~ Review: Sweet Tomorrows ~

Talya Stevenson is a financial advisor for Brunstown Bank. Her biggest account is with Weston Realty Company, the sixth largest African American owned real estate company in the country.  She meets monthly with the company’s vice president of finance to review their finances.  He is scheduled for a three-week vacation and the president/owner has decided to take over those duties with Talya’s assistance.

Meridian Weston inherited the company from his father.  He lead a privileged life and never wanted for anything.  After taking over the company, Meridian’s hard work and business savvy caused significant growth and increased profits.  Meridian is also a man who loves women and the pleasure they bring him.  He is immediately attracted to Tayla.  He attempts to get personal during the business meetings, but Talya always steers the conversation back to safe ground.  Talya has sworn off men because of a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know about. 

Meridian doesn’t give up.  He finally convinces Talya to go out with him and they begin a whirlwind love affair.

It’s been nine months since Talya left her ex- (body building) boyfriend, Jason.  For six years she suffered his physical and mental abuse.  Beaten and battered, she finally found the courage to run.  But now Jason has tracked her down and wants her to come back to him.

SWEET TOMORROWS dwelled on the subject of domestic abuse and undermined the romantic element of the book.  The subject was covered in such length and detail; it became too graphic at times.  A particular scene where Jason was teaching his son to hit a woman almost caused me to cease reading.

The hero came across as shallow, controlling and an undercover chauvinist who couldn’t control his urges. “…he would become a lunatic and lose his mind whenever they were intimate” “He usually dated women who swooned over his looks and his money.”   

His incessant urgent need for Talya was not attractive and bordered on psychotic.  I found nothing romantic about a hero who was driven by sex.  “He would feel the urgency of his body pulling him to Talya, and then he would have to try to talk her into letting him share her bed for the night.”  There were times when he seduced her into the act when she really didn’t want to.  Heroes who sweetly force themselves on women are not romantic or favored. 

The secondary characters added zest to this too long dark tale.  The problems tormenting Robert’s, the VP of Finance, marriage were intriguing and would have been much more interesting to delve into.  Talya’s neighbor, Jennifer the dietician, kept the story lively by retelling her dating exploits.  “Dating Adventure 147…”

There were scenes that were out of sequence and scenes where there was no transition, which left the reader to fill in the blanks.  If you have a desire to learn more about domestic abuse, then read SWEET TOMORROWS, but if you're looking for a tender love story, then SWEET PROMISES is not for you.