The Trouble With Heroes...

by Jo Beverley

The people of Gaia think themselves blessed to be living on the most perfect colony world ever discovered, even if there is a strange energy force that occasionally destroys people. Only very occasionally. Rarely, really. Until now. Now, the entire population is threatened and all the obvious heroes are dead. Which leaves an unlikely hero and the woman he loves.

From Irresistible Forces anthology

"...an imaginative and moving allegory about war: those we've fought in the past and those we may fight in the future and on far-off worlds." Bookloons.com

"...a moving exploration of the consequences of war and power on those who fight as well as those left behind." Romantic Times

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction

ebook

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Mary Josephine Dunn was born 22 September 1947 in Lancashire, England, UK. At the age of eleven she went to an all-girls boarding school, Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool. At sixteen, she wrote her first romance, with a medieval setting, completed in installments in an exercise book. From 1966 to 1970, she obtained a degree in English history from Keele University in Staffordshire, where she met her future husband, Ken Beverley. After graduation, they married on June 24, 1971. She quickly attained a position as a youth employment officer until 1976, working first in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, and then in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

In 1976, her scientist husband was invited to do post-doctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When her professional qualifications proved not to be usable in the Canadian labour market, she raised their two sons and started to write her first romances.

Moved to Ottawa, in 1985 she became a founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association, that her “nurturing community” for the next twelve years. The same year, she completed a regency romance, but it was promptly rejected by a number of publishers, and she settled more earnestly to learning the craft. In 1988, it sold to Walker, and was published as "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed". She regularly appears on bestseller lists including the USA Today overall bestseller list, the New York Times, and and the Publishers Weekly list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Leaf, the Award of Excellence, the National Readers Choice, and a two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. She is also a five time winner of the RITA, the top award of the Romance Writers Of America, and a member of their Hall of Fame and Honor Roll.

Jo Beverley passed away on May 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.

Reviews

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly short but good. It could easily have been a full length novel. Intriguing world. As others have mentioned questions were raised that are fairly pertinent to soldiers coming home from any war. It also talks to the experience of the women/family members waiting at home. There was a romance element that was fairly well done but not overt really.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of the anthology Irresistible Forces

This reminded me a lot of another book set on another planet with an isolated village but these villagers were a lot nicer. I just couldn't get that worked up about the Blighters. The romance part was strange - did they really like each other or not? I liked that it was bent more toward UK sensibilities and not American. 3 stars.

[D Nichols]

Terrible story!! - It's the first of her stories I haven't been able to finish.

[Guillaume · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je n ai pas accroché à cette romance contrariée

[Faith Freewoman · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a soldier comes home...will you let him in?

This is a tough story to read, but an important one.

Jo Beverley has left her usual genre, historical romance, and crafted a poignant sci-fi exploration of an age-old problem: what do we do with the people who have sacrificed so that we may live, we may enjoy our freedoms? The people who have sacrificed their innocence, their trust in a benevolent world, and often their health, to assure our comfort and ignorance?

This is about an ordinary woman, a childhood friend of our hero, who was first afraid to love him, and then afraid to face who he'd become when he finally returned home. You experience the town's perfectly rational fears as they debate whether to allow the hero back into their lives - he could be dangerous, you know. And you don't know how it will turn out, not till the end.

For anyone who hasn't read World War Z, this is a less gut-wrenching but no less affecting look at many of the same questions. What are the limits of human sacrifice, compassion and love?

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, this was by Jo Beverly. Who'da thunk? I don't usually go for her romances, but I read it in an anthology with 'Winterfair Gifts' by Bujold and I thought it was actually better than the Bujold one, which is saying something cos she's one of my favorite authors. I reckon she thought so too, cos her 'Sharing Knife' series basically explores the same ideas as this short. Great story that has made me think, and stuck in my head for years!

[Mathew Walls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not entirely terrible, but kind of sexist. There seems to be a sort of message there that a woman's place is to support a man. You could argue that it's not intended that way, but the book doesn't really do anything to contradict that message either. Also it sort of just stops rather than coming to a properly satisfying conclusion.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Revolutionary war to futuristic spaceship. A popular theme, considering I like similar books, Black Trilogy by Timothy Zahn https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Typos: c2 p14 response were is response was; c5 p14 REMOVE repeat KNICKERS

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novella, a thought provoking story. What happens when Johnny comes marching home? War carries burdens and do those left behind want to understand or deal with the problems?