Customer Reviews

In Fidelity

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In Fidelity by MJ Rose is a great sophomore follow up to Lip Service. Twenty years ago, Jordan saw her father die at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. She made sure he was convicted of that crime. For twenty years Jordan has been trying to adjust to her father's death, while building a family, falling in and out of love and helping her patients face their demons. Meanwhile for twenty years her ex-boyfriend has been dreaming of freedom and reclaiming Jordan.

Jordan's past has come pack to stalk her, during a time when she is trying to re-adjust to her ever maturing daughter, get back together with her husband and help a patient who has become obsessed with her life. In Fidelity is what I would call a good example of suspense romantica. The underlying theme of romance is spiced with erotica and suspense. Strong characterization and plot make this book a page-turner. I can't wait to see what MJ Rose comes up with next.

What is so unusual about this book and Rose's writing in general is that she keeps you turning the pages and then for days after the book is over you are still thinking about some of the issues and questions her characters and her story line have brought to light.

The reviewer above must have skipped over a whole lot of this book to not understand what the fuss is about.

This is quality writing that is also entertaining. Smart and satisfying at the same time.

I thought that M. J. Rose's first novel, Lip Service, was one of the most clever thriller/erotica novels I have read. It was well developed and had excellent character and story development. Needless to say that her second novel, In Fidelity, is just as, if not more, suspenseful and erotic as her first novel.

Dr. Jordan Sloan's world shatters all over again when her father's murderer is released on parole. The key witness to his murder trial, she fears that he'll seek revenge -- though everyone, including her daughter, seems to think that she is just being paranoid. A psychotherapist, she tries to help her patients' problems while trying to figure the psyche of murderers and coming to terms with her about to be ex-husband's infidelity. Jordan is bound to suffer several more betrayals -- which leads to a spellbounding conclusion.

Suspenseful, erotic and, yes, romantic, In Fidelity should be devoured in one sitting! I highly recommend it!

I read MJ's In Fidelity in two glups - thoroughly enjoyed it. Sensual in every sense of the word. Part mystery, part romance, part psychological thriller - it kept me turning pages, something a book hasn't done in a while.

Psychotherapist Jordan Sloan's life is a perfect case study of survival. Two heartbreaking incidents happened early on. When Jordan was 19-years-old she witnessed her father being shot to death in their family jewelry store by a man she knew. If life wasn't hard enough with the constant memory of Dan Mallory, ricocheting bullets, falling roses, shattering glass and the metallic smell of blood, years later Jordan learns of her husband's infidelity. She literally walks in on him in his studio dark room when things are developing. Give you a clue, it isn't monochrome photos.

In an attempt to preserve the fragments of her personal life, Jordan concentrates on making her 17-year-old Zen following daughter, Lilly, and her practice, the focus of her new life. A supportive cast of characters either makes her life miserable or helps her to hang on. Though you seldom see Lilly's boyfriend, Cooper Davis, he's responsible for her fascination with Zen Buddhism and a very simplistic life. This makes it difficult for Jordan to give her daughter anything without a "I don't need it mom. Think of all the other people in the world who need it more than me," attitude. Then there's Grandma, Jordan's New Age/Eastern Philosophy following mother who influences Lilly and believes she's found peace and a new life after her husband's tragic death. Then there's Adrienne Blessing, Jordan's new patient, who's always bragging about all the men she's slept with. Jordan's sure there's a story there. The one person responsible for keeping Jordan sane and giving her a much-needed helping of happiness is her best friend, Chloe Blanchard. And then there's Jordan's brother, Simon. Simon is more than a "little concerned" now that Dan Mallory recently received his walking papers from prison. Logic dictated that he might pay Jordan a visit, after all she testified against him in court, which landed him behind bars.

So Jordan's life is a virtual roller coaster. She has to be there for Lilly when she falls deeply in love at a tender age and at the same time be supportive of her love for photography. She has to constantly take all precautions in case Mallory shows up on her doorstep one day with a gun and a promise of revenge. Then there's Robert, her husband, whose idea of separation is not so easy for Jordan. Having your almost-ex out of your apartment, but right upstairs keeps the family together, but it doesn't resolve a severed marriage and her own unfulfilled desires.

With each day's passing, Jordan has to decide if she wants to take that big step and finally get a divorce. She has to work towards resolution in the lives of her patients, as well as her own, and she must contemplate what move she'll make when Dan Mallory finally comes forward.

"In Fidelity" is a work of art. M.J. Rose captures the essence of her character's lives: hardships, fears, hopes and desires. The book is an honest, up-close-and-personal look at how difficult life can be and the "ties that bind us." It's a fast-moving, keep-the-children-out-of-the-room reflection of life that you won't be able to put down.

I read MJ's In Fidelity in two glups - thoroughly enjoyed it. Sensual in every sense of the word. Part mystery, part romance, part psychological thriller - it kept me turning pages, something a book hasn't done in a while.

Every woman has fantasies about living a life different than the than the one they have. It's natural to want to do something completely unlike the person everyone thinks you are. All of us have a little voice that tells us to break the rules and walk that line. All of MJ Rose's books are sexy and smart, and every woman should read all of them. She's writes with an edge I dont see in women's fiction very often, and I work in books. I love everything she does, and would recommend her to anyone who has read and loved Jennifer Belle and/or Anais Nin. I dont really want to compare her to anyone because she is just such an original. Absolutely no fear. If you havent discovered MJ, discover her now.

Although this isn't the sort of book I usually read, I found this book hard to set down once I started it. Rose has that amazing ability some authors possess to =make= you keep on reading. I won't rehash the plot, as other reviewers have thoroughly covered that aspect of the book. I'll just add that IN FIDELITY is a tense, taut book that keeps you turning those pages!

I think what I love so much about this novel is it really has it all: a story that keeps you up half the night reading, characters so real you feel as if you know them (the relationship between the mother and the daughter was remarkable in its insights), and writing that's clear and lyrical. There's so much to love: I loved the daughter's infatuation with all things zen, loved the psychotherapist mother's patients, loved the seamless way the past intruded into the present--and threatened the future. Can't wait to read more of the very talented MJ Rose!

In her gripping, multifaceted novel, In Fidelity, once again M.J.Rose proves that she is both a master storyteller and a skillful portrayer of the human psyche. Once you pick up this engrossing novel, you won't be able to put it down until the very breath-taking ending.

Dora Levy-Mossanen's award winning novel "Lyla," is the story of an obsessed woman's jouney to plan her revenge against her husband's betrayal.