Going Back

by Judith Arnold

Eight years ago, Daphne Stoltz and Brad Torrance wound up in bed together. She was reeling from her old boyfriend’s betrayal, he was bored, and they’d both had a bit too much to drink. Their encounter was quick, bad and embarrassing, something they’d both prefer to forget.

They can’t forget it, because mutual friends have thrown them together. Brad’s job transfer to New York City places him in Realtor Daphne’s region, and their college classmates insist that Brad should use Daphne to help him find a house. Stuck together on this mission, they discover that they actually like each other.

They could never be lovers, though, because Brad startlingly handsome and Daphne is homely. They just don’t match. But they could be friends—true, close friends—if only they can figure out a way to undo the mistake from their past. All they’d have to do is go back and make things right.

Genres: Contemporary

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

Barbara Keiler
aka Ariel Berk, Thea Frederick, Judith Arnold

Barbara Keiler was born on April 7th. She started telling stories before shecould write. She was four when her sister, Carolyn, stuffed a crayon intoher hand and taught her the alphabet, and she's been writing ever since.

Barbara is a graduate of Smith College, where she learned to aim for thestars, and she received a master's degree in creative writing from BrownUniversity, where she took aim at a good-looking graduate student in thechemistry department and wound up marrying him. She says: "Before myhusband and I were married, I had a job in California and he was working onhis Ph.D. in Rhode Island. I became ill, and he hopped on a plane and flewacross the country to be with me. Neither of us had any money, but he saidhe simply couldn't concentrate on his research, knowing I was three thousandmiles away and facing a serious health problem all by myself. He stayed fortwo weeks, until I was pretty well recovered. That he would just drop whathe was doing, put his life on hold and race to my side told me how much heloved me. After that, I knew this was the man I wanted to marry."

Barbara has received writing fellowships from the Shubert Foundation and theNational Endowment for the Arts, and has taught at colleges and universitiesaround the country. She has also written several plays that have beenprofessionally staged at regional theaters in San Francisco, Washington, D.C.,Connecticut and off-off-Broadway.

Since her first romance novel's publication in 1983 as Ariel Berk. Shewrote one novel as Thea Frederick, and since 1985 she writes asJudith Arnold. Barbara has sold more than 70 novels, with eight millioncopies in print worldwide. She has recently signed a contract with MIRABooks. Her first MIRA novel will appear in 2001. She has received severalawards from Romantic Times Magazine, including awards for the Best HarlequinAmerican Romance of the Year, Best Harlequin Superromance of the Year, BestSeries Romantic Novel of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Certificate ofMerit for Innovative Series Romance. She has also been a finalist for theGolden Medallion Award and the RITA Award for Romance Writer of America. Hernovel Barefoot in the Grass has appeared on the recommended reading listsdistributed by cancer support services at several hospitals.

Barbara lives in a small town not far from Boston, Massachusetts, New England with her husband, two teenage sons, and a guinea pig named Wilbur. Her sister Carolyn died of breast cancer in 1998.

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the back of the book:
"Realtor Daphne Stoltz was horrified that her latest client and potential neighbor was Brad Torrance. Brad was a living reminder of the night Daphne hadn't played it safe, the night a certain lovelorn, tipsy coed set out to seduce the campus heartthrob. Daphne remembered the whole ghastly episode in Technicolor. And the worst part was that Brad did, too. Because Brad wanted to be friends, he dreamed up a surefire way to put the past behind them, to exorcise that night forever. But first he had to convince Daphne to step out of character just one more time...."

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going Back by Judith Arnold
Phyllis and her two friends always shared lunch together once a month in the city.
Andrea and Eric are married and will have Eric at their house when he arrives til he gets settled.
They had met him in college and hope he's as good looking as then. Daphne is a real estate broker and they them to coordinate a place for Eric.
They both recall what happened 8 years ago and hope the other had forgotten.
Lots of drama as Eric looks for a new place-his parents are divorced, live in the same building and still hook up but don't live together. Each of them think the other parent has got their hooks in Eric and is persuading him.
Steamy sex scenes as their relationship is moving forward. Love the parts where he shares info on his parents and she actually listens.
Lots of twists and turns and just when you think it's being predictable it is not.
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[Martha B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

The plain Jane got the hunk. I felt sorry for the heroine: frizzy hair, thick lenses and overweight. With years she became slim. I liked that she hadn’t lush curves. I would like some more details how Brad got from thinking she didn’t turn him on to consider to sleep with her. He must on some level start to feel sexually attracted to her.
I would like a bit more drama or twist in the story. Overall I enjoyed the book.

[Carol Hurtig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable. Brad is a snob.