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ISLAND MAGIC Alers/Hailstock/King-Gamble/Mason St. Martin's Press February 2000 (4) Nathasha Brooks-Harris |
Contemporary Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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In each of these island romance-driven novellas,
the heroines are strong, assertive, and self-assured young women. They’re more
like superwomen because they balance their careers, children, friendships, and
life’s challenges well. What each of them has in common is loneliness.
Although their lives are full, they are lonely because they lack romantic male
companionship. These women
realize that something vital is missing from their lives, so they make an effort
to get their grooves back by booking themselves on much-needed vacations. A week
in the sun and a little island magic changes their lives--forever. In "Enchanted" by
Felicia Mason, Regina Bryant visits Martinique with several of her married
sister-friends. She breaks away from them and winds up finding not one, but two,
guys. One of them captivates her so much that she falls madly in love with him
and doesn’t realize that she doesn’t recognize herself or her life after
their tryst begins. In Marcia King-Gamble’s novella, "Then
Came You", Raven Adams goes on her honeymoon without her groom. Her fiancé
jilted her not long before the wedding, so she goes to the Grenadines to lick
her wounds. However, Raven’s plans for her self-imposed pity party are
squelched by a fine island man who’s not quite what she thinks. A lodging snafu is the best thing that ever
happens to Naomi Davenport in Shirley Hailstock’s novella, "An
Estate of Marriage". Naomi planned a quiet getaway at an exclusive
Hawaiian estate, but when she arrives, it is occupied by the most arrogant man
she has ever met. The fur (and sparks) fly and neither of them leaves their
island haven. They make a pact to each take a wing of the mansion, but to stay
out of the other’s way. They soon find that opposites do attract and are
totally unprepared for what happens between them. Disappointment that her children aren’t coming
home from college for Christmas, heroine Erika Williams from Rochelle Alers’
novella, "Far From Home", decides to spend the
holidays in St. Thomas. She’s practically forced to dine with a sexy senator
and that chance encounter turns her usually regimented world upside down. The
good senator helps her to redefine the concepts of loving and being loved. Overall, this book is excellent. Each of the
novellas is well-written. The plots are well-crafted and offer a pleasant escape
from the wintry weather most of us are experiencing. There are elements of
suspense, a bit of mystery, and heartfelt romance in all of the novellas. There
is just the right amount of conflict in them to keep readers wondering if love
will prevail or if the heroines will return home with just a memory of their
island fling, but not with the hero. The characters are rich and three
dimensional-- psychologically, physiologically, and sociologically sound. The prevailing
theme running through the novellas is risk-taking and going to the limit for
love. Of all the novellas, "Then
Came You" is this reviewer’s favorite because King-Gamble peppered the
story with interesting nuances of island
life that made me experience the story with all five senses. That birds’ eye
view figuratively took me to the island of Bequia and made me feel as if I had
an intimate look at the plot as it unfolded. ISLAND MAGIC is a keeper. Run--don’t walk--and get your copy today. Then, fix yourself an island beverage of yourself, put your feet up, and read this marvelous book. Be prepared to read for a while because it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. You’ll not want to put it down. Do enjoy! |
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24th February 2000 |
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