Review: A Note From An Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker

Title:  A Note From An Old Acquaintance

Author:  Bill Walker

Series:  None

Genre:  Romance

Published:  June 2009

Publisher:  iUniverse

How I Got It:  Reviewed for Pump Up Your Book Tour

Book Summary

Brian Weller is a haunted man. It’s been two years since the tragic accident that left his three-year-old son dead and his wife in an irreversible coma. A popular author of mega-selling thrillers, Brian’s life has reached a crossroads: his new book is stalled, his wife’s prognosis is dire, and he teeters on the brink of despair.

Everything changes the morning an e-mail arrives from Boston artist Joanna Richman. Her heartfelt note brings back all the poignant memories: the night their eyes met, the fiery passion of their short-lived affair, and the agonizing moment he was forced to leave Joanna forever. Now, fifteen years later, the guilt and anger threaten to overwhelm him. Vowing to make things right, Brian arranges a book-signing tour that will take him back to Boston. He is eager to see Joanna again, but remains unsure where their reunion will lead. One thing is certain: the forces that tore their love asunder will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

My Thoughts

I was really skeptical about reading this book.  The cover art didn't sway me, but the book summary made take a second look.   I've only read a few romances written by guys, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get into it.  But, as soon as I started reading, it was hard for me to put it down. 

A Note From  An Old Acquaintance is a story about love and dealing with the consequences of it.  It wasn’t a fast paced story, nor was it too slow.  The story did flip back and forth between the past and present and between Brian and Joanna’s point of views.  I was confused at first, but as the story progressed, it was easy to catch up.

The romance between Brian and Joanna was sweet.  It was obvious that they were soul mates, but I had major problems with the way they choose to carry on their relationship. It wasn’t that it wasn’t believable, because it was. I just felt that they should have dealt with the romance openly instead of sneaking around.  It would have made their romance a lot easier, but then the story would have been a whole lot shorter and l would have missed out on some great drama.

I wanted to like Joanna but found that I couldn’t.  She seemed like a greedy person to me.  Things were already iffy with her fiancee, Eric, but when she met Brian, it was clear who her heart belonged to. 

Brian, I felt was caught up and greedy at the same time.  He knew Joanna belonged to someone else and was just happy to spend whatever time with her that she allowed.  He made that mistake once and still allowed himself to make it a second time.

My  Rating  1/2

Despite not agreeing with the way Brian and Joanna found their happy ending, I was still glad that they found it.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  It was a nice change from my everyday romantic reads.  It just goes to show that men can write romance just as well as women, but offer a fresh look through foreign eyes.  I give A Note From An Old Acquaintance four and ½ flowers of love.  I also recommend it to anyone that doesn’t believe love can last through distant and time.

Read an excerpt