THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL
Francine Craft
Kimani
ISBN: 0-373—86009-9
March 2007
Category Romance (Multicultural)

 
 
Country songbird Stevie Simms, best known for her hit “I Don’t Need You Anymore”, suddenly finds herself needing a savior when she awakens in the woods, her memory vanished. Stevie’s gut instinct, however, is still intact and she ends up at the home of good friend and record producer, Damien Steele. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, he decides to move her in to his house until she regains her memory. Something traumatic set off her amnesia, according to the doctor, and they needed to give her head time to heal.

As bits and pieces returned to her, the friendship she shared with Damien begins to heat up as the affection they have for one another blossoms into much more. But, Stevie is still so unsure of so many things. Why did she lose her memory in the first place? She is sure that she was involved somehow in the murder of her best friend Bretta. Did she witness the crime? Did she know the killer? And then there was Damien, a playa of the highest magnitude, wanting her to commit to marriage without a pledge of love. Is he really ready for a one woman future?

Determined to find out the truth about Bretta’s death, Stevie boldly takes steps to recall that fateful evening and just as all the pieces of the puzzle come together, Stevie and Damien find themselves fighting a surprising enemy who threatens not only their future together but their very lives.

This book was an interesting read. I felt great anticipation reading the back cover, loving stories that are a little off the beaten path and I haven’t read many stories about African American country music stars. The mystery was woven throughout the story very strongly. As each clue was revealed, a new suspect would emerge. The shocking ending will leave the reader with a satisfied feeling of closure. The one drawback for me was characterization and some of the speech patterns. I was not able to form a connection to Damien and Stevie as a couple. Their chemistry seemed awkward in my eyes. There were a few places where I felt the characters and their communication was stilted and unnatural. Things just didn’t flow smoothly in certain scenes. Ms. Craft is a talented, seasoned novelist and while I loved the mystery part of the story, the romance was slightly lacking. But, I have read real winners from Ms. Craft before and I look forward to her next release.

Reviewer: Elissa Kyle
Rating: 2