Review: Love Shall Overcome
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2012
On the surface, "Love Isn't Blind" by Sandra Ross seems like the standard workplace romance where a beautiful woman falls in love with her gorgeous boss and they both battle against the odds to be together. What elevates "Love Isn't Blind" above other such love stories is that the obstacles Sandra Ross' couple must overcome are not imposed upon them by the outside world or even the fact that one of them is disabled - the obstacles that Ashley and Anthony must overcome are of their own making.Ashley Randall is a strong, vivacious woman who goes to work as the live-in personal assitant for former-FBI-agent-turned-writer Anthony Lang. Ross does an amazing job of writing her characters, making them both likable and relatable. Ashley is easy to get behind, being an independent go-getter who isn't afraid to fight for what she wants. I have to commend Ross for her treatment of Ashley's love interest. He may be blind but Ross makes him sexy and capable despite his handicap, which is so very rare to find in a romance story. Anthony is smart and kind, and his charisma and humor in the face of finding himself newly disabled makes him instantly irresistible. From the moment Ashley and Anthony meet, their chemistry jumps off the page and there's no question that they are drawn to each other. As their obvious attraction towards each other grows and grows, Sandra Ross treats the reader to a number of sexy scenes between the couple, made all the more sensual by the fact that Anthony cannot see. Ross does a wonderful job of working around (and even utilizing) her leading man's disability, making the scenes between Ashley and Anthony all the more sweet and seductive.I love that Ashley and Anthony are perfectly matched for each other, both talented and strong and each going toe-to-toe with the other. I also love that, even though he is blind, and even though he is struggling with accepting his new life, Anthony does not let his disability rule him. He is not interested in pity and neither is Ashley interested in pitying him. Anthony's refusal to let his acquired disability change him makes me like and respect him all the more, as does Ashley's refusal to let Anthony's disability stop her from loving him. Even when Anthony pulls away from Ashley, it is not because he feels sorry for himself - it is because he truly believes that Ashley is better off without him, so he is nobly willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Ashley's. My only problem with Anthony's actions here is that he does not give Ashley the opportunity to decide for herself what is best for her. Like Ashley, I found myself becoming more and more frustrated with Anthony's belief that he and Ashley should not be together because of his blindness. When Ashley is finally able to make Anthony "see the light," I couldn't help being happy for her, finally convincing the man she loves that he is worthy of her love. And Anthony finally realizes that though he must live a life without sight, he does not have to live a life without love. Sandra Ross' "Love Isn't Blind" is sexy and sweet, romantic and above all else, hopeful. It is the story of a man who loses his sight but who realizes that love does indeed conquer all.