"When I'm Gone"

"When I'm Gone" is a Rosemary Beach novel by Abbi Glines who is a New York Times bestselling author.  You can learn more about her at AbbiGlines.com but you won't find her on my go-to source, fantasticfiction.co.uk.

I picked up this paperback from the "Best Picks" shelf at my local library and it was a quick read but disappointing.  I might have enjoyed the sexual detail when I was a pre-adolescent or adolescent but it doesn't appeal to me as a more mature woman.  I also found some of the language offensive and unnecessary.

However, the overall story line was a good one -- Reese Ellis was made to feel stupid by her teachers, her mother, her stepfather, and schoolmates growing up because she had an undiagnosed learning disorder - dyslexia.  She also suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather.  She is now supporting herself cleaning houses and her fear of men keeps her at home most of the time.  The one male friend she feels safe with is her friend and neighbor, Jimmy, who is gay.

When Mase Colt-Manning, a Texas rancher, comes to town to visit his sister, their paths cross briefly but that brief meeting leaves them both changed forever.  Mase has never felt about a woman the way he feels about Reese.  He knows she's uncomfortable around men and he wants to be her protector.

Reese, on the other hand, slowly learns to trust Mase and is surprised when he genuinely appears to want to help her figure out why she can't read --- something he discovered accidentally.  Their path to romance is rocky but they do eventually get there.

The book didn't convince me I want to read any more Rosemary Beach novels, though.  pazt