Responses
If I was Ann Major I'd be pretty pissed at having my book mangled. Especially as the latter part of the manga, which was further from the source material by the sound of it, was definitely not as good as the first part. Too much of the "goody two shoes" Bronte saves everyone with by the power of love.
I managed to get my hands on Secret child, the novel this was based off.
And…. Damn!
Never have I seen such a huge deviation from the source material! I find myself wondering if Ann Major even got any royalties.
Here are the ONLY similarities:
Bronte gets her face mangled in a car accident.
It gets rebuilt into the image of her dead opera singer mother by Webster Quinn, an obsessed fan of said mother. (he did the same thing to Chantal/Mischief)
Mars spends five years in prison for crimes he didn’t commit.
Mischief is a lying, conniving, scheming, promiscuous bitch who tries to use Bronte for her own agendas.
And that’s where the similarities end, people! Now for the differences:
Instead of a hotel in Manhattan the centerpiece is a cattle ranch in Texas.
Instead of getting jilted at the altar Bronte was married, but the marriage fell apart after the accidental death of a young son, a tragedy that leaves Bronte practically suicidal until the car accident knocks the will to live back into her.
Jake NEVER changes his name to Mars.
His mother was a Mexican prostitute and his father was a ranch hand who was killed saving Chantals mother from a rampaging bull. And the mother adopts Jake because she felt she owed the man a debt.
Jake’s actor half-brother Gus is not a villain at all but actually a nice guy who’s relationship with Jake is far from antagonistic.
And Jake and Chantal have a daughter. Who’s nine, judging by the dialogue.
Well, that’s where the spoilers end. If you want to see other differences go find the book and read it youself.
Again….. DAMN!