Unforgivable Love by Sophfronia Scott (ARC Book Review)
Unforgivable Love by Sophfronia Scott
September 26, 2017
William Morrow Paperbacks
Trade Paperback
Fiction | Historical
528 Pages
$15.99 USD, $19.99 CAD, £9.99 GBP
ARC Source: Publisher | Edelweiss
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Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Kobo | BAM
“A dazzlingly dark and engaging tale full of heartbreak, treachery, and surprise.” – Kirkus
In this vivid re-imagining of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it’s the summer when Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball’s color barrier and a sweltering stretch has Harlem’s elite fleeing the city for Westchester County’s breezier climes. But there two predators stalking amidst the manicured gardens and fine old homes.
Heiress Mae Malveaux rules society with an angel’s smile and a heart of stone. She made up her mind long ago that nobody would decide her fate. To have the pleasure she craves, control is paramount, especially control of the men Mae attracts like moths to a flame.
Valiant Jackson always gets what he wants—and he’s wanted Mae for years. The door finally opens for him when Mae strikes a bargain: seduce her virginal young cousin, Cecily, who is engaged to Frank Washington. Frank values her innocence above all else. If successful, Val’s reward will be a night with Mae.
But Val secretly seeks another prize. Elizabeth Townsend is fiercely loyal to her church and her civil rights attorney husband. Certain there is something redeemable in Mr. Jackson. Little does she know that her most unforgivable mistake will be Val’s greatest triumph.
Review
In UNFORGIVABLE LOVE, author Sophfronia Scott has crafted a sexy, intriguing retelling of the classic 18th century novel, Dangerous Liaisons where themes of friendship, love, sex, greed, lust, deceit, corruption, forgiveness and redemption all take primacy. These themes build on each other, giving the story a seductive, suspenseful flavor throughout.
Set in 1940’s Harlem with wealthy African American characters, UNFORGIVABLE LOVE is an engrossing, immersive, and deeply connected novel that immediately drags the reader into a twisting, sordid tale that mirrors the troubles of our current world. Plotting, scheming, sex, seduction…this book has it all. And then some.
Scott’s talent with the written word and her skill at bringing both her characters and her setting to life, made UNFORGIVABLE LOVE an exciting and riveting tale. Scott’s characters are beautifully flawed, incredibly strong, and thoroughly multi-faceted. They are complex, as most human beings are, and their decisions and experiences all but bleed across the page.
If you’re looking for a long, exceedingly well-written, and beautifully enriched historical fiction tale, pick up a copy of UNFORGIVABLE LOVE by Sophfronia Scott. I read it. I loved it. I recommend it.
5/5 Stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sophfronia Scott hails from Lorain, Ohio. She was a writer and editor at Time and People magazines before publishing her first novel, All I Need to Get By. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard. Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.
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