By Candlelight (Zebra Contemporary Romance) [Kindle Edition]

Newly-widowed heroine is stunned to see her 1st love 18 yrs after their passionate r/s during their senior year in high school. After their secret personal wedding ceremony, heroine expected a real wedding to take place soon after high-school graduation per their plans but hero takes off to Europe for an indeterminate time & heroine is told by hero's wealthy & snobbish parents that he is engaged to another girl. Pregnant & poor, heroine accepts marriage proposal of her much-older boss & doesn't tell hero about her pregnancy. So, seeing herio again after all these years shakes her well-hidden but still strong feelings for him & strikes her fears about keeping his paternity a secret from him & their 17yo daughter. Hero is likewise rattled that heroine still holds such a powerful impact on him. Their affair is quickly re-ignited but their past issues & secrets make their future a question.

This was an exciting read. Taylor's book drew my emotions from the get-go & I couldn't read it fast enough. I was eager to know how the main character's relationship issues were going to be resolved. Both hero & heroine made mistakes in their youth, which caused their separation for 18 years. Heroine was foolish & prideful about not informing hero about her pregnancy or to confront him about his engagement to another girl, especially since he did write to her but she didn't even read them. Heroine also made a cowardly decision to marry a man 25+-yrs her senior who she didn't love just b/c she was pregnant. She had a job & was used to hard work so I didn't understand why she couldn't continue working hard to support her & her unborn child. Hero is also to blame for their separation b/c he didn't inform her about his trip to Europe until it was too late. He took heroine for granted by making her wait for him, knowing that heroine's life was tough financially & personally. I like how their issues are resolved bit by bit as the book goes on, instead of quick sweeping statements at the end..

The intensity of hero & heroine's feelings for each other as teens & as adults was palpable. It made their sexual tension & love scenes sizzle.

Recommended.

I almost bought the audio of this book but then decided to check it out from the library. That turned out to be an excellent decision. The first 5 hours of listening was good and I was really enjoying the book. But unfortunately it began rambling on and on and on until the enjoyment was gone. This book didn't have to be 12 1/2 hours long. The so called heroine with her Oh I can't tell him, I can't tell him- that got soooo old.

If you have ever had the one true love from your past that still occupies a special place in your heart then you will love this book!!A wonderful story I could not put down until all SECRETS were out and they were livivg happily ever after!