whom she does not love. What they have is a marriage of convenience. They are two lonely people who are comfortable with each other. Melinda is committed to Prescott in every sense of the word. Prescott Rodgers has a secret which only Melinda knows -- he has dyslexia and has never learned to read or write.

Prescott has a few other secrets in store for Melinda which are revealed upon his death through the reading of his will.

1. he is a multimillionaire;

2. he has given Melinda one year to set up a foundation in which to help conquer illiteracy;

3. Melinda must also marry within one year in order to receive the money in which he's left her; and

4. if Melinda fails to comply with items 2 and 3 all of Prescott's money will go the charity in which he named in his will.

Melinda also has a secret which she's never shared with anyone, she is attracted to Prescott's good friend and attorney Blake Hunter and has been from the moment she met him on her wedding day to Prescott but would never act upon them because of her commitment to Prescott.

Blake also has feelings for Melinda but has always been suspicious of Melinda's motives for marrying his good friend, (greed, or so he thinks). Blake has no idea how wrong he is about Melinda but time tells all. There's quite a bit of action going here from robbery to attempted murder. Ms. Forster did and excellent job with "Scarlet Woman and I think you will definitely get something out of this delightful story.

This is the first book I read by Gwynne Foster. I look forward to
reading more of her books. I find this story to be like people I
sometime deal with. In saying that they believe what they were
before they get to know that person. I am glad that Blake finally
listen to his heart and not what other people were saying. But I
have to say I thought for awhile Blake was really after the money
but I'm glad Love ended up being his real attraction. I love the
message Prescott left them giving them his blessing and for pushing them together. God Bless.

I truly enjoyed Gwynne Forster's Scarlet Woman, with it's themes of small-town smallmindedness. forgiveness and finding and nuturing true love. Gwynne is a master storyteller whose work never disappoints. I am so looking forward to her first mainstream, When Twilight Comes, that will be out in February.

This is another great read from Gwen.
Melinda, a 29 year old school teacher and pianist who married Prescott for his want of a companion and for her to get away from her overbearing hell and brimstone preaching father. Their marriage was never consummated because it wasn't that type of marriage and both were totally happy with that arrangement, so therefore, she was still a virgin. After her aging husband passed, in his will he left one stipulation and that was for her to set up a foundation in his name for non-reading children and to marry within one year of his demise. To her surprise, she found out that her husband was a millionaire. Blake, family attorney and executor of the Prescott estate who had admirred Melinda for the five years she was married but never made a move on her and even now after Prescotts death he felt he would be doing a disservice to his friend by approaching his feelings for his widow but fate had stepped in and began to merge Melinda and Blake together for what would be an eternity. A can't put down book. I know you will enjoy this great romance novel.

Melinda Rodgers is a 29-year old widow. Her late husband was Prescott Rodgers one of Ellicot City's wealthiest and most prominent citizens. Many of the town's citizens view Melinda as a gold digger because Prescott was in his 60s and Melinda hadn't even reached age 30 yet. They thought this despite the fact that when Melinda married Prescott that she continued at her teaching job. When Prescott pasesd away Melinda not only lost her husband she lost her best friend.

Blake Hunter was Prescott's attorney and is the executor of Prescott's estate, he viewed Melinda pretty much the same as the rest of the town did. Blake had a hard time even being around Melinda because despite the fact that he thought she was a gold digger he was in love with her, and it would take every part of his being to fight his feelings.

The stipulations of Prescott's will were very specific: Melinda must set up a foundation for literacy in Ellicot City and she must get married within as year, Melinda was very hurt and felt betrayed that she had to do these things to gain her late husband's inheritance. Melinda and Prescott were very close and she felt that he was trying to hurt her by throwing these curve balls into his will.

As if the terms of the will aren't enough Melinda has to deal with her domineering preacher father who feels that he deserves part of her inheritance, Blake's animosity towards her, the whole town gossiping behind her back and men coming out of the woodwork to marry her for the inheritance. These issues however do not prove to be her biggest challenge: fighting her feelings for Blake prove to be her biggest fight.

Gwynne Forster has once again created a masterpiece and I can hardly wait for her next offering. On the RAW scale Scarlet Woman is a 5.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks

SCARLETT WOMAN IS THE BEST. THE STORY TELLS OF HOW ONE PERSON CAN BE EASILY JUDGED WHEN OTHERS DON'T HAVE ALL THE FACTS. I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT SHE ADDED DUNCAN AND JUSTIN FROM ONE OF HERE PREVIOUS BOOKS. I WOULD GLADLY SUGESST THAT ANYONE WHO IS A TRUE ROMANCE READER HUURY UP AND COPE THIS ONE.

It started off good, I was looking forward to reading it but as I continued to do so, it became tedious. I forced myself to finish. It had all the makings of truly good read. The plot was great and the characters were interesting. Or so I thought. The Blake character waffled too much, sometimes he loved her, sometimes he didn't. A very irritating trait in any man. Melinda was somewhat interesting but her accepting attitude towards Blake's indecision reminded me of a floor mat. I really enjoyed Ms. Forster's earlier books and this one will not stop me from reading any future ones, however, I'd skip this one and go read "Against the Wind" were I you. It's one of her best works.

Blake Hunter vowed that he would see to it that Melinda Rodgers would abide by the requests in his dead friends' will.

Blake always wondered why Melinda married Prescott Rodgers who was old enough to be her father. Everyone in town felt that Melinda married Prescott for his money. Prescott's will stated that Melinda had to set up a literacy foundation and married within a year's time. If she failed to do so, she would loose her inheritance.

Melinda doesn't understand why her late husband would put such a harsh stipulation in the will. She will try her best to do what is asked of her. The only thing that really made her uncomfortable was working so closely with Blake. She has always been attracted to the handsome attorney.

Blake learns alot of things about Melinda that changes his mind about her. Melinda is falling more in love with Blake, the more they work together. Blake also learns alot about his dear friend Prescott.

Blake doesn't want to disgrace Prescott's memory by falling in love with his wife. He also doesn't want to see Melinda marry anyone else.

I was glad to see the mending of the relationships with Melinda and her parents. Also with Blake and his father in Alabama.

My favorite novels by Ms. Forster are: Sealed with a Kiss, Beyond Desire, Against all Odds and Fools Rush In.

Blake Hunter, Atty at Law is executor of his friend Prescott Rodgers estate. When the older, reclusive and wealthy Prescott married young Melinda Jones the small town of Ellicott City let gossip and speculation determine her motives. Now widowed, Melinda Rodgers is still the focus of gossip, especially with the stipulations Prescott left in his will.

Although Melinda was not in love with Prescott she cared for him and knew he cared for her, so she was lost as to his motives of having her marry within a year of his death and set up a charitable foundation before she could claim his inheritance or risk losing it. Melinda has no plans to yeild to the pressure of marrying for anything but love this time around. Melinda and Blake kept check of their deep emotions for one another and because of their respect for Prescott they also kept those emotions hidden from each other. Now having to work so closely together setting up the board for the foundation their stirring emotions refused to be held back any longer.

Blake must let go of his suspicions of Melinda as they find themselves faced with more than their irrepressable desire for one another. Emotional baggage, reputations assualted and safety jepordized, they must come to terms with their hearts and learn to trust completely in their love.

I enjoyed the fullness of the secondary characters Rev and Mrs Jones, Mr and Mrs Hunter, Rachel and John....

The ambivalence drove me crazy. There were paragraphs were Ms Forster wrote how much Blake loved the woman at the beginning, then at the end he couldn't stand her or didn't want to be with her or thought the worst of her or some such nonsense.

The Heroine was just as bad and believe it or not they'd both had feelings for each other for 5 years. Ok so she was married so they didn't act on those feelings etc and he thought she was a gold digger, so I understood where Ms Forester wanted to go but she didn't get there.

The plot had some substance but I ran out of patience with the characters.

This is the second book of hers that I've found disappointing. Not sure I'm going to waste my time with another.