CHURCH GIRL - Niama Simone
Harlequin Afterglow
BUY
Shirley Fleming (A)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

REVIEW: Aaliyah Montgomery is a runaway bride. She’s a Bishop’s daughter escaping her small-town life and her parents plans for her future. She left town with her cousin, Tamara, whom her parents disapprove of, but Aaliyah is desperate to get away. She has plans of her own which include her attending college and finding a job. Aaliyah ends up in Chicago taking a position as a live-in nanny for the owner of a successful tattoo shop. She adores his seven-year-old daughter and enjoys taking care of her. But she is not prepared for the attraction she has for her boss, Von Howard. After his messy divorce, Von is not looking for any serious relationships, especially with an innocent, Pollyanna like Aaliyah. He just wants to raise his daughter and run his business in peace without any distractions. Things don’t always go the way you want. Life is full of surprises.
Aaliyah is a young woman fed up with living her life according to her parents’ wishes and strikes out on her own. She wants to spread her wings and find out who she is. Aaliyah has never had a job before but is able to find to find one as a nanny due to her work with the children at her father’s church. Von is a worldly, divorced, self-made tattoo shop owner with a potty mouth, seven-year-old daughter, and a bitter ex-wife. In his community he is accepted and respected for who he is.
CHURCH GIRL is an interesting, captivating story about an innocent young woman coming into her own after having lived under her parents thumb for so long. Having made secret plans, Aaliyah finds the courage to break free with her cousin’s help. In Chicago she meets an older attractive man who just happens to be her boss. A man who teaches her some of the joys of life. Ms. Simone does her usual fantastic job with a plot sure to keep you glued to this book to watch the transformation of Aaliyah finding herself and real love as well as her inner strengths that have been suppressed by domineering parents.
CHURCH GIRL is a good romance that was a pleasure to read. Even with the different backgrounds, Aaliyah and Von are great together. There is a little drama, laughter, jealousy, secrets, and some very interesting scenes you don’t want to miss.
5th December 2024 | romcol@gmail.com
(A)