The Healer vs. The Lawyer. Booklist says "love will have its way in this charming tale of opposites attracting."
The Healer vs. the Lawyer. Energy healer, Persephone Jones, has a new neighbor in Peeler, Oklahoma—hot shot lawyer, Jason Brooks. They meet in June; it may take a miracle to bring these two together by Christmas. She bans white sugar; he’s a chocolate cookie connoisseur. She’s about saving Mother Earth while he protects the interests of Big Business. Their attraction is mutual, but disturbing. And life gets even more complicated when the whole town is caught in a conflict that pits these two on opposite sides of a political fence….Foreword Magazine says AIN’T LOVE GRAND? is “written with a fresh voice, an impeccable sense of comedic timing, vivid narrative, and fascinating characters.”
Excerpt
Setting: Peeler, Oklahoma. Big city lawyer, Jason Brooks, has just moved next door to herbalist, Persephone Jones, with his mother and daughter.
Scene set-up: Jason’s mother wandered to Perse’s house for a neighborly
visit and helped herself to a little too much wine.
Trotting in his direction, I hollered, “Mr. Brooks! I need to talk to you.” I gasped for breath.
He nodded to his mechanic and headed in my direction with a kind of John Wayne thing going in his walk.
Suddenly, I felt self-conscious of my ratty clothes and wild hair.
I stopped about three feet in front of him, panting, pushing curls out of my face. He gave me an amused grin. “Good evening, Ms. Jones. Is this a social call?”
“It’s your mother…” gasp, pant, gasp.
His expression changed instantly to one of concern. “Oh, God, what now?”
“She’s alright. She’s at my house. Asleep, sort of. She came over for a visit, and I was cleaning the kitchen and she asked for a glass of wine and…”
Without waiting for further explanation, he struck out for my property. I ran beside him to keep up.
He shot me a disgruntled look. “How much did you let her have?”
“I only poured her one glass. But evidently, she poured herself a few more.”
“She’s an elderly, frail woman taking a medicine cabinet full of drugs. Do you know what alcohol does to her?”
“Well, I do now. She caught me unawares, and then she started crying and telling me how you gave away all her things. She was just so unhappy. How could you sell everything out from under her like that?”
He stopped in his tracks and towered over me. “Not that it’s any of your business, but did she mention the fire?”
I backed up a little. “Well, yes, she did mention a small kitchen fire.”
He reared back his head and laughed. “Yeah, it started in the kitchen but spread to three more rooms before they got it out. What didn’t burn was either smoke or water damaged. Did she mention that?”
Chagrin crept over me. “Actually, no. I guess she doesn’t have a clear grasp of the facts.”
He started moving again. “My mother doesn’t have a clear grasp of reality, especially when she’s sauced.”
We ran the rest of the way home, and I kept my mouth shut. He headed up my porch steps, yanked open the screen door, and then turned to me in disgust. “I’d think someone who supposedly helps the public stay healthy would know better than to tank up a seventy-five year old woman.”
I crossed my arms in a defensive stance. “I did not tank her up. She arrived uninvited and requested alcohol. I was trying to be a polite hostess.”
He stood over her, hands fisted on hips, shaking his head sadly. “I hate the thought of having to put her in a nursing home some day.”
Okay, he got me with that one. I melted and sighed. “If you’ll carry her to my truck, I’ll take you both home.”
He nodded. “Yes, I guess that’s the most practical course of action.” He reached down for her. “Come on Mama, time to go home.”
End of Excerpt
Professional Reviews
Book List
They first meet when he tackles her to the ground. All Persephone Jones was doing was trying to stop the bulldozer from destroying the herb garden she planted on property adjoining hers. But her new neighbor, Jason Brooks, was not only building a beautiful new house, but also a landing strip over her garden. Persephone and Jason couldn't be more different. He is a well-known, high-powered defense attorney with money to burn. She's the illegitimate daughter of a flower child, and dispenses wheat-grass smoothies as well as herbal remedies from her modest shop. And neither of them can understand their mutual attraction. In spite of appearances, Persephone doesn't abide by all hippie principles. For instance, when Jason suggests that they make their relationship more intimate, she demurs. For her sex is an important step, indicating that marriage is on the horizon. He feels differently, but love will have its way in this charming tale of opposites attracting.--Maria Hatton.
Foreword Magazine
Romance novels are usually written with specific elements that readers expect. A certain amount of sensuality is paramount. The hero and heroine are thrust together against their will. A compelling force or situation pushes them apart, making the reader wonder if there will be “happy ever after.”
It’s a nice surprise to find a novel with those elements that is written with a fresh voice, an impeccable sense of comedic timing, vivid narrative, and fascinating characters. First-time novelist, Dana Taylor, has honed her craft well and earned a respectable place within the genre.
Until meeting Jason Brooks, Persephone Jones was content to tend her herb garden, run her health food store, and try to get beyond the grief of losing her first and only love. Then the high-dollar lawyer buys the property adjoining hers. Not only does he destroy part of her garden that ran over onto his land, he destroys her equilibrium with his charming smile, his delightful daughter, Val, and his dotty mother, Ruth.
While an attraction is immediate, Perse soon realizes that Jason is not interested in love and marriage. He would be content with sex and a little help with his rebellious daughter. Then she discovers that they are on opposite sides of an effort to bring a large hog farm into this rural area outside Oklahoma City. How that issue is resolved is one of the most refreshing elements of the story.
This book is full of other delightful surprises and clever lines. “Oh good lord, kiss me already. Soft lips brushed mine, a preliminary hello. Oh, yes, hello. Butterfly kisses, daring me to ask for more.”
Some of the laugh-out-loud lines include this gem, “His voice rolled through the shop like God speaking to Charlton Heston.”
The story does have serious elements that revolve around relationships – other than romantic – and a particularly nice section is about the Oklahoma City bombing and a memorial fund-raiser. “A memorial was necessary, but would never be enough for the families left behind. However, it was all we could do, and must do, to sanctify a place where evil had momentarily overtaken goodness.”
It’s a shame that some authors and publishers settle for ordinary just to fill shelves in bookstores. With a little more time and effort, readers could be treated to more jewels like this one.
Reviewed by: Maryann Miller
The Daily Oklahoman
The setting for this romance novel is in the middle of Oklahoma. The author fell in love with her lawyer husband. He was a divorced man with a troubled daughter, a mother who is nearly over the hill and a broken doll ex-wife.
A recipe for chocolate cookies ends the book and could have been the title. Except the book is about Persephone Jones, the owner of a health food store. Some folks think she is an angel. Others call her a witch. When plans are unveiled to build a hog farm nearby, she takes them all on—including the lawyer who is about to pry open her long frozen heart.
The plot makes you stick with the book to the end. And it’s fun to read about events that might take place in a town within 40 miles of our state Capitol. It’s a clean, easy and fun-to-read romance.—Reba Neighbors Collins
Synopsis
Zeke Milligan is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He is desperately in love with Lynn, but a dark secret from his past continues to rear its ugly head. Worse yet, he persistently punishes the love of his life for events that took p
