For Your Love (Arabesque) [Mass Market Paperback]

Reading a Janice Sims storyline can be easily compared to sailing the high seas--calming and soothing one minute and rumbling and restless the next as the novel moves swiftly through its action. For Your Love is not exactly the easiest book to characterize by simply saying it's a romance, and the same is true of the main character and the supporting cast. There are the fractured relationship of Dr. Solange DuPree, 34, with her Haitian-born mother; the calamitous aftermath of her ruptured engagement to her previous fiance; and her emotional turmoil over her inability to conceive a child of her own. She seems to be both a victim and the heroine of her circumstances. Enter Rupert Giles, 38, a man who seems to be the hero of her fantasy incarnate/embodied in flesh and blood, and Solange is at a loss to tell him of her inadequacies before their budding relationship blossoms into a fullblown love affair. It seems Rupert does not take intimacy lightly. He prefers that there be an emotional attachment as well. The last time Solange told a man about her infertility, the relationship became ugly and abusive. So here she is in Ethiopia with plans to research the location of the Ark of the Covenant, which is believed by the people to still be sequestered somewhere within the country's borders. If she can pinpoint the location, she can see her reputation enhanced with her superiors and peers at the University of Miami, where she is a professor of archaelogy. Rupert, whom she met earlier at the university while he was investigating an insurance incident (see A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE), thinks this is an ideal time for them to get to know each other if their relationship is to move foreward, so he takes a vacation to accompany Solange across Ethiopia. Rupert brings his past along with him on the jaunt. He was adopted by a white couple when he was a toddler and his single birth mother could no longer care for him. Though he knows his adopted parents loved him, he's been haunted most of his life by the fact that he was an oddity at school and in their neighborhood. The complexity of these two lovers trying to find their rightful place in each other's lives affects both Solange and Rupert. Solange grapples with her secret throughout the weeks they are together more so than Rupert does over his problem surrounding the death of his birth mother and never having known his biological father. She however finds herself sliding down a slippery path to stand on love's ground or to leave Rupert and face loneliness. But when she is kidnapped and faced with the realization that she might not see Rupert again, she learns that the risk of losing his love is worth taking a chance at happiness. Thus, she rethinks her choice even while feeling conflicted and vulnerable. The author has a distinctive writing style, which promises no lack of an audience clamoring for this and other stories that Sims leaves little doubt she is capable of producing. However, For Your Love is not without its flaws. For one, Rupert is too American-sounding rather than sounding more like a Brit--his mother tongue. In one instance, Rupert says, "You don't have to thank me for something I take such pleasure in. Besides, you're not very high-maintenance." Then, he says, "Give a guy a break, and say yes, already!" There are other faux pas such as these in the book. Also the ending feels unfinished as though the author already has a sequel to the story in the works. Even with these minor blunders, the author has written a pleasurable novel, which this reader likes because Sims has gotten into the psyche of her characters and exposed their heartfelt emotions while painting a vivid image for her readers. What Sims has invested in producing For Your Love is experienced between writer and reader, and the reader is the better for the encounter. Emma J. Wisdom reviewer for the Chattanooga Courier, Nashville, TN. Edition: week of September 2, 2002. Pages 3, 5.

Author Janice Sims has written a beautiful sequel to 'A Second Chance At Love.' Dr. Solange DuPree and Rupert Giles continue to have a difficult time coming together. However, this time we are given some insight to what makes Rupert such a driven man. Solange's mother finally tells her daughter why she has never spoken of her homeland Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After spending time with Rupert in Ethiopia, Solange realizes how deeply she loves him. She feels she must leave Rupert before she disappoints him or he rejects her once he discovers her secret. She will leave him to spare pain to both of them. But she is kidnapped before she can do anything. As Rupert overhears that 'a woman and a little boy' has been snatched from the streets in broad daylight he knows that it's Solange they are speaking of. The police are on the case but Rupert has his own plans and will do anything to get Solange back safely. When he does rescue Solange he gets much more than he ever expected. Janice Sims has written another moving chapter in the lives of Solange DuPree and Rupert Giles. She writes of Ethiopia with knowledge, love and great skill. Vannie(~.~)

Dr. Solange DuPree, an archaeologist, is in Ethiopia assisting friends to reclaim their daughter from kidnappers. She becomes re-associated with the dazzling Rupert Giles, a British man with an iffy past. They agree to tour together for several weeks. During that time stranger-than-fiction events begin to happen. Exciting and informative! Excellent insight into Ethiopian history. SC