California Stars
Pepper EspinozaContemporary erotic romance
Available from Liquid Silver Books
ISBN: 1-59578-218-4
May 2006
| William is a hardworking college student majoring in creative writing. He lives at home with his mother while he attends school and has only two close friends. His social skills are a bit limited but when push comes to shove, he's not afraid to go after what he wants. Right now, that push is Lynne, an outgoing woman who recently completed her MBA. When they meet at a club, William is smitten. He makes an effort to return to the club in order to see Lynne again. He even works up the courage to ask her out. Things are definitely looking up for William, but there are a couple of roadblocks in his way. His mother is not happy about William dating Lynne, and Lynne herself has responsibilities to her family that prevent her from fully committing to William. Will William work up the courage to face down his mother and go after what he wants, or is he forever destined to be alone?
In an erotic literary world of alpha males, William unfortunately sticks out like a sore thumb. It took me awhile to get used to his passive attitude towards life, and it was only when faced with the hard choice of losing Lynne, that William finally grows up a bit. His character is definitely on a journey throughout this story, and while I can't always say I agreed with the choices he made, or the way he handled conflict, I do believe that by the end William had an epiphany of sorts. He was finally ready to handle life's responsibilities. Lynne becomes the catalyst for change and she has her own issues to deal with. I felt like her decision regarding William was realistic and well written. I won't give away the details, but there is some definite tough love in this story. Overall, California Stars is a book that tackles some of life's big challenges. The characters weren't always up to the task, but then, that makes their situation even more realistic too. If you're in the mood for a story that has a decidedly un-alpha male as its lead, then California Stars fits the bill. It wasn't the best story I've read, but it had its high points.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Sarah W |
