KEEPIN' IT REAL - Leslie Esdaile
Dafina/Romance
November 2004
SYNOPSIS: In her latest sizzling novel, the author of "Love Potions" and "Love Lessons" introduces a hot reality show producer who soon finds that the owner of a struggling recording company is the only man who can rock her world.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: (4+) Jennifer Brathwaite
REVIEW: In KEEPIN’ IT REAL the characters learn that love can be found even in the most unexpected places and that true happiness
lies in following your heart. These are the themes of Leslie Esdaile’s fresh, funny and thoroughly enjoyable novel.
In the story, a frustrated, young media executive proposes a smart and sassy idea for an urban-reality-dating-game show. To her surprise, and
to a lesser extent, panic, her idea is taken seriously by her superiors and is quickly set in motion with her at the helm. While casting the
show, she meets, is instantly attracted to and ends up falling for one of the show’s off-limits, hip and sexy contestants – Tyrell Ramsey.
Tyrell, on the other hand, is just a young businessman with big dreams of starting his own record label and taking it to great heights. Having
little success finding the financing for the project he decides to audition for the show with one goal in mind: making it to the end and being
able to reap the cash benefits. Plans are considerably changed however once he meets and falls for the show’s knockout producer – Natasha
Ward.
In the novel Ms. Esdaile uses the pace to add sexual tension to the text and to give the reader time to become invested in the characters, all
of whom are lively, colourful and distinct. Tyrell and Natasha’s best friends are prime examples of characters who are well crafted and who
enhance the novel as they add not only general humour, but they bring depth to the lead characters. There are a few characters in the book
however that aren’t as well drawn. As a result the reader is not able to connect with them enough to believe in their story and become vested
in their lives.
The setting and the dialogue of KEEPIN’ IT REAL are both excellent. The primary locale where the game show takes place is well described, adds
glamour to the novel and works well in the context and emotion of the story. The other locations visited throughout the book only add to the
romance. The dialogue is hip, honest, funny and sexy and links aptly with the character’s personalities.
All told the story is very enjoyable but becomes slightly convoluted towards the climax and ends in a bit too tidy a fashion. The secondary
storylines of some of the other characters are engaging and work well in enhancing the reader’s overall enjoyment of the text. Chock-full of
romance, humour and honesty Leslie Esdaile’s novel is a genuinely fun read!
reviewer@romanceincolor.com (1st September 2005)