THE GIRL FROM THE RED ROSE MOTEL

South Carolina teens fall in love, but their mismatched backgrounds may force them apart in Zurenda’s romance novel.

Hazel Smalls gets in-school suspension for a minor infraction regarding her JROTC uniform. It’s there that the high school junior surprisingly hits it off with senior Sterling Lovell, the scion of a rich family. Hazel doesn’t want Sterling to know that her home is a room in a “beat-up” local motel shared with her parents and kid sister (the situation is mostly due to her father’s DUI rendering him jobless). But Sterling may also have reason to be embarrassed, as his indifferent slumlord father owns that motel. Widowed English teacher Angela Witmore doesn’t miss what’s happening between these smitten teens, though she tries to stay out of her students’ personal affairs. Hazel and Sterling face many obstacles as they begin a romance, from their parents disrupting their lives (not always intentionally) to Sterling’s girlfriend, Courtney, who isn’t quite an “ex” when Sterling and Hazel start hanging out. The fledgling couple—with an unexpected assist from Angela—must fight to stay united. Zurenda populates this modern-day spin on a Romeo and Juliet pairing with superb characters: Hazel is resilient and selfless, while the privileged Sterling earns sympathy for his status as a former victim of bullying. The supporting cast is indelible, including the warmhearted Angela (who stumbles into romance of her own), Courtney’s spiteful preacher father, and Hazel’s ever-chatty sister, Chloe. The author’s effortless prose breathes life into every scene, even sequences as prosaic as Angela throwing together a spaghetti dinner and internally debating which wine to pair with it (“What did she care? The bottle of Chardonnay was already open”). Though a few of the plot turns are predictable, the ending packs a sensational dramatic punch.

An ardent love story that brims with sincerity and believable characters.