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DAWN'S HARBOR - Kimberly Hunt Genesis/Love Spectrum February 2008 |
SYNOPSIS: After a woman who has lost all faith in herself meets an African heir who's been forced into exile, they both experience firsthand the power of love and faith that ultimately leads to a lasting family bond and redemption.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | 3 | Marguerite Lemons
REVIEW:
Jasmine Burke was making a name for herself as an architect in Manhattan
until a tragic accident causes her to become a guilt-ridden recluse, and
a shell of her former self. Noah Arias, who fled his native Cielo Vista
as a child after a bloody coup took the life of his father, has been
left for dead by his family in the Glendale Nursing Home in Brooklyn
where Jasmine has taken a job as a housekeeper at night. Jasmine has
made it a nightly ritual to go in and talk to Noah about her problems,
but she is taken aback when he answers her after awakening from a two
year coma. Noah can’t remember his life prior to waking up in the
nursing home, but he asks Jasmine to make a call to someone named Aaron
and not to alert the nurses. When she returns to work she is told that
he died, but several months later, Noah shows up on her door step very
much alive and still suffering from amnesia. He and Jasmine embark on a
tentative relationship not realizing that both of their lives may be in
danger.
Noah is proof that people in comas can hear what’s going on around them,
because he heard everything that Jasmine told him and decided, upon
waking, that he would do everything in his power to ensure that she let
go of her guilt and regained her life. I liked that he encourages her to
help a child in her building who is having problems and his constant
attention and faith helps Jasmine realize what’s missing in her life,
even though his life is a mystery. I realize that Jasmine suffered a
traumatic experience, but I feel that her reaction was a little over the
top. I’m not an authority on mental illnesses, but I’m having a problem
with her self imposed exile. I am also aware that it is not as easy for
U. S. citizens to travel into countries that are considered dangerous or
enemies of this country without coming under intense scrutiny. So, it’s
difficult for me to believe that Jasmine was able to make two “last
minute” trips to a foreign country with a “hostile” climate.
This story takes place in New York, South Carolina and Cielo Vista, a
mythical African country in the Cameroon Islands. I enjoyed the
descriptive journey through the jungles and the countryside of Cielo
Vista, I could actual visualize it. This is a good story. I just found
it to be a bit tedious in places.
DAWN’S HARBOR is a story of learning to forgive oneself and
self-preservation. It reminds of the fact that family can cause you more
harm than a perfect stranger.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 1st February 2008