Review: Much-Needed Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 30, 2013
I'm so happy that I ventured beyond the first ten results and discovered this hidden gem.  I have already re-read some of my favorite parts of this love story at least three times, and am considering starting from the beginning to re-live the heart-twisting tale all over again.  I loved reading about Ricky and Carolyn's awkward, and sometimes frustrating and belly-warming, courtship.  Never have I been introduced to two characters who were hit by love at first sight and were absolutely clueless as to what to do with the blessing of finding a perfect match so suddenly and unexpectedly.  As a quick spoiler...both of them ruin it - several times - but they are so unconsciously in love with each other that neither of them can stand to be separated for too long before one comes seeking the other, like two lost, doe-eyed puppies.Ricky is an *ultra-urbanized* white underground rapper who can't seem to get a break into mainstream, probably more due to his skin color than his undeniable lyricism (PS - I'm amazed by the author's writing skills for creating some of the rhymes and quick-paced lines for the rap battle and also sprinkled through the story. Wow.).  Carolyn is a mixed race newly discovered author whose main difficulty is trusting her own heart.  Both of them have been touched by heartache, Ricky more so - his back stories are touching, adds a hidden layer to the hard exterior he feels it necessary to wear, and gives a greater depth to this unique romance hero - yes, he does play a hero - a roughneck one at times, but he can't seem to think of Carolyn as anything other than his woman, even from that very first day.  The best part about this story is that Ricky doesn't think  he's chasing Carolyn's heart, but he is, and at a sprinting pace like a man running across the desert for fresh oasis he spots in the distance.  And Carolyn thinks she fleeing from Ricky, but not really, and if she does give an effort to throw a half wall up between them, she knocks it done with her bare hands and raspy breath within the next few minutes right after.At first, the story was difficult to sync into, then I realized that I had to shed some pretty lousy thinking on my part - due, in part, to lessons learned from some of the stock of IR contemporary romances that I had previously read (most of which I never bothered rating, because they didn't deserve the time or effort).  I had to shed the notion of a "white knight" - the rich Caucasion male, confident, powerful, overly articulate, who would ride up in his limo, flash some cash and a perfect smile and make all the desperate heroine's problems go away. She, of course,  should then feel overly-honored that he had given her the time of day and suddenly realize how wonderful, exotic, and desirable her ethnicity is - even if she is already a confident, successful, beautiful, and educated woman, the writer must make sure we, the audience, realize this is one of her many reasons for breaking her own rules and dating a white man. None of that happens in this story - Thank God!  The touches on race are quick and have nothing to do with self-discovery.  Carolyn and Ricky know who they are and how people from both of their inner and outer circles see them.  Also, I quickly realized that the author is writing in a style that is more natural to how people interact - the dialogue and inner thoughts are broken and choppy - but this is a brilliant risk and works to her advantage.  Most people don't speak or think in long full sentences - to themselves or others.  Falling in love and losing yourself to another person can be scary, and this realistic writing style helped me to envision Rick and Carolyn as two real people, and a true-to-life couple, struggling with the fear of giving in to their undeniable love and attraction for each other, not as two flat characters on a page reciting chunks of cliche dialogue back and forth across a room.As I said, very unique story line, refreshing presentation, and a wonderful emotional roller-coaster make this a great contemporary romance.  One that this genre is sorely in need of.  Cheers to the author...I do hope that she will right more (PPS...I liked the new-take on the Epilogue style, but I would have absolutely loved one more parting scene with Ricky smiling at Carolyn and her getting all heated when he gets too close!)Grade A.  To be read...many more times!