Abigail's Revenge

by Pat Ballard

Romantic suspense from the Queen of Rubenesque Romances. Abigail Avery was falsely convicted of the murder of her father and sent to prison when she was only eighteen years old. The supposedly good citizens of Leaky Springs, Mississippi were silent as an innocent young woman was orphaned, accused, swiftly tried and locked away. Her only clue in the travesty of justice is that a bunch of crooked "good ole boys"--headed by the judge who presided at her trial--keep pestering her to sell the family farm. Now, a decade later, Abigail's out of prison and heading back to Leaky Springs. It won't be a pleasant homecoming. She's out for revenge on the people who stole ten years of her life. Especially the judge. Janet Elaine Smith, author of bestselling Dunnottar, says "Pat Ballard has once again woven a tale intense with mystery, intrigue and romance. This is one that will keep you guessing..."

Genres: Romance

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Daisiemae]

Okay, I admit I have a lot going on. I tried to read this book a couple of months ago, and it was well...terrible.
I have been burned by this author before, so I figure I won't be trying any more of her books.
The heroine was just not likable. She drove me crazy with her obsession on revenge. I thought she was hateful and not and there wasn't any chemistry between her and the hero.
The hero needed a backbone. He needed to tell the herione off, take a vacation, find an island girl and get laid.
I didn't even complete the book. I just couldn't. YUCK

[Lynne]

I didn't finish this book. I read about 60 pages. I liked the idea of someone who has spent time in jail for something they didn't do coming back to prove what really happened. I thought that might be a good story.

However, the reason I didn't get far was mostly the hero/love interest, Desh. I thought he was so, so creepy. For ten years, he waits for Abigail to get out of jail, even though they barely knew each other in high school. He became a lawyer so he could right the wrong done to her (obsess much?). He buys her grandparents' old property that has an underground cave directly to her home. Then when she comes home, he shows up unexpectedly, he ogles her and makes comments about her body, he doesn't listen to anything she has to say, and worst of all, he stops everything and insists she answer stupid questions like what career she imagined he would have. He comes across at worst as a complete psychopath and at best a self-involved nutcase. I'd run for the hills if I were her.

I can't get past that. He is just such an obsessive stalker that I cannot buy into Abigail's attraction to him. She gets all blushy and shy and all the stereotypical things that happen in romance novels. Why is she such a naive idiot when she has spent the last 10 years navigating life in prison? I cannot stand by and watch such a dysfunctional relationship develop.