WHATEVER LOLA WANTS - Niqui Stanhope
St. Martin's Press
(NR)
SYNOPSIS: Blossoming from a high-school outcast into a gorgeous, tough executive in Washington, D.C., Lola St. James still longs for her childhood crush. When she discovers Chaz Kelly has returned to their hometown, Lola resolves to finally get what she's always wanted.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: (3) Dee Stewart
REVIEW: Although summer is officially over Niqui Stanhope delivers a sizzling summer farewell with
her second novel from St. Martin’s Press, WHATEVER LOLA WANTS. Lola St. James has worked too long and hard in her career to settle for
just any man. She wants…no…she demands only one man to relish in her property investment fortune-Chaz Kelly. Not because he’s a washed up
ex-NFL athlete, or he’s raising his eight- year-old son Jamie alone, or the fact that he has to rob Peter to pay Paul to get by, but because
he is the one man that befriend her before she became DC’s version of Donald Trump when she was poor, plump Sadie Green. Kelly, her unrequited
high school crush, is now vulnerable enough to become her man: she is rich, and surgically altered enough to turn his head. Will she get her
man? Does Lola get what she wants? Or does it backfire in her face when Kelly’s girlfriend finds out who Lola really is?
This book has a great premise and enough bite to motivate my attention. However, Stanhope’s methods proved to doom what could have been a
surefire page-turner. Lola’s actions, although justified, are too far fetched for me to believe that a woman of her caliber would stoop to
stereotypical and demeaning ways to get a man, who was drawn to her from the beginning. She resorts to blackmail, unscrupulous business calls,
and a sexual proposition between Chaz that devalued all that she had worked so hard to become. What kind of message is Stanhope sending to
successful women? That in order for them to catch a good man they have to corrupt themselves? Can love really exist when lies and deceit
founded the union?
Chaz Kelly’s personality did not parallel with the decisions he made. One minute he lives a celibate life for the sake of his son, the next
minute he’s passing off quality with Jamie to spend it with Lola. He strings his long time girlfriend, Audrey along and denies her physical
affection, but accepts indecent proposals with Lola at odd times of the day. I couldn’t believe in him like I wanted.
Moreover, the ending dissatisfied me. Out of all the tricks and stunts Lola pulls to get Chaz, there should have been more conflict and higher
stakes involved, to build a stronger ending. Stanhope hid many loaded guns like: Chaz’ custody of Jamie, the senator who wants to marry her,
her best friend’s wacky wedding plans, but didn’t fire anything that could produce a brilliant ending buttressed by the central theme of the
story. It seems as if Lola wore Stanhope down. She ends the story just like Lola wanted, and I wanted Lola to change, learn a lesson, and
become a better person. But more importantly, I wanted to know what Stanhope really wanted to say with this book. Likewise, Stanhope jumps in
and out of her characters heads without giving you room to take a breath or realize that Lola isn’t talking anymore, but Chaz is.
Nonetheless, WHATEVER LOLA WANTS has some great points. The sex scenes between Lola and Chaz are well thought out and unique enough to
try on your own spouse. Stanhope strong writing style sets her book apart from others that tried to tackle femme fatales as main characters
and I loved the fact that her subplot directly related to the main plot. Having such a strong focus saved this novel.
(2004)