A CLASS APART - Angela Winters
BET/Arabesque
July 2004
SYNOPSIS: The national bestselling author delivers the exciting tale of a high-society woman and a working class cop who are thrown together by a murder investigation and find themselves falling in love.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: (3+) Debra Ross
REVIEW: When Sepia Davis and Paul Healy meet it is far from love at first sight. Paul sees Sepia as a rich, spoiled, socialite, used to getting her way. Sepia sees Paul as an arrogant, rigid, policeman intent on sticking to the rules. As their one dimensional views of each other begin to change, a love strong and true develops, and the reader is treated to a pleasant romantic suspense in A CLASS APART.
Sepia Davis is a novelist doing research for her latest work, a crime drama. Paul Healy is the police officer she has been assigned to ride with for the day to complete her research. Needless to say the day does not go smoothly. Paul resents the intrusion, and Sepia resents being seen as such. Ignoring the physical attraction they both feel, they plan to go their separate ways, until a series of murders involving Sepia’s country club members force them together again.
Thrown together by the serious nature of the murder case, they are forced to see both themselves and each other in a new light. The character development and interaction between the hero and heroine are the highlights of the story for me.
Sepia has lived a sheltered and privileged life and does not realize how snobbish she is; however, when she finally does she is mature enough recognize how her “class” is viewed by others. Her character is portrayed as smart, strong, determined and very likable. Paul’s reserved mannerism and dislike for the privileged class is a result of his humble upbringing and the failure of his first marriage. As the story progresses he is shown to be honest, proud, protective, and fiercely loyal – the perfect hero. Sepia and Paul are characters the reader wants to see together.
The secondary characters tend to add to the readers understanding of the hero and heroine and do not take away from the romance. The suspense is a bit predictable and the romance is a few degrees below sizzling, but A CLASS APART is a good read resulting in the coming together of two very likable characters.
Angela Winters is quite adept at combining romance and suspense. A CLASS APART is yet another testament to the fact.
debra@romanceincolor.com (3rd July 2004)