Maureen Gilmore is nearing her sixtieth birthday and remains in love with her dearly departed husband, as do most of her friends. Together, they are the Invincible Sisterhood, widows who loved their husbands with every breath in their body but who continued to live life after their husbands’ deaths. Traci Evans is the only odd one out. She is by far the youngest and is not technically a member. Her marriage was also not as happy as those of the other women, though she has not shared these secrets with her friends, and she has sworn off men.

Both Maureen and Traci face uncertain times ahead, for the romantic path they had thought to travel is soon to differ. A man ten years Maureen’s junior shows an intense interest in her and is determined to pursue her, no matter Maureen’s insecurities about their age gap. And Maureen’s son, Ryan, has decided that now is the time to make his move on Traci, skittish as he knows she is. Will the men succeed in their romantic objectives, or will the women live out their lives as intended: widows with no amorous entanglements?

Not Even If You Begged, though a good read, was not what I was expecting the tale to be from the blurb. Rather than getting a romance that seemed between an older woman (Traci) and a younger man (Ryan), I received a story that follows the developing relationship between two couples, one in their late thirties (Traci and Ryan) and the other pair nearly fifty and nearly sixty (Simon and Maureen). Whilst I enjoyed reading about both couples, I found it somewhat odd that the blurb focused entirely on Ryan and Traci, with nothing about Maureen and Simon, particularly because both couples receive equal attention in the tale – and in the beginning Maureen and Simon receive more attention than Ryan and Traci! This threw me somewhat and this is why I have marked down the tale to four angels. On the positive side, the story is well written and wouldn’t have worked as well if the couples had each had their own stories. All four characters are written about in length, and each has the opportunity to tell the story from their own viewpoint. To be together these characters have much to overcome, most especially the two women’s reticence in becoming involved with another man. Maureen because of her age and continuing love for her deceased husband, Traci because of her disastrous brief marriage. Each couple engages in intimacy, though in fitting with the story the characters do not go ‘all the way’ in the initial stages of their relationship – and when they do the event is pretty much glossed over, with no description of the actual lovemaking. Not Even If You Begged is an unusual tale, one that was a decent read, but one that felt as though it was being pulled in two directions. Perhaps this would appeal most to those who have loved and lost, or those who desire a relationship in their golden years. If you’re looking for the traditional love-marriage-babies-diamond anniversary, then this isn’t for you.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth