Review: Sweet, Short, and Fun to Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2012
This lovely little book certainly lives up to its title, chronicling the whirlwind romance between the beautiful Darcy and the charming, easy to like Shane.  In `I Stand By  You', Sandra Ross tells the story of two people who fall desperately head over heels in love, only to be challenged by the Mother from hell, who will seemingly do or say anything to keep the young lovebirds apart.From the start, the story has a sort of fairy tale quality about it, with Darcy spotting Shane in her jewelry store, and becoming instantly enamored of him.  The author describes Shane as nothing extraordinary, except for his eyes, which most of us can relate to.  After all, how many times have you seen someone only slightly attractive, and still felt a connection to?Darcy offers to help Shane select a gift for his sister by creating a one of a kind piece of jewelry for her.  What starts as a simple business transaction soon escalates to a beautiful budding romance for the pair, until Darcy meets Shane's overbearing, overprotective mother.  She and Shane must decide whether their new relationship is strong enough to last, no matter how much interference comes their way from Mommy Dearest.Unlike some of the more erotic books by Ross, this one feels more like a slightly spicy Harlequin novel, touching more on the relationship and struggles that the characters face rather than just the sexual aspect of the story.  It is also a story that many of us can relate to.  Although Shane and Darcy are not married, Shane's mother feels like the typical witchy mother in law, fiercely overprotective, and who believes she has her child's best interests at heart.Shane's mother feels that Darcy is not the woman her son deserves, and in fact has someone else in mind for him to marry.  She makes it clear that she will stop at nothing to get Darcy out of the picture, and get Shane together with the woman of her choosing.I love the way that Darcy's character doesn't just roll over and walk away from the relationship when the mother interferes.  It shows a unique strength of character for someone who has just begun a new relationship.  I also liked the platonic first dates...it keeps the characters a little innocent, which is not common in literature of this type.  I feel that holding off on the initial sexual encounter makes it more memorable in the story, since it builds up yummy sexual tension!I wish the author had taken a little more time to get the pair together; the sexual tension was superb and I wanted to see their connection deepen a little more before they got together.  Overall, it was a sweet love story that I would definitely recommend to my friends.