Memories by Deanna Lynn Sletton

Title: Memories
Author: Deanna Lynn Sletton
Page: 136
Price: $ 8.99
Genre:Romance/ Woman's fiction
Rating:4 out of 5
Source: Blog tour

Summary:
Danille Westerly has a successful career and a wonderful life that she is proud, unless her past comes haunting her..She couldn't contain when she came face to face with Michael De Cara the person behind all her misery..In spite of eighteen years  passing,her hatred only equaled her blind love once she felt for him..How would she come in terms with all that she put behind her head as he tries to pursue her to know the reason behind her utter hatred ,when he did what was best for her..How will they resolve their difference as they realise the spark to be alive ..By destiny she is given another chance to recreate her life with the same kind of life she lost, will she grab it and fill her life with love or decide against her heart..
Review:
This month has been promising in terms of my reading..I was skeptical participating in blog tours but luckily the books I chose surprised me totally, they all have been real good..This is another weekend read of mine and I am only too glad that I did..Breaking up the suspense of the hero's death  right in the beginning with the quotes " She was burying the man she loved and no amount of sympathy or prayer would comfort her today"
 got me interested in reading , I knew at least they would get married which only meant there were no heart breaks, this only encouraged me to pursue my reading faster... Dani is successful,ambitious , so much control of  life yet with a melancholy of her past lingering her, on the other hand Michael is too much for a charmer,debonair to the core who has aged elegantly, a sensible businessman and a devoted father...I loved the chemistry between them, her loathing matched with his charm..Nightmares of a soldier is so amazingly written, most of the time we tend to take it for granted about, a soldier's war experience, but its a sad tale that we hardly realise that they need much love, care and trust even when they tend  to back away from it..I had  immense respect for the author for keeping the intimate scenes crisp yet sensual, because off late I was tired for reading to many details running to pages.. The book as the title suggests is the nostalgic account of the protagonist Danille Westerly...Its a romantic fiction with class..Sletton's writing is peppy , sunny and quite vivacious, its a great weekend book to sit and relax with, feel good about everything around you...This is the right book for a lazy cuddle only to break to enjoy the day from balco..It was perfect for me to read it listening to the pitter patter of rain on my window as the backdrop..

Promo

Excerpt

Miguel sat at the bar of a small, crowded saloon in Saigon. He was on a three-day pass and spent it trying to forget why he was in this country to begin with.

He ordered another drink and turned a quick glance at his friend Billy, who was sitting at a table near the door with a young Vietnamese girl. Billy was an oversized, clumsy farm boy from the Midwest who thought himself a charmer with the ladies. But he was also tough, honest and brave, good qualities a man needed in this place and a friend needed in a buddy. Miguel and he had stuck close since being sent to the same unit in Nam.

Smiling and shaking his head at his friend, Miguel turned back to his fresh drink and took a swig. Something brushed against his leg and he looked down from the tall barstool to see a small beggar boy, one arm missing, his face grotesquely disfigured, carrying a small bag looking up at him. Miguel just turned away from the boy and he continued on his way looking for handouts. Young children, deformed and missing limbs, were all over Saigon; one of the cruelties of this damn war. Miguel, like everyone else who had been there too long, had learned to look through them and past them since he was unable to help them all.

Once again Miguel glanced at his friend, now leaning forward head-to-head with the girl. He noticed the beggar boy stopping only a second at Billy's table, then being brushed away by Billy, the boy headed out the door into the daylight. Through the light from the door opening, Miguel noticed that the bag the boy had been carrying lay under Billy's table and it took him only a second to realize what was in it.

"Billy, bomb!" Miguel yelled as he jumped over the bar for protection in one smooth motion. Other military men in the bar took cover under tables and behind the bar. So engrossed in his new lady friend, Billy only looked up, confused by all the commotion before the realization of what was happening crossed his face. He pushed the girl away from the table, but before he could move an inch, the plastic, homemade bomb below him exploded. Miguel screamed his name as he watched his friend tear into pieces before his eyes.

 "Billy, no!"

 Dani shot up in bed at the sound of a man screaming. Not even awake yet, she instinctively jumped out of bed and ran through the darkened apartment to the open sofa bed where Miguel was sleeping.

 "Billy!" he screamed again, loud and anguished, and in the moonlight through the patio doors Dani could see the horror in Miguel's face.

 Quickly she crawled into bed and held him tight, softly cooing, "Miguel, it's okay. You're home. You're safe. I'm here Miguel, I'm here." Over and over she said this until he finally stopped struggling and grew quiet in her arms.

 Dani cradled his head on her chest, rocking him back and forth like a frightened child. Still assuring him he was okay, she was there for him. She ran her fingers through his damp hair, brushing it away from his face, rocking him gently, assuring him he was home and safe. And even as he came to his senses, Michael continued to let her hold him. She was the only woman who could soothe his pain of remembering. It felt warm and comforting to be in her arms, so easy to allow her to soothe and comfort him.

 After a time, still holding him, Dani softly asked Miguel, "It was the bar dream again, wasn't it?" She knew all his bad dreams, the jungle dream, the bar dream, the body bag one, each in detail from when he had told her about them years ago. She was the only one he'd ever told them to, because she had been the only one who had ever cared to listen.

 Miguel nodded his head in her arms. "I should have done something," he said hoarsely. "I should have saved Billy."

 "You did the best you could," Dani said softly. "No one could control who lived and who died. You have nothing to blame yourself for."

 Dani sat quietly for a while longer, still holding Miguel close. She thought of his pain, of her pain and of the pain they had caused each other. "We make a great pair, you and I," she whispered, shaking her head. And then, slowly, she lay down under the covers beside him, all the time holding him close, both finally falling asleep from exhaustion. And for the first time in years, Michael slept soundly and dreamlessly, feeling safe in Dani's arms.

Sunlight streamed through the patio doors across the sleeping bodies of Michael and Dani. He stirred slowly and carefully sat up, not wanting to disturb her sleep, and was surprised to see the clock on the opposite wall read 11:00 A.M. He hadn't slept this late on a Saturday morning in a very long time, and a smile played across his lips when he remembered the last time he had slept this late. And he had woken up with the same sweet woman beside him then, only a younger version. It was like they'd never parted.

 As Michael studied Dani's sleeping face, he liked what he saw. In sleep she had the softness he remembered, not the look of bitterness she had shown him last night. He thought of last night and how she'd stroked his hair and soothed away his nightmare so tenderly. She was still the same sweet person he had known so many years ago, no matter how hard she'd tried to convince him otherwise. And she must still have some feelings for him other than hatred.

 "Good morning," Dani interrupted his thoughts and looked up at him through sleepy eyes. "What are you staring at?"

 "The past, the present, all rolled into one," he told her, smiling.

About the author

Deanna Lynn Sletten is a novelist who writes women's fiction and has also written one middle-grade fiction action/adventure novel. Her novels include Memories, Widow, Virgin, Whore and Outlaw Heroes. She started her writing career as a freelance writer for parenting publications in the early 1990s and transitioned to writing for blogs and websites until she made the jump to novelist.  Deanna is currently working on her next novel which will be released in December 2012. Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, Deanna enjoys walking the trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd.