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ALL THAT MATTERS Courti Wright BET/Arabesque January 1998 (4) Nathasha Brooks-Harris |
Contemporary Romance |
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REVIEW: |
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Elizabeth
Katherine Tate, affectionately known as Honey, longs for the good life in her
New Orleans home. Forced to move to New York City after her father died because
the money ran out, she was never happy there. New York is way too fast for her
taste and the bohemian lifestyle makes Honey realize that there has to be a
better life waiting for her back home. Her mother, also unhappy, basically dies
of a broken heart because she misses both her lovely Southern lifestyle and her
husband. Since there’s nothing to stop Honey, she returns to New Orleans
determined to restore her childhood home and to seek her happiness. She finds a
job as a human mannequin at an upscale boutique owned by an eccentric older
gentleman. Stephen
Turner is a handsome lawyer from one of New Orleans’ old money families. Very
set in his ways, he conforms to the mores of
his strict, conservative society--until he meets the beautiful Honey
Tate, the woman who sets his heart on fire with her unconventionalism. Honey
and Stephen meet when she hires him to help her to find out more about her new
best friend, Jacqueline. Honey is drawn to Jacqueline from the first day they
befriend each other when she returns to look at
the mysterious white house that haunted her father for many years. For
reasons that Honey cannot explain, she feels as if Jacqueline
is her sister, although everyone else shuns her because she is the product of a
courtesan mother and an unknown father. Honey demands that Stephen unlock the
secrets of Jacqueline’s heritage and anything else that he can find to put her
back in good graces with the old-line society. Honey
and Stephen fall madly in love with each other despite the fact that her boss,
St. Phillipe, threatens to fire her if she continues to associate with
Jacqueline and Stephen’s parents begin to shun him
for being friendly with Honey. They don’t care if they lose everything
for which they’ve worked so hard; they must have each other at all costs. When
faced with a choice between tradition and giving into their hearts, they choose
love. However, things don’t fall into place for them as they had expected. A
series of mishaps occur that keep them apart, but they band together and bond
with Jacqueline. Several secrets are uncovered that affect all of their lives. ALL THAT MATTERS is an excellent book that shows a side of New Orleans life that’s not readily addressed. Wright does it so well in her novel. Many readers will think that class distinctions exist in other parts of the world, not right here in the United States, but Wright explores that subject with great insight and sensitivity. The characters are rich and well-crafted from Honey, to Jacqueline to Stephen to Honey’s boss, Saint Philippe. Readers will even get to know Jacqueline’s mother, Madeline, well despite the fact that she was dead when the story opened and she is seen through character introspection. Saint Philippe lends comic relief to the novel because of his colorful attire and constantly aching feet. The busybody society matrons who torment Honey and Jacqueline add another dimension to the storyline because they reflect the attitudes of their society. The characters almost jump off the page and it’s easy to visualize them from the wonderful descriptions Wright gives. |
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nathasha@romanceincolor.net (January 1998) |
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