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A TASTE OF TEMPTATION - Renee Alexis Genesis/Love Spectrum January 2007 |
SYNOPSIS: A night of a celebration quickly ends in passion when Brandi and Jacob make eye contact across the dance floor. Both agree to a night of passion, but neither can stop thinking about the short time they spent together. Brandi couldn’t be more shocked than when her Jacob turns out to be none other than the Timothy Polaris, her English Lit professor! Will these two be able focus on the subject at hand, or will they become the sex scandal that rocks the campus?
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE |1+| La-Tessa Montgomery
REVIEW: After spending a passionate night together, Brandi and
Jacob agree that their involvement ends there. Jacob, troubled heavily
by the sins of his past, does not do relationships. Brandi, on the other
hand, is fresh out of a relationship and opts to concentrate on keeping
her highly coveted scholarship. Not able to get memories of that night
out of her mind, Brandi is shocked when Jacob struts into her class on
the first day and turns out to be Professor Timothy Polaris! This sleepy
college campus is definitely about to heat up as Tim and Brandi flirt
with the boundaries of an acceptable teacher/student relationship.
For all of its promises to deliver a tale about a hot, clandestine
affair, A TASTE OF TEMPTATION falls flat. As a couple, Tim and Brandi
really don’t do it for me. Their chemistry is lackluster, their
conversations repetitive, and they way they handled conflicts made it
hard for me to believe in them. Brandi is younger than Tim and acts like
it consistently throughout the book. Several times I wondered why an
older man would be interested in someone who acts like, thinks, and
processes like an adolescent the majority of the time.
The plot is driven by tedious, repetitive dialog and underdeveloped
characters. The plot is also convoluted due to the bevy of obstacles Tim
and Brandi have to overcome in their pursuit of happiness. The issues of
race, Tim’s background, a stalker, a jealous ex, and the overall taboo
nature of their relationship are all on the drawing board.
Unfortunately, these subplots are not all brought to a satisfying
conclusion.
The secondary characters add very little to the story and only serve to
further slow the story down. The conversations between Brandi and
Tiffany, her best friend, are childish, as best, most of the times.
Eric, the ex, had the most potential to add a spark, but he disappears
mid way through.
A TASTE OF TEMPTATION comes across as a very choppy read that falls
short of delivering the romance I was looking for.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com |22nd January 2007