So yes, I've been debating whether to review Sweet Baby or Angels Fall. Of course, I could do both... but I'm in a lazy mood. I enjoyed my re-read of Angels Fall better, but I've already reviewed a Nora Roberts for the challenge... Hmmm, LOL, I guess maybe another time, I'll review it again since it deserves a proper review...
Sweet Baby by Sharon Sala
published by Mira in January 1998
Little Girl Lost...
It all happened a long time ago, so long ago that Tory Lancaster no longer remembers being a little girl who came home to an empty house. Tory is a woman now, trying to leave behind a legacy of abandonment and sorrow, desperate to love but forever afraid to trust. Only in Brett Hooker's arms does she find peace, but there's something Brett doesn't know, something even she doesn't know.
A Woman Found...
Tory is about to come face-to-face with her past, a past haunted by a mysterious tattooed man and the doll that was her only friend. With Brett's help she can meet the past head-on - if it doesn't drive them apart. So many secrets, so little time, and all for the love of ... Sweet Baby.
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none
The Story: I think that the blurb tried to sound too mysterious. It's also a bit misleading, although the basis is correct. When she was 6 years old, Tory came back home to an abandoned house. No trace of her mother or the man they lived with. The little girl waited and waited and waited...
Fast-forward to the present, Tory is now a woman and a photograph. She has repressed those long ago memories. Although she doesn't remember, those events still have repercussions on her life. Tory is involved with Brett Hooker, a wonderful man... but she can't help testing him, leaving for long stretches of time and see if he will be there when she returns. In the meantime, Brett feels insecure. If Tory loved him, she wouldn't keep leaving him behind... A tragic incident will bring Tory and Brett together, making their relationship stronger than ever... Till Tory ups and leaves again... and this time, Brett won't be there when she returns. Having decided Tory needed time to figure things out, Brett moves out to give her some space... Returning to an empty apartment and the picture of a tattooed man will make Tory remember and want to find out what happened all those years ago.
My Opinion: Okay, not the best summary, but you get the gist of the storyline... What made me loved this book years ago was the poignancy of the storyline. Can you imagine coming home to nothing? The abandonment feeling that Tory must have felt? Then to discover what happened... it was just so sad...
I still love the characters in this book. Tory and Brett are good together and good for each other. And Tory definitively loves Brett, there's no doubt about it. There's an incident that happens in the book that I don't want to give away, but Brett gets injured from it. Tory's determination to stay with him. The lady is strong. I also love Brett. I liked the fact that he was so considerate. That's a trait I find appealing in Ms Sala's heroes. They know when to push and when to retreat. I also liked the fact that neither are perfect.
Sweet Baby was an enjoyable book with a poignant storyline. There is a slow build-up to the climax which allows the readers to get to know the characters better and their relationship. I thought all the events were quite interesting and I liked the ending, when Tory returns to her hometown to find out the truth. The epilogue was also very cute :P
What I like about Ms Sala is the book is almost more than what the back blurb is about. In many of her books, there are events that are not linked to the main storyline... but it puts things into prospective and gives better insight on the characters. I guess it's part of her writing style and something I like about her :) Sweet Baby is no exception.
My only complaint about this re-read is that knowing the events and what was happened, it didn't impact me the way it the first did.
My Grade: B.
