Francis Ray has done it again. From the opening paragraph
of NOT EVEN IF YOU BEGGED, I was sucked into this story of
unlikely loves.
Traci Evans is a young widow who's had it with marriage.
Hers was not a happy one to begin with and, to make
matters worse, her husband died while cheating on her. So
now she believes all men cheat. Doesn't matter that she
makes her living as a PR guru who sometimes has to help
those same cheating men preserve their well-crafted
images. In fact, her sometimes less than honorable
clients only underscore her point. So what's to make her
think Ryan Gilmore, her neighbor's son, would be any
different?
Maureen Gilmore believes that she's already had the love
of her life so love likely won't come knocking for her
anymore. Until she meets Simon Dunlap who sees not age
but the beautiful, accomplished, and sexy person that
Maureen is.
Throw in the Invincible Sisterhood, a group of savvy,
sassy widows with a Three Musketeers-like mindset—one for
all, all for one, and we know what's best for you—and
you've got the makings of another Francis Ray delight.
While I read NOT EVEN IF YOU BEGGED, it hit me as to
exactly why I enjoy Ms. Ray's stories so much. My
enjoyment lies in the fact that her heroes and heroines
manage to be great people even while experiencing the
conflicts that shake up their lives and threaten their
happily ever after. With few, if any, exceptions, you
won't find a Francis Ray hero or heroine engaging in
petty, small-minded behaviors. They are all upstanding
folks. Not perfect or one-dimensional but really "good
people". To be sure, they might be selfish at times, hard-
headed, or unshakable in their less than informed beliefs
but they're still good, down-to-earth folks I wouldn't
mind having as friends and neighbors. I enjoy getting to
know them and always hate when the story ends. The good
news is Ms. Ray is particularly adept at creating large
families of these fun-to-read folks, which leads to
extended series. I just wish she could write faster!
NOT EVEN IF YOU BEGGED puts a fresh spin on the older
woman, younger man romance, while also exploring the
notion that what we do for a living doesn't have to define
who we are. Since most folks hate their jobs or wish they
could do something else, that's probably a good thing! I
look forward to the stories of the rest of the Sisterhood
as well as those Dunlap hunks.
Widow Traci Evans sits in on meetings with the lovely ladies
of the Invincible Sisterhood simply because she's
trying to be nice. After all they are all sweet older women
who have lost their husbands. Yet Traci's loss doesn't feel
as great since she found out her husband died while cheating
on her with another woman.
Her husband's deceitful deeds have hardened her heart so
much that even friend and next door neighbor Maureen can't
convince her to open it up again. But when Maureen's
gorgeous son Ryan admits he's more than interested in her,
Traci rethinks everything she knows about love.
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