"A love to withstand the worst of times"

For better or worse, part of the traditional marriage vow. When we get married we all expect the better, and hope the worse isn't that awful. Unfortunately for Tessa Earldon Beller and Jirrah Mclaren the worse is far worse than most of us will have to experience in our lifetimes.

HER GALAHAD opens with Tessa feeling very uneasy. She has been on the run from an abusive marriage, and fears her estranged husband is closing in. It's not Cameron Beller she encounters, it's the husband she believes to be long dead...David Oliveri aka Jirrah Mclaren.

Jirrah convinces Tessa that he can help to save her from running forever from Beller, but he needs some assistance from her in return. The story he has to tell is one that takes a good deal of faith to believe, and fortunately for him he has a fair amount of evidence to support it.

The story that unfolds is one of adventure, betrayal, and the rediscovery of true love. It's also a story of Tessa learning to believe in herself, and make decisions based on her new discoveries of her personal strenghts.

This is the debut book by Melissa James, and if future books contain the action, and character development of this book she will continue to be an auto buy author for me.

Reviewed by Sandi Shilhanek
Posted November 1, 2002

Summary

Tessa Earldon is stunned to discover that the only man she'd ever loved, the husband she thought dead, Jirrah McLaren, is alive! He claims her second "husband" Cameron, the man she's on the run from, just car-bombed him. She must get him out of town now—and return with him to Sydney. Jirrah wants to clear his name. He claims that Cameron, with Tessa's brother and father, put Jirrah in jail, had him declared dead, and adopted out his and Tessa's daughter, whom she also believed dead. Jirrah backs up his story with two death certificates, and adoption papers. Tessa must go back to Sydney with Jirrah, find the truth— and find their daughter before Cameron uses her as ammunition to shut their mouths permanently. But even if they find their daughter, will Tessa ever forgive Jirrah for what he's done? Finally Jirrah realizes there is something more important than justice—healing Tessa's heart, and finding her love once again.