Review: Sweet Story, but....
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2014
I enjoyed this story well enough but, while the book is fairly well written and the plot interesting, the story, IMHO, needed more developing.  Rafe is foreman of the ranch where Jenny is staying as a guest.  He is attracted to her, but he's just a foreman, and Spanish to boot, so he doesn't know if he should pursue her.  In the end, he can't help but try because his feelings for Jenny are so strong.Jenny is sweet but has an under developed sense of self worth.  This is probably due, at least in part, to the years of mistreatment she endured, first at the hands of her father, and subsequently her brother, who is now her guardian.  The romance between Jenny and Rafe is very sweet.  Jenny is distrustful of men because of her horrible experiences with that sex.Rafe has his work cut out for him trying to win Jenny's trust and her love.  He is so sweet, gentle, and patient with her, and finally his patience is rewarded and he wins his lady love.  The main problem I had with the book is that previous, significant, character forming events in both Jenny's and Rafe's life are alluded to, but never fully explained.*SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER*  For instance, we know that Rafe has been plagued by rumours that he killed his first wife, but we have no idea why anyone would believe he killed her.  Furthermore, we are told that Rafe's estrangement from his family is due to these rumours, but we aren't told why or how.  As for Jenny, she is traumatized by a prior attempted sexual assault, by a man who may, or may not, have been a suitor and who Jenny may, or may not, have cared about.  I was frustrated by the lack of detail regarding that incident.  *END OF SPOILER*The end result is that I didn't really understand the characters.  I liked them well enough, but didn't really get a full understanding of what made them tick.  Jenny seemed a bit young and naive for a 24 year old woman.  She came across more like an 18 or 19 year old, but that really didn't bother me.Overall I enjoyed the story.  It's interesting and kept me engaged.  I just wish the story was more fully developed.