Letting Loose [Mass Market Paperback]

Joanne Skerrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2007

Paradise When It Sizzles...

Boston schoolteacher Amelia Wilson has always played it safe. But after a tough breakup from her boyfriend, she's ready to have some fun and take a few risks. So when friends hook Amelia up online with Drew Anderson, she takes the plunge and visits the small Caribbean island where he lives. Drew's e-mails showed he had a sense of humor and a sweet side, but when she meets him, she can't take her eyes off his fine, chiseled, chocolate body. She can't stop wondering how his hands would feel on her. Soon, Drew takes Amelia on a journey of unbridled pleasure, where no rules exist and anything goes. Now with sun-kissed days and tropical nights filled with Drew's warm caresses, Amelia's life is far from predictable. She finally has the happiness she's always been craving. But Amelia's about to discover that even a delicious slice of paradise can have its secrets...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dafina (July 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758214235
• ISBN-13: 978-0758214232
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,697,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanne Skerrett was born in Roseau, Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean. She moved with her family to the United States as a teenager. She has worked on various news desks for several newspapers, including the Boston Globe and Chicago Tribune. She is the author of She Who Shops, Sugar vs. Spice and Letting Loose, published by Kensington Publishing Corp. She is also the author of My Best White Friend and Abraham's Treasure, recently released as eBooks on Kindle. She lives in Boston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Letting Loose, February 3, 2011

By 

Sabrina (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letting Loose (Kindle Edition)

I really enjoyed this author's style of writing. What I liked most about this story was the fact that despite the dysfunctionality (is that a word?) of most of the characters, it was still an entertaining read. I only had a couple of things that I didn't care for. I wasn't wild about Drew and I didn't too much care for the end of the story. Even with those "issues" it was a fast paced enjoyable read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Storyline needs more definition, September 1, 2008

By 

SistahFriend Book Club (www.sistahfriend.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letting Loose (Mass Market Paperback)

Unlike Skettett's other books, which are written in third person, Letting Loose is written in first person. This is the story of Amelia Wilson, a Boston schoolteacher, who allows her roommates to introduce her to Drew. Via the internet, Amelia and Drew get to know each other. At Drew's urgings, Amelia finally takes the next step and travel to the island of Dominica to meet Drew face to face. Their relationship quickly blossoms, but now without some drama. There were some parts of the book that I felt needed more definition. The book was a slow read, and it took me several chapters to really get into the book. It seemed to have taken too long to develop the plot/characters. Actually, some of the secondary plots were more interesting to me than the main storyline.

2 1/2 Pink Diamonds
Sistah Denise of the SistahFriend Book Club

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Me a Flight ...., October 24, 2007

By 

Monica L. Williams (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letting Loose (Mass Market Paperback)

...I'm on my way to Dominica, one of the settings for Joanne Skerrett's third and most ambitious novel. The other setting is Boston, of course, where Skerrett's latest protagonist, schoolteacher Amelia Wilson, finds life a little on the dull site.
It's not that there's no drama in Boston: Amelia's high-school students are disrespectful and unruly, her brother's life is troubling and her alcoholic mother expects Amelia to bail her and Amelia's brother out their never-ending series of binds. To top it all off, her best-friend Whitney is battling a serious mental illness.
So when Amelia's roommates, Kelly and James, return from Dominica, a tiny island in the Caribbean and try to set her up with a guy they've met there, Amelia can't help but take a stab at a cross-cultural, long-distance relationship. A few emails and several phone calls later, Amelia's on a flight to the Caribbean. Why not? After all, Drew is rich, smart, handsome and altruistic. But Amelia's golden boy soon loses some of his shine.
Skerrett does an excellent job introducing Dominica, its mountainous coastal vistas, its blue-blue waters, green-green trees and a sometimes-rustic existence. (I'm sooo there.)
I agree with the previous posters that the story starts slow, but as the novel progresses, it's easy to get lost between its pages.
Readers may be tempted to compare Letting Loose to Terry McMillan's "Stella:" A black American woman finds love with a man outside of the mainland U.S., but the similarities stop there. Skerrett's protagonist does find love on an island but the journey is complex and the ending is an unexpected one.
Is it a fairytale? Hmmm, not so much. But maybe Amelia is on the road to her happily ever after.