Call Me
Lizzie T. LeafContemporary romance
Available from Sister O
ISBN: 1-933471-05-0
May 2005
| Amber Lewis was having a serious Day from Hell. She went to the library and put her backpack down. She had picked up her mail and noticed an envelope with an unfamiliar name and address on it. She opened it and it was from her landlord's attorney advising if she didn't get current on her rent within 30 days, she was out. She had recently lost her job and in the very small town where she lived, job opportunities were slim to none. Amber started crying. The woman sitting beside her, Jill Nelson, asked if she was okay. Amber indicated that she was not and Jill invited her out for coffee. While they were having coffee, Jill suggested Amber let it all out. Amber told her about her financial problems, her lost job, her soon to be lost apartment and her despair over lack of job opportunities. Jill had an idea. She thought she might be able to get Amber a job where she worked. She thought Amber had a good voice and decided to take her the next day to meet Dulcie, her boss, at the place where she worked called Call Me. Dulcie hired Amber on the spot. She would be going through a brief training period which was scheduled around her class schedule. Call Me was a phone sex business. The two primary rules were to never use your real name or meet your customers. Jill offered Amber a chance to share her apartment and said she would cover expenses until Amber started making some money with her new job. Jill also offered Amber some money for some costumes and props for work and for a new wardrobe. Amber decided to get a makeover as well.
I loved the character of Amber. She is like some of my shy relatives. The story takes her through the transformation of a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. Four other characters really stand out in the story and were very well-written - Dulcie, Amber's boss who is a beautifully dressed Amazon black woman; Ken, the handsome private investigator who handles all customer complaints at Call Me to whom Amber is wildly attracted; Jill, a student and Amber's friend and roommate who is a very extroverted person; and Naomi Rand, the woman who looks like everyone's grandmother and who comes to the Call Me staff meetings and shows everyone the newest in sex toys, gels and lotions. The story moves very quickly. As Amber goes through all of her changes, physically, emotionally, sexually and professionally, everyone is astonished. It's fun reading about Amber's growing empowerment, especially in the scenes where she shows up after her makeover and no one recognizes her and Amber is very, very pleased. This story provides a lot of humor. This is a fun read. I recommend it to everyone.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Ellen |
