IF I COULD

Donna Hill

1-57566-597-2

Kensington Books

November 2000

(4+) by Wayne Jordan

Mainstream Fiction

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

REVIEW: 

Donna Hill has been my favorite author since she started writing for Arabesque romance more than five years ago, and I’ve devoured each of her books since then with an almost fanatical devotion.  Ms. Hill is a Blackboard bestselling author, and one of Arabesque’s best.  A PRIVATE AFFAIR and PIECES OF DREAMS, two of my all time favorites, are perfect examples that demonstrate the qualities that make Ms. Hill the skilled and talented writer she is; qualities that are demonstrated in IF I COULD.

With IF I COULD, and a new publisher, Ms. Hill’s work takes a interesting direction, and she proved that she is an author deserving of the success and recognition she has gained in five short years.  IF I COULD is Ms. Hill at her very best.  Despite its mainstream tag, IF I COULD has very strong elements of romance, so fans of Ms. Hill’s Arabesque books will definitely not be disappointed.  IF I COULD, however, is much, much more that a story of love.  It’s a also a story of friendship, and sisterhood.  Ms. Hill takes us on the sometimes torturous journey of self-discovery that every individual must take.

IF I COULD is the story of Regina Everette, a happily married woman, or so her friends believe.  When Regina leaves her husband, her friends, Antoinette and Victoria, as well as her family thinks she’s crazy.  For years, she has had all she needs - a loving husband and financial security.  Little do they know that Regina feels stifled by Russell, the epitome of masculine chauvinism.  A man who feels that a woman’s place is in the home and one who reduces Regina to nothingness.  Years later, when Regina quits her job as a reporter, her friends’ reaction is the same.  Neither of them realize that their friend is slowly but surely discovering who she is.

It’s also the story of “black as tar” Victoria, a woman who tries so hard to pale her complexion she marries a white man.  Vivid memories from Victoria’s past only makes it more difficult for her to accept who she is, and an impending pregnancy only serves to bring ever-present insecurities closer to the surface.

And it is the story of Antoinette, a woman so intent on being successful that she alienated her husband, a man who has been devoted to her and has loved her unconditionally for years despite her obsession with social mobility.  In the process, Antoinette, nearly destroyed a love that few people ever find.  Ironically, Toni, the therapist has answers for others, especially Regina, but can never see her own problems.

What makes this an amazing book is that Ms. Hill is able to juggle these three stories with the skill of a veteran, and at no time do we feel the story is incomplete.  In a recent interview, Ms. Hill says that IF I COULD “is really a book about choices. It's about facing yourself for who you are and allow yourself to be exposed and accepted. And finding out, it's okay.”

IF I COULD lives up to this premise.  Regina, the ugly duckling, has her dreams, her goals and her visions.  It is neither makeup nor beautiful clothes that transforms her into a lovely swan, but the choice she makes to be her own woman, and the decision she makes to take control her life.

IF I COULD is a masterpiece of inspiration and is destined to be a classic.  Ms. Hill has demonstrated that she is a gifted writer, and that as always she writes with soul.

Next month, A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR from Arabesque will hit the shelves.  What more could a Donna Hill fan want!

wayne@romanceincolor.net (1st December 2000)