Heaven In Her Arms by Ria Gomes

Name of the book:   Heaven In Her Arms

Name of the author:  Ria Gomes

Name of the publisher: Now defunct Asylett Press, United States of America, 2010

Format of the book:  ebook [Kindle]

Disclaimer: I got this book from the author in exchange for my honest review

She…

She is Michelle. Daughter of an aristocrat in the town of Albuquerque Town,  Goa. Her family was known for their power and wealth. Her father has instilled in her the importance of the family name. She had lived like that all her life, without her mom who had abandoned her at a very young age.[ Or so she thought!!]. Life would have continued in the path her father had chosen for her, had she not met Darrell at the age of seventeen.

He…

He is Darrell. A commoner by the standard of the patriciate of the town of Albuquerque. He fell in love with Michelle the moment he saw her and was determined to have her at any cost. Excelling in all fields, he was known for his determination and his go getter attitude. That was till he lost the love of his life Michelle.

The Love Story…

They met in high school and fell in love. They fought for their love and got engaged. But on the night before their marriage, Darrell finds himself charged with attempted rape and Michelle gets married to Craig. Of course the father is to be blamed. But is it? Is everything so simple as it looks? Or is there another devious master plan behind the star crossed lover’s fate? That is what Darrell comes back to find out after 5 years, years, which he has spent hating Michelle, working day a night to reach that strata of the society, which had rejected him. 

Now the tables are turned. She is no more the rich girl whose father owned the town. But a widow, who is at the mercy of Darrell, to keep a roof over the head of her son and invalid father. Passion sizzles between them and they are back to where they had started but this time the secrets, deceits of the past are clouding their judgement.

Would Darrell be able to forgive her for marrying Craig? Will Michelle ever find out why Darrell was arrested? Read this beautiful tale of love, deceit and passion as the two protagonists take you through the town of Albuquerque with their beautiful, heart touching tale of love and hate.

What I liked…

Ria Gomes has a very good command over the language, as she paints with her words the town of Albuquerque. I could almost see the beautiful town with it’s Portuguese structures and cobbled pavements. The characters are very well etched and the pain of the lovers - palpable. The fear of Michelle is beautifully portrayed as she passes through the stages of  being a daughter, lover, mother and above all a woman.

What I didn’t like….

Darrell. No, don’t get me wrong. He is a strong character, with all the qualities I would look for my partner in life but I found him coming in too strong . But I am sure most of you will argue with me that the macho types should be portrayed like this. Agreed. 

But sensitiveness? Well he was angry about what he thought to be the deceptiveness of Michelle. Agreed. But I still want my hero to be ultra sensitive. Sue me. :D

Ratings....

Reasoning...

If  I answer my own questions on what I did not like, how do I take away the stars. If you don’t agree with me let me know.

Meet Ria Gomes....

Ria is an Indian, born and raised in Goa. After completing her formal education, she worked at secretarial jobs for a couple of local firms before she married the man she’d been in love with since her college days.  She resides with him and her children in Muscat-Oman, and had initially worked as an Executive Secretary for the past several years. Later, she gave up her nine-to-five job after the birth of her second child and chose instead to be a homemaker as well as try her hand at her long cherished dream of being a writer.

A Chat with Ria....

1.What inspired you to write your first book?

Firstly, I’d like to thank you Rubina, for having me on your blog and allowing me to express some of my views on myself and my book.

Now to answer your question. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always yearned to write. Perhaps it was my mother’s insistence that I write everything I had to learn by rote, five to ten times each, that got me caught into the writing habit.  So in those days when I was a child and into a lot of Enid Blyton’s, I would imagine I’d one day grow up and write children’s books. Then later, came the classics, and I thought I’d love writing something along the lines of Jane Austen, or even Charles Dickens. By the time I was out of high school, I fell in love with romances and decided that was definitely what I’d like to write-great love stories about brave men and women who won against all odds and created their own fairy tales. I held on to that dream, and finally, when I attempted to realize it, I wrote ‘Heaven In Her Arms’.

2.How did you come up with the title?

The title of my book came to me when I was almost in the middle of my book. Something about the way the male protagonist thought of his sweetheart gave me the title of my book.

3.Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Not the experiences or events as such, but rather the upbringing principles of a certain mindset and belief system in which I’d been raised, contributed to a certain extent in crafting this novel.

4.If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

This question brought a smile to my lips. When my son was very little I would read him some story, and as I read, I remember feeling as if I was being reconnected with old friends. This feeling of familiarity with authors and their writings has continued over the years as I introduced him to more and more authors which I myself had enjoyed reading as a child. I believe that each of these authors seems to have left a lasting impression on me and so in some way have inspired and mentored me. Most times I find myself trying to create a story and find a solution out of every situation like Enid Blyton, infusing emotions like Charles Dickens and trying to adopt a perky way of telling my story like Sandra Marton.      

5.What are your current projects?

Presently, I’m trying to finish the edits on another romance, ‘A Bride To Bed’ and find a publisher for ‘Sunny’s Girl’, and simultaneously working on another unfinished manuscript tentatively named ‘A Ruthless Seduction.’

6.Who designed the covers?

Someone from back in Goa was engaged to design the cover for this book. It isn’t exactly what I’d expected it to be, but it is the most appropriate from among the other two he came up with.  

7.What was the hardest part of writing your book?

At the time I write any book-and this happens to me every time-I tend to think that whatever I’m working at is the toughest part to tackle, but after I play with it for some time, it almost always becomes a pleasurable experience. Now when I think back over Heaven In Her Arms, I realize that I enjoyed writing about all my characters as well as the scenes, and that includes the sex scenes, although I did remember having a hard time writing those.

8.Do you ever experience writer's block?

Oh that is the bane of my life. There are days when I feel I’m a complete blank, other times I feel I’m up against a wall especially when a character seems to want something that’s radically different from what I’ve mapped up for him/her, and sometimes a scene just doesn’t seem to work. When that happens, I allow my mind to relax by taking up other, mostly household, chores or just listening to some music. Anything that will take my mind away from the story for a while usually works and gives me a clear indication on how I need to proceed next.

9.While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

Mmmm…there’s no direct answer to that one. Most times I have to get inside the characters head and skin to think what he/she thinks and feels, but I’m always aware that the person I’m writing about isn’t me. Then there are those times when I apply my own experiences in some scenes of the book and get a vague sense as if it’s me, but that doesn’t happen all that often.

10.What are your expectations for the book?

Of the three manuscripts I’ve written, ‘Heaven In Her Arms’ probably because it was my first, has a special place in my heart. When I worked at it, I had been resolved to write a story readers would cherish for a long time and some of the feedback I’ve received has been pretty positive. It fills me with a sense of satisfaction that it was a story well written. Naturally, my hope is that more and more romance readers get a chance to read this endearing story of love lost and found.

Amen to that Ria!

You will find Heaven In Her Arms at: