For some people, escaping a small town is a singular goal.   For others, that same small town is their very heart and soul and a safe haven.  Unforgettable revolves around such a town - Hope, Texas - named for the wealthy family that literally owns it.

Riley Stone is a successful chanteuse, not in a pop-star mold, but as a torch singer.  She doesn't care about the rich and famous part, just the stability of making a living doing what she loves.  She leaves the night club scene in Austin to return to the town where she grew up as an outcast misunderstood and ostracized but the one place where she feels comfortable.  Her brash exterior hides the pain she endured growing up, but her gentle personality shines through and the small town of Hope embraces her return.

Jackson Hope is the gangly boy Riley had a crush on all through high school, but like all the other kids growing up; he believed the vicious rumors surrounding the blond bombshell and was embarrassed by his attraction to her.  His return to Hope years later provides a shock.  He is ashamed at the way his father has let the town crumble.  On the verge of financial ruin, he wants to step in to rebuild the quaint tourist attractions, but his father has his own ideas about Hope, Texas.  The elder Hope sees the town as an albatross around his neck and wants the quick fix to infuse money a big box company that will ruin the small-town character of Hope.

Unforgettable reads like a gothic novel that translates comfortably into modern day America.  Riley is perfectly cast as a misunderstood waif and Jackson is the hero/prince/landowner that can bring salvation to her project.  Each of them struggle with their inner demons of inferiority, proving that beauty is only skin deep and it's what's beneath that makes a person who they are  if someone is willing to dig deep enough to discover the truth.  We get a taste of the old west, shown through the dance hall that Riley and Jackson work to revitalize, along with bank robbers and buried treasure.  Riley's outlook after years of being abused, mistreated and scandalized is bright and optimistic and rubs off on Jackson, the poor rich kid who was neglected by his politician father, a man who didn't have time for his family.  The relationship they develop, the rich kid and the girl from the other side of the tracks, is brilliantly portrayed and the obstacles they each have to overcome, along with the life-altering secret they uncover, make for an entertaining read that leaves you cheering for them every step of the way.  I grew up with Victoria Holt, and was delighted with the familiar elements of this story the orphaned, neglected heroine, the lord of the estate fighting family expectations to support the common folk that make the town what it is, and the common goals/attraction that bring Riley and Jackson together. 

The only criticism I have for this novel will probably be corrected  I received an uncorrected advanced reading copy which had numerous typographical and editorial errors that made parts of the novel difficult to read.  Overall, the character studies are brilliant and the plot sings (literally!).  I would recommend this novel.

September 18, 2007