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Title:
Sabra's Soul

Author:
Lisa Reed

Published By:
Twenty First
Century Publishers

ISBN:
1-904433-07-03

Copyright:
October 2003

Format:
Print

Set in the world of rock 'n' roll, MTV, awards shows, Orange County opulence and Hollywood nightclubs Sabra's Soul hits all the pulse points of pop culture that mere mortals dream about. Sabra is an attractive 30-year-old mother of two young daughters married to a rock manager Logan McAllister. Logan provides little more than cursory attention to his wife, he is embroiled in the sex and drugs debauchery championed by the hard rock group he manages, 23 Mystique.

Meanwhile, Sabra takes care of her daughters (with the help of her maid, Isabel), and meets with her single, free-spirited rock 'n' roll friend Cheyenne. Both women run private schools for young children in Orange County, a distinctly non-show biz occupation. At an awards show she attends with her husband, she meets her daughters' favorite group, Shady Skyes, a clean-cut pop rock group. (Think Matchbox 20 or any of their peers.)

Singer Adam Jacobsen and Sabra hit it off right away, and it's a sweet, romantic attraction rather than the usual wham bam thank you ma'am cliché.

Sabra's mischievous friend Cheyenne notices this and sets Sabra up to appear in one of Shady Skyes' videos. The affair escalates slowly from there, not without suspicion and violence. Logan's erratic behavior, fueled by his groupies and the 23 Mystique band members, drives Sabra further away despite her efforts to hold things together.

Sabra's Soul combines the sordid and callous world of rockers on the way down. Logan and 23 Mystique are the polar opposite of the sexy but sweet Adam Jacobsen and his young, successful band. Sabra and her friend Cheyenne are a far cry from her husband's female companions. Cheyenne and Sabra are certainly rock 'n roll women but they are classy and desirable in a wholesome way. Sabra and Adam's relationship intensifies, and as Sabra's estranged husband becomes increasingly hostile, danger ensues.

Sabra's Soul is a compelling read and one needn't be a rock 'n' roll fan to understand or appreciate any of it. The characters are juxtaposed in the rock 'n' roll version of "good versus evil", and the love story between Sabra and Adam offsets some of the more sordid sex scenes between Logan and his groupies.

Reviewed by: Jade