Forget Me Not

November 8, 2004
In a departure from her customary historical and inspirational romance fiction, Melton, who also writes as Marliss Moon (By Starlight
, etc.), offers a refreshing contemporary tale of love and memory. Helen Renault, a Navy SEAL wife, has come to terms with the loss of her husband, Gabe, who disappeared a year earlier while on a mission in North Korea. When Helen learns that he's alive but has no recollection of their two-year marriage or his dangerous mission, Helen should be happy; instead, she's stunned and disappointed. She'd been wildly attracted to Gabe when they first wed, before he'd grown into a moody, career-driven, emotionally distant man. Now all she wants is her freedom. Sharing a home once again, Helen slowly comes to realize the "new" Gabe is nothing like the man she remembers, and she begins to fall in love with him all over again. So what happens when he regains his memory and becomes the man he used to be? While the story focuses largely on Helen and Gabe's relationship, Melton adds a dash of suspense in the form of a traitorous member of his SEAL squad, who will go to any lengths to make sure Gabe remains silent. Fine writing, likable characters (one being their teenage daughter Mallory) and realistic emotions make this a satisfying read. Agent, Pamela Ahearn.

Starred review from October 1, 2004
Navy SEAL lieutenant Gabe Renault was a man driven to succeed in his chosen career. He was so driven that he shut out his family in the mistaken belief that emotions would weaken his effectiveness. But then a covert mission results in his capture by the North Koreans. A year later, just one week after being declared officially dead, he returns home to his wife, Helen, but his memory of the past three years--including crucial details about the high-level corruption that caused his ordeal--is gone. And even though he now wants to do better by his family, Helen has resolved on divorce. Exemplifying a new trend in romantic suspense, Melton's riveting second-chance military romance, the first in her SEAL Team Twelve trilogy (" In The Dark" will be released in 2005 and " Speak No Evil" in 2006), focuses on the sacrifices demanded of the family as well as the warrior. Melton's experiences as a military dependent stand her in good stead, enabling her to invest her compellingly eventful romance with realistic emotions and relationships.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)