Contemporary Romance

AlTonya Washington

BET/Arabesque

1-58314-407-2

April 2003

(2) Katika Floyd

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

Dominique Salem awakens in a Chicago hospital, and has no recollection of her life before the devastating plane crash. A seductive stranger named Trinidad tells her he is her husband--and he is determined to reclaim the love they have both lost.

REVIEW: 

How do you mend a broken marriage? This is the theme of REMEMBER LOVE, a story of the rebuilding of the troubled marriage of Dominique and Trinidad Salem. Just as problems arise between the couple, Dominique is injured and suffers from amnesia as a result. Now, as she regains her memory she must repair her marriage as well.

If I had to describe this novel in one word, that word would be conflict. And conflict abounds in this novel. There’s the main conflict of a secret for Dominique’s past that threatens Dominique’s and Salem’s marriage. There is conflict between Dominique’s and Salem’s careers. She’s an investigative reporter, and he’s the CEO of a company under investigation. Conflicts arise between Salem and members of his family. The many conflicts help weave a complex plat but they also affect the pacing of the story. As soon as one minor conflict is solved another pops up, creating a dragging sensation in REMEMBER LOVE.

Salem and Dominique are likeable, if weak characters. While I found the main characters lacking sparkle, I was impressed by Ms Washington’s use of secondary characters, such as Belinda to support the couple and the plot of the story. However, Ms Washington’s use of multiple nicknames for the same character can lead to a bit of confusion.

For a first novel, Ms. Washington has chosen a complex theme of rebuilding a life after amnesia. She handles the actual amnesia recovery well. Unfortunately, like many other writers who use amnesia in a romance, she makes the mistake of allowing the character to get intimate with her hero before she knows who she is.  I must say that this is something that I as a reader do not like.

REMEMBER LOVE shows Ms Washington’s promise as a writer, as she is not shy about presenting a complex plot. If you enjoy romance novels heavy in relationship conflict this book is just the ticket, otherwise I’d wait for her next book.

katika@romanceincolor.net (30th March 2003)