9½ Days

First off I lo vved how both Sanny and Jordan were both flawed characters. It made me feel for both of them and wanted to see them happy. I srill cry at parts, especially afterthe baseball game. I did find it amazing how all the characters, except cousin, were genuinely real, like how I would love to see big families be. O love the scene at the anniversery party where Danny stares ar rhw Grandparents and their friends rgar rgey have known for decades and thought how Jordan would look in forty years. If the book is an interacial romance, well Mia did not make a big deal so why should we?

Thank goodness Harlequin Blaze has finally opened up to more diverse characters. I too thought this interracial, until I read Mia's review below. I've been reading this line, Harlequin Temptation before it, and other romances for years. I've always hated the segregation of these characters. And yes, I've read the books where the hero or heroine is 1/8th something -- just enough to call it 'exotic.' Category romance has been the last world to be integrated. It's a good thing.

Both the hero and the heroine of my book at African American. If you read some of the descriptions again, you'll see I did refer to the color of Danny's skin. But you are right about RED SHOES- Alex is white and Meghan is black. Thanks for the kind words about the story! Mia Zachary

Yes, it is! I swear and I quote "He didn't need to see her eyes to know they were the golden brown color of maple syrup....that her skin was the warm tone of caramel" (29). Hello! I'm so glad eHarlequin is coming out with more out of the closet interracial romance novels. This one is about a black woman who lost weight and sleeps with the wrong man, then uses him to pretend to be a fiance. Very good, short novel. Danny is lovable and so is Jordan. Her cousin KEISHA tries to get in the way of their relationship, but love overcomes all. If you love interracial novels, ever felt bad about your body, or have a thing for sexy firefighters, than this is the novel for you. Also check out Mia's Red shoes & diary novel, another undercover interracial novel.

I must disagree with a previous review of 9 1/2 Days by the talented Mia Zachary. I found the book to be an excellent story of a woman overcoming her inner conflict so that she can accept love when she finds it. It may not be politically correct for a woman--especially a successful attorney--to obsess over her flaws and allow them to prevent her from fully enjoying life, but that doesn't mean things like that don't happen every day. Show me a woman who professes no angst, and I'll show you a liar. Category romance has certain conventions. Some may view these stories as the same tired plot, but women relate to these stories because there is an inherent truth in them that they recognize. Women are told that they have to have a successful career AND look like a Victoria's Secret model! 9 1/2 Days has a great hero who sees the woman as she is, and a heroine who still sees the fat girl in the mirror. And, yes, there is someone in everyone's life who is a nemesis--like the heroine's bitchy cousin. We'll do anything to avoid that person or impress them if we get a chance. I found the book surprisingly honest in its characterization and emotionally moving with a simmering sensuality. I celebrate an author who brings her unique voice to an archetypal story. Well done, Mia Zachary!