Prelude to Heaven

From the back cover: Flight to freedom... While life with her volatile husband had always been nearly unbearable for Tess Ridgeway, it was not until the well-being of her unborn child was at stake that she found the courage to fight back. Terrified, Tess fled to the southern coast of France, where she collapsed in the garden of reclusive painter Alexandre Dumond. Tormented by demons of his own, the strikingly handsome Alexandre tenderly nursed Tess back to health. In each other's arms, they found a haven, safe from the horrors of the past...until the nightmares returned, more threatening than ever before. And my review: This book was absolutely wonderful! Stories of women escaping abusive relationships are a dime a dozen, yet this is one that can stand out from the pack. Both the hero and heroine were wonderful, fully rounded and loveable characters. I was cheering for them almost right from the start. The author has a wondefully engaging and easy-to-read writing style that has a lovely flow. Her words paint vivid pictures in the reader's mind without getting bogged down in the details or becoming overly wordy. One thing I really liked about this book was that the characters were drawn together by more compelling reasons than lust. That is so rare in romance writing these days. Yes, they were physically attracted to one another, but their sexual attraction was an added bonus to their love, not the sole reason for it. You could clearly see why they should love each other, and it wasn't because they just couldn't keep their hands off one another. I also liked that there was none of the "I love you but for some stupid reason I'm going to pretend that I hate you" in this book. They admitted their love when it was realized. The reasons keeping them apart were much more compelling that just stupid pride. Again, this is a rare treat for the picky reader. This book had laugh out loud moments, as well as ones that brought me to tears. I loved the heros and hated the villans. I was drawn back to the world of France and of Regency England. The book was obviously well-researched, and the historical detail was woven into the background of the story, so that I never felt like I was reading a history textbook. I don't give out my praise lightly (see my other reviews if you don't believe me). I am a very hard sell, but I very highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of romance. It's a keeper.