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Online, March 27th, 2001 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. Click Here: BellaOnline: women writers Laura
Donnelly, Bookreporter.com - 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. Jamie
Engle- Reviewer- ebookconnections.com Jordan Sloan is a successful psychotherapist and almost-divorced mother of a teenage daughter. Once an aspiring jewelry designer, Jordan turns to psychology after witnessing her father's murder in the family jewelry store. Even more haunting is the fact the murderer was her spurned boyfriend, Dan Mallory, an employee of the jewelry store who her father fired just weeks before the murder. Jordan feels guilty for her father's death - and Mallory blames her testimony for putting him away. Although eighteen years have passed, Jordan still cringes at the site of blood and blood-red roses; convincing everyone but Jordan that the past is not totally behind her. Calm on the surface, Jordan's churning inside. She's identifying too closely with one of her patients and it's forcing Jordan to examine parts of her own failed marriage she's never confronted. She and her daughter Lilly are constantly at odds over Lilly's first love; seeing Lilly and her boyfriend holds up another mirror Jordan doesn't want to look into. Lilly's still trying to get her parents back together, and a series of hang-up phone calls adds to the tension building inside. When news of Mallory's release from prison reaches Jordan, her world spins out of control. She knows Mallory's responsible for the calls, but she can't convince anyone else. Her brother, daughter and Mallory's parole officer urge her to let go of the past, even as Jordan relates one incident after another. Partly out of frustration, partly to prove she can take control of her life, Jordan decides it's finally time to file for a divorce from Robert. But Jordan's life won't be put on an even keel so easily. Jordan, her patient, Lilly and her boyfriend, Robert and Mallory all collide in a series of events that could cost more than one of their lives. 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 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." Gary
S. Kadet, author of D/s and SexGeek and Crime Editor
of The Boston Book Review |
