The Way Home by Jean Brashear

If only I was a writer! There are so many storylines in romance that I would love to do differently. Amnesia is one of them. There is so much romantic potential in a couple learning to love each other again, but I haven't read a book that really tells this story with the depth of emotion it deserves. (I remember reading a real-life version of the story that was far more romantic than any romance novel treatment I've come across.) Alas, I'm not a writer, so I have to keep waiting for a romance author to do it justice.

The Way Home by Jean Brashear (HSR 1505)
(2008, Contemporary Series) 10/15/08
Grade: 3

Alone and unable to remember anything about her former life, Bella is confused and afraid. Even after her husband and children recognize her, she can only remember bits and pieces of her old life. James is determined to have his free spirited wife back, but will she still want him, if she remembers the betrayal that nearly destroyed their marriage?

I had high hopes for this book, but it proved disappointing. The first half was frustratingly choppy. The characters jumped from one thought to another, the book jumped from one character to another, and the setting jumped from the present to the past. There wasn’t a coherent story holding all of this together, and I felt disconnected from the characters. I wanted to know who they were and why I should care about them, and I didn’t get that until well into the book. It was refreshing to read about characters in their 50’s (despite the image on the cover!) and once the book settled down into one storyline, it did improve. But it just felt unsatisfying, and it never really lived up to the promise of two characters learning to love each other again.

Just wondering, who created this cover? Did they have any idea that the characters were supposed to be in their mid-50's?