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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Negative Star Rating is More Appropriate; a huge miss for Rita Award winner,
By Jennifer "Jenn" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Stranger's Smile (Silhouette Intimate Moments #163) (Paperback)
From the back of the book:
Memories: Anne hadn't wanted the family's money, power--or madness. Just their generations old home in the Appalachians. Just freedom from memories of a marriage that had nearly destroyed her. Just the peace she'd found in her new life as a rural nurse. Until Jonathan Harris, the mystery man she had discovered broken and unconscious in a ravine. The man now snowbound in her guest room, flashing his barracuda smile one minute, revealing quiet strength and hidden pain the next. An enigma whose obvious social privilege was a painful reminder of what she'd escaped, and whose electric touch and words of love drew her back into a world she'd long ago left behind. My Review: This is another "romance" where there is instant dislike between the protagonists, which is supposedly overcome and leads to undying love and devotion. The dislike is believable...unfortunately the "romance" is not. There were so many problems with this story it's hard to know what is the most problematic. I still don't know but I do know that from the very beginning I just wasn't buying the whole storyline much less the "romance." So let's start at the beginning. Spoilers Ahead: Problem # 1...I had difficulty believing in the basic premise of the story...a man so angry that he goes to great lengths to destroy the sister of his nemesis YEARS after he was betrayed. An eye for an eye or in this case a home for a home. I can see the logic but it never really felt believable. His nemesis doesn't live there. His nemesis doesn't care about the house. Why would acquiring the home hurt him? Hasn't he researched his nemesis? Why doesn't he know this? And if he does, why maintain the course of action? I don't believe it and thus, the problems begin. Problem #2...I also had difficulty believing how Jonathan ended up in Anne's guest room. Yes, I understand that he was the potential buyer of the property but that doesn't satisfactorily explain WHY he was there at that particular time, HOW he ended up in the ravine, HOW he was found by the rescuers so quickly and HOW he just happens to be carried to the guest bed of the woman whose family he is bent on destroying. The reader really needs to suspend rational thinking to believe the coincidental throwing together of the man who is bent on retribution with the woman whose family he hates. I never bought into it and this is before the "romance" even begins. Problem #3...This brings us to the character of Jonathan. Please explain to me why he's likeable. Maybe some women get turned on by being called a b---- but I'm not one of them. Yes, he's handsome. Yes, he's rich. And yes, he can be charming when the whim dictates. But, as the saying goes, "hasn't she already been there, done that?" And on the flip side, he's mean to her. He calls her names. He makes assumptions. He defines her by who her family is. But she supposedly is still very attracted to him? By what? What good qualities does he exhibit? His pain? His suffering? His guilt? Please tell me why he is a good catch. Because he's handsome, charming and rich? She's already married and divorced a man with those same qualities and supposedly learned that good lucks, social graces and money do not necessarily make a good husband. So again, where is the basis for her attraction. Problem #4....This brings us to the other main player in the "romance." Why is Anne a sympathetic character??? Again, I can't buy this one either. Yes, she had a bad marriage. Yes, she has a horrible brother. Yes, she never felt her father loved her. Yes, her family had too much money so people didn't take her seriously. Yes, she was too beautiful so again, people tried to take advantage of her. Yes, her family never valued her chosen profession. So what does she do? She spends three years feeling sorry for herself, quietly suffering alone. So let me get this straight. She had the means to start over. She had the means to follow her dream. She has a network of support. She has people who value her and care for her. And yet she spends 3 years feeling sorry for herself, quietly suffering alone. Nope, I just can't work up too much sympathy for the girl. Problem #5...neither character is that likeable or believable and yet we, the readers, are supposed to buy into the concept that there is an undeniable attraction between them that of course, must lead to passionate, undying love with a happily ever after. I have a problem seeing the attraction much less anything resembling love, devotion and caring. Well, let me take that last sentiment back...he does after all send her to a good lawyer and delay the big meeting. Yeah, it must be love. That action alone (and the sad part is that this really is almost the ONLY positive action that he makes toward Anne) would make any girl in her right mind want to spend the rest of her life with such an outstanding human being....huh?? What did I miss? Problem #6 (Big Spoiler)--And this of course brings us to the ending. Jonathan's fight with her brother leads to the destruction of the only home and the death of the last surviving member of her immediate family. Then, in the very next chapter, Anne is decorating her newly rebuilt home and is madly in love with the person who caused its destruction in the first place. Wow. The story just keeps getting more and more believable. I know we're "supposed" to believe that Anne has found a new strength and has uncovered her sense of self value; so therefore, she doesn't need the only home she's ever loved. But with a woman who's been suffering alone for three years, is this really believable? Does this truly lead to an undying and passionate love? Is this so romantic you just want to sigh and start reading it all over again? My answer is a resounding "No." And my advice is to not waste your time. A Stranger's Smile remains an enigma in its classification as a romance.
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