~ Review: When A Man Loves A Woman ~

WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMEN - LaConnie Taylor-Jones Genesis/Indigo 1-58571-274-4 April 2008

SYNOPSIS:  A nursing administrator who has sworn off love is pursued by a handsome, single-dad pediatrician who is determined to win her heart.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE |4|  Marguerite Lemons

REVIEW:  Victoria “Vic” Bennett is a successful nursing administrator, who recently quit her job when her boss decided to focus more on money than patient care.  She is also in the process of moving to Atlanta in order to get away from A. J., the bane of her existence.  Alcee Jules Baptiste, “A. J.”, is a successful pediatrician and father of three year old twin girls.  A. J. has had only one goal in mind since the day he and Vic met, and that is to make her his wife.

WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, the second installment in the Baptiste family saga, takes place in the Oakland, California area.  The story begins one year after the marriage of Marcel, A. J.’s brother, and Caitlyn, Vic’s best friend.  The family is gathering at Marcel and Caitlyn’s home in Oakland Hills for the christening of their children.  But Vic only has “murder” on her mind since she recently discovered that A. J. had her realtor remove her condo from the market.  Unfortunately, as soon as she looks him in the eyes, her body begins to tingle all over, and her argument looses most of its steam.  In a moment of weakness, she inadvertently tells him her most hurtful secret and is so embarrassed that she flees.  As A. J. pursues her, they are involved in a hit and run that lands A.J. in the hospital with a concussion, and sets off a chain of events that threatens the one thing they both hold dear.

This is a well written romance with a little suspense and whodunit plot twist that you won’t see coming. The only problem I had with Vic’s character was her mood swings.  She is a rollercoaster ride all on her own.  I initially had issues with her behavior and reasoning which didn’t “jive” when it came to A. J.; everyone has had a relationship or marriage that didn’t work out.  However, once her secret is revealed, her actions make more sense.  I loved A. J.’s character.  He is not only smart, sexy, and extremely handsome, but his love for children can be seen in his works.  He is also attentive and patient as Vic works through her “demons”.  The other characters come to the rescue when necessary, play matchmaker at other times, and disappear at the right time in order to allow them to work through their problems.

I enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one.

reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 1st April 2008