Reviewer: Judith Possessed by Passion by Brenda Jackson
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Pages: 224
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They're discovering the healing powers of passion
Burned-by-love architect Hunter McKay came home to Phoenix to open her own firm, not rekindle her fleeting high school romance with playboy Tyson Steele. But when she runs into the sexy surgeon at a nightclub—and he unleashes that legendary Steele charm—Hunter fears she's headed straight for heartbreak once again.
Tyson hasn't forgotten the one who got away. A weeklong fling should be just enough to get the sultry beauty out of his system for good, even if he has to let Hunter set the ground rules. But the rules are suddenly changing for the no-strings bachelor. Can Tyson convince this sensual woman that he's the real deal—that they deserve a second chance together?
Brenda Jackson is one of the few authors I believe has the talent and skill to make this family saga a continuing success. I think it is largely because within the framework of a very erotic love story there is the reality of family and caring connection that keeps these people grounded even when they live in ways that seem at odds with the morals and standards that guide their families of origin. A plus for me is also the fact that her characters are real people who are driven by real dreams and goals, whose evident success has been won often in difficult circumstances. That they are people of color has not been a help but they know their own worth and are not afraid to go for what they want.
Such is the attitude of the intrepid Dr. Tyson Steele who, like so many of the men in this family, is a player romantically. Steady and stalwart professionally and connected and loving to his siblings and family members, he still likes to play and keep his options open. In truth, he has yet to be fully bitten by the love bug, except when he came close while a high school lothario and was enamored with Hunter McKay. Those days are long gone, but she’s back. And in typical, no-strings bachelor fashion, Tyson is going to use a sexy fling to get himself free of any lingering feelings that might pose a future complication to his free and easy bachelor ways.
This is another fun love story from a wonderful author, one of my favorites, actually. She creates a heroine who is real, not a stick woman who lives on lettuce leaves and coffee. Hunter is a curvy woman who is proud of the body she loves, enjoys her life and displays inner as well as outer beauty. She has the capacity to rope in Tyson Steele, but she isn’t convinced that she wants to. She really isn’t in the market for hurt. But Ms Jackson loves the happy ending, and although their love story is not free and easy, twisting and turning and surprising the reader, these two characters are good people and their relationship is fun to watch grow and develop into a real love story. I also think that Tyson is the kind of man many women would love to know just because he is not only good looking and successful, but in most ways he knows how to treat a woman with respect and dignity.
Another aspect of Ms Jackson’s stories that I have always appreciated is that her characters grow even more as the story progresses. I have come to really dislike romance fiction with main characters who are childish and immature and tend to remain that way. Such is not the case in Ms Jackson’s novels and that is not the case here. Hunter and Tyson not only take a long look at one another but they are honest enough to take a long look at themselves. It is watching their character grow and expand as they interact with one another that makes this another fascinating love story with many levels of interest and ways for the reader to connect to the story.
If you haven’t read a Brenda Jackson novel before, here’s a good place to start. If you are one of her fans, you will like this novel just as well as you have liked others in her extensive writing resume. It’s another winner, IMHO. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at http://www.drjsbookplace.blogspot.com.