Mountain Heather
Mountain Heather by Alexandra Raife is a mass market/romance dealing with a few years in the life of Sally Buchanan as she flees England to start a new life in Scotland. Sally begins by visiting her recently deceased Aunt's cottage, and there she meets Mike Danaher who lives in the next cottage.  Through their instant rapport we learn that Sally was engaged to a man named Julian who left her to go back to his ex-wife he felt she was better in bed.  Sally quit her job (where Julian also worked) and sold her house to start a new life. Sally knows that Mike is married, (she has seen him out and about with his wife and children) yet for someone who has just been crushed in this circumstance, she has no compassion.  The first time she thinks of his wife is when they kiss.  Later she eats the lunch that his wife packed him and sleeps with Mike with very little guilt. The story continues as she leaves Mike to go help her other Aunt with her bed and breakfast for the summer.  Here she sleeps with another married man as she tries to go on with her life. I know this review seems short and shallow, but I had to force myself to continue reading after the first few chapters (never a good sign). I found the book to be lacking a lot of things.  Sally seems so quick to sleep with married men without a second of doubt, and is so self-centered that I found myself unable to neither like, nor care for her at all.  I found all the characters to be rather flat.  The story wasn't even able to keep my interest despite the lack of characterization.  You couldn't even blame her attitude on her past situation, as she never showed any self-awareness of this irony. If you don't like the idea of adultery this is not the book for you.  It wasn't the book for me. Michelle Sawyer  --Copyright © 110198 Literary Times, Inc.  All rights reserved--FromLiterary Times