| Reviews
Romantic Times Book Reviews Magazine By Gail Pruszkowski (Camp Swampy)
Lost Love Found by Tim Gomes is
a romantic thriller with a well-drawn cast of characters. The hero gets a
second chance at love but not without taking great risks and putting his life
in danger.
Two years ago, Dan Jagger's wife was killed in the September 11
terrorist attacks. She was on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania. Dan is
still grieving and certain that he will never find another love like Alia. He's
surprised to get a phone call from his high school sweetheart, Charlene, the
girl who dumped him when he returned home from Viet Nam.
He's not interested in seeing her but Charlene is persistent and
they meet for dinner. Dan is reluctant to see her again but his relatives push
him into it and soon they're spending more and more time together. Meanwhile
Dan's only son Tim, an Army Reservist goes missing in Iraq. Dan's world turns
upside down again when Charlene's past catches up with her and puts him in
danger.
The plot is
intriguing and the characters have interesting pasts but the pacing suffers from
some technical flaws. The book starts out strong with a prologue that takes Dan
back to his first battle in Viet Nam but the present day scenes contain long
conversations, dialogue that slows things down and robs the story of suspense.
Despite this there's a lot to recommend the book. Description and setting are
detailed, the plot takes a few twists and turns and the ending satisfies. Link to Camp Swampy: http://write-juncture.blogspot.com ForeWord Clarion Review
FICTION
Lost Love Found
Tim Gomes
iUniverse
244 pages
Softcover $16.95
978-1-4401-4867-5
Three Stars (out of Five)
Tim Gomes's Lost Love Found is billed as a romance, and it certainly is, but it
is also a bit of crime thriller, carrying a strong thread of intrigue.
It's been two
years since Dan Jagger's wife died when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania on
9/11. Dan is still struggling to pull his life together when his former high
school sweetheart, Darlene, calls out of the blue and asks to get together. Dan
isn't interested in the least. Alia had been Dan's wife for more than thirty
years, and his grief is crushing. Instead, he thanks Darlene for breaking up
with him so long ago, which opened the door for him to meet Alia. But Darlene
is persistent—insistent even—and Dan, unable to say no, reluctantly agrees to
dinner at a restaurant that was his and Alia's favorite.
Dan's relatives,
including his in-laws, get wind of the reunion between the former sweethearts,
and not only do they endorse it, but they also do their best to push the couple
together. Dan is unwilling at first, and Darlene seems oblivious to his
reluctance, but they begin spending more time together. Soon Darlene is
traveling to Dan's various homes throughout the country, and living a lifestyle
she is unaccustomed to.
Dan's only son,
Tim, whose feelings are complicated by loyalty to his mother, seems to be the
only one with reservations. Tim checks into Darlene's past, uncovering some
grim details that lead him to warn his father to stay clear of her.
Tim, an Army
Reservist, is then sent to Iraq where he leads a grueling mission, after which
he is reported missing in action. He resurfaces as a hero and plays a major
role in the final scene which involves a ghost from Darlene's past. Gomes
served in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. His experience allows
him to bring authentic details into his tale.
With romance as
the theme, readers expects a happy ending, and there is one, but the strong
plot doesn't deliver the tension it could. Pacing issues rob the tale of
suspense, and problems are solved before tension has a chance to build. Gomes
misses a chance to turn the spotlight of suspicion on Darlene, and there are
other moments that will leave readers asking, "But why didn't he...?" Dialogue at
times becomes repetitive, overemphasizing things long since understood. Despite
this, Gomes manages to land a big surprise at the end. The story isn't perfect,
but it has a lot to commend it.
Ruth Douillette
[Author's Note: based on Ms. Doullette's fine review, the nover was rewritted to enhance the suspense. Thank you Ms. Douiillette] Kat Bryan's Lost Love Found © 2010 by Tim Gomes 
ISBN:
978-1-4401-4867-5
Publisher:
iUniverse
SRP:
$15.95
211
pp.
About the book: "Although
two years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dan Jagger is
still fraught with grief over the loss of his wife who was killed in the crash
of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Dan buries himself in work, family, and gardening
while facing the harsh reality that he may never again experience another love
like Alia.
One day Dan receives a phone call from Charlene,
his high school sweetheart, whom he hasn't heard from since she broke his heart
and sent him into the arms of Alia. Against his better judgment, Dan agrees to
meet his former lover for dinner and soon learns that Charlene has lived a
sordid life—twice married to a drug dealer and incarcerated herself. Despite
all he has learned, Dan becomes involved with Charlene once again, setting in
motion a course of events that leaves him vulnerable to danger. As he is
unwillingly drawn into life-threatening scenarios executed by Charlene's former
husband, an ex-convict focused on revenge, Dan receives the shocking news that
his only son, an Army Reservist, has gone missing in Iraq.
As fear,
unease, and peril surround Dan, he must act decisively before he loses
everything he has ever loved."
I think most
romance fans will like this book. I liked the plot, it was interesting enough I
wanted to know what happened, and it had a different ending, but there were
several things that detracted from the story for me. There were too many acronyms
which all had to be explained (CIB, CO, FSB, RTO, OCS, FNG, NVA, LZ, VC,
FNG, PO, PTO, DEA, CONUS among others), too many street names every time
the characters went somewhere (who cares about street names?), and I
just didn't think the main character was too believable. Yes, he was a great
guy but how many people these days think it's terrible to date after your wife
has been dead for 2 years? And I wondered how he ever became such a business
success when he let people walk over him like he did when it came to Charlene.
AND, how many sons could walk into their dad's home and bedroom unannounced,
catch them in bed with a girlfriend, and the dad doesn't react? Just not
very believable to me but please remember, this is just MY opinion.
Link to Kat Bryan's Corner: http://kat-bryanscorner.blogspot.com/ Frugal Plus Review 
Lost Love Found by Tim Gomes Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: iUniverse (July 23, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1440148678
ISBN-13: 978-1440148675 Even though two years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dan Jagger is still fraught with grief over the loss of his wife who was killed in the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Dan buries himself in work, family, and gardening while facing the harsh reality that he may never again experience another love like Alia. One day Dan receives a phone call from Charlene, his high school sweetheart, whom he hasn't heard from since she broke his heart and sent him into the arms of Alia. Against his better judgment, Dan agrees to meet his former lover for dinner and soon learns that Charlene has lived a sordid life—twice marriedto a drug dealer and incarcerated herself. Despite all he has learned, Dan becomes involved with Charlene once again, setting in motion a course of events that leaves him vulnerable to danger. As he is unwillingly drawn into life-threatening scenarios executed by Charlene's former husband, an ex-convict focused on revenge, Dan receives the shocking news that his only son, an Army Reservist, has gone missing in Iraq. As fear, unease, and peril surround Dan, he must act decisively before he loses everything he has ever loved. Two years after after Dan Jagger's wife perished in the 9-11 attacks, he hears from an old flame, Charlene, who has the ability of using him as a doormat even though he is a successful business man. Charlene has quite the sorted life, and involves Dan in a dangerous relationship. Not only does Dan have Charlene to contend with, he has just found out his Son is missing in Iraq. Amidst all the dangers will Dan come out of this finding the love he longs for and a Son that is safely back home? Tim Gomes was raised in Fremont, California. While at the General Motors Institute, Gomes was drafted into the Vietnam War. He later earned his BA in Political Science and his MA in Public Administration from California State University. Gomes is a business analyst for a large bank in Fremont. He has been happily married for thirty-seven years and is the father of one son. Link to Fugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/lost-love-found-by-tim-gomes/
Tutu's Two Cents
RANDOM THOUGHTS ON BOOKS,READING,TRAVEL AND LIFE IN MAINE.
Tutu's Two Cents Initial Comments (Com[plete Reading in progress) Lost Love Found. An ARC from the author, I'd requested this one several months ago. Tim Gomes indicates that he delayed publication to do a major re-write. This one appears to be the story of high school sweethearts meeting up later in life, and promises to be more than just a beach read chick lit. I don't normally read a lot of romances, but this one looked like it had a little more to offer. Link to Tutu's Two Cents: http://www.tutus2cents.blogspot.com/
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