Powerless: A Small Town Friends to Lovers Romance

Jasper is the primary male point-of-view character, and although he exudes a strong, composed persona, he harbors deep trauma that often renders him emotionally unavailable. At first, even though he finds himself quietly devastated by the thought of Sloane marrying Sterling, he masks his heartbreak with stoicism, not wanting to interfere with her choices or appear possessive. Sloane is his childhood best friend and has always seen him clearly, and his heart is broken as he watches her prepare to marry someone she doesn’t love. For much of his life, Jasper has believed himself to be unworthy of Sloane because of his tragic past. This emotional paralysis has caused him to watch from the sidelines, suffering in silence while Sloane walks toward a future that isn’t right for her and doesn’t include him. 

However, when she asks him to help her escape the wedding, Jasper is more than willing to whisk her away back to the place they both feel safest: Wishing Well Ranch. Jasper always finds stability and purpose in the presence of the Eatons because when he was a troubled teenager, Harvey took him in and offered him shelter, structure, and quiet care. Over time, the Eatons have become the anchor that Jasper needs, but he still struggles to accept the idea that he truly is a part of their family. 

When Beau Eaton is missing in action during a military mission, Jasper’s emotional burden becomes insupportable, and his hockey career suffers as a result. Yet Jasper silently shoulders his pain, attentively watches over others, and sacrifices his desires whenever he believes that doing so will keep others safe. As Sloane observes, “Jasper is nothing like the men I grew up around. He’s raw and dirty and loves so hard he hurts himself in the process” (242). Physically, Jasper is strong, athletic, and competent. He is fiercely protective of those he loves, especially Sloane, but he fights those feelings because he believes that his love could hurt her. By contrast, Sloane offers him the chance to reclaim the parts of himself that he so desperately hides. She doesn’t try to fix or change him; instead, she accepts him, scars and all. Her ability to see through his silences makes Jasper feel safe enough to open up to her. Through her patience and unshakable presence, Sloane helps Jasper to break the emotional cycle of self-denial and realize that he is not a burden, but a sensitive man who is deeply capable of giving and receiving love. The safety and acceptance that he finds in her arms and within the Eaton family allow him to break free of his trauma and embrace a more authentic life without guilt or sorrow.

Sloane’s father, Robert Winthrop, is a stereotypically controlling parent who represents the generational dysfunction that often haunts emotionally complex families. Although Sloane is physically separated from him for most of the novel, he wields the concept of familial obligation like a club and systematically seeks to break his daughter’s will and force her to obey his wishes for her life and her future. Consumed by patriarchal expectations, he stands as the primary antagonist in the novel. However, the full extent of Robert’s manipulation remains hidden from Sloane until Jasper reveals that years ago Robert threatened to derail his hockey career if he continued to pursue a romantic interest in Sloane. When Sloane learns the truth, she realizes the long-term effects of Robert’s toxic parenting on her identity, and she finally gains the strength to complete The Struggle to Reclaim Self-Worth. Obsessed with image, status, and control, Robert is a powerful yet spiteful man who prioritizes appearances over his daughter’s emotional well-being. Sloane’s engagement to Sterling exemplifies this dynamic, for the match was arranged more for public benefit and strategic alliance than for love.

By using his authority to steer Sloane’s choices, Robert never pauses to consider what she wants or needs. Instead, he believes that his actions are justified and even benevolent, viewing himself as a protector and provider. He cannot see that his control stifles the very daughter he claims to care for. Robert therefore represents the patriarchal forces that are designed to subjugate women, and his toxic control contrasts sharply with the emotional freedom and healing that Sloane discovers with Jasper and at Wishing Well Ranch. By confronting Robert at her birthday dinner, Sloane reclaims her voice and breaks free from his emotional manipulation. Thus, Sloane’s decision to reject Robert’s influence leaves him essentially “powerless.”