BooksForABuck.com, June 2005

Everyone tells him he's a hero, but Russell Lyons can't remember anything. Since he lost his memory to a roadside bomb in Iraq, Russell has struggled with amnesia. Now that he's returned to Shermann, Missouri, Russell intends to retrieve his memory, to get back everything he once had--from the respect and admiration of his townspeople, to the beautiful woman who is his fiancee--but whom he simply can't remember. When he learns that Cynthia Meadows has old copies of the High School newspaper, he figures that's a reasonable place to start.

Cynthia knows that spending time with Russell is a huge mistake. She's had a crush on him for years and he hardly noticed she existed. Besides, she likes Heather Cochran, Russell's fiancee. And even if something did develop between the two of them, it would vanish when Russell's memory returned. Cynthia has been hurt before--but she doesn't think she could survive that. Still, what kind of a friend would she be if she refused to help him recover his memory?

The longer he spends with Cynthia, and the more he learns about his former self, the more confused 'Russ' (he doesn't even like the name he used to use) becomes. He doesn't seem like a hometown hero, he seems like a self-absorbed guy. He also doesn't understand why his earlier self never noticed Cynthia. Accidental contact turns into kisses and Russ knows he's got to break up with Heather in a hurry. The major obstacle, though, is himself. What is he going to think when he recovers his memory and learns that a short-termer, Russ, has destroyed everything he's ever wanted?

BooksForABuck.com favorite author Robyn Anders (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Anders) mixes strong emotion with her trademark humor in this moving story of transformation. Both Russ and Cynthia need to grow, to escape the preconceptions that both they and the townspeople impose on them. Whether they can survive the transformation is only part of the question.

Anders turns up the temperature on this one, delivering steamy sensuality as well as high emotion.

Four Stars

Reviewed 5/30/05

See what Cassandra Buckles at Coffee Time Romance had to say in her review.

See what Mrs. Giggles has to say in her review.

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