Title: Enslaved
to Love: Return to Me
Author: Soleil Berlin
Published: August
31st, 2013
Publisher: Bookista
Publishing
Word Count: 46,000
Genre: Historical
Interracial Romance
Recommended Age: 16+
Synopsis: They say
forbidden love is the best kind, but it is definitely not the easiest or
safest. A chance acquaintance, finds Josephine increasingly attracted to a man
that is about to get married. Flashback to the 1800s in England, the time when
black people were servants and nothing more, being called slaves had just been
made illegal but there was no difference in the treatment. Life as a servant
was very hard and cold for Josephine until she met Andrew; the son of her new
owner. He made life bearable for her by offering her his kindness. That kindness
quickly turned into love and as much as Josephine tried to resist it; her heart
was not in agreement with her head. Could their love thrive in a world where
black and white should never mix? Would their love withstand the test of time?
How will they find their way back to rekindle their love? Return to me…
About the Author:
Soleil
Berlin was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attended and
graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro with a Bachelor of
Arts degree. Since she was a teenager, she has been an avid reader of romance
novels. She enjoys writing novels that keep readers interested until the very
end.
THE INTERVIEW
How long have you been writing?
I
have been writing for over 20 years.
What or who inspires you to write?
I
am inspired by history and my imagination.
What genre do you like to read?
I
enjoy reading Multicultural Romance and Historical Romance novels.
What is your favorite genre to write?
My
favorite genre to write is Multicultural Romance.
Who is your favorite author and why?
I
enjoy reading novels by Beverly Jenkins because she was one of the first
authors to write a historical romance novel featuring black characters.
What do you love about writing and why?
I love creating characters and stories that
readers will enjoy to the end of the story. I believe there is nothing better
than a captivating book!
What is the book about? The book is
about Josephine, a black servant that falls in love with her owner’s son.
What or who was the inspiration for the
book? My inspiration for the book comes from my love of history and wanting
tell a story about pure love.
Who are the characters in the book? The
main characters in the book are Josephine and Andrew.
If you could have five authors, alive or
dead, who would they be and why?
Beverly
Jenkins, Dyanne Davis,
Monica White, Sandra Kitt, and Shakespeare. I would like to meet Jenkins, Davis,
White, and Kitt because they are pioneers for the Multicultural Romance genre.
I would like to meet Shakespeare because I am a huge fan of tragedies.
THE REVIEW
I thought this was a wonderful story. It is two stories in one, which I loved.
The first story is the present Josephine and Andrew. He is engaged to a model, and Josephine is the seamstress making his tux for the event. When she first meets him, she manages to throw coffee on him by accident, and when she sees he's the groom, she's horrified.
Andrew Thornley, feels an instant familiarity with her. He doesn't know why, but everytime she sees him it get's stronger. Josephine is extremely shy and avoids any and all contact with him when possible. That all stops when he asks her for lunch to get to know her better.
Josephine feels awkward most of the time. It gets worse when she's near Andrew. She doesn't know how to act with him, and when she spends the majority of his bachelor party with him, the connection she feels is worse. She knows she can't have him. He's engaged to another woman and is getting married very soon.
Her friend Rachel doesn't make matters worse. If she's not talking about Andrew, she's trying to get them together. She knows how beautiful Josephine is and is only trying to help her come out of her shell.
The second story takes place in that past. This is the past Josephine and Andrew. She is a servant in his mother's home, and he is rich son who supposed to marry another woman. Her shyness is what attracts Andrew to her, and when he sees his mother's treatment of her, it angers him.
He knows it's forbidden, but he can't seem to stay away from Josephine. Teaching her things she could only ever dream of being taught. She loves Andrew, but knows she will be killed if she is caught with him.
I really loved this book! The switching between past and present was a little confusing at times, but I really loved it. I felt horrible for the past Josephine. She was treated awfully by his mother, and he was the light in her life, when at times she all she felt was dark.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt from Enslaved
to Love: Return to Me by Soleil Berlin:
Present Day
Josephine squirmed as she struggled
for balance. Gravity seemed to have a vendetta against her. She was always
tripping over something, even if it was her own foot. She straightened herself
and carried on walking with hopes that no one had witnessed her stumble. She
smiled to herself when she saw no one looking at her.
“Are you okay?” A voice sounded
from next to her. Her smile faded, someone had seen her. She hoped it was not
someone she knew because that will just make situation more embarrassing for
her. Josephine turned sharply to see who it was. As she turned, her coffee cup
hit the man's chest and all the coffee spilled on him. He jumped back and
quickly pulled the shirt from his skin to avoid getting burnt. Josephine's eyes
widened with horror and her jaw dropped. Of course something like this would
happen to her. She was a walking disaster. On the bright side it was not
someone she knew.
“I am so sorry” she apologised to
him and tried to wipe the coffee off, which was completely pointless but what
else could she do. Running away was her preferred option but she knew she could
not do that. She slightly panicked, she was usually the victim of her
clumsiness.
“It's fine” He said and smiled
awkwardly.
“I will pay for dry cleaning” She
offered. She had ruined a shirt that looked pricey. Now she felt bad upon
embarrassed.
“No, no do not worry about it. It's
fine” he said and smiled warmly. He could see how worried she was about it.
“Are you sure? Let me reimburse you
for your shirt. It’s ruined!” Yes it’s ruined and it’s all thanks to you; her
subconscious sneered at her.
“Thank you but its fine. Have a
good day and be careful” With that he turned and walked away. Josephine felt so
embarrassed. She shyly walked off. She sighed with relief when she realised she
won't have to see him again.
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