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AFTER HOURS -
Rochelle Alers
Harlequin Kimani/Arabesque
0-37383-122-6
March 2008 |
SYNOPSIS:
Three women living in a hidden world of desire and scandal
discover that every passion has a price, and some secrets are just impossible to
keep.
MAINSTREAM FICTION |2| Marguerite
Lemons
REVIEW:
Adina Jenkins, aka Dina Gordon,
had been using her good looks to set-up unsuspecting men for Payne
Jefferson, the neighborhood gangster bent on revenge.
That is, until she discovers there’s a
contract out on her life.
Out of fear, Dina flees
Brooklyn
for life in
Irvington,
New Jersey.
Her first item of business is to get a new identity.
Karla King helps her with this and gets her
a job with Sybil Cumberland, owner of SJC catering.
Dina suddenly finds herself in the midst of
a world she had only dreamed of.
When Lancelot “Lance” Haynes sees her, he is
immediately attracted.
He’s made millions as a software engineer,
but the only thing missing in his life is love.
He doesn’t believe there is a woman who can
love him and not his money, but he falls for Dina before he realizes
what is happening.
Karla, Sybil, and Lance are a part of the
“elite” society and Dina can’t believe they have welcomed her into their
circle.
She wants to trust them, but is afraid to
get too close because she fears they will reject her if they uncover her
secrets.
Little does she know that her new friends
have some interesting secrets too.
Set in the New York
and New Jersey
areas, AFTER HOURS is a tale of secrets.
Dina had a rough life in the projects, but has
managed to stay both ahead of the game and out of trouble; until her life is
threatened.
I admired Dina’s independence and her decision to change
her life by committing wholeheartedly to doing whatever it takes to make a
living; even if it means working menial jobs.
I also liked the fact although Lance is a self-made
millionaire, he is not self-absorbed and obnoxious.
He is secure enough to not take it personally when
Dina refuses his help, and gives her enough breathing room to adjust.
AFTER HOURS
peaked my interest within the first few pages, but quickly lost it.
While I liked the leads, their relationship as a
whole, which incidentally is built upon lies, read more like a fairy tale to me.
And some of the things Dina did to cover up her lies
were simply unbelievable.
The real problem that I had with this book is that
other than the underlying secrets, which revolved around sex and adultery, there
really wasn’t much to the story.
It boiled down to a story of three dysfunctional
couples with secrets, which to me, created a story that was less than
spectacular.
But, if you happen to like stories about the underdog
overcoming adversities, then you will probably enjoy this one.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com |
10th May 2008
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