Customer Reviews

Too Hot Too Handle (Arabesque)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Monica Jackson introduced the Eastman family in the book Heart's Desire. This book featured a young woman whose mother dies, but tells her daughter that the illustrious Senator Sidney Eastman is really her father. Senator Eastman turns out to be a low-down person and destroys his own family. His daughter Jenny is in love with his right hand man. When he Brent breaks off the relationship, she drowns her sorrows in Southern Comfort. Jenny's drinking gets out of hand and she is even driving while under the influence. She has a terrible car accident in which she kills a man and his infant child and almost loses her own life. Jenny has always been daddy's little girl and really resents Kara Kincaid, when she finds out that Eastman is her daddy too. Jenny finally tries to get her act together after spending time in jail.

Jenny meets her new stepfather's son Dr. Jared Cates. Jared is a known playboy, but Jenny can't help but be attracted to him. Jenny also becomes friends with one of Jared's ex-lovers. Stacie was dumped by Jared and when she finds out that Jenny is involved with him, she warns her of his track record with women. Well after an encounter with Jared, Jenny doesn't hear from him for days and goes to cry on Stacie's shoulder. Stacie convinces Jenny to join a club she belongs to called S.C.O.R.N.E.D. (Sisters Committed to Overcoming Rejecting Narcissistic Egomaniacal Dogs) When Jenny goes to this meeting she finds out that there are alot of women in the group that have dated Jared and he dumped them too. Well the ladies decide that Jenny can help them get even with him. They devise a plan to make Jared fall hard for Jenny and then Jenny would dump him.
The relationship would be over before he knew what hit him. Then he would know how women feel when he does that to them.

To get to know more about the Eastman and Cates families read Hearts Desire, A Magical Moment and Never Too Late For Love. My favorite Monica Jackson story is The Look of Love.

"Too Hot to Handle" is the story of Jenny Eastman and Jared Cates. In the past, Jenny's life had taken a turn for the worse, but now seems to be shaping up. Now even more so because of her involvement with Jared.

Although Jared has been termed "a dog" where women are concerned, now Jared truly has feelings for Jenny and would like to change and become the top dog in Jenny's life.

At first Jenny is skeptical of Jared, who once was involved with women who are now Jenny's friends. Can Jenny's feelings for Jared overcome her doubts brought on by her friends' accusations?

"Too Hot to Handle" is a passionate book. It's not only about Jenny and Jared, but also about Jared's old flames,who pick up their lives from the smothering ashes and move on to light other fires.

"Too Hot to Handle" is another great book by Ms. Jackson. I enjoyed the other stories about the Eastmans and the Cates who we met in one or more of Ms. Jackson's books "A Magical Moment," "Never Too Late for Love", and "The Look of Love."

I don't often read romances, but if they're all like this, I'm going to have to start reading more of them. I thought that these books were all about perfection and fantasy and were all the same, but from this book I can tell that isn't the case. These characters were real, like people I know and meet everyday. I especially like the male lead character, Jared. The reluctance he felt to commit, his ambivalence and excuses were not the way I feel a woman fantasizes it should be, but that's the way it all too often is. The book held my interest from the start and didn't let it go. That's the highest recommendation I can give--pure escapist entertainment from beginning to end.

THE CATES AND THE EASTMANS HAVE A LONG HISTORY FROM FAMILY ROOMATES TO THE MARRIAGE OF JASON AND TIFFANY.THEIR ADULT CHILDREN JENNY AND JARED ARE ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER. THEY TRY TO STAY AWAY BECAUSE THEY ARE STEP-BROTHER AND SISTER. FATE STEPS IN WHEN THEY ARE AT THEIR PARENTS HOUSE ALONE. JARED IS HURT AND JENNY HAS TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. THIS LEADS TO A NIGHT OFWONDERFUL LOVE MAKING. JENNY WAITS FOR JARED TO CALL FOR DAYS AFTER. IN WALKS HER GIRL WHO HAS ALSO DATED JARED AND BEEN HURT BY HIM. ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF HIS EX-LADY FRIEND THEY FORM A GROUP CALLED SCORNED. JENNYS JOB IS TO MAKE JARED FALL IN LOVE WITH HER AND THEN DROP HIM IN FRONT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS. AS THEY WORK TOGETHER ON A PROJECT IT BECOMES HARDER FOR JENNY TO NOT CARE AND HARDER FOR JARED TO AVOID HIS TRUE FEELINGS FOR HER. THE HONEST WOMAN IN HER TELL HIM ABOUT SCORNED, HE IS UP SET THINKS SHE IS TRYING TO MAKE A FOOL OF HIM. THEY FIGHT AND AVOID EACH OTHER WHEN ALL IT TAKES IS COMMUNICATION. ONCE THEY DO THIS THEY UNDERSTAND REAL LOVE. AFTER A TWO YEAR ENGAGEMENT THEY GET MARRIED WITH THE BLESSINGS, LOVE, AND SUPPORT OF THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. JENNY KNOWS THAT SHE IS BLESSED.

Don't be confused by the title of this book; because this book was NOT Too Hot To Handle. This book seemed to focus wayyy too much on the women scorned and very little on the relationship between Jenny and Jared. I do not think the relationship was given time to develop. I have read the first three books in this series and I think the best one was the very first one. The rest I wish I could get my money back for.

Monica Jackson has out done herself with "Too Hot to Handle". This book diplays th excellent writing style of Monica that she uses to captivate the reader. From the beginning Monica took me on a roller coaster ride, before I got to the bottom, I was already on my way back to the top. When I thought I had enough, I had to read one more page and then another. With this book, I can see Monica's reputation as a romantic writer headed up there with the great ones. Not only does she use romance, but you can feel the psychological and social aspects of a young, black women struggling with relationships in modern world. Will she or will she not?
To describe Monica's writing in a few words, literary genius comes to mind.

This last installment gives us a final look into the lives of the Eastman-Cates family. "To thine ownself be true" was what Dr Jared Cates should have remembered. Jared lived in the shadow of what was acceptable to his family while denying what was neccesary to fulfill his own lifes desires affecting his abiility to truly commit his life or his love. Jenny Eastman lived in the shadow of a terrible tragedy in which she did not believe forgiveness existed. Jared and Jenny's lives were bound by bars they each had erected but found their keys to freedom in the heart of the other.

SCORNED proved more than an experience in lifes lessons for each of the sistas involved. The plan they had to bring Jared to his knees brought them all more than they could ever imagine. It was good to visit Tiffany and Jason and see the strength of their love found none to late become a pillar of acceptance in the changes and growth within their family.

The lives and loves of this family and those they touched came full circle for a pleasant and hopeful future.