I'm the sort who loves reconciliation stories, and I appreciate the heroine's ability to turn the other cheek, but I'm sorry, this was just a little more than I could stomach. And I can't believe none of his assumptions were ever corrected by his brother. Did he never ask for his brother's opinion of her? Isn't that something one brother would ask the other if he were interested in the same girl? Feel him out... even round aboutly? How serious are they? And did the brother - who encouraged her to marry him - never encourage his brother likewise?). That makes me think he must be REALLY pigheaded that he wouldn't even TRY to listen... ever. And just how did he manage to hide all this animosity from the parents AND the brother - who wanted them to be a couple! - all those years? Too many inconsistencies there.
Now, I fully believe that a woman can forgive a world of hurt when she sees real contritness and repentance (i think its a bit like child birth - in labor you're screaming, "never again" but once you hold that baby, you forget all that pain in the rush of love and the promise of the future), but that didn't happen here. He said the words, but beyond a hug, he didn't do much to indicate any real depth of sincerity to it. Heck! He even started his arrogant 'kissing and claiming' before he even tried to apologize, and then when he did say sorry, he might as well have been saying, "oh, forgive me. I spilled wine on your tablecloth." And on top of that, there was all that justification! As if just because he assumed (without a single investigation) wrong, his attitude was therefore reasonable and, clearly, forgivable on the basis of his (intentional) ignorance. I don't think so!!
And then there is the whole, 'really, nothing happened because he's gay.' As if the hero (and the reader's) can't possibly believe, nor the hero trust, a step sister could live with and support her step brother and best friend through his trials without climbing in bed with him unless we give her an external excuse that just prevents the guy from even being interested... oh, yeah. I forgot. Harlequin women get so mindlessly turned on by a sideways glance that no one would believe it otherwise. Got it.
So many things about this story to dislike. I kept hoping they were going to somehow redeem it in the end, but no. They actually managed to make it worse.
I'm the sort who loves reconciliation stories, and I appreciate the heroine's ability to turn the other cheek, but I'm sorry, this was just a little more than I could stomach. And I can't believe none of his assumptions were ever corrected by his brother. Did he never ask for his brother's opinion of her? Isn't that something one brother would ask the other if he were interested in the same girl? Feel him out... even round aboutly? How serious are they? And did the brother - who encouraged her to marry him - never encourage his brother likewise?). That makes me think he must be REALLY pigheaded that he wouldn't even TRY to listen... ever. And just how did he manage to hide all this animosity from the parents AND the brother - who wanted them to be a couple! - all those years? Too many inconsistencies there.
Now, I fully believe that a woman can forgive a world of hurt when she sees real contritness and repentance (i think its a bit like child birth - in labor you're screaming, "never again" but once you hold that baby, you forget all that pain in the rush of love and the promise of the future), but that didn't happen here. He said the words, but beyond a hug, he didn't do much to indicate any real depth of sincerity to it. Heck! He even started his arrogant 'kissing and claiming' before he even tried to apologize, and then when he did say sorry, he might as well have been saying, "oh, forgive me. I spilled wine on your tablecloth." And on top of that, there was all that justification! As if just because he assumed (without a single investigation) wrong, his attitude was therefore reasonable and, clearly, forgivable on the basis of his (intentional) ignorance. I don't think so!!
And then there is the whole, 'really, nothing happened because he's gay.' As if the hero (and the reader's) can't possibly believe, nor the hero trust, a step sister could live with and support her step brother and best friend through his trials without climbing in bed with him unless we give her an external excuse that just prevents the guy from even being interested... oh, yeah. I forgot. Harlequin women get so mindlessly turned on by a sideways glance that no one would believe it otherwise. Got it.
So many things about this story to dislike. I kept hoping they were going to somehow redeem it in the end, but no. They actually managed to make it worse.