If I Didn’t Know Better, Barbara Freethy

if i

From Amazon:

Mia Callaway thought she had the perfect guy and the perfect job…until she didn’t. After a run of bad luck, Mia is looking for an escape, so she agrees to go to Angel’s Bay to clean out her aunt’s house. She has no idea that the wounded soldier next door and his adorable, but also wounded, daughter are about to change her definition of perfect. Add in stolen art, a family secret, and a town where miracles can happen, and Mia’s escape turns out to be the greatest adventure of her life.

With the advent of the “metoo” movement, I found Jeremy and Mia’s first sexual encounter to be very disturbing. Jeremy tells Mia he wants to kiss her and “maybe more”. She responds with “we shouldn’t kiss or …anything more”. He continues by telling her she’d told him she had “unlocked” her cage and the “bird is free to fly”. She responds with “not into your arms” and later “I don’t want to be with you, Jeremy”. Jeremy continues to press her and she admits she’s tempted but “I don’t want to make another mistake. I don’t want to move too fast”. Again he counters her argument by reminding her that waiting in her last relationship didn’t make it turn out any better. A little later, she responds with ” you are very persuasive, Jeremy Holt”. He says “I want you”. She says “and you always get what you want?” His answer, “usually”. Do you see where I’m going with this? Mia continually tells Jeremy that she doesn’t want to have sex with him for various reasons. Jeremy won’t take no for an answer and eventually wears her down and they have sex.

If you were a guy reading this book (which most likely would not happen), you could surely get the idea that if you press a woman/girl long enough, you will wear her down and she will have sex with you, and it’s perfectly okay.

I think it would have been much sweeter if Jeremy had told Mia “take your time. You know I’m really attracted to you. When and if you’re ready, let me know.” After all, no still means no and Jeremy didn’t know better.

Like I, said, disturbing. BTW, I couldn’t read anymore after that, I was disgusted.

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