Proof (Silhouette Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

This book, quite frankly, disappointed me. Alot. Maybe it was because I found it in the romance section of my bookstore. Maybe it was because I'm used to her main characters developing their relationship while dealing with a series of problems. That's what I'm used to expecting from her work.

This book was nothing like that. It really wasn't a romance in the sense that it was about a relationship between a man and a woman. It was a romance between a woman and her school and the ideals set forth from that environment. And the school was, quite frankly, too good to be true ... populated with strong women students, idealistic teachers, forward-thinking financial and spiritual backers, etc., etc., all practically perfect in every way. There were moments that I felt preached to.

Don't get me wrong ... it's not a bad thing, nor am I against such ideals, although she could have scaled the fervor back alot and still gotten the whole point of the school across. It's that I thought I was buying a romance. I was expecting a relationship to develop between the heroine and her guy of choice. That didn't happen. Outside of one truly significant conversation between Alex and said guy, which happened 3/4 of the way through the book mind you, there was next to no development of the relationship at all. All the emotional investment was put into Alex and her love for her school and her old classmates. Big deal.

Maybe it's my own fault for taking Ms. Davis' previous works, along with the book's placement in my bookstore, and having expectations that were quite different than what was delivered. As a book about empowering strong women, it was quite a zealous attempt. As a romance, it failed utterly for me.

I know that if an author is participating in a series, she may not have a lot of latitude where the plot is concerned, so I won't blame her for the dismal lack of action or adventure in this story or the pages and pages of exposition and flashbacks, presumably needed to set up the series for the other authors.

I would, however, have liked some sort of climax and closure, even if the story does continue into other books. This just petered out, leaving me wondering why I'd bothered to read it all.

Clearly this is a talented author (based on the other comments on this site), so I can only conclude that something else went amiss with what could be a fun new line for Silhouette. I hope they can quickly figure out what it is they want to accomplish with the line. I'd like it to succeed, but for now will be holding onto my scarce cash....