A Rose By Any Other Name

It's 2004 and Marisol Herrera, blogging as Jerrika Jones, sees her blog on single motherhood take off, just as her own son is ready to leave the nest. When an invitation comes for her twentieth high school reunion, she decides to attend and show everyone that she's made something of herself. Russell "Rusty" Asher was the high school jock who married the most popular girl. For a mixed race kid, he thought he had it made. After a nasty divorce and with his two sons barely speaking to him, Rusty isn't sure where his life is going. Marisol represents what he wishes he could have. But Marisol's secret and a sudden accident will force Rusty to decide which risks are worth taking. After twenty years, can the two of them finally make it work?

"A Rose By Any Other Name" is a short blast to the past with a neat twist on a high school reunion story! Marisol embodies the many women who have had to raise their children alone. But Rusty provides contrast as a dad confronting a wife with a rich family who makes it nearly impossible for him to be with his boys. Class, race, and social issues are neatly woven throughout the story. It would have helped to understand Rusty's legal rights toward his sons. Also, when his sons are involved in a serious mishap, the reader never learns their fate. This is due to the weekend storyline, but is rather unfortunate. Even so, readers searching for a sweet romance that offers diverse characters worth smiling and cheering for should look no further than "A Rose By Any Other Name"!

Tricia Hill