Unforgivable Love audiobook

I'm running a giveaway for this book through 11:59pm EST 10/13/17. Enter here!You can read this and all of my reviews at Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine.Though I have never read the original version of Dangerous Liaisons or even seen a film or theater adaptation, I was intrigued by this book’s description and couldn’t wait to receive my copy. I was not disappointed.If you’ve been following my reviews for any length of time, you probably know that I rarely go all-out fan girl. This is one of these very rare times that I really, really want to! Part of me just want to GIF the heck out of this review and gush with abandon. However, I think this book deserves much more consideration than a buy it, read it, download it now rant (that I am giving you here ever so subtly and subliminally anyway).WHAT WORKED:Atmosphere – This is a very atmospheric novel. Whether in Harlem, Westchester, or North Carolina, the settings are vividly described in such a way that the reader truly feels transported.Characters – The characters become real via a combination of narrative, conversations, letters, and even body language. It is obvious that the author has given much thought to the development of each character. This is an especially impressive accomplishment given the number of characters that are central to the plot. They were not all likable, of course. But whether chaste and naive or cruel and calculating, they were realistically flawed and multi-dimensional.The Plot – I loved everything about the story. It provided all of the timeless elements we, as readers, can’t get enough of. Take a little bit of lust, a little bit of revenge, and a lot of manipulation. Add a sprinkle of sex, a dash of lust, a pinch of jealousy. Put it over a low, slow fire till it’s just about ready to burn then sprinkle the top with a mix of lies and secrets. It’s like that!(I know you might be asking yourself if I’ve suffered a head injury. I don’t even like reading books with sex and romance. This is different, I swear. It’s not overdone. It’s not gratuitous. It’s all very relatable and realistic. None of this flowery “he brushed the soft curve of my ample bosom” stuff!)While the plot is complex and weighty, it’s easy to follow and definitely drew me in fast. It’s the kind of book that’s both a page-turner and something that you want to savor.The Feels – Unforgivable Love: A Retelling of Dangerous Liaisons is a beautifully written story that made me experience the full gamut of human emotions without being trite or sappy.The Ending – Maybe I should have seen it coming. I didn’t.WHAT DIDN’T WORKI really don’t have anything to add here. I had no real issues with any of the elements of this book.THE BOTTOM LINESophfronia Scott has written a sexy, smart, atmospheric novel that transports the reader to the glitz, grit, and glamour of 1940’s Harlem. Though I hadn’t read her first novel, All I Need to Get By, I will be looking forward to reading her future novels.

This is my work of historical fiction and I'm grateful for all who take it up. Hope you enjoy it. :-)

Pierre de Laclos’s original Les Liaisons Dangereuses and the machinations and struggles for power, position and upward mobility, full of sex, rumor and backbiting were emblematic of the courts of many European Kings - the real inspiration of modern day Survivor-like reality shows. Sophfronia Scott has modernized this story by a century plus, and changed the setting to 1940's Harlem, adding a wonderful twist to the best and worst intentions of us all as we struggle for that lasting place in society. Initially drawn to the story for the unique perspective brought from Scott: post war 1940’s Harlem with all of the changes in society, the solid ‘community’ feel that is at once both wholly American and distinctly from the perspective of those marginalized by the greater society at large, and their building of a world that is at once separate and distinct from, yet reliant upon that greater society. And one that provided a constant source of fascination and intrigue for those outside that Harlem bubble. And we do have time to move from that bubble with country visits to family outside the city, time spent in North Carolina. In this story, Scott introduces us to several characters, all revealed in 3rd person past tense in alternating chapters. Each character is highly nuanced, bringing with them their own agendas, likes, dislikes and proclivities. These are not the average people on the street, they are the Harlem elite: wealthy, powerful movers and shakers in that society, and each has multiple opportunities to affect their own lives and those of the people around them in varying ways. Full of plots and schemes to gain or increase their personal power, wealth and standing: each brings a series of motivations to the table which come clear as their stories continue. Reasons are not always what one may think – but results – that alpha-dog position in pack, is the ultimate goal here. And you can’t help but be swept away with the plots, comparing and contrasting the perspectives to those you know or have seen before. Then, you realize that while the essential humanness of these people is undeniable and it becomes their setting and time that makes them different from those you know. Scott’s writing, a cross between lyrical and wholly descriptive puts you right in the streets and drawing rooms: listening to the music that winds through the daily life: conversations have their own particular rhythm and metre, with a touch of that be-bop flair in some, more fluid and haunting to remind you of Ella. Each moment, from description to sound becomes the background as you read on, and at over 500 pages, the read is one that will transport you to another time and place, keeping you cheering and jeering as things unfold and the tangles of relationships, motivations, prejudices and unrequited desires unravel. So many tangles in the story – what is versus what could / should be, the unacknowledged desires, long held ill feelings and even some that never quite untangle are prevalent, and make this a story well worth having on your shelf and read often. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

Sophfronia Scott has created a truly inspiring retelling of the 18th century novel -Dangerous Liaisons. Never sacrificing the heart of the story, Sophfronia has brilliantly unraveled the deeply woven and intricate relationships between the main characters set in 1940’s Harlem. She has seamlessly elevated the complexities of the human condition through thoughtful study of the main characters and their own personal journey of disparity, deceit, corruption, cynicism, love, hope and ultimately personal redemption. Unforgivable Love is a page turner that does not disappoint!!

I felt so lucky to receive this novel as a Goodreads Giveaway. What a sexy, compelling, powerful, deeply absorbing read. I love Sophronia Scott's writing. Everything: time, place, characters, was so vivid to me because of her gifted storytelling, a winning combination of precision and lyricism. I won't summarize the plot of the book here as other reviewers already have. You don't need to have read Dangerous Liaisons to love this novel. I had, but that fell to the background as I read. Suffice it to say, I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading all of Scott's future books of which I hope there will be many.

I read this one as part of the #ReadSoulLit reading for 2019.Really enjoyable retelling. Nicely written, atmospheric, with characters that are really well developed. I especially liked they way Scott made all of the character's secrets, desires, and weaknesses so interconnected, that the way the story unfolds seemed inevitable. I enjoyed this one so much that I am going to order All I Need to Get By. It sounds like a page turner too. Where you can find me:•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•Twitter: @MonlatReaderInstagram: @readermonicaFacebook: Monica Reeds Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase

UNFORGIVABLE LOVE by Sophfronia Scott is an intriguing retelling of the French classic, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses” (Dangerous Liaisons) set in the world of high-society African-American culture during the late 1940s in Harlem, New York. The author has created complex characters with carefully interwoven relationships. She brings to life themes of love, friendship, greed, revenge, class and morality in this suspenseful and absorbing story. Through the author’s rich and visual narrative, the reader is drawn completely into the time period and setting. The plot takes a few unexpected twists and turns as the story reaches its dramatic conclusion. I really enjoyed the unique perspective of the re-imagining of this classic book. I am thankful to have won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Favorite Quotes:Mae was vigilant about her expressions. She learned long ago the faces she wore would always be more essential than any dress she put on…The gals around here look at me cross-eyed like you’re doing now, but I say get you a second husband if you can manage it. You mark my words! You don’t know what I’m talking about now but you’ll see when you’ve got that first one and you’re done with him.Cecily felt like she had entered a different time frame where, no matter how hard she tried to catch up, she seemed to be always five seconds behind. She was still processing Aunt Pearl’s words but Aunt Pearl was already on the porch steps.Cecily didn’t like the dark and this dark outside her window was beyond what she thought possible. It was black like the darkness of a hole that wasn’t satisfied with just being a hole so it had to suck you in and make you part of the darkness.There are people in this world who can never get other people to love them the way they want to be loved. It’s like they spend their whole lives on their knees in the dirt in the woods trying to light a wet match. Can’t spark nothing. The more they can’t, the more they want to burn the whole forest to the ground.My Review:Despite the superb quality of the writing, I struggled some with this intriguing story as it was intense and so very, very long – 528 pages long.   I can happily say it was well worth the effort and I will now crow with knowledge and awareness of the tale. Sophfronia Scott’s writing was brilliant and held me captive in the corners of rooms with her compelling characters – I was like a voyeur - sometimes cringing, flinching, gasping, or biting my cheek. Ms. Scott nimbly captured the confusing transitions and personal shifts in awareness of the tumultuous period of coming of age with great sensitivity and her cunning insights were expertly tailored to each character. Her writing was fluid and agile, even when depicting the cruel machinations and underpinnings of the stealthy Mae or the heartbreaking results of her vicious maneuvering. Ms. Scott’s scenes and characters were vibrant and vividly detailed, yet the main players were despicable and loathsome creatures – they were contemptible, vile, and manipulative schemers. While captivated and repulsed, I was also remained fully engaged, totally invested, and compelled to see it through to the conclusion while holding my breath that karma would balance out. 

I'm still pinching myself having had the good fortune of reading an advance copy of Sophfronia Scott's brilliant new book. Her exquisite masterpiece, set primarily in 1940s Harlem, and based on a French classic, is immediately involving. Sophfronia’s dynamic characters play through and around the edges of important life themes of love, vulnerability, greed, class, risk, trauma, spirituality, forgiveness and racism. These themes are ultimately lessons applicable to our current time and world. Reading Unforgivable Love was like listening to the most beautifully scored symphony - so much depth, spirit and soul. This novel is pure balm for a reader’s soul.

First, only fair to admit, I love unto the point of obsession all iterations of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, although I've not read the 1782 French original (and if you have, well, touch you) and lean rather more toward the 1999 re-telling,Cruel Intentions, featuring Ryan Phillippe's ass and his uncovering of the gay-sex between the characters played by Eric Mabius and Joshua Jackson.Thus, when I read about this novel in People Magazine, its premise of Dangerous Liaisons re-told in 1940's Harlem appealed to me, promising to be something I'd eagerly devour. Of course, I've been fooled before. Like a junkie, I read the book pages in any magazine I can get my hands on, and while I'm not a fan of People --- and that sentence is another blog entirely --- my sister subscribes and I tear out the book page and read all the quick-synopses, frequently suckered in by a good press-representative spin. All too often I then find myself starting one of these books and saying, WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT/WHO PAID THEM OFF - THIS IS AWFUL!Luckily, with Unforgivable Love, that was not the case.Sophfronia Scott's writing vividly brings to life a period, a Zeitgeist, a social milieu, and emotional landscapes with attention to detail in scene painting and the interiority of characters' thoughts, all contributing to a portrait of a historical time, place, and people whose lives and behaviors resonate in the now.The story is told in close-third, from the point-of-view of four main voices, Mae Malveaux, Val "Valiant" Jackson, Elizabeth Townsend, and Cecily Vaughn.Mae Malveaux is the reincarnation in this tale of the original's Marquise de Merteuil, a character who can easily come off as irredeemably loathsome and cruel. In this retelling, she is given a backstory which means to explain her cold as ice manipulations and calculated ruination of others, but, in the end, the author allows the character to remain unlikable, her malevolence grounded in her psychoses but never excused; the reader feels some empathy for her but not sympathy, which is as it should be. As one character says, "I don't know what good can come of anything that woman does....Still,....she is family and so I pray for her." What is refreshing in Sophronia Scott's version is that Mae is not demonized for her embrace of her sexuality. Her easy carnality is not portrayed as a character flaw, as is so often the case when writing about women (or, people, but, mostly, women) and it is not that which leads to her ultimate downfall.Val is the tale's iteration of the original's Vicomte de Valmont, and here he is far more sympathetic from the beginning than he is in other tellings of the tale. Despite his being an inveterate and unapologetic hound with a sketchy past and income from illegal sources, who uses and tosses aside women like chattel, he is early on imbued with a conscience and questioning of what it is he has done, is doing, and what it does to others. Though he plays at faith as a tool of seduction, it reaches him, touches him, and manages to change him by opening his mind to ways of thinking he'd not previously explored. More than any other character, Val arcs and grows.There is a great deal of faith in the story, the church and its ministers play a role in the story, especially in the denouement, but there is nothing preachy or pontifical, rather, Christian faith and community are central to the lives of some of the characters.The most faith-driven of the main characters is Elizabeth Townsend, who might have been a minister had her world been different and had she not been raised to cede control of her life to first her father, then her husband, Kyle, a civil rights lawyer who is largely absent from her life and the narrative as he is off fighting fights in the deep South. Val is challenged by Mae to seduce and corrupt the faithful and pious Elizabeth, she who has not ever fully explored nor embraced her own truth, her true desires --- desires on all levels, ambition, emotion, and sexual. It is in pursuit of a victory in overcoming Elizabeth's reluctance to live and feel that both Val and Elizabeth are permanently shaken, altered, brought to awarenesses that have the power to destroy them.Mae also sics Val on her young relative, Cecily, whose sexuality and self-awareness are nascent but bubbling to the surface, craving release. Val aims to corrupt her, part of Mae's plot of revenge against a past lover who considers Mae unfit to wed, and has managed to get the virginal Cecily pledged to him, enraging Mae.With so many seductions and so much scheming, this could easily veer into cheesy-soap-opera territory, but it never does. The sex scenes are sensual, lusty without being vulgar (though I have NO trouble with vulgar, licentious sex scenes) and at 506 pages, this is a longish read but it moves quickly in relatively short chapters and, despite my familiarity with the framework of the plot, there was a great deal of tension and suspense as I read, waiting to see how the characters would end up and by what method.

Author Sophfronia Scott is by her own admission obsessed with all versions (books and movies) of Les Liasions Dangereuses. When her friend screenwriter Jenny Lumet said that there should be a version of the story with an African American cast, Scott got to work.Unforgiveable Love- A Retelling of Dangerous Liaisons is set in Harlem during the summer of 1947, when Jackie Robinson became the first black Major League baseball player, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.Mae Malveaux is a wealthy heiress, her mother having made her money inventing a hair gel and using young Mae's picture on the packaging. When her best friend is torn from her, forced to marry in older man and move to Detroit, it is an event that changes Mae forever.She doens't believe in love, she uses men's affections and throws them away when she is done with them. Valiant Jackson is a man who has a shadier reputation in Harlem- he is always seen in the clubs with a different beautiful woman every night, but Mae is the one woman he desires. He is obsessed with baseball, and follows Jackie Robinson's career rise.When Mae finds an opportunity to gain revenge on a man who left her, she strikes a bargain with Val- if he beds Cecily, the virginal young woman (and Mae's cousin) who is to be engaged to the man, Mae will finally sleep with Val.Much of the story takes place at Val's aunt's summer retreat in upstate New York. When Val arrives to begin his mission, he finds his aunt hosting Elizabeth, the lovely wife of a civil rights lawyer currently working down south.Val decides to while away the time waiting for Cecily by playing a cat-and-mouse game with the honorable Elizabeth. He schemes to get her to into bed, but when he develops real feelings for her, and she for him, it shakes his world.Even if you are familiar with the story of Dangerous Liaisons, Unforgiveable Love will still surprise you. Scott brings her characters to life, and 1947 Harlem is a terrific setting for this retelling. I also liked the role that baseball played in this story- Val teaching Elizabeth how to play the game is a unique and interesting plotline.The denouement of the story is set in a church, which is an integral part of the Harlem community. It is a heartbreaking novel, one that had me gasping at times, but ultimately there is some redemption for some of the characters. I also liked how the author shows us that women can own their sexuality, but with that also comes a responsibility to themselves and others.If you are a fan of Dangerous Liaisons, you'll want to put Unforgiveable Love on your TBR list. I recommend it. It would make a terrific movie or play, and I found myself casting the roles in my head.

Flawless prose in the retelling of Dangerous Liaisons, set in Harlem & Westchester in the 1940s. A line that sums up the entire book and contains so much truth: "The heart was never satisfied with a little bit of caring. It was a greedy lump of muscle, quick to feast on the tiniest morsel of sincere

Lushly told, with a sensual hot feel to the prose, this reworking of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1940s Harlem evokes the world of the Harlem elite. The characters reflect those of the original French work, and perhaps aim to show that people have been the same throughout history - unforgiving, vengeful and jealous. Not all, of course, there’s innocence too. I listened to the wonderful voice of Adenrele Ojo, who brings the world and the characters to life through the author’s poetic prose, and was surprised to return to the world and find myself in the middle of a New England winter.