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A review by vixdag
One by Brenda Murphy
4.0
One by Brenda Murphy is a sexy, erotic romance about finding love when you least expect it. Regan “Mac” MacDonald is flying to Italy to attend her first formula one race, something she had always wanted to do with her father. While waiting for her delayed flight, she meets Lana Baroni, a rich and talented engine designer for her family’s elite car company. Sparks fly and the two women find themselves in a fiery whirlwind of a romance.
There are so many things to like about this book. Let’s start with the easy part. It is full of spicy sex scenes which are even sexier because both women are hovering around the age of forty and they know what they like and are willing to ask for it. There is realness to their encounters because they develop a high level of respect and trust over the course of the book. I also flat out liked each of them. If I don’t like the two main characters, the most interesting plot won’t save the book for me.
The book is told in the third person from Mac’s point of view, but the author provides the reader with a continuous inner dialogue that expresses Mac’s feelings of insecurity. At times she is quite harsh with herself. She is a war veteran and her struggles with PTSD make it hard for her and a disfiguring war wound makes it even harder. She gets by with her stone, butch persona, but when she becomes involved with Lana, her soft and vulnerable side shines through.
On the outside the two women appear to be complete opposites. Mac is an African American war veteran who grew up in a household where jobs were often hard to come by for her father. Lana on the other hand, is a wealthy heiress who it seems has never wanted for anything. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that Mac and Lana have more in common then what would appear. They are both strong willed, stubborn, and fighters.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is how the author portrays the racial prejudice that Mac faces at almost every turn. The character takes it in stride, to a point, but as the reader, it made me uncomfortable and it should. The arbitrary treatment Mac receives due to the color of her skin is ugly and base and it should be acknowledged as such.
I really wished there had been more back story on Lana’s daughter and I was left wondering how Mac would fit into Lana’s privileged world. Mac most certainly would not want to be a “kept” woman so I found myself creating a future for her and Lana beyond the last page.
This was a fun read.
There are so many things to like about this book. Let’s start with the easy part. It is full of spicy sex scenes which are even sexier because both women are hovering around the age of forty and they know what they like and are willing to ask for it. There is realness to their encounters because they develop a high level of respect and trust over the course of the book. I also flat out liked each of them. If I don’t like the two main characters, the most interesting plot won’t save the book for me.
The book is told in the third person from Mac’s point of view, but the author provides the reader with a continuous inner dialogue that expresses Mac’s feelings of insecurity. At times she is quite harsh with herself. She is a war veteran and her struggles with PTSD make it hard for her and a disfiguring war wound makes it even harder. She gets by with her stone, butch persona, but when she becomes involved with Lana, her soft and vulnerable side shines through.
On the outside the two women appear to be complete opposites. Mac is an African American war veteran who grew up in a household where jobs were often hard to come by for her father. Lana on the other hand, is a wealthy heiress who it seems has never wanted for anything. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that Mac and Lana have more in common then what would appear. They are both strong willed, stubborn, and fighters.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is how the author portrays the racial prejudice that Mac faces at almost every turn. The character takes it in stride, to a point, but as the reader, it made me uncomfortable and it should. The arbitrary treatment Mac receives due to the color of her skin is ugly and base and it should be acknowledged as such.
I really wished there had been more back story on Lana’s daughter and I was left wondering how Mac would fit into Lana’s privileged world. Mac most certainly would not want to be a “kept” woman so I found myself creating a future for her and Lana beyond the last page.
This was a fun read.