"The man next door!"

Jim and Julie lived on neighboring ranches. Even though Julie had had a crush on Jim since she was sixteen, the verbal sparring between the two kept things lively and acrimonious. Julie came home after being away at finishing school. Her birthday party was being held at Jim's family ranch due to her dad's passing away recently. She didn't want to go, as a form of protest she put on jeans and a shirt! Once she was there she felt uncomfortable and realized she only fit in with the children!

Walking away she grabbed a bottle and made her way to a secluded garden where she sat and drank and mourned the loss of her father. After cutting her hand on the split bench she walked to the nearby creek to wash it before bandaging it with her shirt. However with the alcohol swimming through her system and the slippery grass she slipped and fell into the creek. Hearing a noise Julie whirled around and saw Jim sitting atop his horse. She felt a flash of desire. Jim seeing Julie wet with her shirt plastered to her body felt an answering feeling of lust.

Her dad had left Julie the land that included the mountains that fed the creeks. Things felt uncomfortable after that. Julie overheard a comment by one of the brothers that Julie should just marry Jim and then things will get back to normal. Running away that night to her great aunt in San Francisco she was gone for nine years.

Well Julie is back! Her sister is getting married to Jim's younger brother Tony. Julie had gone to a party at Jim's home that day. It didn't take long for Julie and Jim to end up in bed together! In fact that's where they usually wind up whenever they're together! Yet in public they still spar and show animosity toward each other! For some reason Julie wants to keep it a secret the fact that they know each other in the biblical sense of the word! The cat is out of the bag now! Julie is pregnant and has come home for her sister's wedding!

This is a very good love story. The spark that flares up between Julie and Jim is electrifying. Jim is a very strong character. He is very loyal. When Julie and Jim were in an accident and he was so badly hurt they were going to amputate his leg; he admitted that it was his fault....that he was driving. Actually it was Julie that was driving recklessly in a temper. The secondary characters were well defined. They fit well into the story.

I found it a bit confusing when the story jumped back and forth between the past and the present. I wasn't sure at first which it was. It didn't hinder the story any. There wasn't any major opponent in the story. The main conflict was between the hero and the heroine. Some conflict between the hero's mother and the heroine but not enough to cause any major ripple.

The lovemaking is very well described in this book. It fits in well with the storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Sophie Murphy
Posted May 1, 2004