Not So Sorry
I’ve been reading some books from the Silhouette Romantic Suspense line. I’ve enjoyed all but one. One of the ones I enjoyed did have a plot point that still nags at me. See what you think…
The backstory goes like this: The heroine and hero dated in law school. They slept together, visited families and spent all of their free time together for about six months. They are supposed to go on Spring Break but the heroine gets sick and the hero goes alone. He finds another woman, falls in love and comes back from Spring Break telling the heroine he is in love with someone else and getting married. He walks away from the heroine as if it’s no big deal.
Today (years later): The heroine has moved to the hero’s hometown. The hero and the woman he married are divorced - a very bad divorce - and the heroine represented the hero’s wife (ignore for the moment the ethical questions that generates). Hero got trounced in the divorce and is angry. Heroine feels bad for representing the nasty wife. Unrelated to the divorce, a stalker is after the heroine. Hero reluctantly comes to the heroine’s aid.
My problem: The heroine explains to the hero that he broke her heart in law school. The hero takes the position that his previous relationship with the heroine was just as “friends with benefits” and wasn’t serious. Here’s the nagging part: the hero never really apologizes for his previous behavior and for what was really infidelity on his part. Further, the heroine forgives him without a real apology. Maybe love does mean never having to say you’re sorry…*
Am I the only one who wants to smack the hero?
*Always thought that was the dumbest line in Love Story.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Hi Helen,
i have to agree with you. i think he should have been smacked upside the
head too. if you are in the wrong then you should apologize to the other
person. i think that is only being considerate of the other persons feelings.
not being considerate can to lead to problems of a different sort.
Maybe that line in love story meant not saying sorry for dying on your loved
one.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Yeah i would have smacked that hero for not apologising - like it was nothing!
September 8th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
And they have a relationship? Uh-uh, no way.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Obviously you’re not alone in wanting to smack the hero. It’s problematic for me that the heroine would take the hero back without any apology for the way he used her, especially if he degrades their relationship to ‘friends with benefits’ when she thought otherwise.
September 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
He definitely needs a smack!
September 8th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I not only want to smack the hero, but the heroine for taking him back. What was she thinking?!?!
September 8th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
If he didn’t feel as though they were in a “real” relationship, I can understand why he’s not sorry. What I can’t understand is why she’d ever give him the time of day again. I’ve got way too much pride to imagine getting back together with someone who left me for “true love,” even if it didn’t work out.
Call me a hopeless romantic, but that’s just a dealbreaker.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I am all about a lot of groveling and apologizing for bad behavior by heroes and heroines. I don’t like unrepentant characters, who think they should be forgiven without asking or because their actions happened several years ago. It’s actually a big peeve of mine and a guaranteed wallbanger for me.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Ack. I’ve got to be sure NOT to read this one–I’m with Liza–give them both a good smack!
September 9th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Agree with everything said here. Not liking the hero for justifying his behavior, and I think the heroine shouldn’t have forgiven him so easily.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:35 am
I read one like that just this weekend. The hero of a subplot cheats on his heroine and then…nothing. No resolution. I was left feeling good about the main storyline, but that subplot bugged the crap out of me. We need groveling!
September 9th, 2008 at 5:43 am
I’d want to smack their heads together, because they both need it. And of course that book would have been thrown across the room once or twice .
September 9th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Ugh, since I’m an ending reader first, I don’t think I could have read the whole book after reading that. I’m with Rhonda, I would have wanted to smack their heads together, too. I hope I don’t end up buying that book… that would piss me off, lol
September 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Yeah - that would make me really, really ticked off. With both of them.