Review: A sweet love story about real people with real issues.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 12, 2013
Ain't Too Proud to Beg is an engaging story about sacrificing for love. In her latest installment Chicki Brown sets the groundwork for an interesting plot, intriguing main characters, realistic internal and external dilemmas for those characters, and great locales. She introduces us to Vaughn Breland, a Hollywood actor and self-professed womanizer who had been seriously injured in a car accident in Telluride, Colorado and now bedridden for weeks far away from his playboy lifestyle in California.Into his life she brings Trenyce Clark, a physical therapist and single mother to an adorably smart three-year-old little girl, who both inevitably help him recover physically and emotionally. While Vaughn is dealing with despair over his legs and facial injuries and with the uncertainty of his future back in Hollywood, Trenyce must cope with the sudden reappearance of her child's father, a wealthy white doctor who'd left Trenyce when she became pregnant. He's now married but can't sire any more children and wants to fight for custody.Written in first person narrative, this story also offers a cast of supporting characters that provide insight into the psyches of the hero and heroine. Ms. Brown brings back Hollywood Swinging's lead characters, Devon and Shontae Burke who are Vaughn's best friends and sounding boards. Added to the mix are Vaughn's nurse Edna and his convalescence host and hostess, Craig and Sabrina Weinstein, a Hollywood producer and actress power-couple. Trenyce's best friend, Penny Murphy, makes several appearances as her shoulder to cry on.Ms. Brown does a great job of bringing Telluride and the glitz of Los Angeles to life with vivid descriptions of local restaurants, hotels and upscale neighborhoods. These settings are excellent backdrops as Vaughn and Trenyce both come to terms with sacrificing for the sake of love. As they bond, Trenyce drops her guard and Vaughn realizes that the playboy lifestyle has the makings of a lonely future. Editorial issues notwithstanding, this is a sweet love story about real people with real issues.-Reviewed by Angela