Donna Hill

BET/Arabesque

1-58314-118-9

December 2000

(4+) by Wayne Jordan

Contemporary Romance

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

REVIEW: 

Donna Hill is one of my favorite authors and, for me, the year 2000 was one of her best, and one that ended on a note of excellence.  Ms. Hill started the New Year with the poignant SOUL TO SOUL, and ended it with a pair of books that hinted at a change in direction and focus of her writing.  Both IF I COULD (5) and A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR (4+) are not typical Donna Hill romances.  There is not only a complexity and originality to both of these books that make them so appealingly different, but the titillating hint of the mainstream direction; a direction it is evident that Ms. Hill is poised to take with her hardcover debut later this year.

A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR, Ms. Hill's final book for the year is  a definite departure for her, and one which may not be to the taste of her die hard romance fans, but demonstrates a growth in Ms. Hill’s craft and suggests that she is ready for greater things.

What struck me most of all about A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR was Ms. Hill’s ability to develop and be faithful to each of the multiple relationships that are central to the novel’s plot.  In Ms. Hill’s capable hands, what seems a overwhelming task, is handled with the skill of a veteran.

A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR, on one level, is the story of two sisters who, for the first time in their lives, are faced with a situation that puts their friendship in jeopardy.  Samantha and Simone, stepsisters, both actively involved in the political and social life of Washington D.C., are as close as true sisters can be.

Their relationship, however, takes a turn when a childhood friend, Chad Rushmore, returns to the US after years overseas.  Both women have feelings for this handsome brother.  Simone, once Chad’s lover, still feels an attachment to him, but believes that the relationship is best over, until she sees something special developing between Samantha and Chad.  Chad, despite his attraction to Samantha, still has feelings for Simone.  What develops is a strained relationship between the two sisters, but one that is eventually resolved.  At the end the major players makes choices that are in keeping with who they are.

A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR is also about racism; a topic not usually seen in the romance novel, but one that Ms. Hill delivers with frankness.  On Chad return home, he solicits the assistance of Simone and Samantha in a class suit against the Police Department.  This plotline only serves to make the characters in the novel more appealing, and is one of the most compelling things about this book.

But A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR is not perfect.  If I were to say that the book is flawed, I would have to justify it by saying that Ms. Hill’s characters always seem a bit to perfect…and predictable.  They just seem to do what is right, and I never ever expect them to act out of character.

But this is a minor grouse.  A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR is a wonderfully complex character study of some of the most interesting characters in a romance novel published in the Year 2000.  Now, I look forward to the release of THROUGH THE FIRE and RHYTHMS in 2001.

wayne@romanceincolor.net (14th February 2001)