HUNGER FOR YOU
By Cheryl Barton
Black History Month, of course, is dedicated for the month of February. February also includes Valentine’s Day, and it is my good pleasure to review another of Cheryl Barton’s romance novels and the first installment in her Island Embers series, Hunger For You.
Marketing executive Cheyenne Reddick is torn between loyalty to her father Joseph “Captain Joe” Reddick and her love for Tellum Blackstone, CEO of a romantic luxury resort chain he and his brothers built. Captain Joe’s past shady dealings cost him a lucrative business deal with Tellum’s father Dennis. Blaming Dennis for his own shortcomings, and out of sheer spite, Captain Joe forces Cheyenne to break up with Tellum through control and manipulation.
Having fallen in love for the first time, playboy Tellum is still hurting from their breakup six months later, but with a little push from his family, he extends an invite to her and her BFF Melodi to the company’s newest resort Secret Whisper in the Dominican Republic, where he secretly plans to woo her back for a forever love.
Enter Reed Howard, a spoiled, entitled douchebag who has been determined to worm and wheedle his way into Cheyenne’s bed, and a little thing like her broken heart wasn’t going to stop him. When he learns that Cheyenne is a guest at Secret Whisper, he wastes no time in scheming like a jackal to keep Cheyenne and Tellum apart.
Will Tellum step up his game and fight for Cheyenne? Will Cheyenne realize she made the biggest mistake of her life with her decision?
Barton is a masterful storyteller in romance. She gives the reader vivid pictures of the lives and lifestyles her characters lead, along with the kind of backgrounds they have which makes them complex. She seasons her story with the flavor of Detroit. Her trademark themes of sisterhood, friendship, and a strong close-knit family are all there, as well as the way she has her main characters resolve their issues by talking them out. Yes, there are despicable characters like Reed and Captain Joe in the mix; whether or not they are redeemable is something you as a reader will have to find out.
Hunger For You is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and her website www.cherylbarton.net.
Thank you, Cheryl, for this sexy, romantic Valentine’s Day treat. At the end of the day, it’s all about the love. Looking forward to more of the Blackstone brothers in this new series!
*Correction: In last week’s review of Schia Hart’s Truth Be Written journal, the correct quotation from Saidi Mdala is the following:
“The worst thing that can happen to you as a young person is to refuse to grow up. You refuse to grow up when you believe that someone else must take responsibility for your life and life circumstances.”
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
