4.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed but interesting story; Romance? Not so much. 3.5 stars, January 17, 2011
Faith Lewis has been on the run for years, constantly looking over her shoulder and waiting for the inevitable to happen. Maybe the jury did not have enough evidence to convict her husband of child abuse, but Faith knows that he is guilty and will do anything to keep him away from their son. When Faith and 9 year old Austin finally settle in Kingsville, Maine Faith does her best to blend in to small town life and tries to keep Austin's childhood as normal as possible. When Nick Coletti shows an interest in her she sees him as the perfect "cover". Who would suspect that the girlfriend of a well liked policeman would be running from the law?
Well, right off the bat I'm going to say that I had some problems with Faith and her motivation behind forming a relationship with Nick. She flat-out used him, no doubt about it. However, I can identify with her desperate need to protect her son, so I felt a certain degree of empathy with her. For me the line was blurred when it came down to exactly when Faith's "act" morphed into real feelings for Nick. I'd say that as a romance it's less than satisfying, but the story does raise some interesting questions about what's legal v/s what's "right".
I felt that the author did a good job of conveying Faith's constant anxiety; the character's actions and demeanor were compatible with someone who's fearful and is hiding something. Nick is clearly a "fixer", stepping in to help his sisters with their constant problems, so the fact that he's drawn to Faith makes a lot of sense and felt realistic.
I had two major issues with the plot. (1) How exactly does someone like Faith go about obtaining a new identity? I'm not particularly naïve, but I wouldn't have a clue where to find false documents, etc. and I'm willing to bet that most other people wouldn't either. (2) The resolution was presented in one big information dump that may have answered a lot of questions, but felt like a too convenient, too pat wrap-up so that Nick and Faith could have their happily-ever-after. It was presented in such a detached, clinical manner that I felt like I was reading a case study rather the ending of a Romance novel.
Little (if any) strong language; one love scene that falls in the PG-range.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting romantic suspense, May 14, 2010
In South Carolina when she realizes that her spouse is a pedophile, a stunned despondent Lynne Addison flees along with her nine years old son to keep her offspring safe from his predatory father. She changes her name to Faith Lewis and that of her son to Austin; knowing her spouse has the law on his side.
Faith stops in Kingsville, Maine. There she meets police officer Nick Coletti, who she likes. However, she hesitates telling Nick that she is on the run because he is law enforcement and the cops are looking for her. Still she hopes he is on her side if Armageddon comes to Kingsville as she will not give up Austin to his dad. However, Faith falls in love with Nick, which is not in her cards. Finally, her spouse's private investigator arrives in town asking questions about the single mom and her son.
This is an interesting romantic suspense that loses an opportunity by failing to dig deeply into the consequences of what Lynne illegally did. Instead the story line chooses a simpler path by focusing on a second chance at love rather than Lynne's flight with her tweener son. Still fans will enjoy Beth Andrews' well written contemporary due to Lynne now Faith coming across as real with her fearing shadows everywhere starting with making her child come to work with her rather than being left home alone.
Harriet Klausner
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