Linda Needham

Unfortunately, i didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected. I'm really starting to feel weary of meeting bookish heroines in romances, as they all, more or less, follow the same stereotypes and in the end, it's like reading about the same person again and again. This one, a bookish, beautiful and unconventional heroine, who manages to attract the attention of a handsome, brooding and rich mine owner, was no different. A woman who almost faints in the sight of a rare book, or sells her soul to the devil for access to private collections, she is forced to cooperate with the hero, in his search of an ancient Celtic relic. A relic that will lead them to the location of an ancient silver mine and make them rich. But they both have something to hide from each other, and this makes things difficult when the attraction between them grows stronger every day. And suddenly, in the middle of the story, when the two of them surrendered to their feelings, everything changed. Their attraction, love for each other became palpable, their passion but also their despair, heartaching. This was an entirely different book, one I was so glad I was reading, when the heroine IMHO, with her actions and words, destroyed everything 30-40 pages before the end. I couldn't forgive her actions or her words, not for any reason. ***Spoiler***I simply cannot forgive a woman who stealthily takes a child, unborn or not, away from his father, when that man is not a cruel, twisted monster. No promise of hers, no oath to father or god, could make me understand this action. And when the man in particular, was so decent and reasonable, so loving and devoted, her decision to flee instead of telling him the truth and ask for his understanding did not make any sense; it only made her seem worse. And if one takes into account the fact that the man had already lost his family once... what she did to him was completely cruel and unforgivable.It also seems, it's OK for the hero to open mines in other villages and destroy the surrounding countryside, so he can get rich, but not the heroine's village. No, that just won't do. As one lady later comments, she has her husband "wrapped around her little finger", and she's pretty glad for it. That's not however my idea of an ideal relationship; I prefer the power to be more equaly balanced between the couple. And really, when a woman's actually disgusted at her husband's work -he's a mine owner, not a slave merchant for crying out loud!- it does not make for a believable HEA in my opinion.***End of spoiler***So, the ending pretty much let me down. I was planning to rate it with 4 stars until then: 3 for the first mediocre half and 5 for the second, emotional, heartwarming one. My dislike for the heroine and her actions in the end, didn't leave me much choice however.… (mais)