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A TASTE OF LOVE BET/Arabesque August 1999 (2) Melanie Schuster |
Contemporary Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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Suppose
you were trapped in a dreary existence and suddenly you had the means to make
all your fantasies come true? Suppose
that your prince came along and swept you far away to a land of fantasy and
enchantment? Suppose that his every
waking hour was spent making you happy? Does that sound like a workable plan
for your life? Get a taste of that
paradise in A TASTE OF LOVE, Louré Bussey’s newest Arabesque offering. Nia Lashon is a modern day
Cinderella--stuck in a dead end job as a cocktail waitress, sacrificing
everything to put her two younger brothers through college, just barely making
ends meet. She has a singing voice that is truly magnificent, with a face and
figure to match, but her dreams of a singing career were cast aside years
before due to tragedy. She wants more,
needs more and deserves more, but she sees no way out of her current
situation. A fire that destroys her
place of employment is the catalyst that causes Nia to start breaking out of
her shell. When she is offered a dream
job by Roland Davenport, she jumps at the opportunity to start her life anew. Roland, the handsome, wealthy owner
of a string of Caribbean resorts, needs a housekeeper for his house in St.
Croix. He whisks Nia away to his island
paradise where both their lives begin again.
Nia touches him in ways he cannot resist. She makes him forget his disastrous romantic past and start
looking forward to a future together.
Her beauty and sweetness enchant him, her voice astounds him and his
feelings for her overwhelm him. He'd lost
in business before because of romance; he can’t afford to do it again. This time, he is determined to find the right
balance; he vows that he and Nia will have it all. Roland and Nia have to trust one
another and the love that has grown between them. But is that trust strong enough to withstand treachery, lies and
manipulation? For there is someone who
is determined that Nia not have the love and security that she
deserves--someone who would rather see her dead than happy in the arms of the
man who loves her... A
TASTE OF LOVE is a fairy tale for
the modern romantic. You’ve got your
handsome prince, your beautiful maiden, your intrigue and suspense and you have
a whole lot of romance. Ms. Bussey does
not dole it out by the spoonfuls--you get much more than just a taste! Perhaps because it was so passionate and
romantic that you want more, more, more
of Nia and Roland, and less of some of the secondary characters. They seemed to take up more time than was
warranted, especially as certain motives were laid out. The story draws heavily from
elements that were put in place years before--we are told about these things
and do not get the opportunity to ‘witness’ them which dilutes the drama. And the lure and magic of the islands was
underutilized; the sounds and scents and tastes of St. Croix were just not
there for me. I wanted to feel more of
the tropical influence, just like I wanted to experience more of Nia and Roland
without interference. Those reservations do not prevent this from being the stuff that summer dreams are made of though; when it comes to romance, A TASTE OF LOVE is better than a plateful of anything else. Bon Appetit! |
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2002 |
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