Anna DeStefano

Contemporary/SuperRomance July '06 #1358

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There are several movies my husband watches at every opportunity. Try to guess the titles of the flicks from these quotes:

"You can't handle the truth!"

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoyo. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Lucky me. Some portion of "A Few Good Men," "Jaws," or "The Princess Bride," can be viewed in our home at least once a month.

I probably shouldn't make fun because, just like my favorite romance re-reads, I also have two movies I like to watch over and over. One is the cheesy, romantic Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman film, "Far and Away."

The other is the Academy Award nominated "The Shawshank Redemption."

In it, Tim Robbins plays a young, successful banker framed for the murder of his wife and her lover, then sent up the river to do a lifetime of hard time.

Now, "Shawshank" is nobody's idea of a love story. But a guy like Andy Dufresne -- with his sly wit, refined sensibilities, and indomitable spirit -- would make for one heck of a romantic hero.

Especially if the Dufresnesque character was the hero of the remarkable and inspiring new story of love's power to heal most wounds, "The Prodigal's Return," by Anna DeStefano.

Neal Cain returns to his harshly judgmental hometown of Rivermist, Ga., a good man hardened by lessons learned in prison.

He's become a successful defendants' rights advocate. But the sense of accomplishment that inspires doesn't make up for the truth that haunts him: the former hometown hero made a grave mistake in pleading guilty to manslaughter in the accidental death of his best friend during a prom-night scuffle eight years earlier.

Neal's choice ruined his promising young life while destroying the lives of everyone who loved him -- especially the life of his long-time girlfriend, Jennifer Gardner.

Stunned by Neal's pleading guilty -- and his never answering the letters she sent to him in prison -- Jennifer Gardner for years used drugs and acted out sexually to numb herself to the pain of his abandonment.

Now clean and sober, Jenn is back in Rivermist, repairing a fragile relationship with her judgmental father, and raising alone her young daughter.

Meeting again, Neal and Jenn still feel strong emotions for one another. But rekindled love may not be enough to heal the pain Neal caused, and for which he still hasn't apologized.

And Neal's pretty sure "I'm sorry" would be much too little, far too late.

"The Prodigal's Return" is a very contemporary love story. Its serious themes are realistic without being maudlin -- the gritty pasts of Neal and Jennifer are balanced by secondary characters and storylines that enliven without making things silly or too "pat."

Yet all character arcs and growth come about simply, slowly, and thoughtfully -- just like in real life.

DeStefano writes beautifully with a depth of emotion that moves the reader and wraps her in warmth and humor without resorting to tedious message or sappy tear-jerker nonsense.

Like all novels in the Harlequin SuperRomance line, the dynamic love story is the driving force that moves the novel forward -- and makes one wish the book were just a few delicious pages longer.

The love story. It's the reason we read romance, the reason DeStefano crafted this novel just for us, and the reason you'll be pleased should you --

Buy the book.

www.AnnaDeStefano.blogspot.com

Next Week's Review and AuthorView: "The Wife Trap," by Tracy Anne Warren