A former Atlanta Hawks basketball star meets a potential love interest in Plummer’s debut romance novel.
Nehemiah Shepherd has lost faith in life. Once a professional athlete, he now lives with his aunt, who’s into the Bible, the Buddha and tarot cards. Auntie often has visions, including one about a woman she says that Nehemiah will meet, and soon he’s approached by a lady who’s “thick but sexy.” Saundra, a woman of color in her 40s, makes a move on him, which is uncharacteristic of her. It turns out that both Saundra and Nehemiah can hear other people’s thoughts, including each other’s. The two quickly become a couple, and they have a soulful, erotic connection. For a time, he turns away from other women who look to him for money and status, in order to focus on Saundra. Auntie believes that Nehemiah has a healing destiny to fulfill, to help “rebuild the wall” of Saundra’s trust in men. Both Nehemiah and Saundra find their relationship to be a source of pleasure and discomfort: Nehemiah is overwhelmed by the depth of his feelings and his own unhappy romantic past, while Saundra struggles with her previous mistreatment by men. She’s bisexual, and sometimes she and Nehemiah are joined in their lovemaking by another woman; she’s also a Christian, and often lectured by those who wish to talk her out of her sexual orientation. This novel is the first in a planned trilogy, and Nehemiah and Saundra will presumably return for the sequels. Their relationship is well-developed here, revealing their strong sexual natures in a story that’s steamy but tamer than E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey (2011). Their fear of intimacy leads to various difficulties, including extended separations; Nehemiah sometimes distances himself for months at a time, which triggers Saundra’s alcoholic relapses and her on-and-off affair with a married man. The character of Auntie is a gem, and other charming supporting characters include Saundra’s gay friend Antwon and Nehemiah’s witty pal Dante. At the book’s end, there’s a sense that Saundra’s desires and Nehemiah’s accommodations will land the pair in muddy waters in the future.
A solid, erotic story with well-crafted characters, and the promise of more drama to come.
Pub Date: March 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-1483408019
Page Count: 298
Publisher: Lulu
Review Posted Online: Sept. 4, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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