M.J. Rose | Novels: In Fidelity, Reviews

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2000
Second novelist Rose ... offers a well-crafted study of infidelity, wrapped within the context of a psychothriller ... a fast paced-tale ... altogether a satisfying blend.

Publishers Weekly
A suspenseful tale of murder, madness and forgiveness ... an entertaining ... exciting read.

Just Books Newsletter
A spicy psychodrama sure to elevate the pulse rate of readers everywhere. The blistering suspense and steamy plot of this sexy tale are guaranteed to melt away the season's chill.

January Magazine
Compelling, tantalizing, inspiring, mysterious, thought-provoking and erotic... In Fidelity's finely-woven threads connect in a superb plot that thrills and chills on the way to a higher understanding.

The Charlotte Austin Review
In Fidelity is a riveting suspense drama that grips readers from its first sentence until the last page is turned. Rose offers us a chance to think about what we might do if our worst nightmares were suddenly part of our everyday life. In Fidelity is a spine-tingling novel, sure to bring your own nightmares to the surface.

Gary S. Kadet, author of D/s and SexGeek and Crime Editor of The Boston Book Review
As in her previous book, M.J. Rose links suspense with the roiling conflict of the human heart, giving us a veritable debauch of sturm und drang and psychodrama neatly tied together with taut, economical prose. Not to be missed.

Bookreporter.com - Laura Donnelly
Drawn to psychology after witnessing her father's gruesome murder, Dr. Jordan Sloan runs her own counseling practice in New York City. There she lives with her daughter, Lilly, and her husband, who has moved to an upstairs studio after the couple's separation. Early in the story, Jordan learns that her father's murderer, Dan Mallory, has been paroled. Jordan already is plagued by images of her father's gruesome death in his own jewelry store, so after a series of strange calls and hang-ups and the appearance of a stranger outside her home, she begins to worry that Mallory is after her. But Jordan's friends and family are convinced she's overreacting, especially her teenage daughter, who has become obsessed with Zen Buddhism and first love. So begins M.J. Rose's newest erotic thriller, In Fidelity.

A Rose mystery has signature markings. Readers encounter psychological suspense, adventure, and erotica all woven together, giving readers a story with many different chords. The characters tend to suffer conflict between their rationale and instincts and their passions. In the end, they learn how to take ownership of their desires. The mystery often is the journey on how they get there. In In Fidelity, Jordan's reawakening takes place through a series of symbolic encounters. Her transformation initially begins with one of her patients, Adrienne Blessing, who brings to her therapist sensuous gifts and shares stories of her outrageous peccadilloes. Jordan finds herself aroused by Blessing's stories and offerings of chocolates and figs; she begins to feel sexy and alive again. At this point, Jordan rekindles romance with her estranged husband --- much to her surprise, as she had been prepared finally to end the marriage.

Jewels and precious stones are strong images in the book; Jordan stays locked in her sad past by hanging onto the jewelry her father created and some precious stones. There are signs of hope when she designs a bracelet for her daughter, relinquishing some of the most precious of the stones. It's not until the story's end, in a deadly confrontation, that we see Jordan fully let go of her guilt and pain over her father's murder. It is then that she is struck with her own prescription for happiness.

What I most enjoy about M.J. Rose's mysteries are her smart and struggling characters, who, when infused with Rose's flair for erotica, stimulate the reader's brain and gonads! With a book like In Fidelity, "curling up in bed with a good mystery" carries a whole new innuendo.

The Romance Journal
M.J. Rose's second novel, In Fidelity, is a book tailor-made for discussion groups -- for no matter where you stand on any of the ideas it raises or thoughts it provokes, it is sure to produce a strong response .... There are many different threads in In Fidelity and Ms. Rose weaves her tale quite well ... once I picked it up, nothing could disturb me until it was done. I look forward to Ms. Rose's next work.

Bella Online, March 27th, 2001
Are you ready to confront your worst fears all rolled into one? How sure are you of your romantic partner? Can you honestly and positively say that you would never ever forgive an infidelity? How eager are you to have your children isolated from you, sheltered by their subconscious resentment of your seemingly intolerant and righteous decisions? How much of your values and morality issues are you willing to sabotage and even camouflage in the name of love?

Unanswerable rhetorical questions depicting the sentimental and intellectual nightmare many of us are forced to answer. M.J. Rose's In Fidelity, an intense erotic psycho-thriller love story, surely does not deliver answers to these questions, yet it thrusts the reader to question his or her ability to, in all honesty, have an unwavering ready answer.

ebookconnections.com - Jamie Engle
In Fidelity is a taut, fast-paced story full of intelligent, believable characters, suspense and a brush of sensuality. M.J. Rose has a knack for creating women characters that have built walls around their hearts and minds out of perceived necessity, and believe in the need for the walls out of the same perception. Watching M.J. peel away the layers they've built, watching these women come back to themselves, is both frustrating and rewarding at the same time. On one hand, sometimes you want to shake Jordan for not seeing what should be obvious; on the other hand, you know only too well why she can't see through the walls she's built to protect her heart. You know from M.J.'s superb character development -- and from your own experiences.

Lilly is an especially well-defined secondary character, and the relationship between teenage daughter and mother is very realistic. My one complaint is I wanted to see more about Lilly in the story's conclusion. She's dealt some very hard blows to her idealism, and because I had gotten to know her so well, I wanted to see more about how they affected her. Then again, that could be another whole story, one I'd like definitely like to read.

Does In Fidelity live up to M.J.'s first novel? My answer is a resounding "Yes, and then some."

Excerpt