Suzanne Forster: The Morning After

Jove (Paperback) ISBN 0-515-12800-7

Temple Banning wakes up in a fancy hotel room with a wedding dress, a new wardrobe, a marriage license and no husband — and no memory of one. She can’t remember planning any wedding or how she arrived in her present state. It takes a doctor to tell her she’s pregnant. How? Drugged? Raped? By whom? Why?

Temple doesn’t know the answers to any of these questions, but she recognizes the dangers presented by her situation. In response to a warning left on her answering machine, she calls on Mark Challis, ex-military intelligence officer, for help.

Honesty compels me to admit personal prejudices colored this review. To explain my reasoning requires a spoiler .But suffice to say, all the world well lost for love doesn’t hold true for me.

Nevertheless, I can’t dispute that Suzanne Forster writes very well. The intricate plot, the highly involved mystery, the descriptions of wealth and danger, the action, and the complex characters should add up to a truly great read. But for me, they did not. My reaction to this book more closely approached fury than interest. That said, I leave it to other readers to make up their own minds as to what constitutes a hero and what kind of hero they will tolerate in a romance.

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White’s latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I’ve Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.