I've enjoyed suspense novels by Lisa Jackson and I thought 'You'll Find Out' belonged to this genre. Instead, 'You'll Find Out' is a re-release of two romance novels published by Jackson in the 1980s. This was early in Jackson's writing career and the books have the feel of young adult novels for girls dreaming of that GEORGEOUS, IRRESISTIBLE, RICH man they'll love forever. Older gals don't really expect this to happen, but anyone can fantasize, right?
Both books have the same format: girl and boy meet; girl and boy are parted; boy tries to get in touch, but someone or something prevents it; girl and boy meet again a few years later; and nature takes it course.
The 'love scenes', which begin almost immediately when girl and boy meet again, are formulaic and approach soft porn.
I'll provide a brief review of both tales.
*****
The Shadow of Time
Four years ago, in Asheville, North Carolina, Mara - a beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde, business administrator.....
......and Shane Kennedy - a handsome, black haired, dark-eyed, documentary filmmaker, were madly in love. Shane went to Europe, where he was making a movie about the political battle in Northern Ireland, and didn't return when expected.
Mara called Shane's father, and was told Shane died in Northern Ireland. Mara was shattered and pregnant and inconsolable, and her long-time friend Peter Wilcox, whose family owned Imagination Toys, provided comfort.
Mara and Peter wed, and Mara had baby Angie (now three years old). The marriage turned cold, Peter became terminally ill, and recently died. Shane read about Peter's funeral in the newspaper and he came to watch from a distance.
Mara is now head of Imagination Toys, which is going bankrupt because of an economic downturn in the country. Shane, who owns Delta Electronics, makes an offer for the toy company, which (of course) leads to Mara and Shane meeting again. It's lust at first sight all over again, but there are flies in the ointment.
Mara can't understand why she was told Shane died; and Shane can't accept that Mara married another fellow so quickly. Then Shane discovers Angie is his daughter, and wants to tell the world, and raise Angie with Mara.
The 'mystery' part of this story lies in the fact that Shane returned from Ireland four years ago, and wrote to Mara, but she never received the letters.
Things play out as they will, primarily because Mara is SO in love with Shane. Shane doesn't deserve Mara because he's self-centered, arrogant. and determined to get what he wants by any means necessary. I don't know how Mara can even stand him!!!
I don't think this same story would be written in current times, or at least Shane would be portrayed differently.
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Gypsy Wind
Six years ago, in Seattle, Washington, Becca - a gorgeous, blue-eyed, blonde, horsebreeder......
......and Brig Chambers - a handsome black-haired, dark-eyed hunk, whose East coast family breeds horses, were madly in love.
Together, Becca and Brig owned a talented filly named Sentimental Lady, who was expected to excel on the racing circuit.
Sentimental Lady was entered in a race against a colt, had a terrible accident, and had to be euthanized. Testing revealed Sentimental Lady had been drugged, and Brig blamed Becca. Brig then went back East to work in his family business and hasn't spoken to Becca since.
Unknown to Brig, Becca bred another horse, named Gypsy Wind, using a $50,000 loan from Brig's father Jason Chambers. Sadly, Jason was recently killed in a small plane crash, and the probate of Jason's will, along with other factors, lead Becca and Brig to meet again.
Guess what? It's lust at first sight once more, and there are flies in the ointment again.
Becca is hurt because Brig blamed her for the death of Sentimental Lady and went away; and Brig is angry because Becca hid the existence of Gypsy Wind from him. Also, Brig tried to phone Becca after Sentimental Lady's accident, but was never put through.
The 'mystery' part of this story is 'Who drugged Sentimental Lady and why'.
Once again, things play out as they will because Becca and Brig are SO IN LOVE. Unlike Shane (above) Brig is an okay guy so I don't mind.
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Both books are similar. The main characters are great-looking and they meet at a party; there's a secondary character who's manipulative and has bad intentions; and things work out in the end.
I'm giving 'You'll Find Out' three stars because I think the stories might appeal to fans of second-chance romance novels.
Thanks to Netgalley, Lisa Jackson, and Kensington Publishing for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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