Review: Well developed characters, great look at love
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 30, 2011
Brody inherited his Pappy's bar.  Funny thing for a guy with an architect's degree, ready to start his career to do, but family comes first.  So he puts his plans on hold and takes over the bar, building on the family success.And one day in walks...well, he doesn't know his name.  "Paul" is what they called him in the hospital, when he woke up there three months ago after being stabbed and beaten nearly to death.  And with no memory of how he got there, who attacked him, or who he really is.  He just knows when he overhears the doctor talking about transferring him to a long term care facility that he needs to get the heck out of there.  Down to his last dollar, and with only the clothes on his back, he wandered in and met Brody.When Brody hears the man's story, and sees how lonely (not to say handsome) he is, he makes a spur of the moment decision to offer him a job and a place to live.  With him.  When "Paul" accepts, Brody suggests he picks a name he might like for himself.  He settles on...Nash,a name he sees in the newspaper.Brody and Nash become good friends, and while Brody would like more, he doesn't know if Nash is gay.  Hell, Nash doesn't either.  Until he sees Brody being hit on, and Oh HELL no. He has to do something!A couple of months later, they are in love.  In a committed relationship.  Even have a dog together.  Then Nash runs an errand for the bar, and disappears.  Brody and his friends frantically search for Nash for almost two weeks, then see him being taken away in a limo on tv.  Seems he IS really Nash - Nash Walker, cutthroat businessman and millionaire.  Who has been missing for six months.  Who now has his memory back, and, it seems, now doesn't remember Brody.  Nor, evidently, does he care to.But Brody isn't willing to let Nash, his Nash go, that easily.  When he tracks him down to his office, will Nash remember him, or will Brody be heartbroken one more time?  And what lengths will Brody go to to get HIS Nash back?Lisa Worrall has taken inspiration from "Random Harvest", a 1942 movie in which Ronald Coleman, a WWI vet with amnesia, falls in love with a singer only to have an accident, which restores his old memories only to wipe out his new ones.  She has updated to story for a modern audience, added the "gay", but retained all the sweetness and romance of the original version.And that is the very strength of this lovely, sweet and heartwarming reworking - the romance.  Brody is a wonderful creation, tall, handsome, big-hearted and full of love for his man.  And Nash, such an open and caring man, then so very closed off and harsh and cruel when he gets his memory back.  What better thing to put between two men meant for each other than a broken version of one of them?Brody is every guy's (and let's face it, gal's) dream - a big hung of a man who is willing to drop everything and chase after his man in the name of True Love.  It takes talent to not make that a cliche - and Ms. Worrall has that in spades.  She wields a light touch, adding in enough action - there is a sub plot involving the multiple attempts made on Nash's life - to balance the sweetness factor with some weigh.  But she gets all so very very right here.I also love the supporting characters - Wyatt can come live with me anytime.  His unconditional acceptance of his lifelong friend, and eventual love of Nash is touching rather than the schmaltz it could have been.  It was just so...right...what Ms. Worrall did with him, with Brody and Nash, and with all of the people in Nash's life.This is a perfect book for this Christmas season.  Unashamedly sentimental, loving, gentle, with a happily ever after for us to enjoy.  Sit back, make some hot chocolate (or a cuppa for my English friends <wink>), put your feet up and just enjoy.  Because, trust me, sweet sweet lovin' doesn't get much better than this.Tom