AUTUMN DESIRE - Sharon Noble
A Perfect 10
Five Star Expressions (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1-59414-486-9
August 2006
Contemporary Romance

Colorado - Present Day

Paula Wincott met her late husband when she was nineteen. She was a student in his chemistry class, and it was love at first sight for both of them. Paula dropped out of college, they married and had two children, and she chose to devote her life to her family. Now that her children are grown up with lives of their own, and her husband is deceased, Paula decides to take some classes at the University of Colorado , where her husband, Sam Wincott, a respected researcher and chemistry professor, used to teach.

In her first semester back in college, Paula chooses to take a chemistry class, but she is horrified when she realizes that her teacher is Boyd Mackenzie, a man whom her late husband accused of undermining him. Paula blames Boyd for her husband's death, makes her feelings known to him, and tries to get out of his class. Unable to get out of his class, Paula tries to avoid dealing with Boyd as much as possible.

Boyd Mackenzie is a talented teacher and researcher. He is also charismatic, handsome and charming. He had nothing but respect for his colleague, Sam Wincott, so he is surprised to find Sam's widow treating him with so much hostility and disdain. It also does not help that Boyd finds himself extremely attracted to Paula, and he tries to fight his feelings. But when he is approached to help Paula with a project to continue Sam's research, Boyd finally realizes that some things are just destined to be.

AUTUMN DESIRE is a book I truly loved. Paula is a woman whose life revolved around her husband, children and grandchildren, but when Paula decides to go back to school, it is an opportunity for her to find herself. In her fifties, Paula is a woman who has not really had a chance to grow up. She worshiped her husband; his opinion always superseded hers, and she never questioned it. Now she finds herself attracted to a man Sam did not like, and she does not understand it.

Paula is a character who is all too human, and readers will find themselves, at times, growing impatient with her. She messes up a lot, and in big ways, especially when it comes to Boyd. The way she thinks and acts might put off some modern women, but Ms. Noble has created a layered character with depth. As Paula changes, and the story progresses, she starts to question her marriage and herself, so that readers will feel empathy for her.

Even though readers may be a little put off by Paula, they will love Boyd. He handles Paula and her accusations with maturity, wit, and intelligence. Although Boyd is a mature man in his mid-fifties, he comes across as very vibrant and sexy. The sexual tension between the two characters builds slowly, but when it explodes, it is hot.

Although AUTUMN DESIRE centers around the developing relationship between Paula and Boyd, what makes this reviewer give this book a Perfect 10 is that the story worked on many levels, not just a romantic one. The readers are taken along on Paula's journey as she develops and matures.

The secondary characters round out the story nicely. Having known Paula and Sam for years, they understand Paula more then she understands herself. One secondary character, Lottie, readers will particularly enjoy.

This is Ms. Noble's first published novel, but hopefully it will not be her last. AUTUMN DESIRE has depth and two characters with great chemistry. Ms. Noble's dialogue felt real, and her writing style is clean and crisp. As someone who believes that stories can change the way a person sees the world and themselves, what finally awakens Paula to a new perspective made perfect sense to me.

What is it that finally gives Paula a new perspective? Read AUTUMN DESIRE and find out.

Nickole Yarbrough