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THE FIRE WITHIN - Beverly Clarke Genesis/Indigo July 2007 |
SYNOPSIS: Sparks fly in the boardroom and the bedroom in Clarks sizzling battle-of-the-sexes romance.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE |3| Marguerite Lemons
REVIEW: Pandora Cooper is a genius with a flair for acquisitions
and mergers. She’s made a name for herself as owner of the second
largest investment firm on Wall Street. Julian Palmer, the CEO of Palmer
and Associates, has been notified by his cousin Drac that Pandora has
been secretly inquiring about his company’s stock. Having brought the
company from the brinks of bankruptcy, Julian wants to let the “black
widow of Wall Street” know that his company is not to be messed with.
With the help of his cousin, he finagles an invitation to a charity
dinner that Pandora is attending. Upon seeing her, Julian is awe struck
and sparks fly between the two of them; at that moment Julian decides
that Pandora is the woman for him. Just as Pandora and Julian let down
their guards, their relationship is shattered when Drac informs Julian
that Pandora is using him to takeover his company. Having been through
this before, Julian ends the relationship without allowing Pandora the
opportunity to defend herself; thereby ending any hope of them becoming
a family.
THE FIRES WITHIN is about people learning to love and trust again after
being used and abused by the people they thought loved them. Pandora was
in an abusive marriage for years, and is still being harassed by her
brother-in-law; with no intention of ever loving or marrying another
man, she feels that her life is complete with her daughter and her
company. Julian, having been used by his former fiancée, has sworn off
women. But there is just something about Pandora that makes him decide
to pursue a relationship. However, he discovers later on that he still
lacks the trust needed to make the relationship successful.
The story is set in New York and the surrounding areas, and the plot
moves along at a moderate pace. I have a problem with the fact that
Pandora’s thirteen year old daughter was in the middle of their
relationship. Both Pandora and Destinee should have gone to therapy
after Pandora’s husband died, because Destinee developed an unhealthy
attachment to Julian rather quickly; and Pandora needed to free herself
from the past. It also bothered me that Julian used Destinee to get to
her mother. It was unfair for him to use her “need” for fatherly love to
get close to her mother. Julian’s cousin Drac and Pandora’s assistant
Cassandra should have spent more time researching what was going on
behind their bosses backs instead of focusing on their personal lives;
thus alleviating the need for the relationship “meltdown” that occurred.
This story seemed to drag in spots, and the constant meddling, nagging,
and sniping of some of the other characters is slightly annoying, but
overall this is an enjoyable story.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 15th November 2007