Title:
A World Apart

Author:
Barri Bryan

Published By:
New Concepts Publishing

ISBN #:
1-58608-542-5

Release Date:
Available Now

Format:
Electronic

CEO Alexander Ellison meets hairdresser Gayle Gentry when he takes her to his mother’s house for an emergency hair repair before a party. They are so taken with each other that they spend the night together. But in the harsh light of day, Gayle knows that there is no chance that she and Alex will find any permanent relationship. She is a divorced woman of 38, with “a couple of kids and several emotionally dependent family members” who owns her own hairdressing salon. He is a 27-year-old single man from a wealthy family with social prestige and friends in high places in the city. Alex, however, can’t get her out of his mind, and pursues her in spite of her concerns. Is it possible for them to be together when their worlds are so far apart?

I really enjoyed this very good contemporary romance. I liked the well-planned plot which draws the reader into the story, and the author’s style, which is clear and straightforward. The author rejects the saccharine sweetness of a standard romance, and gives us a more acerbic view of the reality of life. Who among us hasn’t had a mother who nags them to get married, or the sister who criticizes their lifestyle, or a brother who borrows money? Gayle and Alex face some real problems in their relationship, not the least of which is Gayle’s rocky self-esteem. Both characters are fully developed and very interesting—I really liked both of them. The secondary characters were also drawn as real people, and by the end of the story, I was concerned about them too. The man/woman love scenes are erotic and emotionally involving, but not exceptionally explicit. Warning: This story includes a rape scenario happening to one of the secondary characters. It is not explicit, but is very intense.



Reviewed by: Jean