A literal swinging door sets in motion this enchanting story as the two lead characters collide head-on. Georgina Bailey works for Wallace Bros. Ltd. Bedford. James Munroe arrives there for a report. This family-owned business seems to let financial things slip and not monitor that workers are acting responsibly. The two young people who meet so abruptly are concerned with making their marks in a tough financial world. Instead, they make an unwanted impression on each other. Neither is seeking romance, but for the next four years, romance finds and then eludes Georgina and James as they attempt to keep their focus on resolving financial corruption on both sides of the Atlantic. Will their families help or hurt their chances for lasting love?

Tompkins is a gifted romance novelist who knows how to hold her readers spellbound over a thousand or more pages. The author also apparently knows a bit or two about monetary matters such as debt recovery, especially in the United Kingdom and on the European continent. The novel is set in the late 1980s—a time of runaway mortgage lending with homes being purchased without a financial review of the buyers. Adding to the issue is the fact that Britain's prime minister has encouraged homeownership for everyone. The author even introduces her readers to royalty, who though worthy of receiving bows and a curtsy, exhibit no snobbishness. Tompkin's long list of characters enters and exits center stage repeatedly, leaving admiration in their wake and love in a reader's heart. The title almost begs that one bring a handkerchief to determine whether big boys may very well cry after all. One wonders what more emotional highs the author can elicit in Part II of this epic tale.

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