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.