Customer Reviews

Fate (Love Spectrum Romance)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

After reading two other interracial romances where the heroines were lacking and the plots bordered on the ridiculous (yes, I submitted the 2 star rating for both CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and AGAINST THE WIND), I approached FATE with much hesitation. However, by the second chapter, I tossed out my hesitation and threw myself into Vanessa and Scott's romance with full gusto.

I cannot say enough about this book. Vanessa was believable. She was smart, confident and had PERSONALITY! I have found that so many heroines in today's romances (regardless of skin color) lack depth and believability. Not so with Vanessa. She was fun and realistic from the beginning in her scenes as Auntie Ness with her niece and nephews until the happy ending as Nessa with her Scott. She was a joy to read about it and I could not help but care about her and her relationship with Scott.

Now as for Scott...total babe! He had no qualms about making his interest in Nessa known to any and everyone. Very romantic, funny and sexy, he had personality, too! He was also a good father to his little girls. He could learn a few things about discipline, but at least he was there for them. He didn't "think" about what he would do for them and how he "wanted" to be a good father. His actions conveyed how much his children meant to him. I liked that and I liked him. A lot.

As anyone can guess from the title of my review, I cannot gush enough. The book was excellent. If I didn't have to work, sleep and eat, I would have read it in one sitting. It was that good.

I see that Ms. Starr has another story to tell. I am on pins and needles in anticipation!.

And I thought "The Color of Love" by Sandra Kitt was a materpiece. There is some stiff competition since I've had the pleasure of reading "Fate". What an amazing book. I absolutely LOVED it. I mean who couldn't love Scott and Vanessa. Vanessa the stong willed woman who tries to but can't resist the charms of Scott, And what about Scott. Here is a man that is so loving and sweet that I found myself reading excerpts to my boyfriend hoping to give him tips. Then there was the interactions with he and his daughters that were so touching. I swear there were times I caught myself reading out loud because I couldn't contain my emotions. Fate has so much heart that there was no need to know the character's separately. Mrs. Starr didn't bore us with frivolous characters or chapters that had nothing to do with the two main characters. She just gave us Scott and Vanessa, two people destined to be together. Fate gave me faith in love, it told me to follow my heart regardless of anything. And I only have one plea to the writer; Please write a sequel!

African-American Vanessa Lewis loves her sister's three children as if they were her own kids. Ever since their father died, she has had "movie night with Auntie Ness' to give her sibling a breather and to spend time with her darling nephews and niece.

Caucasian-American Scott Halloway is raising his two young daughters by himself. Scott wishes he could spend more time with his beloved children, but he cannot even find a minute to replenish their cupboard.

On this fateful day, Scott and Vanessa notice each other several times at several different locations. They are attracted to one another in spite of the racial barrier. They begin to see each other and fall in love. However, her family and friends wonder why a Black man is not good enough for her. Except for his daughters who adore Vanessa, his family, friends, and employers make it clear that a permanent relationship with a Black is unacceptable and not good for his children or his job. Will Scott and Vanessa buckle under the increasing pressure and end their relationship or will they allow love to continue to blossom into a long term commitment?

FATE is a well-written contemporary romance that centers on the problems confronting an interracial couple trying to cement their commitment to one another. The story line is simple yet works because the lack of embellishment allows the audience to understand the ramifications impacting an interracial couple. Pamela Leigh Starr shows she is star material with a thought-provoking, sensitive tale.

FATE, by Pamela Leigh Starr, thrives on the principle that real love conquers all, including racism and bigotry, for a biracial couple.

Vanessa, a fun-loving, Black New Orleans teacher, just happens to almost literally crash into Scott, a widowed, White architect and father of two very young girls. At their first meeting, the invisible sparks fly and the emotional connection is made. They actually (and unintentionally) attend the same three separate functions on the same day, sealing in their minds that fate means for them to be together.

This novel, FATE, has love, passion, patience, sadness, racism, anger, acceptance, and humor. Ms. Starr is able to convey all of those emotions extremely well. We find ourselves rooting for Vanessa and Scott.

Yet as their love develops, so do the obstacles of other people's prejudice, some well-meaning and some not. There is a point when the relationship falters, but in the end, love really does conquer all.

This is the story of Vanessa Lewis (black) and Scott Halloway (white and father of two) who ran into each other three times in one day -hence the title. I just could not get into this novel for a few reasons:
1) Waiting until they were married to have sex did not make the relationship special but was rather a complete drag since the sexual tension was tepid what with having two kids around;
2) The references to pleasure number fifty-eight and pleasure number one-hundred and two, etc. was sophomoric and not romantic at all; and
3) Vanessa breaking up with Scott via a letter with no explanation makes no sense and exhibited the behavior of a teenager not an adult.
This is not a novel I would read a second time.

If you like romance, and it doesn't matter what color they are, or if you like interacial romance than Fate is for you. Nessa and Scott make a beautiful couple. I have read this book over and over. I wish they had more like it.

This is the sweetest interracial romance that I have yet to read!You will love these two wholesome characters. Scott is an architect who happens to be white and Vanessa is a teacher who is black. Scott's wife died and left him with two small girls and Vanessa's gives her widowed sister, Monica, a break by spending time with her three kids. One Saturday morning he sees her across the parking lot of a supermarket and marvels at how well she controls three small kids and he has trouble getting his kids to cooperate and when he only has two. Not to mention that he notices her gorgeous shape as she gathers up her crew. Once in the market, she almost runs over him with a cart as she plays a racing game with her charges and when they lock eyes the fun begins in earnest. Both of them have wonderful extended families and their relationships are told in the story. Vanessa interacts wonderfully with Scott's daughters. You will laugh at the park scene where an old lady thinks that Scott is attacking Vanessa and starts hitting him with her umbrella so Vanessa can "get away" safely. I adored Scott's romantic gifts to her on Valentine's Day and the way he went about getting her back when they separated. But I won't tell you any more! Buy this one and don't loan it to your friends -- tell them to get their own because it's a keeper. Oh yes, and I just ordered the new sequel.

I'm glad someone finally wrote a romance novel, that is actually about romance and not just sex. It tells about the true meaning of love. Fate provides a good moral standard for our young people to look up to. The characters get to know each other on many different levels instead of just a few. This book would not let me put it down. I could not stop reading it, I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good, heart warming book.

Fate, by Pamela Leigh Starr is a charming tale of two people from very different backgrounds who find that their diffences are not as important as their love. In a time when so many romance novels have become vehicles for graphic sex and violence, Fate brings us back to the way romance novels are supposed to read. This book does not rely on any tricky gimmicks. There's no great murder mystery to solve, or heroine in distress to save. Just two ordinary people who fall in love. The characters are both people that we learn to care about from the opening chapter. Their charm is captivating as they continue to run into each other at various New Orleans locations. This is a romance novel that is as appropriate for your teenaged daughter as for you. My daughter loved the book as much as I did. We both look forward to Ms. Starr's next book. Congratulations, Ms. Starr on a job well done! Joiclyn Austin

This is the sweetest interracial romance that I have yet to read!You will love these two wholesome characters. Scott is an architect who happens to be white and Vanessa is a teacher who is black. Scott's wife died and left him with two small girls and Vanessa gives her widowed sister, Monica, a break by spending time with her three kids. One Saturday morning he sees her across the parking lot of a supermarket and marvels at how well she controls three small kids and he has trouble getting his kids to cooperate when he only has two. Not to mention that he notices her gorgeous shape as she gathers up her crew. Once in the market, she almost runs over him with a cart as she plays a racing game with her charges and when they lock eyes the fun begins in earnest. Both of them have wonderful extended families and their relationships are told in the story. Vanessa interacts wonderfully with Scott's daughters. You will laugh at the park scene where an old lady thinks that Scott is attacking Vanessa and starts hitting him with her umbrella so Vanessa can "get away" safely. I adored Scott's romantic gifts to her on Valentine's Day and the way he went about getting her back whe they separated. But I won't tell you any more! Buy this one and don't loan it to your friends -- tell them to get their own because it's a keeper. Oh yes, and I just ordered the new sequel.