Well! Never thought I'd see the day when I'd see
someone pass up the chance to
<<<gush>>> about Roarke, but it
happened. So I have no choice but to do my own Man
of the Month ... actually, that should be MEN of
the Month ... :-)
I recently finished the collection within Nora's
From the Heart ... Tonight and Always ... A
Matter of Choice ... Endings and Beginnings ...
all three stories were originally published in the
early 80s --- but I never would have known that had
I not taken a look at the copyright page.
Nora and I have something in common. Her
favorite story is the one that just released; for
me, my favorite characters are those I just read
about. This is especially true with the From the
Heart stories.
Tonight and Always ... stars Jordan
Taylor and Kasey Wyatt. Jordan is a complex man,
with emotions hidden away ... until Kasey enters
his life. What I liked best about him was his
ability to step back and realize his mistakes, and
then to take measures to correct them. Despite his
success and his wealth, there is really a
vulnerable man inside. Kasey is a wonderful partner
for him. She is emotional, smart and sassy,
courageous, and committed to her convictions, her
principles. Money and its trappings don't impress
her. Relationships do. And the relationship that
she develops with Jordan is hot and passionate and
REAL.
The next story, A Matter of Choice, stars
James "Slade" Sladerman and Jess Winslow. The
relationship that develops between Slade and Jess
is the opposite of what happened with Jordan and
Kasey. Slade is a cop, assigned to an undercover
role to find out if Jess is involved in a smuggling
operation ... and if she isn't, then to protect
her.
The story is one of suspense ... as Slade races
to find the smugglers before they can get to Jess.
Although Slade is a cop, in his heart, his soul, he
is a writer. He did not want to fall in love with
Jess, but then again, hearts rarely give anyone a
choice.
Once again, Nora creates a cop to admire. But
within his cynical world, he was a dreamer, an
artist who is able to create compelling stories
told from his soul.
Finally, there is Endings and Beginnings.
Here we have role reversal ... done only as Nora
can ... where the man falls in love first, is
confident enough in himself to declare that love,
and then pursue the love to the end of the earth.
Starring in this story about the world of news
reports are Olivia "Liv" Carmichael and T.C.
Thorpe.
Liv is a vulnerable woman, hurt deeply in the
past; Thorpe loves her enough to understand this
... and to help her come to terms with it. He is so
confident in the potential of their relationship
that he makes a bet with Liv that they'll get
married!
Thorpe is a dream man. He is strong and
passionate. He has the heart of a romantic. He is
confident in himself, in his masculinity --- so
confident that the kitchen neither intimidates him
or is beneath him.
I don't want to give too much of the stories and
the relationships away, but I think what strikes me
most about these three stories is that you have
three different, yet very similar men. One, Jordan,
is rich and out of touch with his true emotions.
Another, Slade, is blue collar --- a man of
principles, a man who cares deeply for his family
and his responsiblities to them. He knew that he
had fallen in love with Jess, yet he tried to deny
it because he felt that he was out of her "world."
Thorpe, well Thorpe knew from the get go that he
loved Liv and he had no trouble telling her this
time and time again.
Three passionate men. Three strong men. Three
vulnerable men. With women who are their perfect
match. Nora did it again ... three times over ...
creating wonderful, unique relationships,
absolutely timeless ...
This speaks volumes of Nora and her ability to
write stories worth believing in. Creating
characters so real that they still come to life
almost 15 years after they were originally created.
If you haven't read the From the Heart
stories, what are you waiting for? Get to your
bookstore NOW (or e-mail TTP/TBID). If you have
read the stories, on a lonely, rainy day, revisit
them again. You won't be disappointed.
Would you like to submit the next Man of
the Month? E-mail us @
mom@adwoff.com
with the title of the
book, the name of the hero/heroine, and WHY this
hero deserves consideration as ADWOFF's M.O.M. in
250 words or less
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