String of Miracles by Sally Garrett

Although the back cover implies that the "change" in Mark is a big secret, it's actually revealed to the reader very early in the book - page 19. So I don't think it's really a spoiler.

String of Miracles by Sally Garrett (HSR 524)
(1992, Contemporary Series) 6/14/08
Grade: 3.5

Mark and Nancy met when she was his legal assistant, but he only saw her as a friend. After she goes to law school, she meets Mark again, but he’s completely changed. Instead of working at a big law firm and driving a sports car, he’s living in a small town and working part time as an umpire. What happened? And can they work out the differences between them?

The best thing about this book was the unique hero. Mark was a hard driving lawyer when a heart attack forced him to completely change his life. Mark’s characterization was very good - his frustrations, his successes, his failures. The author didn’t gloss over the physical side - his scars, his physical limitations, etc. However, the characterization of Nancy was more inconsistent. I never got a real sense of who she was - one minute she was a hard driving attorney, the next she just wanted to make babies. There’s a feeling in the book that you either give it all up and be virtuous, or you’re an evil money grubbing attorney with no soul. Something about it just seemed a little cliched and irritating. In the end, the book just didn’t hold together for me.

It's funny, there are two opposing views in romance about money (particularly series romance). On the one hand, books about Billionaires and Sheiks and Tycoons are ever popular. On the other hand, a lot of series romances romanticize the small town "simple life". Cities are bad, career ambition is bad, wanting money is bad. (On the other hand, it's OK to inherit loads of it, but you can't want it.) Romance heroes and heroines extol the virtues of the simple life, but somehow they can always afford charming cottages and meals at homespun local restaurants. Sometimes it's a nice fantasy, but other times, I find it a bit much. (Like when I'm wondering if an unemployment check will cover my rent...)