Review: Contemporary Romance with Heat & Heart
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 30, 2014
Picture this scenario: Two people, carrying baggage and pain from their pasts, both lonely, both needing to feel the validation of life, the joy, the special ‘oneness’ only love can give. Complicate that when neither are quite capable of laying it all on the line and confessing their true feelings, because it wasn’t part of the ‘deal,’ until it may be too late. Did I mention the lies by omission or the lies that at first seemed so right for self-preservation? Sounds like most of the slightly erotic contemporary romances out there today, right? Wrong. Definitely wrong. Under My Thumb by Abby Reynolds turns the scenario into a journey to the heart on a slightly different path with slightly different, but very refreshing characters that is too raw to be told with only one book.Prudence, is a beautiful, educated and intelligent young British band member trying to make a name for itself on tour in the United States. She realizes this is their last chance and gives it her all. She expects nothing from people, except honesty, that usually saves her from the pain of disappointment, because if she accepts someone as they are, wouldn’t they reciprocate? Life hasn’t always been good to Prudence, but she has her friends and her dreams.Cash has been burned, badly. A wealthy, successful power player in the entertainment industry, it isn’t his looks, charm or heart that most women want, it’s the ticket he can provide them to fame and fortune. He is full of love for his close-knit family, but finding love for himself is not on the agenda. Too risky. He is kind, giving and caring under that pile of money.Trying to play by their own rules and to enjoy the pleasures of temporary companionship and the physical pleasures they can give each other, these two keep try to hold their hearts under lock and key, but they fit too well together, they complete each other, they are combustible together, except for some little white lies…Abby Reynolds had me from the moment Prudence and Cash met. She tells an angst-filled story without becoming too dark as she creates a world that is completely plausible and populates it with characters that bring her world to life! Did she intentionally give her characters names that tell something about themselves? If so, brilliant, they fit these characters to a tee, if not, maybe her writer’s muse inspired her. Steamy hot without being gratuitous, shared points of view that allow the reader into the hearts and minds of these characters all make for magnetic reading where the journey is well worth making. Perfectly paced, sometimes emotionally chaotic, another great escape into a world filled with the hidden gems of books!