Truly Madly Yours

Author: Rachel Gibson

Nick Allegrezza is the illegitimate son of the mayor in a small town. His father took advantage of his mother when she was a grieving widow and left her with a child he refused to acknowledge. He's grown up hating his father for not wanting him and for marrying a woman, adopting her daughter and giving her everything that should have been his. He grew up a bit of a trouble maker, often picking on the mayor's adopted daughter, Delaney, but eventually became a successful business man and almost legendary ladies man. He's not averse to a one night stand and never lets a woman get the impression that she's special in any way. Now that his father is dying with no heir in the picture, he's trying to get Nick to to all sorts of things, but Nick's not having any of it. When the old man finally dies, he leaves Nick some great properties and the only thing Nick has to do to get them is not get sleep with Delaney Shaw for a year. Like he'd let Delaney twist him up like that and hang him out to dry again like she did all those years ago.

Delaney Shaw left Truly, Idaho shortly after her 18th birthday under a cloud of rumors. After a fight with her adopted father, Henry Shaw, Delaney decided to be free and reckless for once. A decision that wound up with her naked on a beach with Nick Allegrezza, the guy who'd fascinated her since they were children. She could never figure him out. One minute he was sweet and in the next he was cruel. On this one night he was sweeter than he'd ever been, but when Henry discovers them and tells her Nick is only using her to get back at him all Delaney can see is that Nick isn't denying it. So she leaves town and severs all contact with Henry and Truly, Idaho. When Henry dies, Delaney comes back to be with her mother through the funeral and for the reading of the will. Henry, however, has other plans. He leaves Delaney half of everything he owns, assets that add up to millions, if she will stay in Truly for a whole year from the reading of the will. How can she walk away from that when it could bring her dreams of opening her own business to life? Surely she can stand living in Truly for a year! All she has to do is keep below the local gossip's radar and avoid Nick Allegrezza for a year. Shouldn't be a problem considering he seems to harbor some grudge against her. He's got some nerve, considering she was the injured party all those years go.

Both these characters drove me nuts! Delaney remembers him saying something to her during the incident in their youth, but she didn't know what it was because she was in a panic over being found with Nick by Henry, yet all those years later when he says that he told her he'd take care of her, she is completely disbelieving. I understood how, at the time, she reacted the way she did. She'd made herself vulnerable to Nick and usually that's when he turns around and does something to hurt her. The situation with Henry was upsetting and she was looking for some reassurance from Nick and he didn't give it to her. I also understood Nick's reaction. Here he is, finally, with the girl he's wanted for the longest time and suddenly she's acting like it's the worse thing that's ever happened to her. Then Henry, whom he hates, tells Delaney that Nick's just using her and she acts like she believes him. She hurt his pride and she chose his enemy over him. What drove me nuts is that as adults, they were still hung up on this incident! Neither of them seemed to be able to look at the situation through adult eyes and accept that maybe they were both to blame for what went down. If they hadn't had all that history, and been all about each other since they were kids, I wouldn't have bough that they could be in love because all their adult interactions seemed to center around sex. They were either fighting attraction, flirting, involved in pre-sexual activities, having sex, being jealous or arguing. The characters annoyed me to the point that I had to force myself not to skim. I'm not saying there weren't enjoyable parts, but it definitely is not one of my favorite books by Rachel Gibson.