Once upon Our Time

Rating:
Summary: Reflections of an author's tortured soul.
Review: First off, I must be open and honest and say that I know the author. She is a fellow member of the Romance Writers of America and an author whose previous work has impressed me. However, I must be honest in my review and say that this is her weakest work to date, and I think I know why.

When you read Ms. Hoos' bio, you discover her background is the same as her story's protagonist, Maggie. Knowing authors pull from their surroundings and experiences, you cannot help but feel a little pity for Ms. Hoos, who must have gone through some personal, traumatic, and emotional rollercoaster rides during the last few years. This is her first novel in nearly a decade and her first outside the genre of the gothic romance. I strongly suspect the members of her real theatre group certainly know on whom these characters are based, but beyond that titillating challenge, this offering has little value.

That observation aside, it's time to look at the book for its face value. And it's not a pretty face. The reader will find it difficult to relate to any of the main characters, unless they are female victims of blatant spousal infidelity or male victims of physical abuse by their wives. At times, the writing is inconsistent with itself. For example, Maggie's theatre company is referred to as Crosspoint in one paragraph and then Cross Point in another. (I blame the editor on not catching this blunder.) You can see some symbolism in this name as the character of Maggie is at a cross point of her own in her life, but perhaps it should have been the Cross Roads theater group. That seems to make more sense.

The character of Jonathan Ross is very unlikable. We are introduced to him as an unorthodox auditioner with an ego who returns to a home filled with a son and a controlling, psychopathic wife that beats him and ultimately attacks him with a knife -- and all because he wants to do community theatre.

In the end, all looks as if it's going to work out for all involved. Maggie dumps her cheating husband and Jonathan's wife checks herself into a clinic. But in the closing pages we are cheated from the usual happy ending of two soul mates joining when Maggie tells Jonathan he needs to take care of his family before they can be together. Conveniently, she holds off on this little detail until after they've had sex, of course. A sloppy ending by an otherwise experienced author...publisher, Publish America, is notorious for its ridiculous pricing and generic cover art, which is ironic since they are one of the alleged leaders in the publish-on-demand industry that is supposed to reduce the cost of books.

I hope this publication was therapeutic for the author who, with any luck, found some peace after wrestling these demons out of her soul and onto these pages. The only persons who should make this purchase are her therapist and close associates who wish to know her secret desires and see if they are the basis for any of the characters.

Instead, order Suzanne Hoos' gothic romance novels, "Mistress of the Muse" and "Whispers in the Night." There you'll find a less tortured and natural author with a greater command of sympathetic characters and plotting. This venture into contemporary romance is too personal and too close to home.