I ought to have been prepared for what this story holds in store. After all, I signed up to do a review for Loving Nate as part of the book’s blog hop with Fabulosity Reads, and wonderful Wendy makes sure all participating bloggers have all relevant material. But, starting reading it, I was so drawn in by Ms Ross’s effervescent writing with surprising and daring turns of phrase springing up on every single page, that I just lay back (forgetting that my seat was a hardback train seat) to enjoy a steamy romance with the two characters engaging in funny, witty banter.
Leah is gorgeous, self-confident and on the road to success. And then, on her first day at a new and promising job, she bumps into Nathan Moore—as in her boss’s boss. Nate is the guy a girl can only dream of. Perfect in all possible ways. He’s too good to be true. And he isn’t. Gradually, the story gets darker, and we see Leah’s natural light diminishing, as she gives her all to Nate, getting very little in return, or rather everything and then absolutely nothing. The course she follows is that of a junkie: as long as she gets her Nate-fix, instantly transporting her to Nathanland, she’s fine; when he disappears, the withdrawal symptoms are physically and mentally debilitating. Will Leah find the strength to fight back? Reclaim her old self?
This story is expertly written; the emotions are incredibly raw, their depiction poignant and they manage to resonate deeply whether you’ve been through a similar all-consuming relationship or not. “I don’t do drama. I write it” is what Ms Ross claims in her Twitter bio, and, apparently, it’s true. A major originality is that she goes as far as to offer two different endings to Leah and Nate’s story. But I think that’s where I have my reservations. While they are well-written, plausible and totally not cliché, reading two very different versions didn’t give me an appropriate closure. Initially, I was enthusiastic about having two options to choose from; now, I’m not sure I want to have such power as a reader.
That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Loving Nate, and I’m glad I was given the opportunity to get to know Ms Ross as a writer. I’m now a fan, waiting to get my hands on her other work, especially Damaged Girls which is also mentioned in this novel.
Book Excerpt
Nate pulls up in front of the building in a light-gray Infiniti QX56. Noticing that he’s too eager to play escort, I extend my palm to stop him and attempt to rush into the vehicle. I’m moving forward, while my head is turned backward, making sure to keep tabs on everyone coming out of the lobby.
As I step up and go to rest down, my leg misses. Had I been paying attention, I would’ve recognized the difference between inside and outside. Since I wasn’t, I end up hanging onto the door, practically straddling the ground. I don’t want to get up; my only desire is to shrivel up and disappear into thin air. Obviously, that will never happen. No sooner do I end up in this embarrassing disposition, I’m recovered by a saint and delivered onto the passenger seat. I sit completely still, clutching my purse against my gut. I think he feels bad for me because he takes hold of the seatbelt and guides the path under my arms, securing me for the trip.
“Are you okay?”
I shake my head. How do I recover from being a complete imbecile?
“Why are you so jumpy, Leah?” Nate asks once he’s behind the wheel.
“Because I’m heading out with my boss’s boss. How do you think that looks? And on my very first day too . . .”
About the Author
Janice was born in Guyana, South America and migrated to the USA in 1980. Although her citizenship certificate now reads the United States of America, she considers herself a citizen of the world. Sure she has not physically been around the world and back, but she’s travelled in her mind and dreams.
Janice is an author. She enjoys writing about social issues and personal experiences. Janice’s debut release was entitled Damaged Girls. She uses the three books in that series to detail the effects of different forms of abuse, discussing issues that are known to be taboo. Her next release, Jumping Ship, is a dedication to her country of birth and an introductory novella to the Island Hopping Series – due out in 2014. It’s poised to be a colorful and emotional experience of life, love and family. As of present, she is also a contributor to a short story collection – Just Between Us, Inspiring Stories by Women. And lastly, Loving Nate is a novella about the realities of losing one’s self to love.
Janice enjoys reading. And is drawn to stories with distinct characters that she can love or hate, characters she can form alliances with or characters that she can swear off and despise. She is also weak for a good cultural tale, preferably in the form of historical fiction. Janice loves to be taken off guard by clever language and settings.
Janice is also a devout supporter and promoter of other authors through social media. She hosts a weekly show, Cultural Cocktails, on the largest social radio network, Blog Talk Radio.
Buy Links
Connect with the Author here:
Website: www.culturalcocktails.com
Talk show: www.blogtalkradio.com/culturalcocktails
Blog http://jgrwriter.wordpress.com &
http://myculturalcocktails.wordpress.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/JGRWriter
FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/Cultural.Cocktails
&
https://www.facebook.com/jgrwriter?ref=hl
Google+https://plus.google.com/104579627944902429382/posts/p/pub?partnerid=gplp0
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/pub/janice-ross/58/691/894/
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MM Jaye's HEAs 
Wow. what a great addition you are to Fabulosity Reads.
You are just wonderful M. Thank you
Thank you, Wendy! I also love your energy! Will definitely seek your services when the time comes for me to publish Fate Accomplis!
Thank you for such a wonderful review/post!
It was an honour featuring your work!
Your review made me really curious to read Loving Nate too! Sounds like a wonderful read! Thanks for sharing your impressions. I wonder how it would sit with me to have an alternate ending in a book…..I am guessing I won’t like the power to choose either and will probably take for ‘true’ the first of the two and not necessarily the happy outcome. I know I don’t like it in movies either when I see an alternate ending on the DVD 🙂
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Effrosyni! Janice has a valid reason for offering an alternate ending as she felt she owed her heroine an answer to the “what if…” question. It makes total sense in this story. However, as a reader, I was left with the aftertaste of the second ending which was cleansing but also highly dramatic, hence my observation. Loved the writing in both, though.