Review: Intense with a capital "I"!!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2014
"Jahleel" by S. Ann Cole5 out of 5 starsThis book is intense with a capital "I"! Cole has done an amazing job of reaching into the depths of her characters' souls and wringing every last drop of emotion out on the page. This is one you will not be able to put down, so relax and dig in.Saskia is on the brink of big life changes. She has lined up a gig opening for the musical mastermind, Lion T'mar, and once she hits that stage her life will never be the same. After an amazing show, she heads backstage to meet the man and comes face to face with her destiny. Jahleel is Lion's best dancer and despite her efforts he acts as though she doesn't exist. In that one moment, Saskia's life shifts and she is forever changed. She spends the next several years trying to get close to the one man who holds her heart, conquering America's musical charts in the process. When she finally finds herself in Jahleel's presence, once again, an epic journey is begun. Can she convince him to give her a chance or will all her years of longing be wasted on a man who doesn't feel the same?Saskia is just a little bit crazy. Believing she has fallen in love in the span of a moment, she spends YEARS just trying to be in the same room with Jahleel again. She uproots her life and family in an effort to do just that. It's almost as though that one meeting with him broke her. She only remains grounded by the group she surrounds herself with in the form of her brother Ferbie, her best friend Amanda, her mentor Lion, her quasi-friends Amy and Jamie, and a few bodyguards. To her family, she is fiercely loyal and attributes her drive and ambition to creating a better quality of life for those she loves. She is hugely talented and has reached the top but still feels hollow.Jahleel, despite his laid back attitude, is beyond complex. Believing himself in love with his adopted sister, he refuses to let anyone else beyond the walls he builds around himself. It's obvious that he has undeniable feelings for Saskia but won't allow himself to explore a true relationship with her.Together these two are dysfunctional, complicated, and yet so incredibly right for one another. Jahleel holds her emotionally hostage and Saskia hammers at his walls incessantly. They fight, they come together, they fight again, and the cycle continues. They damage one another and then realize that they can only find healing together. It's like watching a train wreck and not being able to look away. Their relationship is insane and raw, but combustible and real at the same time. I loved watching the magnetic pull between them and seeing them find their way back to each other again and again.Somehow or another, Cole has taken something that shouldn't work and made it believable. With each page I was more and more invested in their relationship. I felt every bump in the road along with them and ached for them in turn. This story is achingly beautiful and haunting. Cole's style flows from the page and the book is hard to walk away from. Even as I read the past page, my head (and heart) was still fully committed to the characters and I didn't want to leave them behind.This book is one I would shout from the rooftops to recommend. You'll be doing yourself a favor by giving it a read and then passing it on to your friends. You won't regret clicking the "buy" button on this one.*I was given a complimentary copy by the Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*Shannon, My Secret Book Spot