UNREQUITED

Book 2 in a series about the intrepid and sexually confident Talia Jacobs.

Readers familiar with author Devour’s (Wantin, 2013) first book in this series will find Talia in a somewhat surprising situation—a committed relationship—but the reader soon learns that the relationship is not to last. A clairvoyant has suggested Talia’s boyfriend, Sebastian, is guilty of an indiscretion, and after direct confrontation, Sebastian is unable to deny it. So begins a new round of adventures for the woman who is told by the clairvoyant, “Nothing you attempt ever fails.” Journeying to India, Talia explores the intricacies of Ganges corpse burning and has a fling with a half-Maori man. Experiencing firsthand struggles with poverty, Talia begins to make use of her vast resources to change the world at large. She says, “My philosophy was simple—establish repeatable sustainable processes for global nutrition based on the challenges of any one country.” Pursuing her philosophy with a well-funded nonprofit organization, Talia goes about implementing change. Though she faces hostilities ranging from a critical journalist to a bout of pneumonia, her quests to institute global change and find a worthy partner continue. Exhibiting a more mature, more earnest Talia than in the first book, the journey this time takes more dangerous turns. A return trip to Haiti finds Talia putting a violent end to a sexual assault. After liberating a group of animals from a zoo in India, Talia has no qualms about resorting to euthanasia for a bird that cannot fly. This more calculated Talia still has a need for the erotic (“His tongue played with my nipples. I could feel his breath quicken as I reached down and started to stimulate myself”), though she now has much larger goals—goals that are pursued with the cool tenacity of a highly self-confident protagonist. Whether readers will decide to connect with this protagonist rests with their empathy for a wealthy do-gooder who refuses to settle for anything less than an absolute soul mate. Dry at times, though infectious in her can-do attitude, rooting for Talia will prove rewarding for those with similar dreams.

Readers interested in a woman of action who cannot fail, even as she takes on worldwide problems, will find much of value in this second installment.