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Blog Entry 16 of 65 The Front Range Reader
Books, books and more books. In my spare time, I write book blogs/reviews for websites specifically devoted to books and readers. Although I have an advanced degree in Comparative Literature (specialty in Medieval Studies) I love to read all sorts of books from medieval to modern literature, from light reading to literary.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~Merrimonbooks

Everyday epic love that spans decades and absence

Contributed by: Merrimon Crawford   on 4/12/2007

If I'd Never Known Your Love is an innovative epic romance of reasonably short length told through letters and memories by a wife whose husband has been kidnapped. The images are beautiful, the emotions wide-ranged, the main character determined in action yet also perceptive in vision.

Evan McDonald's last minute business trip to Colombia becomes deadly when he's kidnapped. His wife Julia quiet life turns into a roller coaster of action, waiting and remembering. For five years, Julia uses every resource possible to facilitate the return of her husband. Then she receives that fateful telephone call that destroys all hope. But then something unexpected happens.

Although there are moments of suspense throughout this romance, this is not so much the story of Evan's kidnapping as it is Julia's story of her lifetime love of Evan. If I'd Never Known Your Love is the story of an epic love which begins in childhood and continues for decades, even when the two are separated. This is also the story of romance within the everyday details of marriage. If I'd Never Known Your Love is a tender yet refreshingly deep romance rather than an adventure tale.

Although absent throughout most of the novel, the structure of the novel makes Evan present in the heart of the heroine and the reader in new ways. Julia writes letters to Evan to help her remember their love and to tell him all the things she never told him. She creates the history of their relationship. Outside of the letters, passages of interior monologue create memories of love found in small moments sometimes lost in hectic everyday life.

Bockoven's use of imagery delights the imagination and deepens this romance. I found the first image of love at first sight as a 3 scoop ice cream cone of flavors melting together dripping on a hot summer day as an innovative change from the cliches off the pens of lesser authors. The image returns, changed, as the love has been changed by Evan's absence. In addition to the stunning imagery, the secondary characters allow the reader to see Julia from a perspective outside of her own thoughts and letters. The vision is more complete than that of a first person narrative.

If I'd Never Known Your Love provokes feelings of sadness in me that romances often do not. Fortunately, like most romances, the romance reader can look forward to a happy ending although not necessarily the happy ending one might expect.

Everlasting Love
I do not typically comment extensively on the line or publisher of a book but since this is a new line from Harlequin, I hope an additional note or two will help the reader or potential buyer. This is a debut Harlequin romance line and this novel is only slightly less new within the line. Information about this line is not readily available on the major bookstore websites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble when potential buyers search by title or author.

If I'd Never Known Your Love is the fifth romance in a new line, Everlasting Love published by Harlequin beginning in 2007. In the romance genre, typically the novel ends shortly after the hero and heroine meet, get married, openly share their love or something similar. Harlequin advertises the Everlasting Love line as "every great love has a story to tell. Discover how love is truly the adventure of a lifetime. Because 'happily ever after' is just the beginning..." Both this particular romance and the Everlasting Love turn this romance genre convention on its head and create an exciting new style of romance. If this novel is any indication of the quality and depth available in this line, my interest has been sparked. Although reminiscent of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks in tone and style, If I'd Never Known Your Love is a refreshing innovative change in romance as it has been traditionally known. So far, the use of different authors in the line prevents the concept from getting stale as it can when one author overworks a bestseller formula.

The Previous Everlasting Love romances
Dancing on Sunday Afternoons by Linda Cardillo
Fall from Grace by Kristi Gold
The Depth of Love by Margot Early
A Heartbeat Away by Eleanor Jones




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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Merrimon Crawford

Arvada , CO

Merrimon Crawford has posted 65 blog entries and 17 comments since joining on 12/15/2006. Merrimon Crawford 's average blog rating is 4.82.
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