PASSIONWALK

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.