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STOLEN HEARTS Jacquelin Thomas BET/Arabesque October 2002 (3) Debra Ross |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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| Raven Christopher finds her soul mate in Andre Simon, a free-spirited New York artist. When Raven confesses her involvement in the heist of a famous painting, Andre vows never to speak to her again. But fate has a different plan. When their child--a boy Andre has never met--is kidnapped, their passion is re-ignited by their desperate attempt to rescue their son. | |
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REVIEW: |
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Raven Christopher’s 2 ½ year old son Julian has been kidnapped. The one person who can help her is Andre Simon, the baby’s father. Due to Raven’s involvement in an art theft ring, Andre and Raven have not seen or spoken to each other for 3 years and he does not know of his son’s existence. In “Stolen Hearts”, Jacquelin Thomas takes us on a suspenseful journey to save a child and attempt to mend two shattered hearts.
When Andre finally believes that Raven is telling the truth about her son he is determined to help her find him. Because of Raven’s deceitful past Andre does not trust her, but he must put past differences aside in order to save their son. Raven wants to do as the kidnapper demands and steal a valuable painting – Andre insists they use a PI friend of his to find their son.
When STOLEN HEARTS opens, Raven and Andre, once involved in a passionate love affair, have been estranged for 3 years. As the story develops we are shown why certain personality traits are apparent, however we are not privileged to see what made them fall in love with each other in the first place. Throughout the story they seem to be getting back together for the child’s sake and not for any obvious need to be together. The romantic aspect of the story would have been enhanced with more focus on the courtship between Raven and Christopher.
The story first centers on finding the child, then unveiling family secrets, and finally on bringing the kidnapper to justice. What little romance there is in the story seems forced. Their once fiery passion is not convincingly rekindled, and as a result the reader looses interest in them as a couple.
Ms. Thomas weaves an intricate story of deceit and family secrets in the world of art. Both Raven and Christopher have survived childhood tragedies that have shaped their personalities. Raven is a victimized, needy heroine. Andre is a proud, guarded hero. Their personalities do not compliment each other, and it is a stretch for the reader to imagine them living happily ever after.
Ms. Thomas is a very talented writer, however this story does not show the style and skill of her earlier work. I would recommend reading THE PRODIGAL HUSBAND or SINGSATION for a true representation of Ms. Thomas’ talent. |
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2002 |
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