Dominic knows the difference between right and wrong, and he’s filled with remorse after sleeping with his favorite student. He’s offered the job of his dreams, but he'd be a hypocrite to accept without making things right with Jordan first.
Dominic proposes marriage to save their careers, never expecting they will prove a perfect—and passionate—match. But can Jordan give her heart to a man who still believes the first night they spent together was a mistake?
Comment: I cannot remember why I've added this book to the pile but it probably has something to do with the theme, it's not often I read stories featuring female priests.
Jordan Sykes is a very young Episcopalian priest who, at the very night of graduation, shares a one night stand with her former professor Dominic Lawrence. Although she has had a crush for years, she knew nothing would happen, but that night changed everything and, to make it even more memorable, she ends up pregnant. She decides on not telling him, for she knows how much this would impact his career but a random meeting again forces her to change her plans. Will these two see eye to eye on what is necessary for a relationship between them to work? How will others see their connection when both are in a position where they were supposed to set the example?
I wasn't certain on what to expect in regards to this novel except there would be a romance. I was more interested in seeing the dilemmas related to the life of a female priest, which is not the norm in my zone, where the vast majority of the population is Catholic. This means I was quite surprised by the characters and their decisions, and some of the content.
I was not really seeing how Jordan and Dominic would have made the choice to be intimate without a different type of relationship... I think I went into this with the pre conceived idea that those who are linked to the world of theology and priesthood would not be giving in to certain things, namely intimacy out of a steady relationship, but I suppose this would be very, very naive of me. Jordan and Dominic were also made to look young, attractive people who would have biological desires and personal wishes, just like anyone else, but my head was still trying to come up with this vision.
As things progressed, it became easier to see them as a romantic couple, also due to the situations depicted. The fact Jordan is pregnant had to add some drama but I was surprised by how apparently simple some church related details seemed to be. Well, until a certain point, when things became more seriously discussed. Still, I got the feeling the purpose was not as much the church issues themselves, but how they affected the characters' decisions and POV.
Jordan has got a position in a church very soon after graduation, which I assume might not be the norm, and this fact affects the way she behaves and she believes others expect of her. But she is also a young, independent woman and knows what her possibilities are and most of her motivation comes from helping others, which is commendable and makes her more likable. The pregnancy detail and how she and Dominic come to agree on what to do was predictable and less relevant if she had kept her secret, for instance.
Dominic is a little older, more experienced, divorced and he feels the ethics - of which he is a professor after all - weren't really respected in this situation and he feels responsible for Jordan and what happened. As they start getting each other more as individuals - opposed to teacher/student mode - he starts focusing more on her being someone he likes and can have deep feelings for, but all this is colored by a secondary issue. He is investigating a claim by a woman of how she was deceived by a well liked priest and this would affect others' opinions. The obvious similarity is purposeful but Dominic is also worried about his own fathers's past.
We learn Dominic's father was also a priest and his marriage with Dominic's mother not a happy one. I think this was presented in a very realistic way, but also a sad one... it does reinforce the idea I had - even if wrong - that there is always some expectation of how some people in specific roles should behave and this part of Dominic's past felt very dire. At this point, Dominic and Jordan were debating on what they would do in the future but I'll say the romance aspects were a little... meh.
It's a given they would end up together, this is a romance, but I thought that more on what they were thinking of was related to the secondary issues and not only with them as two people who were going to decide on a future. I wanted more scenes with them dealing with this or interacting with one another while going through mundane things instead of this being so heavy on less important issues which seemed to be addressed too. In the end, things were solved, but I feel more on the romance could have been done.
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