Aly Santangelo’s car accident left her with no memory of the past seven years—not her move to New York, nor her divorce from Connor Bravo. Connor reminds the vulnerable beauty that they’re no longer together, even as he lets her into his home—and his bed. But when unchecked passion leads to an unplanned pregnancy, Aly vows to play for keeps!
New York Times bestselling author Christine Rimmer has written more than one hundred contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. She has won Romantic Times BOOKreview’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Silhouette Special Edition. She has been nominated seven times for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award and five times for Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the Year.
A California native who first longed to be an actress, Christine earned her theater degree from California State, Sacramento and then went to New York to study acting. Later, she moved to Southern California, where she began her writing career with short stories, plays, and poems. Her poems and short stories were published in a number of small literary journals. Her plays were produced at The Back Alley and Group Theaters in Southern California and have been published by Dramatists Play Service and West Coast Plays.
She now lives in Oregon with her family and two very contented cats named Tom and Ed.
The Husband She Couldn’t Forget by Christine Rimmer is a 2019 Harlequin Special Edition publication.
Marvelous!
Ever wish you could have a do over? Well, Aly Santangelo and Connor Bravo are given a chance to do just that- start over from scratch. Will they learn from their mistakes or make the same ones all over again?
As Aly drives home to care for her mother in the last months of her later in life pregnancy, she has a terrifying car crash. Physically, she’s fine, but when she comes to, she starts asking for her husband, which is natural enough…. Except Aly and Connor Bravo are divorced- and have been for the past seven years! Unable to convince Aly that she is divorced now, her family reluctantly sends for Connor, to confirm the truth.
Once Aly and Connor meet again, and he explains to her why they divorced, she’s hurt and angry, but is still convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt they still love each other. Despite her memory loss, Aly decides to see if her instincts are right. They may still love each other, but can they resolve the issues that drove them apart in the first place?
Memory loss is frustrating for all concerned, but what if it afforded you a second chance, one that your pride, hurt, anger, and the passage of time probably would have kept you from even considering under ordinary circumstances?
Aly seizes the day, not knowing how it will all turn out, or if she will ever remember the way she felt when Connor bailed on her seven years ago. This is certainly a thought-provoking premise! Aly knew she and Connor loved each other, she knew he had lied, had been a selfish jerk, but she couldn’t really remember the pain she felt when they broke up. How will she really feel when or if her memory returns?
It was lovely watching Aly and Connor fall in love all over again, but of course, there is a shadow hanging over their rekindled romance. However, a twist neither of them saw coming might be just the catalyst they need to heal the still open wounds between them.
I enjoyed Connor and Aly’s story very much. Not only do we see them fall in love, we see other relationships heal, as the characters grow and mature, refusing to squander the second chance they’ve been given. I loved the way the couple decided to fight for each other and the work they put into making up for lost time and adding a lifetime of new memories to their long awaited HEA!!!
Aly Santangelo fell in love with her brother's best friend when she was 13 years old. Two years older, Connor Bravo adhered to the bro code as Aly grew up and grew increasingly more provocative, but when she arrived as a freshman at the University of Oregon in his junior year and her brother was in college way off in Portland, he could resist no longer. They dated throughout college and married her senior year, agreeing that they would move to New York when she graduated so she could pursue her dream job at an advertising firm in NYC.
However, when the time came to move to the apartment they had picked out in New York, he backed out. He wanted to stay in their small coastal town and support his eight siblings so they could grow up and become protagonists in a series of romance novels. (Except for that one brother, Finn, who disappeared on a family trip to Russia when he was just eight years old. In book 9 of the series, we'll discover if Finn was raised by wolves, kidnapped by vampires, or became the head of the bratva.) Aly, who had already accepted a job, asked Connor to join her in New York for just one year, then they could re-evaluate. He refused, so she moved to New York alone.
They didn't contact each other for two months, then divorce papers arrived at her door with the note "or you could come home" attached. (Whoa. My way or the highway.) She signed.
Two years later, on a trip home to see her parents, she happens to see her ex-husband out with a blonde. Do not be like me. Do not obsess over this blonde. Even though she is the nail in the coffin of their marriage, we hear nothing more about her.
It's now seven years since the divorce, and Aly has come home on extended leave from her job to support her mother through a difficult late-in-life pregnancy. (Mom is 48. Dad is 50.) Unfortunately, driving in from the airport, the heroine is distracted by thoughts of her ex, veers at the last minute to miss an oncoming vehicle in the wrong lane, and crashes into a tree.
At first everything seems all right at the hospital (owie, but normal). Then she asks her family where her husband is and they're shocked. It turns out Aly has the world's most selective amnesia. She has forgotten her time in New York and her divorce, but she hasn't regressed in mental age or forgotten her mother's pregnancy.
Here is where I start to mourn the difference between old school and new school category romance. In the old school, doctors with mail-order medical degrees would insist that the ex has to pretend to still be married to the heroine to avoid damaging her psyche and there would be weeks of awkward coverups ("where are all my clothes," she asked, peering in the closet) while attempting to dodge any sexual intimacy. Instead, we have accredited medical professionals recommending that the ex should come see her and explain their divorce.
When the hero gets the news, his response drains the last remnants of my enthusiasm for their romance: "There was no possibility of a future for them, together, anymore. They'd had something real and true and beautiful. All that was gone now, broken beyond repair, mostly by him. He didn't want to fix it. He didn't believe it could be fixed."
He didn't want to fix it? I'm feelin' the love.
After the hero reveals the details of their divorce to the heroine, she gets upset ("So then what you're really saying is that you were a total douche-basket who threw me and our marriage away?") and tells him to leave, but the next day she shows up at his house and asks to live with him for the fourteen weeks she's in town. Because that's the logical thing to do when you have amnesia and are supposed to be looking after your pregnant mom.
He's resistant (because he's not suffering from a recent head injury) but eventually gives in. She moves in that night. The next morning, while she's planning to make a home-cooked meal for their dinner, he announces he won't be home for dinner because he has a date that night. With Margo. (TMI: "Yeah, he had planned to bring Margo here after their date. Last Friday night they had come here -- to his bed." I'm going to assume this extraneous bit of information is made available to the readers so we don't assume his attraction to the heroine is the result of sexual deprivation.)
A chat with his brother at work makes the hero recognize that if he goes on this date, he can probably kiss any future with the heroine goodbye, so he calls Margo with just an hour's notice to cancel. And that's the last we hear of Margo. But when he gets home from work that evening, he finds his spare house key and a note from the heroine: "Never mind. I realize I can't do this, after all."
So her big "get my man back" plan lasted all of a day. Then he comes to fetch her and she agrees to go back. (We're only 1/3 through the book and I'm exhausted: hospital, home, his place, home, his place...)
There's mom's pregnancy to deal with. There's a lonely neighbor with a wandering cat who goes missing. The hero's youngest sister might be interested in the heroine's brother who is the hero's ex-best friend. The heroine struggles with how recovering her memories will affect her feelings for the hero and her (forgotten) career once the 14 weeks are up.
Amnesia has never been so boring. The heroine's parents are more romantic than the protagonists.
Also? There are like nine million books in the Bravo family saga. If your favorite author could write about only one family for the rest of her career, which family would you choose?
This isn’t your average amnesia storyline and I really enjoyed the twist the author added to bring about a second chance for this couple. At first Aly thinks she and Connor are still married but her bossy older brothers have no problem correcting the facts. As her memories begin to return Instead of being tortured by what she can’t remember Aly finds herself filled with regret because of the decision she made that led to her divorce 7 years ago. Connor is haunted by the huge mistake he made when he let Aly slip away from him and he’s not about to let her go again. I had to chuckle at Aly’s overprotective father and brothers who did their best to intimidate Connor before they realized that they needed to butt out of their sister’s marital business. I loved the story, all of the characters and everyone’s ability to learn from their mistakes and embrace the future. This time around Aly and Connor are determined to see each others point of view and that makes all the difference in the world. This is a very satisfying read. I read an early copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.
No. Just NO! This is NOT a romance for me when you have a douchebag hero sleeping with OW. First we learn that he was seen with a blonde 2 yrs after they divorced and then when heroine looses her memory and moves in with him, he has a date with OW whom he had brought home the day/week prior and slept with her AND was planning to bring her home again after heroine came back into the picture and asked to live with him? No. Just NO!!!
Then we have this lovely thought from the asshole - “there was no possibility of a future for them, together, anymore” and “He didn't want to fix it”. So what’s the point? Why is this a romance?
I agree with another reviewer that in the old days romances had substance and heart. These days however I don’t know who they are writing for when you have lines like this that kill the story.
Terrific second chance romance. I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down. Connor and Aly had married very young and divorced after only two years when Connor refused to follow up on his promise to move to New York with her. They haven't seen each other since then. Aly is on her way back to Valentine Bay to care for her mother, her mind on Connor and their past when she is involved in an accident. The resulting concussion blocks her memory of the seven years since their divorce.
This was an emotion-filled story. I could feel Aly's fear and frustration as everyone tried to convince her of the truth when all she wanted was to see Connor. When Aly's brother Dante showed up at Connor's door, Connor's fear of the worst was apparent. He has huge regrets over his part in the end of his marriage, and he will do anything to help Aly. Emotions ran high as Connor struggled to be both firm and kind as well as honest, Aly finally accepted the truth, and Aly's father and brothers reeked of hostility. Her reaction was understandably blunt, which made it even more of a surprise when she showed up at his house, asking to stay with him while she was in town.
I loved the rekindling of Connor and Aly's relationship. It is evident from the start that their feelings for each other never died. Though she still hasn't remembered anything, Aly is confident of her feelings for Connor and wants a chance to repair their relationship. She senses that he still cares, but that he is fighting it. Moving in with him is her way of trying to break down his walls. Connor realizes quickly that his feelings for Aly never died, but there are two things that argue against getting involved again. First, she is still recovering from her injuries, and he doesn't want to take advantage while she is vulnerable. Second, Aly will return to New York at the end of her stay, and that is a recipe for another broken heart. I loved watching Aly chip away at Connor's resistance until he finally gives in. He'll take what he can get and hope for the best at the end.
I liked seeing them get to know each other as they are now. There are plenty of sweet scenes of everything from cooking together to walks on the beach to quiet movie nights. Though it's always in the back of their minds, both of them put off thinking about what will happen when Aly leaves. I cried for both of them when her memories of their divorce returned, and she had to deal with the pain all over again. Aly's discovery of her pregnancy is a complication that adds to her confusion over what she wants for her future. Both she and Connor have some things to work through that create quite a bit of tension. There were times I wondered if Connor had learned anything from his past mistakes. His big moment at the end was fantastic and showed that he finally got it.
I loved the family relationships in this book. The Bravos are as close as ever, and it was great to see them. Aly's attendance at the family dinners entailed catching her up on their lives, which also served as a reminder to the reader of what had gone before. I really liked how Aly was pulled back in with little fuss. Daniel still serves as the family advisor and does a great job of helping Connor with his decision at the end. Aly's family was terrific too. Aly was the youngest, with three older brothers, meaning she suffered through a lot of overprotectiveness. I enjoyed the glimpses of her life growing up with them, especially with her brother Dante. That she fell in love with Dante's best friend created deeper issues later on. It was both funny and emotional to see the changes that Connor and Dante's friendship goes through over those years. There was a terrific scene that involved Dante and Connor's sister Grace that made me laugh at Connor's reaction and wonder if the tables will be turned at a later date. I liked Aly's relationship with her mom and the help and understanding she received. I loved that Aly's mom was firmly on their side and kept the guys somewhat in check.
A Husband She Couldn’t Forget The Bravos of Valentine Bay Christine Rimmer
Christine Rimmer’s latest, number 6 in her Bravo of Valentine Bay series, The Husband She Couldn’t Forget is fantastic a second chance romance that shows that two people can make it right the second time around and readers will love seeing her couple rebuild their relationship. In this heartwarming story Alyssa is an endearing character, close to her family especially her mom, while Conner is all man, bluff, ego and pride so even though readers will empathize with him it’s still nice to see him brought to his knees by love. There’s an unforgettable cast of costars who add so much to the tale some beautiful settings and a solid plot making this a wonderful can’t put it down tale. The standouts are definitely Alyssa and Conner and the realistic Santangelo family dynamics.
Alyssa Santangelo was her way home to the Pacific Northwest to help care for her mom who at forty-eight is on bed rest due to late-in-life high-risk pregnancy when she’s involved in a terrible automobile accident. When she wakes up she doesn’t remember lamenting the fact that she’ll have to see her ex again after all the years they've been apart, in fact when she wakes up she doesn’t remember the last seven years. That’s how long her family tells her that she’s been divorced. She’s convinced they’re lying until her (ex) husband shows up and confirms it. If she could remember it maybe then she’d believe it because just seeing him tells her how much she loves him and if she can believe the look in his eyes he loves her too.
Conner Bravo can’t believe that his ex-wife is back in Valentine Bay suffering from amnesia demanding to see him thinking they’re still married. Is this a sign to make right the wrongs he did to her seven years ago when he lied to her and walked away from her and their life together like it didn’t matter. He’ll take the second chance even if he doesn’t deserve it.
I should have looked here first because I Accidentally read it again and I hated it. I think my eyes are bleeding. It was a long time and neither of them were celibate and he a current girlfriend and just had sex with her a couple of days before and I feel nauseous. Not a romance to me.
This story really resonated with me. My husband and I married at 20 same as Aly. We divorced after about 2 years as did Aly and Connor. The rest didn't go the same way but suffice it to say we got our happily ever after. Aly needed to follow her dreams even though she thought Connor was on the same page, he wasn't and was to chicken to tell her. He regretted it ever since. Family matters brings Aly and Connor back together although it is a rocky situation and they have a lot of things they need to work out. I love this story probably more than the other Bravo stories since it hit so close to home. I hope you enjoy it to.
I love this latest book in the continuing mini series The Bravos of Valentine Bay. It is book five in the series but can also be read as a stand alone.
Alyssa Santangelo and Connor Bravo are two very young adults who have been attracted to one another since they were in their early teens. Connor was Alyssa's brother Dante's best friend. Connor resisted the attraction because she was his best friend's little sister. When they find themselves at the same University they can no longer fight the attraction and being away from home they decided to act on it. They marry soon after! They live in the small town of Valentine Bay where they both grew up. Connor is helping his brother with the family business and Aly has dreams and aspirations of moving to and working in a big city. After two years of marriage Aly has decided to follow her dreams thinking that her husband was on board with the decision as they had discussed it before and he'd agreed. Connor only lets her believe that this is what he wants thinking that he could eventually change her mind about moving.
When he tells her that he has changed his mind she goes anyway hoping that he would eventually follow. Instead, after two months of non communication Aly received divorce papers in the mail with a note attached that says "you can come home" she responds to the note out of hurt and anger, with one of her own that reads "or not", and signs the papers.
Seven years have passed and Aly finds herself taking a leave of absence from her job to care for her pregnant mother who is on bed rest. On her way and just about home, Aly's swerves her rental car to avoid an oncoming car that has crossed into her lane and she hits a tree.
Aly wakes up in the hospital surrounded by her dad and four brothers. She has cuts and bruises and a mild concussion. It's when she asks where her husband Connor is and why he is not at the hospital that they discover she has amnesia and can't remember the last seven years of her life.
Her brother Dante reluctantly visits Connor and tells him that Aly has come home and of the accident that has taken place explaining that she has selective Amnesia and that she can't remember the last seven years of her life, she thinks that she and Connor are still married. He asks that Connor talk to Aly and tell her that they have been divorced for that amount of time.
Aly believes Connor when they talk but mind tells her one thing and her heart tells her another. She still loves him and decides that moving in with him might help them resolve some of their issues. She is hoping that they can repair the hurt and pain and eventually find closure and move on, even though she still loves him. He allows her to move in because he still loves her and blames himself for the divorce due to his being young, pig headed and stubborn.
Aby spends her evenings with Connor and her days taking care of her mom. She and Connor begin to share that same closeness that existed early on in their marriage. Aly hopes it will bring them back together. There are many twists and turns leading up to a resolution but all of it is well worth it.
I highly suggest you read this latest story in this series. I think you will enjoy it as much as I have. It's a wonderful second chance love story .
A HUSBAND SHE COULDN'T FORGET by Christine Rimmer was Harlequin Special Edition #2720 (Oct. 2019). It's a "second chance romance" about a couple that divorced seven years earlier because our heroine Alyssa Santangelo left to pursue her career in New York when her husband Connor Bravo wanted to remain in their hometown of Valentine Bay, Oregon. (This book is part of a series called "The Bravos of Valentine Bay," but can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.) On the way back home to Oregon to care for her pregnant mother, Aly has a car accident and suffers memory loss of the past seven years, thinking she is still married to Connor. Eventually she is convinced of the truth about this, but the situation offers both of them a chance to start over. As Aly gradually recovers her memories of her former life, the problem that previously kept them apart is still present: she wants to live in Manhattan where she works and he wants to remain in Valentine Bay helping his brother with their lumber business. The problem is finally resolved in a satisfactory way, where the reader gets both the hero's "grovel" moment and the heroine is able to make a decision about her future that is not dependent on pleasing her man at the expense of her own life choices.
I'd not read a Harlequin Special Edition before, but I assumed the sensuality content was low due to the covers usually showing sweet scenes, often populated by ranchers and babies. But there are a few sex scenes here, including one that takes place in the shower which climaxes on page 114 with our hero "shooting his finish against her soft belly, the water from the showerhead pouring down over them, washing it all away." This doesn't prevent them from then going to the bedroom and doing it all over again for the next few pages, this time using a condom. Afterwards they fall asleep, where she "still held him inside her, her leg hitched over his hip, keeping him in place." When they wake up later, on page 118, she moves her body away from him and he sees that the condom was "halfway off and leaking." So, that's two mentions of semen (without calling it that) within five pages. But those five pages probably have the most sexual content in the novel; there are a couple more sex scenes, but I don't recall them being as graphic (if one considers non-explicit phrases like "shooting his finish" graphic). In a way, it's like a Hallmark movie, but one where the characters are occasionally shown having orgasms and talking about birth control. That may sound weird, but it's effective in offering a pleasant and relatable story for many adult readers. Amnesia as depicted here, of course, seems to happen more often in fiction than in real life (there is an excerpt from another romance that also involves "temporary amnesia" at the back of the book), but it's the only fanciful aspect of a plot that otherwise seems to depict down-to-earth events. Overall it's a pleasant read about likable people -- and I haven't even mentioned the neighbor's cat (also likable). What's not to like?
BORING! I only went as far as Chapter 3 and...NO! I can't deal! This is one of THE most boring books, I read this year! This is the first book by Christine Rimmer that I bought. Sorry to say, my money was WASTED! Every page just drags on! Alyssa Santangelo has an accident and low and behold, the only thing her amnesia grasps onto is her husband, that she divorced 7 years ago!
They married when she was 22 and he 24! Stupidly Alyssa was single minded to move to big city NY, from Oregon, but her husband, Connor, was equally determined that he is staying in Oregon, to be CFO at the family timber business. As neither is prepared to budge, they divorce. She moves to NYC and joins an Ad Company. He stays in Oregon and works the family Timber job!
Now fast forward, 7 years later. She has the accident and wants to live in his house in Oregon, to supposedly find the disclosure of their wasted marriage! Really! No other plit to whet the reader's appetite!
Then there is the heroine's father and brothers who are just high testosterone, flexing verbal diarrhea at Connor!
So that is up to Chapter 3.
There are no sparks. No chemical attraction between the two WHATSOEVER! The author FAILED to develop the character's of the hero and heroine! You don't want to turn the page. You just want to STOP the torture of reading that book!
There's no inner conflict that spurs the reader on! Nothing of the high calibre of normal Mills & Boon authors, that keep you riveted! I thought from the Title, there would be explosive chemistry, undeniable attraction, captivating text, but ALAS! Only disappointment from the author!
I can't count the number of Mills & Boon novels, I have read, but they are over 500!
A Husband She couldn't Forget by Christine Rimmer was one of THE worst books I've come across!
Married young….poor communication skills….stubborn pride…..can equal divorced young, which is what happened in the case of Connor and Aly in “A Husband She Couldn’t Forget” by Christine Rimmer. Connor and Aly divorced seven years ago, a fact Aly didn’t remember after a car accident left her with partial amnesia.
Back home from New York City, Aly was taking time off from her dream job to help her mother (who is on bed rest because of a pregnancy at 48 – yep, 48). After the accident, she talked Connor into letting her stay at his house while she waited for the rest of her memories to come back. She would be with her mom during the day and go back to her ex’s house at night. Simple, right?
Sure, it is! Connor’s family slowly welcomes her back, much better than Aly’s family welcomed Connor back into her life. Of course, that may have been what she led them to believe all those years ago. (Most of the time, it does take two, you know?) Connor and Aly talk about the things that happened and start to work through issues that they should have worked through all those years ago and then……
An unplanned pregnancy…..Aly’s need to go back to New York for her job…..Connor’s devotion to the family business in their home town….neither willing – still – to give up their respective jobs. How does their story end? In their hometown? In New York? Or somewhere else? Buy your own copy of “A Husband She Couldn’t Forget” by Christine Rimmer and find the answer out for yourself. You’ll enjoy the read!
Once again Christine Rimmer knocks it out of the park with a story line me, as a reader could not put down until it was finished. Aly and Conner had married young and after college went their separate ways due to career wants and stubborn attitudes. Fast forward 7 years later when Aly is involved in an Auto accident that leaves her memory of the last 7 years gone. She is angry and confused as to why her husband is not there with her during recovery. Her family tries to educate her that she is no longer married to Conner but Aly does not believe that she does not love him. The family enlists in Conner (although they really do not want him near her) to help Aly understand and believe what is real and what is not. During her recovery, Aly insists she stay with Conner and although he thinks it’s a bad idea, he agrees. They both know that they love each other deeply but Aly has a career in New York and Conner has a family business with his brother here in Valentine Bay. Aly heals and her memory slowly returns. Aly has to go back to New York and to work. A twist in their decisions on how far they are willing to go or give up comes when Aly finds out that she is pregnant with Conner’s child. Will Aly give up her career and return to Conner in Valentine Bay? Will Conner give up his role in the family business and go to Aly in New York in order to finally have her and his impending child? Will the love conquer their stubbornness? You won't be disappointed with this storyline. A must read to find out what happens between Aly and Conner.
What a fabulous story. Aly and Connor married young, encountered differing opinions about careers and living arrangements, then divorced. Easy...except it wasn't.
With Connor staying in Oregon and Aly headed to the bright lights of New York City, they never really did anything except sign the papers. Neither tried at all to fix their relationship...they were young and dumb and too proud to even try to work things out.
A car accident while Aly is returning to help her family during her mother's high-risk pregnancy, skews her reality and dissociative amnesia dismisses the divorce from her mind! Aly thinks she and Connor are still married! Even when Connor tells her they've been divorced for 7 years, she doesn't believe him! Her family wants him out of her life, but that’s not what she wants.
So now where do they go? Aly wants to try again, but she doesn't remember NYC, and what happens when and if she does? Connor realizes he still has feelings for Aly, but does he want to risk his heart? Will Aly remember her high-powered job and the perks of being a single woman in Manhattan? Can Connor open up and do what's right this time? Will the biggest surprise of all make them look forward together?
What a good, fun, quick read. I loved the characters and the chance to revisit Valentine Bay and the Bravo family.
A Husband She Couldn’t Forget is another great book in Christine Rimmer’s The Bravos of Valentine Bay series. This book was my favorite from the series and was a second chance at love story and melted my heart.
Connor and Aly were very young when they married which played a large part in their breakup. Flash forward to a few years later, seven years later actually and Aly is back in his world when she returns home to take care of her mother. But before she reaches town, she’s involved in an accident that throws a wrench into the mix. Aly wakes up with temporary amnesia and loses the last seven years of her life. Connor is still single and helps her recover.
As time goes by and she regains her memory, will they realize they still love one another and never stopped loving each other? Will they realize that their happiness is with each other and they are each other’s forever?
I couldn’t put this down and was sad when it ended even though there was a happily ever after ending. This was a wonderful addition to a brilliant series and I couldn’t wait to read it. A Husband She Couldn’t Forget is a standalone book and it isn’t necessary to read the other four books first, I suggest reading the whole series. You won’t be sorry.
I received an advance copy from the author which had no influence on my honest review.
They divorced 7 years ago because pride got in their way. Her accident brings her back into his life. Can they come back together after years apart?
Alyssa Santangelo is headed home to take care of her pregnant mother. A car accident gives her amnesia. Aly thinks she's still married to Connor Bravo. They've been divorced for 7 years. Connor agrees to help Aly out. She decides that she wants to live with him until she heads home to New York and her dream job. He's reluctant to pick up where all those years ago. Both have never been out of love with each other. Aly realizes she wants back into Connors life. He tries to keep his distance but with Aly constantly around he's not having any success. Between trying to keep on the good side of her family and keeping Aly at a distance, Connor has his hands full.
Christine Rimmer continues her Bravo's of Valentine Bay with The Husband She couldn't Forget. A unique twist of lovers separated and brought back together when an accident gives one of them amnesia and they get a second chance to renew the love they had all those years ago. Ms. Rimmer at her best with her Bravo series. A emotional story of lost love found again with a few complications thrown in to spice things up. You can't go wrong with one of her books. Unfortunately they're over way to soon and you must wait anxiously for the next installment.
Another wonderful story in The Bravos of Valentine Bay series! This 5th book about the family is Connor's story. He has been there for his siblings though all the challenges and issues in the family. Now Connor's ex wife reappears in his life years after their divorce. She was hurt in an accident on her way to Valentine's Bay and thinks they are still married. She has lost memories of her life since the divorce. She doesn't believe her family when they tell her that she is no longer married to Connor. After some confrontations with her family, they agree to her request to see Connor. She asks that he let her live in his house to help her memories return and to get some distance from the constant overprotectiveness of her dad and brothers. He reluctantly agrees. She hides the fact from Connor and others that her memories have started returning. She is seeing a therapist and does confide a lot in her mom. There is plenty of family conflict and hostility within her family about her staying with Connor. I don't like to post spoilers so I am going to leave the major parts of the story for you to discover as Connor and Aly head to their HEA. As Always, Christine's heroine is a strong woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants!! Looking forward to Liam's story next, The Right Reason to Marry.
A Husband She Couldn’t Forget is the fifth book in Christine Rimmer’s The Bravos of Valentine Bay series. This book was Ms. Rimmer at her finest! A second chance romance that grabbed at my heartstrings. Connor and Aly were relatively young when they first married. Youth and immaturity played a part in their breakup.
Now seven years later, Aly is thrust back into his world when she goes home to take care of her mother. But before she reaches town, she’s involved in an accident that has repercussions. With temporary amnesia she’s lost the last seven years of her life.
Thankfully, Connor is single and able to help her recover. As time passes and she regains her memory, will they realize they never stopped loving one another? Will they reunite and find their forever?
I couldn’t put this down and read it in one sitting. A Husband She Couldn’t Forget is a wonderful addition to this series that I highly recommend reading. It is a standalone book, but I suggest reading the other books in the series as well.
I received an advance copy which I chose to read and review. This is my honest opinion.
Aly Santangelo is on her way home to help her Mom during her last month's of her pregnancy. She is thinking about her ex, Connor Bravo and how much she hates him for what he put her through,and hoping she doesn't run into him while she is home, when she has a car accident. She ends up with a concussion and they keep her overnight, when she wakes up the next day, she demands to know why her husband isn't with her! She has amnesia. So, her brother Dante who has had a falling out with Connor, goes to him and asks him to come see her. That is the new beginning for them, Aly wants to stay with Connor, while she recovers, and while he doesn't mind, he doesn't want to lead her on. But their attraction is still so strong and soon they are acting like a married couple again. Aly starts to remember things about her life, her job she loves and she has choices she has to make. When the same reason they divorced the first time comes up will that keep them apart again? I love second chance stories and this was a great one, it's a Bravo story but was told mostly from Aly's family's point of view, with a few Bravo's here and there. You will love watching Connor and Alt find each other again!
I love the series of "The Bravos of Valentine Bay" by Christine Rimmer and her newest book in the series "A Husband She Couldn't Forget" is one of my favorite reads this year. Connor Bravo fell for his best friend Dante's little sister Alyssa Siobhan Santangelo when they were still teenagers. He was 15 and she was 13 when she showed up at the beach the boys went to in a red bikini. He kissed her that day and they both knew that what they had was taboo, but also special. Fast forward a few years and they are both in college. They ended up marrying young, but when Aly's job took her to New York Connor finally told her the truth about not wanting to leave Valentine Bay. It's been 7 years since they've been around each other but Aly's Mom, Cat, was pregnant again and she told her family that she would be there to help out. On the day of her arrival back at Valentine Bay Aly was in an auto accident and was diagnosed with temporary Amnesia. Aly thinks that she is still married and is demanding to see her husband.
A Husband She Couldn't Forget by Christine Rimmer is the 5th book in The Bravo's of Valentine Bay series. This book can be read as a standalone. The Bravo family is huge and once you read about them you are done you fall in love with the entire family and have to continue their stores. This book is a second chance romance between Aly and Connor.
Aly is coming home to help with her family. She has a tragic incident that causes her to loose her memory.
Connor has lived in Valentine Bay his entire life and is extremely loyal to his family. So loyal that staying to work the family business has already caused him to loose the love of his life. Will he be able to win her back since she can't remember how they ended.
Such an absolutely lovely read. I could not put this book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my honest opinion and in no reflects how the book was obtained.
I just loved A Husband She Couldn't Forget by Christine Rimmer!!! Aly Santangelo is in a car accident that leaves her with amnesia. She forgets the heartbreak of her divorce from her ex-husband and her move to New York. What she does remember is her deep lasting love for Connor. Connor cannot believe it when his ex-wife shows up thinking they are still married. He soon realizes his passion for Aly has never died and one thing quickly leads to another.... I love second chance romances and Christine Rimmer's A Husband She Couldn't Forget is one of the best. You will be captivated by the passion and love between Connor and Aly. You will be cheering for their reconciliation and the new joyous event soon to come!!! A Husband She Couldn't Forget is a wonderful addition to The Bravos of Valentine Bay! I cannot wait for Christine Rimmer's next wonderful romance!!! I
Continuing the Bravos of Valentine's Bay series, this one is about compromise and the consequences of not following through on promises. It took me a little bit to get into it but the story grabs your heart strings and pulls tight. Aly and Connor get a second chance when she has an accident and he steps up to take care of her. For me, the beginning was a little slow but I loved how Christine Rimmer brought them together. I think the best scene was when Connor wakes up to find that Aly remembers everything.
The family interactions between Connor and Aly's family are funny and typical of big brothers protecting their sister while Connor's family accepts Aly like she's always been one of them. The family dynamics are a great example of how big families pull together.
Aly Santangelo has a car accident on her way home to help her pregnant mother and in doing so, sustains partial amnesia that has her thinking she's still married to the man she divorced seven years earlier. Connor Bravo knows he messed up big time, but he's never been out of love with Aly, even though he knows he doesn't deserve a second chance.
But Aly decides she needs to clear things up with him while attending her mother before she goes back to her job in NYC, which is why she asks if she can move in with him. Not what her four brothers want her to do, but her mother seems to understand.
In spite of a few other unforgettable hick-ups, things are going swimmingly until Aly suspects she might be pregnant but insists on going back to her job after her mother gives birth. What's Connor going to do this time? Stay home like before or go after her? Wanna make a bet?
Alyssa (Aly) Santangelo is driving to her childhood home when she has a car accident—luckily, her only serious injury is an odd case of amnesia. Aly can’t remember that she’s divorced (and has been for a number of years), and keeps insisting to see her ex-husband. Connor Bravo regrets how he ended his marriage to Aly, and jumps at the chance to help her re-gain her memory. In the process of Connor helping Aly recover, the two rekindle their love for another. While the story itself is sweet, the love scenes are awkward and the dialogue “sounds” unrealistic. Overall, a sweet romance but the writing left much to be desired.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Aly was on the way home to help her pregnant mother ends up in a car accident. She now has no memory of the last few years, her divorce, her life in New York. Conner is around to convince her they are separated but clearly the heat is still there. As Aly waits for her memory to come back she and Conner decide they are going to see whats between then until she has to go.
I love a good second chance book and this one was cute. I've read plenty of amnesia stories and was curious to see how this author would twist and make it her own unique version. I liked seeing how this book played out, seeing that romance that never left get stronger with each page and problem that came their way. Overall this was a pretty good book I enjoyed it.
Another great view inside Valentine Bay. This time, Aly is on her way to help her mom while she's resting up, pregnant with her little sibling. An accident she barely remembers took away some of her memories from the last few years. She wonders where her husband is, since everyone else is there but him. She issues an ultimatum that someone had better get him, and now. Everyone in the room looks at each other wondering what to say to her. Conner is surprised to be on his way to the hospital to tell his ex wife that they've been divorced for 7 years. He wasn't sure exactly how to do that. This book is another great Bravo book!
Conner Bravo and Alyssa Santangelo were married for a brief time 7 years ago, disagreeing about her new job in New York. However, Alyssa's mom, Catriona, at 45, is pregnant with her 5th child, and is in bed due to to complications. So, Alyssa takes a break from work, and travels cross country to Oregon to help with her mother's care. However, when she's almost there, she's in a car accident that leaves her with partial amnesia - she doesn't remember she's divorced!
With both of them now older, can Conner and Alyssa get back together? Duh, of course, but the journey is good. I like Christine Rimmer's long running Bravo family series.
Christine Rimer's latest book A HUSBAND SHE COULDN'T FORGET certainly puts a new twist to romance. After seven years of trying to forget hw great their marriage was - before it wasn't and they divorced. Aly and Connor Bravo are thrown together by circumstances and their mutual explosive attraction is still there. The troube is only Connor remembers thee end of thier marriage and their seven years apart. Watching them establish a new "old" relationship was a fun read. Thanks, Christine for putting a new twist to romance.