Edwina Martin-Arnold

Genesis Press

1-58571-071-7

April 2002

(3+) Jeanette Cogdell

Contemporary Romance

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

Jolie loves her job as a zoo keeper. But her serene life is turned upside down when she runs into the man that chose his career over her years ago.

REVIEW: 

As young sweethearts, Jolie Smith and Alvin Guillory were so in love.  Then Alvin’s dream of making it to the NBA forced him to give up the only woman he would ever love.  Left behind, a pregnant Jolie had to endure the hardship of miscarrying Alvin’s child.  A secret she never shared with him

Fifteen years later, Jolie is raising her basketball star brother after her mother’s death.  Alvin has retired from the NBA and is coaching at a nearby college.  While scouting this new talent, unknown to him as Jolie’s brother, Alvin encounters a distant and very bitter Jolie.  He is confused by her attitude towards him and knows that he must smooth things over with her if he expects to revive what they once had.

Determined not to intervene with her brother’s plans to attend Alvin’s college basketball program, Jolie puts her feelings for Alvin aside.  In a moment of weakness, she succumbs to the love she still feels for Alvin and he convinces her to give their relationship another try.  BUT, Alvin forgot the cardinal rule about a woman scorned and she indeed causes fury for the both Jolie and Alvin.

Ms. Martin-Arnold has given us an easy to read and charming story.  The jokes about Jolie no longer needing to do her own breast exams were hilarious and the jaguar scene was like watching a thriller movie.  It was riveting.  This reader sneaked a peek ahead to make sure Jolie would be all right. 

I was disappointed that Alvin didn’t express his feelings about the lost of their child to Jolie.  This was a traumatic event in her young life, yet I felt there was no remorse on his part.

JOLIE’S SURRENDER was quite an enjoyable read; however, the use of the “N” word caused unpleasant feelings forcing me to regroup before continuing.  Though it took nothing away from the story, it isn’t something I expected to encounter in my romance novel.

jeanette@romanceincolor.net (April 9th, 2002)