“I love you, Julie. I loved you in Colorado. I love you here, where I am. I will always love you. Everywhere. Always.”

FINAL DECISION: One of my all time favorite books, this book has action, suspense, mystery, a sexy leading man, a strong heroine, a full and complete story and a sense of romance and drama. I’ve loved this one for years and it doesn’t disappoint after decades of reading it.

THE STORY: Julie Mathison has done everything she can to do live an exemplary life after being adopted. On a trip out of her small town, she is taken hostage by Zachary Benedict, the former superstar Hollywood actor and director who was convicted of murdering his wife. Zach has escaped from prison and needs Julie and her vehicle to get to to the place he will be temporarily hiding. At first desperate to escape her kidnapper, Julie soon is convinced that Zach is innocent.

OPINION: I love this book. It is one of my all time favorite books. I love the heart of this story. Zach and Julie are such a wonderful couple.

This is a long book, and I enjoy every page. The story has time and space to breathe in these pages. We get to see what formed these characters before they even meet and then we get to see their relationship develop, the problems that almost tear them apart and then a resolution. And that might be what I love most about this book — when the “big problem” is resolved, the story is not over. Instead, we get to see the characters actually create their happy ending.

Julie could have been written as a stereotypical do-gooder, but instead, she has complexity. Her reaction with Zach mirrors other events in her life so it doesn’t feel like a stretch that she would turn her kidnapping into an advocacy for his innocence. I liked that she has morals even when she doesn’t live up to them all the time.

Zach is my favorite actor hero. I absolute loved how he is gobsmacked by his reaction to Julie. The cynical actor is enchanted with Julie who discovers Zach’s secret soft heart.

Not only is Zach and Julie’s relationship sweet and romantic, the book allows other relationships to be explored. Parental love, sibling relationships, and friendships are all important in this story. All the characters in the book have complexity and interest. (We also get some side romances.)

I especially enjoyed seeing Mathew and Meredith from PARADISE. They have significant roles in this book and the friendship between Zach and Matthew worked especially well.

This book was written in the early 1990s and the pop culture references are from that time. The book does, however, clearly point to taking place at a particular time.including dates and years for the events rather than being a book that could take place in current times.

WORTH MENTIONING: One of the significant twists in the story at the end has been negated by the subsequent changes from the original cover. The original pink with roses cover has an important role in the book itself so I’m rather sad that new readers might be left wondering what the characters are referring to at the end.

CONNECTED BOOKS: PERFECT is the second book in the Second Opportunities series. This romance here is self-contained and it is not necessary to read the first book in the series. The couple from that series does, however, make a significant appearance here.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

“Either give me your hand,” he said, “or end it now, and put us both out of our misery.”

FINAL DECISION: Fabulous story with characters that I have remembered for almost three decades with a story that covers over a decade heartbreak, betrayal and transformative love.

THE STORY: Matthew Farrell is seen as a playboy corporate raider. A self-made man, Matt built his fortune always remembering the rich, spoiled girl he was briefly married to before they were torn apart. Now eleven years after their brief marriage, Matt and Meredith Bancroft are again in the same place. Meredith is no longer the eighteen year old girl Matt knew and she is on the precipice of finally heading her family’s department store empire. Eleven years hasn’t diminished the intense feelings between Matt and Meredith. Betrayal, heartbreak, fury, passion still swirl around the couple. Both have moved on in their lives but neither can forget all that was between them when they are face to face.

OPINION: This book reminds me of how there are only a few books that really are memorable. I might enjoy a book for a while, but this book I remember after years. I don’t think I’ve read this book 25 years, but I remember how much I loved these characters and their story. This book is my second favorite Judith McNaught book (surpassed only by PERFECT, the second book in this series).

Matt and Meredith’s story has a familiar story line. Two young people marry and then forces tear them apart. They meet again and all those second chance feelings: love, passion, fear, anger threaten any chance of a reconciliation. This is an epic book, it follows the two for fifteen years. The book takes a while to develop these characters, their situation, and their passion for one another, but by the time it ends, I was completely and utterly invested in their story.

Despite some dated references (especially to the cost of items), the relationship feels modern and fresh. Indeed, Meredith’s desire to run her family business and Matt’s unwavering support of her feels more relevant than ever.

Filled with regrets and mistakes and an intense desire to finally get things right touched my heart more now than when I was a young 20 year old reading this book for the first time.

WORTH MENTIONING: Two things in this book really transported me back to the first time I read it in the early 1990s. First, no cell phones so there are lots of plot points about not being able to contact people. Second, lots of mentions of how much things cost which is so late 1980s.

CONNECTED BOOKS: PARADISE is the first book in the loosely connected Second Opportunities series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.