Kimani, $6.50, ISBN 978-0-373-86352-5
Contemporary Romance, 2014
I’m fascinated by the cover of Ann Christopher’s Sinful Paradise. I’m torn between finding that body hot, hot, hot or tad too much beef side. I am, however, disconcerted by how thin his arms are compared to the torso. I’m afraid to find out whether he does leg days.
Does that guy have an Instagram account or some other places that I can study his bare torso a little closer?
Anyway, this one revolves around hottie Cooper Davis (loaded, hot, etc) who is a goner the moment he first caught sight of his sister’s friend Gloria Adams a few weeks ago. He tries to be where she will be, that kind of thing, but he stays cool because she’s in a relationship… until now, that is,
Gloria gets her heart broken by a no good SOB, and he’s now ready to emerge from the wings to sweep her off her feet. Thing is, our heroine is in her “all men are scums” phase, so can he show her that it doesn’t matter what a man is like on the outside, it’s the inside of his bank account that matters? Okay, I kid, we all know it’s always true love with a hot, wealthy fellow; the money is just an extra bonus.
This one… oh boy. This is a rebound thing through and through, because the heroine is still clearly reeling from her recent break-up when she is pursued by Cooper. Hence, for a long time, her reactions to him alternate between being bitchy and being petulant, with the occasional bout of “I’m dead inside” demeanor—all of which do not translate well to grand, passionate love, let’s just say.
I don’t blame Gloria for being like this, although I realize she’s also quite the nag. There is one scene where she verbally beats a stranger in the head to see a doctor over an ominous skin patch. While she means well, she really comes off like a first class Karen in that scene.
She also says things like this:
“But the good news is,” she added brightly, “that I’m just stupid enough to be grateful you didn’t let me compound my stupidity by having sex with a near-complete stranger, even though I wanted to. So thanks again.”
She is bitter and self-depreciating, and she’s also hurting. I try to be sympathetic. However, given how abrasive she is toward Cooper, the way she talks only makes her come off as very, very unnecessarily bitchy.
This brings me to my big question: why is Cooper so patient and so persistent in hanging around her when she’s like this to him? Maybe he’s one of those guys that love it when the women treat him like something foul that the cat dragged in; maybe he thinks such women are a challenge, I don’t know.
However, in the late third or so, the author elevates the story considerably by Gloria realizing how much of a hot mess she has been up to that point. Our heroine decides to get her act together, and that’s nice. She’s fortunate that Cooper hangs around long enough for her to reach that point!
So yes, Sinful Paradise presents a pretty realistic arc of a woman trying to get over heartbreak. As unpleasant and abrasive as the heroine can be, I understand why she’s being that way, and I can even relate to her at times. In that way, this is a solid read.
As a romance, however, I don’t understand why Cooper is such a glutton for punishment. If anything, this story demonstrates that it’s better to wait until one is over the no-good ex before embarking on a new relationship. I don’t buy the romance here, and I’m not even convinced by the last page that Gloria is truly ready to be in a new relationship.
Instead of a happily ever after, I suspect the road ahead for these two will be a very bumpy one.
