Kindle Edition Amazon Fountain Blue Publishing Climbing the Mountain Category:  Women Publisher: Fountain Blue Publishing ISBN-10:  1628680512 Type: Fiction Pages: 358 Copyright: February 2014 ISBN-13: 9781628680515 Price: $4.99 (eBook) When Janet married a man twenty-five years her senior she never thought about the day when he might not be there in mind and spirit or the decisions she would need to make. While back east attending her brother’s wedding, freelance Photographer, Janet Montgomery finds herself once again fruitlessly vying for her father’s love. After an awkward good-bye, she drives into the wintry night back to her hotel. But a tractor-trailer coming onto the highway is about to change all that. Spotting her car in the snowy median is Architect, Neil Porter, a middle-aged widower. When Neil moves to Oregon to be near h is daughter, Megan, who works with Janet, a chain of events draw them together. Janet wonders if the twenty-three years between them is too much. Can she avoid making the same mistakes her parents made? But the one thing she never considers is the ravages of dementia or the decisions she will have to make. Excerpt Janet spooned up to Neil and draped her arm over him. She hadn’t slept well for the last three days since she’d gotten the news from her doctor. How could this have happened? I’ve been careful. More than that, do I want a baby, and how do I tell him? Her gaze slipped out the window toward the ever-brightening dawn sky. Their wedding was planned for mid September. She would definitely be showing by then. Everything would have to be changed. And how would it look to his family, Megan especially, if things were escalated to accommodate her condition? She wasn’t so concerned for herself as she was for Neil. He was a private man, and she didn’t want to embarrass him. He stirred and rolled over onto his back. His arm lifted up and ran under her pillow. A hand touched her shoulder. His fingers softly brushed her skin. She saw him blink and then he rolled a lazy eye toward her. “Morning,” he muttered. She buried her head into the warmth of his shoulder. Listened to his beating heart, rode the undulation of his chest as it rose and fell. “I love you,” she said. Her hand grazed over his chest. Her stomach churned. She wanted to hide, to pretend her pregnancy was only a dream. “Love you too,” he replied He pulled her tighter, and she heard him yawn. She said, “I have something to tell you.” Another yawn. “What’s that?” She gathered her thoughts. No matter how she put this, it would change everything. “I went to the doctor on Monday.” “What about?” She took a deep breath. Summoned her courage. “I missed my period.” She closed her eyes. “I’m pregnant.” Dead silence. “Neil?” “Yeah.” “Say something?” He pulled his arm out from underneath her and rolled onto his side, facing her. “I’m not sure what to say. A child, wow! How do you feel about it?” “I don’t know.” He studied her. “Do you want one?” “Yes . . . and no.” Her throat tightened. “I mean . . . I’ve never seen myself as a mother. I love kids, but the thought of having one terrifies me. And then there’s all the plans we made for the wedding. They’ll have to be ditched. And what will your family think?” He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face toward him. “There’s nothing for us to be sorry for. We’re both in this together. And don’t you worry about my family. It is what it is.” He kissed her forehead and was quiet a moment. At last he said, “Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. And when it does, you roll with it. You’ll be a fabulous mother. And wedding plans can be changed.” “You’re not upset?” “Why would I be?” “I didn’t think you’d want any more children.” “I wasn’t planning on it. But then again, I wasn’t planning on falling in love again, either.” He grinned. “Wow, I can hardly believe it. I’m gonna be a dad again.” He pulled her into his arms and they entwined with a tender kiss.

a love between two unlikely people
Anyone who has experienced the disappearance of a family member or friend into the world of dementia will relate to this realistic tale. A story of a May-December romance that leads to marriage, it takes the reader through their life together. Their trials and tribulations, sometimes hindered by the age difference of a younger wife to an older husband, spans their years of raising a child, blending extended families, and struggling with the mental and physical issues of a debilitating disease.
The author draws the reader into a romance that sustains time; a love between two unlikely people that at times leads the reader to believe that love just isn’t enough, but in the end shows the reader that it is love, and only love, that sustains them. A beautifully, poignant tale that makes this a must read. Kudos to the author.

There is no predicting how or when love will happen between two people
There is no predicting how or when love will happen between two people. When it happens, obstacles like age, religion, or race are rarely insurmountable. The love story in Loving Neil seems to happen organically and even with a few bumps along the way, seems natural to the reader. What IS insurmountable is the insidiousness of the disease which afflicts Neil. Once that diagnosis is received, the ending is foretold. I did recognize and relate to the anguish of a spouse who is a caregiver, and who faces all the pain and disappointment, as well as anger, that a terminal disease entails. It's a powerful story and one that is written with great tenderness and sensitivity.

The story was about love and loss
This was a book I didn't want to put down right from the start. The story was about love and loss. And the strength we all are capable of.I identified very much with Janet and I aspire to have the strength she demonstrated. This was an excellent first novel. I look forward to reading more of the author's work.