Remember the Time

This is a great, great contemporary romance novel. I really loved this book and know that I will encounter few others in which the leads interact with such tenderness and yet firm determination. It is the story of three close friends, two men and one woman. Through flashbacks, we see their high school relationship and as it matured through the years. The woman, Kate, marries one of her close friends, Paul, and the flashbacks on their tragic marriage tear your heart out. And one of the primary reasons your heart is tearing apart so much is the third friend, Mike, the second man, has loved the woman from the beginning although his best friend is married to her. Mike continues to be a very close friend to Kate and Paul and is loyal throughout their marriage. He never attempts to come between the two. The story begins when two of the three friends are 35 years old and the third friend, the husband, Paul, is dead.I cannot think of many - if any - heroes that I felt were dearer than Mike. In the beginning of the book, he is living across the street from Kate and is watching her destroy herself with alcohol and self-recrimination. He is very understanding and a strong shoulder for her. However, he is beginning to believe it is time to let her know of his feelings for her. He has decided to change his life if she is not receptive to these feelings. He is her oldest and dearest friend. His character never seems weak at all but he is subdued as he begins to attempt to bring some life back into Kate. It has been two years since her husband's death and she still stays shut away most of the time. He gently gains a more intimate door into her life. As she is attracted to him, he begins to show a much stronger side. By the end of the book, I think Mike would be described as a mature alpha male.The hero, Mike, is so - oh I don't want to say this but there is no other word - sexy! He is successful, confident, and has so, so many other great traits. He is definitely Dream Guy!Kate has remained a dear friend to Mike and has matured though the troubled years of her marriage. She is clinically depressed and sees no way out. All of her attempts to start her life again seem to meet with failure. So, she drinks yet another night and attempts to hide her actions from the world. Beneath all of her pain, we see a beautiful person. But getting Kate to see that about herself is a real challenge. She is very difficult and actually rude to anyone who cares about her. She is a little too obtuse at times. Sometimes I just wanted someone to put her in her place for her rudeness and withdrawal from life. But Mike goes gently with her and slowly begins to draw her out - making her realize she must be accountable for her actions. As their relationship develops further, he increases the pressure for her rehabilitation and places higher expectations on her.Kate has a few really stupid moments at the turning point of the book. It made me want to throw up m

Hidden scars. Hidden betrayals. Hidden pain. So, succinctly, does the author describe the three main characters in this remarkable debut book. Paul Armstrong and Mike Fitzgerald were childhood friends in Staunton, Virginia. During their junior year of high school, Kate Moran moves with her family to Staunton, and becomes the third of this trio, whose lives will intertwine-forever. Both men fall instantly in love with Kate, but it is the baseball-player Paul who captures her heart, and when he has achieved the majors, they marry. Almost immediately, Kate discovers the world is not as she had thought it would be. Paul wants her at every home game-in San Francisco, where they've bought a condo she hates-but refuses to allow her to travel with him or the team. When they decide it's time to have children, Kate discovers to her dismay that she is not capable of providing him with the son for whom he wishes. Mike has combined architecture and historic restoration into a lucrative and high-image career, but his personal life is nearly always in ruins because there is only one Kate-and she isn't his. He maintains a home in Staunton, as does his older sister Sheryl, and her son Matt, also an up-and-coming ball-player. As the book opens, Paul is killed in a flash-flood in Arizona, during spring training. Kate returns to Staunton, to find comfort and meaning to her life, to Paul's family home across the street from Mike's. As layer after layer of the lives of these five people are exposed, new revelations threaten all of them. Only after risking everything are they able to discover the way to the future. You'll not soon forget this book or these people-if ever. Calling it a 'romance', however, is a violation of the "Truth-in-Labeling" Laws. It is a a LOVE-story par excellence. Bring on the tissues! I would have given this book more stars, had that been an optionn.

This book defies the sterotype that romance novels are "fluff." Reynolds writes an intelligent and heart-felt novel about two incredible people. The story of Kate and Mike broke my heart, but I could not help but be inspired by Mike's dedication and enduring love for his Kate. This book can make your stomach drop one moment, and lift your spirit the next. I can't wait for another thrilling novel from Ms. Reynolds!

Ms. Reynolds writes the first romance I've read in a long, long time about real people. These people aren't larger than life, they are life -- there are no cheap and easy solutions to their problems, and they struggle through life in a way that can feel torturous -- but she weaves such a strong characterization that the reader is drawn in, breathlessly awaiting the moment when things will finally, absolutely, be alright again.

This was a wonderful, wonderful book! The author does a tremendous job bringing the characters to life -- you relate to them from the very beginning. I read it straight through, as I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. Loved it!