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INFATUATION Sonia Icilyn BET/Arabesque February 2001 (4+) Wayne Jordan |
Contemporary Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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INFATUATION is the first book I’ve read by Sonia Icilyn, and it’s definitely not the last. I’d hear that Ms. Icilyn was the first British author to be published by Arabesque, and typically expected the book to feature stuffy English character with snobbish British accents. My apologies to Ms. Icilyn and the British. Instead I was privileged to a wonderful story with delightful characters, a wonderful sense of place and flaming sexual tension. INFATUATION is with originality. Wade Beresford is a journalist, owns his own magazine and would stop at nothing to make his magazine - “he had been successfully sued for Bride’s unsubstantiated libels.” Bride legitimizes rumors and makes them real and in the process sells thousands of copies. He has no problem with pay settlements out of court. The important thing is that the magazine is being getting publicity, and … readers. Wade, however, goes to far, and when he writes a story about soap star, Desney Westbourne, he does not expect the woman to confront him in person. Wade believes all actresses are “bitches”, but Desney challenges him to be a real journalist, and find out what she really is like. He picks up the challenges and literally becomes her ‘shadow”. The experience is an interesting one. In time, he discovers that Desney is an “intelligent, truthful, caring, and humorous”, and he finds himself infatuated with her. The infatuation slowly turns to love. What is fascinating about INFATUATION is the author’s ability to create characters that are so real that they almost leap of the pages. The witty exchanges between Desney and Wade are delightful and stimulating, and filled with intense sexual tension. Their first kiss, seventy-four pages into the book is worth the long wait. Both Desney and Wade are wonderfully crafted individuals. Desney, the strong, confident black woman searching for love; Wade, the imperfect hero, a man needing someone like Desney to teach him honesty and sensitivity. By the end of the book, the reader has forgiven Wade his flaws and see him as a vulnerable sensitive hero deserving of a woman like Desney. Ms. Icilyn is able to write a book that is set in the world of the soap opera, and have a little fun with the genre. A secondary story sees Desney’s life being threatened, and an eventual attempt on her life. This is typical soap opera fare, but Ms. Icilyn never allows it to become melodramatic. Add the perfectly sick devoted fan, and you have delicious stuff that tantalized the reader. With INFATUATION, Ms. Icilyn has moved into the ranks of the “Authors I Must Read”. Her latest release is a delightful concoction that is sure to satisfy the diverse needs and desires of romance readers. |
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wayne@romanceincolor.net
(1st April 2001) |
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