Remember When | Judith McNaught

Remember When | Judith McNaught | Where was the romance?

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Remember When

	Remember When Judith McNaught Pocket, 1997 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 141 reviews view larger image
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Judith McNaught's last enchanting bestseller, Until You, was hailed as "brilliantly done and completely entertaining... ripe plot twists... a fine supporting cast" (Ocala Star-Banner). Now, with more than fourteen million books in print and seven New York Times bestsellers, Judith McNaught brings us her latest, most enthralling novel...

REMEMBER WHEN

When multinational tycoon Cole Harrison approached her on a moonlit balcony at the White Orchid Charity Ball, Diana Foster had no idea how extraordinary the night ahead would be. The most lavish social event of the Houston season had brought out American aristocracy, Texas-style, in glittering array. So, after losing her fiancé to a blond Italian heiress and reading about it in a sleazy

gossip paper, the lovely Diana felt obliged to make an appearance-if only to save face and to bolster her company's image. Foster's Beautiful Living magazine was her family's sucess story, and Diana knew that, single, childless, and suddenly unengaged, she was not living up to its lucrative image of upscale domestic tranquility. A women of gentle grace and kindness, Diana deeply valued her privacy and

her dignity, both of which were at risk that night among certain rumor-driven socialites. And now the pride of Dallas billionaires, Cole Harrison, was closing in on her with two crystal flutes and a bottle of champagne...

The tall, lithe former stableboy couldn't negotiate his way out of a contract with his crusty uncle, Cal-he had to bring home a wife, and soon, or see Cal's share of the business Cole had created go to an undeserving relative. A man as coolly analytical as he was arrestingly attractive, Cole decided that his bride-to-be should be rich in her own right, meltingly beautiful, and a woman of impeccable character... Diana Foster!

It was the perfect to their respective dilemmas, and, after a lot of champagne for Diana and some skilled persuasion from Cole, their lips met in a long, slow, bargain-sealing kiss. Neither one dared imagine that a match made in logic's heaven might be headed straight for an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime love...

Once again, Judith McNaught creates an unforgettable world filled with her "very special of dazzling wit, passion, and tender sensuality" (Romantic Times). As a proud woman and a wary man begin to taste the delights and the treacheries of romance, the drama smolders deliciously in this suspenseful, richly satisfying novel. Graced with a deep understanding of love's surprises, it's a tale that can only come from

a supremely gifted storyteller, one who makes us so happy to...REMEMBER WHEN.

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Sweet love story

I have read all of Judith McNaught's books and can state with strong conviction that Remember When is one of her more subtle titles, lacking somewhat in the 'roller coaster of emotions' department. In other titles, the hero and heroine go through phases of high and low emotions and end up hurting each other unnecessarily due to the fact that their love seems to be built on physical attraction and lust rather than trust and simple liking. Cole and Diana actually like (later love)each other before they get physical and they respect one another. McNaught's other heroes seem to lack such respect towards their object of affection or they would not be able to do things that they do at times( How Clayton basically rapes Whitney (Whitney, my love), how Mitchell (Every breath you take) humiliates Kate without even hearing her part of the story, etc).

Cole and Diana's love is simple and sweet. They think of the other before themselves (how Diana worries about Cole's reputation taking damage when they leave the ball together before her own and how Cole tries keep Diana away from him in the midst of his company scandal so that her good name will not be dragged on the floor, even though he loves her and 'prays' to himself that she will come to him).

Their love also helps them grow as individuals into better people. Due to Diana's influence and his falling for her, Cole's serious, cold, calculating, ruthless and cynical nature starts to break down little by little. He cracks jokes, starts making small talk to others, becomes more receptive to other's feelings and tries to become more kind and gentle towards Diana. Diana, who is somewhat of an obsessive compulsive perfectionist who makes christmas lists in the middle of the summer, becomes more relaxed. I became rather jealous of the love these two characters shared while reading this book. I believe that the greatest kind of love is one that helps you grow and become a better person not just for yourself, but for the sake of the one you care about and this book has this love. Remember When is truly a sweet love story that will always have a place in my little library

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Where was the romance?

I love MacNaught's historicals, but until now her only contemporary I've liked is Paradise.
This book was not bad, but as another reviewer said it was very flat; no strong emotions, no mystery, no misunderstandings to keep the story moving, nada. The first half of the book describes the heroes teenage years, but basically it's a description of Diana's family. In this first half they spend a very brief time together and they become friends. In the second half of the book they meet again after many years and we get another 50-70 pages of how they both get ready for the big charity ball, where we know from the back-cover he is going to propose to her a marriage of convenience. For me, the next 50 pages where the most exciting in the book; how he courted her, how he proposed and she accepted. At this point, the 2/3 of the book are finished. In the book's last third, which takes place over a week or two, these two people accept that they really love each other and to make the marriage a real one (after spending less than a week together) and the rest of the book is about stock markets, politics and ancient feud as they are both trying to defend a financial attack on Cole's corporation.
I bought this book because I like the marriage of convenience theme, but here there is no such thing at all. They marry the first night they meet, they have sex that night, they officially agree to have a sex in their marriage a couple of nights later, and by the end of the week they agree that this is a real marriage, not a sham. No misunderstandings, no fights, no reasons for these two to be apart. The whole book is like a short story that the author decided to turn into a novel, by adding pages in the begining and the end of the book and leave the romance in the middle intact and completely unattached to the new additions. If you feel you have to read it then borrow it, DON'T spend money on it.

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Why doesn't he say...

SPOILER

I wanted to like this book because I like the heroine so much. She's the quinessential good girl who strives in life to please her father, her step mother, and her family. She's soft, gentle, and wholesome. You can't put like her and how she turns a personal tragedy into a family business. She's a fictional nice, Martha Stewart wannabe. That was the better part of the story. Cole the hero is the one that needs further character development. Their love doesn't fully work in this contemporary JM book. JM is good at so many things but there's absolutely no suspense in this book and she tries to build something and it really fizzles. There's just no "umph". I especially can't believe that Cole doesn't say "i love you" in this book. There's got to be something wrong with a love story when the hero doesn't even say those simple three words. It doesn't have to exactly, I love you...but something to that affect would be satisfying. Right?

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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