Enticed by his Forgotten Lover (Pregnancy and Passion #1) by Maya Banks

Before you read any further see my post from earlier today detailing my new foray into the world of Harlequin Desire. It’s becoming an interesting experiment.

First up in the Pregnancy and Passion Series is:

Enticed by his Forgotten Lover

BookTalk

Rafael de Luca has a lot on his plate at the moment. Head of a high-powered company his day is already hard enough even without the amnesia he suffers from after a plane crash. Desperate to keep this handicap a secret from investors and stockholders alike Rafe’s business partners (and best friends) are filling in the dark hole that is the last 4 months of Rafe’s life.

One thing the boys weren’t aware of: Texan beauty Bryony…the woman carrying Rafe’s child

Four months earlier Bryony had the time of her life. Meeting and falling in love with Rafe during the time on her island home gave her a view of happily ever after. After selling a stretch of beach to Rafe he boarded a plane with promises of a return trip and a life together. Little did either know that a plane crash would erase the memory of Bryony…and Rafe’s promise to return.

Now Bryony is seeking the man whom she thinks betrayed her. But faced with medical facts will she stick around and risk her heart a second time?

Review

First off I have to say I had a hard time swallowing the concept of a hidden pregnancy and amnesia. Bryony kept said pregnancy a secret because when Rafe left her island home he promised to come back to her. And Rafe never called, texted, or returned because he had amnesia. Rafe suffers from short-term amnesia, meaning he’s only forgotten the last 4 months or so of his life rather than the whole thing. Conveniently, the only space of time he’s known Bryony. Did I mention the amnesia occurred because of his plane crashing on his way back to New York from Bryony’s island home. No need to worry, mere months later Rafe only suffers from amnesia…no major physical injury attained during the PLANE CRASH.

This is where I have to remember that I read, only a month ago, a story in which a time traveling Scottish Laird saves a woman and baby in a plane crash (no injury sustained) with only the sheer power of his arms. This is only one of the major tragic events that befall this couple within their single week together – falling in love. I thought it helped support their instalove. I must give Bryony and Rafe a little leeway…Maybe if one of them was a magical time traveler?…

But back to the story. I think I’m torn because:

A. This is actually not the weirdest romance plot I’ve ever come across…contemp or otherwise, so why can’t I let these dramatic plot points go?

B. The author has a good base for a story. The character motivations are clear and understandable.

I think for the amnesia to have worked for me the author needed to take it further. Rafe openly admits he thinks it’s a little ridiculous that he suffers from the ailment. But he fails to remember Bryony in any way. No smell recognition (perfume, hair, etc.), no touch recognition, no “feeling in the bones”, nothing. Yet, the author makes Rafe instantly protective of her. It just didn’t fit. You can’t say you have no connection to someone then play the “instinctively protective” card and the “no connection” card at the same time. Further, to start the book with a prologue of time on the island…or the plane crash…Bryony waiting by the phone. Giving the reader some basis for their relationship would have been extremely helpful from a plot point of view. I do realize that later in the book things turn out differently than we expect, but I still think a prologue could have been done.

This lack of prepping the reader for major plot points continued throughout the book. It was as if the plot was nothing but major scenes with none of the downtime to develop emotions or deeper understanding of the characters. This disappointed me because in all honesty as wild as the plot sounds Banks really could have made it work. The plot points were there, character motivation was good she just didn’t have the finer details down.

The strongest relationship in the whole book was Bryony and her grandmother. There was smooth dialogue and genuine warm feelings between the two. Rafe and Bryony were a rushed romance…which you think makes sense because of the whole amnesia thing…but then the ending kinda blows that theory out of the water and you’re left scratching your head as to how they fell in love so quickly…

But…

If I take this book with a grain of salt (as is my vow in this experiment) it was an easy evening of reading. At less than 200 pages I was on a roller coaster of pleasant trashiness. And one to be honest, I enjoyed enough to continue on with the series. It really is Banks’ ability to create a solid story idea – even if the execution fails a bit – that is deliciously trope filled. It’s like watching day-time reality tv. Pretty rough, but I dare you to look away.

Rating: 2.5/5 You can’t possibly refuse a few short hours of your day to a title like Enticed by his Forgotten Lover…you know you gotta read it.