The Trouble With Josh

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Not to go into the whole story here- just a few salient points that made this romance by ultra -talented Marilyn Pappano work for me.
1. Candace is someone who is not necessarily the nicest person- well she wasn't before cancer anyway. She is a flawed, imperfect person who took people and life for granted until she got the big C and a wake up call. Her past includes doing something terrible to her only friend to get ahead, and never having deep relationships with anyone- lots of meaningless sex only relationships with men.
2. Josh is a charmer but not a snake. He likes women- but does not chase young girls who date his 20 year old nephew. Born out of wedlock and despising his own father commitment is important to him- he has not taken the big step toward marriage not because he is careless but because he wants the brass ring. He drinks and carouses and enjoys having fun- but gets hit over the head by the love bug when he meets Candace and is not sure how to deal.
3. Natalie- Candace's wronged friend is not quick to forgive and forget.WOW! Another person who is not a doormat.
4. The interwoven lives of all these folks in small town Oklahoma ring genuine and true. The everyday struggles to keep love alive and hope in the heart is far more dramatic than any espionage tale.

Kudos to Ms. Pappano! And here is to more rich stories with heroines who are beautifully flawed and still find their way to love and happiness.

Rating:
Summary: This Important, Serious Romance No Cowboy Fantasy
Review: This is a significant romance book. It represents a challenge to the author and a risk to the publisher. It is the kind of book that romance editors, at writing conventions, tell aspiring authors not to bring to them. Yet, it was written by a well established and highly regarded author and published by a major series publisher. And it is excellent. It tells a love story that needs to be told and that is far more common than one might expect.

Frankly, there are those, like myself, who are very fond of Elizabeth Berg, who will give this book five stars. There are also those who will give it only three stars. My favorite Berg book, "Talk Before Sleep", is about a woman's losing battle with cancer and her wonderful female friends who give her the most awe inspiring support imaginable. You love her and you love all her friends.

"The Trouble with Josh", is like a reverse image of "Talk Before Sleep". A woman who has no support at all; no friends, no family, and no co-workers who care, goes through the ravages of cancer treatment all alone but survives. She has been a selfish, ambitious, bad person all her life. Her brush with death, however, has changed her forever. She vows to totally change her life and become a better person. She fills six yellow legal pad pages with things she wants to experience in her life (before she dies). Things like "visit all 50 states", "wish upon a star", "dance", "sit by a campfire", "look for shooting stars", and "make amends with Natalie". Natalie was her "best friend", who she set up with a phony story to get her fired so she could take her job as a reporter at a newspaper. Her actions destroyed Natalie's career and estranged her from her father.

Soon after her treatment, the lonely heroine, Candace, gives up her job and apartment in Atlanta and travels to Oklahoma in a small RV. She goes to ask forgiveness of the person she most wronged in her life: Natalie. The problem is Natalie and her entire family hates Candace. They will not even talk to her. Josh, the hero, is Natalie's brother-in-law. Early in the story, Josh finds Candace in town and warns her to "get out of town." The tension starts at a very high level, then escalates.

Now, the trouble with Josh is that he likes the ladies too much and the feeling is mutual. Feminine favors come so easily to Josh, he does not value them very highly. No girlfriend has been worth keeping very long. "There are just too many willing women to meet and I haven't met them all yet".

Candace is the "forbidden fruit" and she is also hard to get. This makes the heroine unique in Josh's life. While, this handsome, bad boy, cowboy can get Candace to kiss him, he cannot get her into bed. Even more frustrating, he can't get her out of his mind. She could be the "one" woman for him. At 33 years old, Josh knows it's time to settle down and start a family. Candace is falling in love with him as he is falling in love with her. But what will he think when he sees her disfigured body? Will he be revolted and leave her rejected and more alone and hurt than ever before?

The love scene unfolds with great skill and sensitivity. The events that follow are an eerie reminder of similar experiences many men have encountered while dating. The story is so real, so truthful, and so hope inspiring, it earns the highest rating. Women like Candace deserve love, protection, and devotion as much as any other woman. Candace will stay in your mind and your heart long after you've read the book.

Candace is definitely a character a hero could fall in love with and a heroine you'll love to support from start to finish. She is so genuine you want her to find happiness. You care.

As someone who has lived in the areas of Oklahoma mentioned in the book for over 30 years, I can say the descriptions of the land, weather, changing seasons, OU/OSU rivalry, and the small town store that sells everything, are as genuine as a Will Rogers handshake. Marilyn Pappano intimately knows what she is writing about.

Technically, the book is about perfect. It's fast paced. There are no secondary characters that intrude on the central romance. The hero and heroine are center-stage most of the time. The hero is a real 3-demintional person as well as a real hunk. The heroine is someone a man would be strongly motivated to love, cherish, and protect. I loved the book and I love the heroine.

Of course, if you don't want to read a romance on this sensitive topic, you have thousands of other good romance books to read. However, if you would like to see this important topic treated, with as much skill and caring as could be expected, then you have one choice: "The Trouble With Josh". This is one book you cannot judge by its cover nor from the cryptic reviews it has received to date in the Romance media. It's more than a "keeper", it's a "giver"-a special kind of book, you'll want to give when the right situation arises. (The book I give out when the right situation arises is: "Gift From The Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh).

Cheer-up and rejoice. When you experience this book's happy ending, you'll simply luxuriate in happy feelings. Thank you Marilyn for writing this book and thank you Silhouette for publishing it.