LOVE LESSONS

Leslie Esdaile

BET/Arabesque

1-58314-186-0

September 2001

(3+) Jeanette Cogdell

Contemporary Romance

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

Corey Hamilton spent years caring for her sick mother, and the only bright spot in her life is in her classroom full of children.  Touched by one troubled boy, Corey intends to have harsh words with his father, Trevor Winston, an independent film-maker.  When Corey convinces Trevor to put his career on the back burner in favor of the child he adores, Corey also makes him want to capture her beauty on film – and hold her in his arms.

REVIEW: 

Trevor Winston is a filmmaker who is known for his hip-hop videos.  His work takes him around the world.  These are not the type of films that Trevor has always dreamed of making.  He is at a point in his life where he is reevaluating his career and the time away from his son, Miguel.  He takes some time off to reinforce the bond between father and son.

Corey Hamilton has had to give up her dreams of traveling and making films to care for her sick mother.  She is appalled with the way one of her favorite students Miguel is neglected by his father.  When Trevor finally shows up after she has sent home five notices, she loses her temper with him and tells him off.  After much consideration, she apologizes.  

In an attempt to right a wrong, Trevor proposes to Corey a class project, which would entail her students creating a documentary on children and the influences on them.  Corey is thrilled with the idea and at the same time noting her attraction to Trevor.  Trevor is just as smitten with Corey, but will not subject her to being “Miguel’s dad’s girlfriend” or the gossip that would ensue.

Stepping into the role of patriarch of his immediate family isn’t as easy as Trevor thought it would be.  His teenage niece and nephew resent him taking a fatherly role and his sister doesn’t trust that he will not run off again with the next video offer.  He also has to contend with his growing attraction to Corey and how the children in the house would perceive a relationship with her.

Leslie Esdaile’s stories are always reflective of everyday life.  The distressed relationships in her books will constantly be followed by practical enlightening solutions.  She has a way of breaking things down and telling you just how it is.  I have yet to walk away from one of her books without learning a lesson or two.

jeanette@romanceincol.net (1st September 2001)