True Williams was forced to leave behind a great job, loyal friends, and her entire life after she was betrayed by the man she loved.   After failing to rebuild her life, she lands in Montana, living next door to a hostile but gorgeous man.  Just when all her attempts at being neighborly fail and she’s on the point of giving up, Hayward Campbell turns the tables on her.  

Hayward struggles daily with painful memories.  He distances himself, alone and isolated in his house with his work - until he first sees True.   From that point on, he can’t resist her allure and the challenge of winning her.  In opening his heart to her, he discovers that everything he thought was lost has always been waiting for him.

Loving True is a sensuous drama that would work quite well in movie format.   There are countless slice-of-life vignettes involving True and Hayward that bring them closer together and reveal their innermost depths.   This allowed me to become as emotionally entangled as they were.   I can appreciate Marie Rochelle’s ability to carefully construct a novel that is contemporary with elements of early romance.   She subtly addresses various concerns such as intolerance in such a way that I was aware without the story being overshadowed by the ugliness of it.  Instead, she uses it as a way to demonstrate Hayward’s connection to the woman he loves and his willingness to protect her.  True reveals her strength and strong sense of self without anger and self-victimization. 

Although Ms. Rochelle describes her work as “erotic”, I wouldn’t use the term.  Her love scenes are steamy, but after reading Marilyn Lee, I feel that term is too strong for this author’s work.   Labels are limiting, and I feel that Marie Rochelle has created a strong niche for her writing in this genre that distinguishes her from everything else.