Sherelle Green

Nicole, a hair and makeup artist, arrives in Los Angeles eager to work on her very first commercial, it’s a big opportunity and she intends for that to be her sole focus until she meets Kendrick. Their attraction isn’t any more convenient for Kendrick, when he asked out Nicole he hadn’t realized they’d be working together, and he has a strict policy against that kind of romance, so he’s determined to let go of whatever he felt for Nicole. But letting go doesn’t prove all that easy.

I liked Nicole, how she’s confident and willing to listen and talk things through, she feels like a mature person you’d want to be around. I wasn’t quite as fond of Kendrick, it’s not that he’s horrible or anything, I think it’s just more of a personal preference thing, he has such a smooth way about him and I guess I tend to prefer some awkwardness.

The dialogue didn’t always flow as naturally as maybe it could have, yet at the same time, I liked how much these two talk, you had the sense that they were genuinely getting to know one another which I appreciate, you want to feel like the romance is based on more than just lust.

As far as the plot goes, it felt like there just wasn’t enough going on, especially not enough conflict to sustain the full length of the book, perhaps as evidenced by a scandal suddenly tossed into the mix. Maybe if there had been more scenes of Kendrick and Nicole forced to work together, disagreeing over the look of the shoot or perhaps their relationship interfering in some way with the work, then maybe his fears about a work romance, and her ambitions might have been tested more and led to higher stakes, tension, etc.. There ultimately wasn’t much emphasis on the careers that initially they both valued so much, and as a result it seemed like the story relied on some filler such as their friends’ relationship and the tattooing, which while a unique element to include in a romance, wasn’t as page-turning as I’d hoped for from this novel.… (més)

While reading a romance the first thing that I look for is character strength. Do I feel the emotions they exude jump off the page? Are the issues they face enough to hold my attention from beginning to end? I am also on the lookout for a strong female lead. I was given ARC of Beautiful Surrender by Sherrelle Green for an honest review. Ms. Green certainly had the strong female lead. Mya had to be tough in order to endure growing up in foster care. She used the experiences and hardships to create a good life for herself. The chemistry between Mya and Malik is electric. Sometimes the Mya character came across a little to strong. But that was to be expected considering the obstacles she had to face in her youth. The strength was her shield against further hurt and pain. In a lot of ways May and Malik were similiar. They both had to learn that being vulnerable did not mean being weak. Beautiful Surrender is a deeply emotional read. Enjoyed it.… (més)

Sherelle Green's novels consist of temperamental individuals seeking to work through deep emotional baggage. Enticing Winter is only the second story I have read by her but I cannot wait to read more. Winter is sassy, sexy and single-minded. She knows she has something to prove and will not stop until she does. Taheim is attracted to Winter. He sees a carbon copy of himself in this beautiful woman. Where the problems start is that past betrayals, ambition, competition and mistrust make these two a ticking time bomb. Ms. Green writes characters that readers can sympathize with, root for and see themselves in. I received an ARC of Enticing Winter in exchange for an honest review.… (més)

To be honest, I didn’t like the book in the beginning. I felt as if I needed a cheat sheet to keep the characters straight in my head. Normally at this point, I stop reading. (I’m glad I didn’t.) This was a book club selection and I was determined to finish the book before the meeting. By the time I completed the book I was smiling.

The main characters, Ajay and Autumn were well developed. One mark of a good book for me is that the main characters change. A positive change is best, but I want to see growth and change in the characters. Ms. Green accomplished that with both characters. They weren’t bad or negative, but each had some baggage. Some of the baggage remained, but as a reader, it was of no consequence because I could see them working through their issues.

There were two points in the book that I thought were foreshadowing clues (yes I’m a retired Communication Arts teacher) and was disappointed that they weren’t.… (més)