Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0060009250
My rating: 5/5
He loves me not
Daisy Lee Monroe thought she'd brushed the dust of Lovett, Texas, off her high-heeled shoes years ago, but she's come back home only to find that little has changed. Her sister is still crazy, and her mom still has pink plastic flamingos in her front yard. And Jackson Lamott Parrish, the bad boy she left behind, is still so sexy it hurts. She’d like nothing better than to avoid this particular man, but she can’t. Daisy has something to say to Jackson, and she’s not going anywhere until he listens.
He loves her not Jackson learned his lesson about Daisy the hard way, and now the only word he's interested in hearing from Daisy's red lips is good-bye. But she's popping up everywhere, and he doesn't believe in coincidence. It seems the only way to keep her quiet is with his mouth, but kissing Daisy had once been his downfall. Is he strong enough to resister her now? Strong enough to watch her walk out of his life again? Is he strong enough to make her stay? (http://www.rachelgibson.com/)
My thoughts
I have to say this story surprised me – not at all that I didn’t see Rachel Gibson being able to write something like it, but because she was more known to me as a “chick lit” author! So lets take her out of this drawer and into the ... none at all, she’s obviously an author of many talents.
It was a book hard to put aside, but also hard to read while having a big lump in the throat.
The main plot is about Daisy, Jack and Steven who were very good friends growing up. And even though both boys (and later teenagers) were both in love with Daisy they agreed that she was “off limits” for both – easier said than done. Jack and Daisy started a crazy roller coaster relationship behind their friend’s back. At the tender age of seventeen Daisy finds out she’s pregnant with Jack’s child, who in turn has just lost his parents and needs some space. With a teenage mind, Daisy freaks out, confides in Steven, who in turn offers to marry her and to look after her and the baby. Fifteen years later – Steven has just died of cancer and it is now Daisy’s turn to tell Jack about his son.
Phew! What dilemma and Rachel Gibson has done a wonderful job to stir the readers’ emotions – I went from understanding to anger back to understanding. The dialogues are brilliant and for me were the part where the characters came alive. I think each reader will have a different point of view whether Daisy should have told Jack earlier or not, whether Steven is really the “baddie” in the story by taking advantage of the situation or whether he really helped out of the good of his heart, whether Jack has a right to treat Daisy the way he does or the way he copes with his anger and loss – the loss of the time he had missed out on spending with his son.
I really liked Daisy. I think we can all remember how confusing teenage years can be and I can in a way understand why she moved on with Steven, and in a way I can also understand why the decision to tell Jack had always been delayed to tomorrow – don’t we all do that sometimes with things we feel uncomfortable with. I liked her also the way she understands Jacks anger and accepts his anger and accept the fact that there will be no future for them together if he isn’t able to move forward. I loved Jack – for me the testosterone laden Texan man who is portrayed mainly as a sex-driven male, but over the period of the story becomes such a “man” by dealing with his past which is catching up with him, we feel for him that at an early age he did not only lose his parents, but the love of his life, his best friend and his son.
I believe Rachel Gibson did a convincing job of showing us how that anger can eat at a person.
My favourite quote:
"Mom," Nathan called to her.
Daisy pulled her gaze from the tent and the fleeting glimpse of Jack's bare back, the smooth planes and indent of his spine, the sliver of the white elastic just above the blue waistband of his jeans..."Hmm?"
"What's a faaar ant?" he asked just above a whisper.
"Fire." She chuckled and shook her head. "Fire ant. They have a nasty bite that burns."
Nathan smiled. "Well, why didn't he just say fire?"
"He thinks he did."
I loved the book – it got my emotions going. Kudos to Rachel Gibson! Now where's the next book ....
PS – Rachel’s trademark of lengthy and detailed sex scenes are included as well
