Brenda Jackson welcomes you back to Catalina Cove, where love is waiting to be reclaimed… Ashley Ryan never doubted that her husband, Devon, was the love of her life. Even now, three years after Devon died in a car wreck while on a business trip, Ashley can’t bring herself to move on. But when her girlfriends surprise her with a getaway to beautiful Catalina Cove, Louisiana, she gets the shock … gets the shock of her life when she encounters a man–bearded, more rugged than before, but unmistakably her Devon.
“Ray Sullivan” moved to this quiet coastal town after waking up in a hospital with amnesia. Haunted by a life he can’t remember, he’s built walls around his heart and a quiet life running boat tours–a life that includes no recollection of Ashley, a woman he suddenly finds himself irresistibly drawn to.
Doctors warn Ashley of the danger in forcing her husband to remember the past. Though she longs to tell him the truth, she finds herself falling all over again for a man she knows may never truly come back to her. In this place where healing and second chances are just a heartbeat away, can love take root once more?
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FORGET ME NOT by Brenda Jackson (part of her Catalina Cove series) is a doozie! The emotional punch equals the sensual heat for a doubly whammy.
Ashley lost her husband – the true love of her life – to a tragic accident, though his body was never recovered. Through a quirk of fate she finds Devon again (I think it was 3 years later) but he’s lost his past, doesn’t remember her, and is now living as Ray.
Oh, my goodness, the conflict!
Doctors warn Ashley about shocking Ray with the truth. He’s already been through so much. So she plans to have him fall in love with her all over again. My heart went out to her! (What an amazingly strong woman!)
Ray is immediately drawn to her (she’s his true love, too, even if he doesn’t remember) but being an honorable man, he has to wonder if he has a wife & kids somewhere.
You’ll 100% believe that real love conquers all. The writing is so vivid, you feel it all – and you can almost taste the blueberry muffins, too!
An early scene brought tears to my eyes – and then I kept getting teary-eyed. Can you imagine seeing your deceased husband again after 3 yrs, and he doesn’t recognize you? Crushing! But it set the pace, and then didn’t let up.
Here’s a tiny sneak peek:
The woman grabbed hold of his arm. “Don’t go,” she whispered in a hoarse, barely audible voice.
He looked down on the hand holding his arm and then gazed back at her. “Is there someone I can call, ma’am? Your husband?”
He saw something flash in her eyes, and instead of answering, she said with choppy breath, “Please. Don’t go.”
::Sigh::: Beautiful story, characters, setting…and an absolutely beautiful love that you’ll enjoy from the first page to the last.
I enjoyed this erotic romance. I bought this at a local store and I’ve voluntarily chose to review it. I’ve given it a 4* rating. While the main storyline is great, there is way too much sexual content. Also, because of this, this is not for the under 18 readers. What would you do, if while on vacation, you see your dead husband ? While I’ve been married for 46 years, I could not imagine what would happen. If you like this type of read, you’ll probably enjoy this.
Forget Me Not was an adult romance with two people lost. One lost in grief of the one love of a lifetime. The other was lost in a world that he could not remember. Then life happened again and brought these two together, but with only one remembering whom the other was. This was a test in life and if love can strike twice the same two people. Ashley loved Devon beyond everything in the world. He worked to make her his world. That was until his world was ripped away from him and covered is blackness and lost memories.
Time pass and sometimes the heart does not heal or move forward. Ashley finds that her life has still stood still and there was no real movement forward. Then she meets Ray Sullivan. She finds an undeniable attraction between the two of them. She finds that bond unbreakable and strong. Ray and Ashley find each other and make a way to have more. That is until some true facts come to life and a choice made cannot change a future.
I loved Ashley and Ray. They were adults witt adults problem. This one gave me more drama, intensity, life, heartache, sadness. I could relate to the characters like they were friends.
After a few short years of living a life consumed with work, Ashley Ryan is overdue for a break. Coping with a lost love is hard to deal with, but Ashley’s plans of moving on may have just changed when she meets Ray Sullivan on vacation in Catalina Cove.
This book was a recommended book club read and I am so happy to have come across this story. I love romances that feature characters that have amnesia. I don’t often come across them. Forget Me Not is one of two that I have read. From the synopsis, you’ll gather that the h’s main love interest dies rather quickly into the book. So, I hope I’m not spoiling too much. I feel for Ashley and her heartbreaking past. Could not imaging being in her shoes, but her resilience is admiring. Falling first before your significant other is a heavy weight to carry.
I enjoyed this book so much and look forward to reading more of Brenda’s work.
Ok I really loved this book. It was a sweet and sad story, but also one of hope and love and perseverance. The characters were lovely and it was interesting seeing how Devon changed after his accident. And just wonderful to see how strong Ashley’s love was. All that being said, I was NOT a fan of Ashely’s mother (not that we are supposed to be) and there was one aspect of Ashley’s sexual response that just seemed really…not believable? But overall, a great book.
Awesome book
My friend gave me this book for Christmas and somehow it tucked away in a drawer and I just found it. I am so glad I did. WOW, I really enjoyed it. I knew from the blurb on the back it was going to be good and I was not disappointed. I finished before I knew it was the 2nd in a series of 3 (so far). I am so glad I have 2 more to read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a romance that has substance.
I really did like this book.
A great read.
This writer has the ability to take you on a journey that you enjoy every minute and hate when it’s over. Loved every page and can not wait until the next book is published in October of this year
Awesome storyline. The characters were real. The plot was great. Brenda Jackson is awesome!
Good book and a different kind of second chance story. In the prologue, we were introduced to Devon and Ashley, a young couple that was very much in love. They were also professionally driven, determined to have their careers well established before moving on to the next step of expanding their family. I loved the phone conversation between them, as they have succeeded in their five-year plan, and plan to celebrate their anniversary. Close to being stranded by a snowstorm, Devon took the risk of driving to a different airport, hoping to beat the storm out. Unfortunately, his good spirits led him to make a disastrous mistake.
Three years later, Ashley was still grieving Devon’s death. She had no interest in being with another man, something that created a great deal of tension with her mother. Ashley’s best friends gifted her with two weeks in Catalina Cove for her birthday, the perfect opportunity for Ashley to escape her mother’s obnoxious matchmaking attempts. Her life took a bizarre twist when she encountered a man who was a dead ringer for her late husband.
Ray Sullivan made a few brief appearances in the first book, Love in Catalina Cove. He was a quiet man who pretty much kept to himself. Sawyer confided in Vashti that Ray had come to the Cove to start his life over after waking up in the hospital with no memory of his past. Ray was determined to stay away from women, worried that he had a wife and family somewhere, and not wanting to risk hurting two women if his memories returned.
I ached for Ashley during her first encounter with Ray. He rescued her from drowning, and even through her shock, she recognized him immediately as her Devon. She was hurt and confused when it became apparent that he did not remember her. Ray had no idea that he knew her, but he couldn’t deny that he was strangely drawn to her. It was sweet to see how he felt he had to stick around and make sure she was okay. Honestly, I was amazed that Ashley didn’t blurt out the truth right away in her shock. The scene where she confided in Vashti was emotional, as was seeing Sawyer and Kaegan fill her in on how Ray ended up in Catalina Cove. I loved how she was able to convince them of the truth, and that they were willing to help her. I was a bit leery of the doctor’s advice about not telling Ray the truth right away.
I enjoyed seeing the development of the relationship between Ashley and Ray. In spite of his attraction, Ray tried to stick to his plan of not becoming involved with Ashley. He tried to convince himself that they could just be friends. That belief didn’t make it past his first spontaneous kiss. Ashley’s goal was to make Ray fall in love with her all over again, at which point she would confess the truth. As they spent more and more time together, I liked seeing Ray come out of his self-imposed shell. Desperate to get closer to him, Ashley proposed a fling, hoping that the added connection would help get past Ray’s walls. Though Ray continued to attempt to deny his feelings, it was clear to the people who knew him that he was falling hard for her. There were some pretty funny conversations between Ray and his friends as they tried to make him admit how he felt. Meanwhile, Ashley spent the time getting to know Ray, who had undergone some changes with the loss of his memory. She couldn’t help but compare the two sides of the man she loved, which led to some awkward moments. It was interesting how she began to see Ray as himself, not just a version of Devon. She also suffered some guilty feelings the longer she kept the secret, and I kept waiting to see how it would work out. I ached for Ray and his feelings of betrayal when the truth came out, and for Ashley who feared that she had lost the man she loved all over again. I liked the support that both of them received from their friends, especially Sawyer’s and Kaegan’s attempts to get through to Ray. The ending was deeply emotional as Ray had to face his fears and insecurities before he could put it all behind him. I liked his big moment with Ashley as he exposed his vulnerability and confessed his feelings. There was a terrific little twist at the end that I’m looking forward to (hopefully) seeing more of in the next book.
As in the first book, I loved the dynamics of the various relationships. This book takes place a year or two after the first book. I enjoyed catching up with Vashti and Sawyer and seeing where they are now. I liked how quickly Ashley became friends with both Vashti and Bryce, both of whom provided support for Ashley as she dealt with the ups and downs of her relationship with Ray. I loved the interactions between Sawyer, Kaegan, and Ray. There were strong friendships that not only provided support in times of trouble but also allowed them to point out idiocy when they saw it. The relationship between Kaegan and Bryce continued to be a puzzle, and I am very curious about how they have reached this point.
Forget Me Not is Outstanding! Brenda Jackson delivers every time! She combines romance, suspense and drama then makes it unforgettable!