Can You Forget? by Melissa James, Nighthawks #2, Silhouette Intimate Moments #1272, January 2004 Rating: B

I'm somewhat a sucker for the reunited theme, especially when the hero and heroine didn't originally get together. In CAN YOU FORGET? we get to see more of the Nighthawk operatives and the world they live in by getting to know Tallan "Irish" O'Rierdan and Mary-Anne Poole aka Verity West aka Songbird. They grew up together with Tallan being the star football player and Mary-Anne being the more shy, pudgy neighbor girl. Due to a coniving girlfriend and her father, Tallan and Mary-Anne went for over 10 years without seeing one another once he'd announced he was getting married. In that time much has happened to the characters. Divorce and grave injuries are the two most prevalant to happen to Tallan. Becoming a star and a widow were most prevalant for Mary-Anne. Neither believe the other shares their feelings and they're thrown together for a Nighthawk assignment having to pose as husband and wife.

Tallan never forgot Mary-Anne Poole, but the fact she was a star and he had blindly gotten trapped into a marriage to a woman who's father picked up the payments for his medical school was humiliating enough. Then to have a Nighthawk assignment go bad and a grenade explode not far from him leaving him scarred and with a pronounced limp he had nothing to offer anyone anymore. Sending in Mary-Anne to convince him to come back to the Nighthawks for an assignment was crafty and painful, particularly since he would have to pose as her husband. Tame the ice queen. And where stage makeup to cover up the scars on his face. But he wants justice for the day he was injured and this case will allow him to get that. But he doesn't want a sham wedding that's going to get annulled in a month. Both Tallan and Mary-Anne realize it would devistate their parents if they did that. But how to maintain a marriage when he couldn't be an operative anymore? And with her singing career there was no way he could physically keep up.

Mary-Anne Poole was devistated and felt like a fool when she found out Tallan was getting married. It wasn't until years later, forced to confront him for the Nighthawks that she got to know the reality behind his marriage and his feelings for her. She feels guilt over the fact she could never give her late husband the passion he believed lay dorment inside of her because of Tallan. She's not sure how she can survive a week with him, even injured and scarred he's an eyeful. He's the only one who ever really knew her, the only one who can tell the difference between her different personas and knows how difficult being Verity West is on her. But she vows to take what the week has to offer and walk away. Both know it's for the best.

Mr. Falcone, the criminal mastermind they're after is an interestingly creepy bad guy who happens to survive (paving way for book 3 of the Nighthawks). Watching Tallan and Mary-Anne give into their feelings is enjoyable and believable. I really did feel like this couple knew one another well, their history was so real. The book was fast paced, kept me reading wanting to know how this couple would finally come together. I rate it a B.

©Susan Falk and phantomroses.com