Things We Never Got Over

It is a cliché in romance novels and in real life that no real love comes without risk. Ironically, in a romance novel, it is always easier not to love; there are always more reasons not to follow the yearning of a hungry heart than to take the chance on love. In this novel, neither Naomi nor Knox is eager to follow their desire despite their powerful, initial attraction. They parry in coyly confrontational conversations, masking the depth of their attraction for each other. Even after they find that the intensity of their attraction makes for mind-blowing sex, they both resist calling their relationship a relationship.

Naomi, as a runaway bride, was burned badly by pretending to be in love with a cruel man who resorted to physical abuse. As such, shies away from her attraction for Knox because she is certain that her heart is a poor judge of character and that its yearnings can lead only to emptiness and trauma. Knox, for his part, watched helplessly as his parents’ perfect marriage crumbled. With this, he struggles to square his protective machismo with the realities of how his heart leads him into dark places. He is terrified of commitment, and for all his muscle, money, and willpower, he can do little to shape love into something reliable or permanent.