Dove's Way [Mass Market Paperback]

Finnea Winslet grew up wild and free in Africa under the loving guidance of her father. When her dad dies Finnea is left all alone and must travel to Boston to meet the mother who deserted her nineteen years earlier. She is told that a fellow American named Matthew Hawthorne will accompany her safely home while she rides the dangerous African railway.

When Finnea first meets Matthew he is rude, threatening and does his best to scare her senseless but fails. Matthew only wanted to be left alone and is amazed that Finnea doesn't flinch when she glances at his facial scar. Finnea sees it as "character" and isn't bothered at all by his blustery attitude. When the train derails Matthew spends a harried night watching over Finnea until help arrives. When Finnea wakes Matthew is gone before she can thank him and she believes she'll never see him again.

A few months later Finnea is in Boston trying hard to fit in and learn all of the ridiculously stifling rules that a proper lady must follow when she meets up with Matthew again. He saves her from embarrassment during a dinner party and she decides then and there that he will teach her how to become a proper Boston lady. She does not care that he craves solitude. She is relentless and he soon caves in.

What follows is a very satisfying romance between two tortured souls. And I do mean tortured. Both Finnea and Matthew have deep emotional wounds and many trials to overcome before they find their happy ever after. This is an angst filled read but it never became overwhelmingly depressing because of the gentle humor interwoven into the story.

This book would have received five stars but I did feel a bit cheated because a pivotal scene that occurred in Africa was not included in the book - only alluded to throughout the story. This was very disappointing in an otherwise perfect book. Or maybe I'm just being greedy!

Matthew feels something for Finnea, tho he doesn't know what or why. When she later badgers him to help her learn the how to be a lady he finally gives in--but he wonders if it can even be done and why she would want to change from who she is. DOVE'S WAY is the story of two wounded--both physically and emotionally--people drawn to each other but unwilling to suffer again the pain of loving. As Ms. Lee says in her the short interview at the back of the book (and how I love hearing tidbits like this from an author!) this novel is "part MY FAIR LADY, part OUT OF AFRICA."

I did have problems with this book, especially early on. I sometimes had difficulty believing people could be *so* cruel; both Boston society's reaction to Matthew and his scar (tho he was foul-tempered and scowled frequently) and Finnea's family in not trying to help her fit in and learn the manners and mores of Boston. I also would have liked to spend more time in Africa, but I know how publishers are afraid of romances not set in either America or Great Britain. However, DOVE'S WAY is a great choice when one is in the mood for a powerful, darkly compelling read.

Kimberly Borrowdale, Under the Covers Book Reviews