Walk Into Tomorrow

by Rosemary Carter

INTEREST IN A NEW MAN WAS NOT PART OF HER PLANS

After her traumatic experience, Cathy was convinced her newly acquired teahouse in the Canadian Rockies was the place to start life afresh.

Perhaps it was drastic action, but Cathy wanted time to come to terms with what had happened to her, and a safe haven away from the world --- especially men.

The last thing she needed was an unexpected, albeit thoughtful, welcome from her nearest neighbor, Nicholas Perry --- or maybe it was.

189 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1986

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Badly aged book where the former ski champion and now hotel magnate hero tries to "cure" the trauma of the artist heroine's past sexual assault with the magic of his penis while they are stranded in a snowstorm in a dilapidated teahouse perched atop a mountain somewhere in the Canadian Rockies.

This isn't an uncommon trope in these old-timey Harlequins but this was particularly clumsy as the author expects the reader to believe the heroine can make an abrupt "recovery" AND fall in love with this strange man within 3-4 days of meeting him.

Just the fact that the book is old and reflects outdated societal attitudes and beliefs about PTSD and sexual assault victims is not enough to let the author off the hook for this implausible and tacky plot. Look at what Charlotte Lamb did with Stranger in the Night and that was five years before this book. She at least gave her protagonist seven years from the assault, plus a slow, increasingly reliable, consistent, trustworthy, and platonic relationship with her hero before she gave them their HEA.

The only positive thing I can say is that the heroine was at least extremely sympathetic and the author did a pretty good job of conveying her very real anguish not just from the assault but the brutal aftermath of police questioning, a public trial, lurid news headlines and being the target of victim-blamers and slut-shamers, which was just as emotionally destructive as the assault that started this domino of misery.

The hero on the other hand left me cold. He seemed to to totally lose interest in her once she wouldn't consummate their relationship and was incredibly impatient when she just couldn't "get over" her insecurities and trauma FOUR FREAKING days after meeting him.

After the snow storm subsided and he left her to her own devices, be went on merrily back with his life and never contacted her again, for months, not even to see if she needs supplies or is doing okay in that isolated spot, despite the fact that his hotel was literally at the bottom of the same mountain where she was residing.

Once the heroine gets the wherewithal to overcome her agoraphobia and venture down, she sees him positively drowning in girlfriends, one of which publicly slut-shames the heroine once she recognizes her from the tabloid photos of her trial. The hero did nothing to protect the heroine or berate the OW.

And of courses he jumped into the arms and gave a lingering kiss to yet another OW right in front of heroine's face. After all that, how does the author expect her readers to believe in his abrupt "I have loved you since day one, and couldn't eat, live or breathe without you since" declaration on the last page? Poor heroine fell for it though. She really needed a good therapist instead of a dubious marriage :(

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cathy Lennox buys a remote teahouse in the Canadian Rockys to recover after an attempted rape. When she gets there Nicolas Perry is there to welcome her. She's weary and wants him to leave but unfortunately it's to dark for him to go down the mountain to his hotel, that he owns, so he has to stay the night. The H realises that something's amiss with the h. After she panics a couple of times he finally drags the story out of her. He tries to convince her that a life of isolation is not the answer. Fortunately there's a blizzard and he has to stay, so he has plenty of time to do that. Now the sexual healing begins. Once they almost go all the way but she panics again. The next day the snow has melted and the H decides to leave before something happens. A couple of weeks later the h hears from some guests, visiting her teahouse, that there's going to be a ski tournament and decides to go and see if the H is there. He is and he's glad to see her but he's surrounded by beautiful woman and the h feels jealous witch scares her so she goes back to the teahouse. The H fallows of course. And they end up making love. There affair is hampered by the fact that they live so far from each other. But the h realises that she loves him and is happy. But then she hears that the H has always wanted the house and now she thinks that that's the only reason he's interested in her. She confronts him and tells him that she is willing to sell because she doesn't won't to stay there any more. He tells her he might buy it and that she should go home ant think. She waits for him to get in touch but ends up going to him. He says he will by it on one condition. That she come with the house. You can guess the rest! HEA.
I liked this book, but then I have I thing about damage heroins and the heros who try to fix them. I also havet a thing for cabin fever books which this is, so double win!

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why but I found this book a bit of a snooze fest H wanted tea house that h bought to hide away from the world in H meets h he falls in love she blows hot and cold after a traumatic experience, big misunderstanding they kiss and make up HEA I feel a little jaded with this one tbh it's a familiar tale and I like a bit more angst in mine