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FROM DUSK TO DAWN - Naombi Davis Parker Publishing/Passion April 2008 |
SYNOPSIS: Successful body products CEO, Ayo Montgomery, has her life on track. Her son is away at Annapolis, her business is flourishing and she is comfortable in her own skin despite the untimely death of her husband. She doesn’t know she’s missing something in her life until on a hot, August day she meets a younger man, Bilal Abdul-Salaam.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE |4+| Marguerite Lemons
REVIEW:
Ayodele “Ayo” Montgomery was widowed at a young
age. She returned to the Washington, D. C. area from
Trinidad after the death of her husband, and built a successful skin
care company; all while raising her son Kedar, who is now in college.
The last thing Ayo is looking for is love, and especially with a younger
man. Bilal Abdul-Salaam is a much sought after antiquities
appraiser and restorer who has been waiting for the right woman to marry
and have his children. When Ayo answers her door she is unprepared
for the feelings that assail her at the sight of Bilal and he is just as
taken aback at the sight of her. Ayo cannot believe that she is
attracted to a younger man, and she is afraid of how her son will react
to their relationship. When she finds out that she may not be able to
give Bilal the family he desires, she decides to let him go. But
Bilal will not have any of that; he is determined to make her his wife
no matter what obstacles stand in their way.
Ayo is a strong willed, independent woman.
She has overcome the loss of the love of her life at a young age, and
against all odds created a successful business out of her soap making
hobby. My only problem with her was her constant self-doubt, snap
judgments, and her willingness to give up the man she claimed to love so
easily. Bilal is a strong, even-tempered, and level-headed man.
He is extremely patient and caring, and he bends over backwards to help
Ayo.
FROM DUSK TO DAWN is a riveting story of an unconventional romance.
The odds are against the leads’ relationship from the beginning.
There is the clash between their religious beliefs and the difference in
their ages. I enjoyed the way that Ms. Davis worked through all of
the characters problems. The supporting characters were
considerate and encouraging to the couple, and I thought the friction
between Ayo’s son, Kedar, and Bilal was handled very well. The
author also managed to weave into the mix the issue of infertility in
older women brought on by endometriosis and other ailments. She
even broached the topic of depression and the characters ability to
acknowledge and cope with it.
Ms. Davis is to be commended for a well written and
interesting story. I enjoyed it and will recommend it to my
friends.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 28th March 2008