It's not easy going from best friends to lovers, at least
not for junior marketing executive Sienna Culpepper and
former pro basketball player Tobias Holmes. Cee-Cee and
Toby have always found refuge in their relationship,
except when Toby experienced the injury that ended his
career and their friendship suffered.
But now Toby is back in New Orleans launching a new career
as a songwriter and manager for rising stars like Aria
Jordan. Imagine Cee-Cee's surprise when her firm gets the
Holmes/Jordan account and it is assigned to her! Cee-Cee,
or Sienna as she now prefers, and Toby must find a way to
work together in spite of their personal differences so
that they all can reap the benefits of a successful
promotional campaign.
In RELEASE ME, Farrah Rochon, a native of Louisiana, does
an excellent job of transporting the reader into a city
that she clearly knows well and loves. The setting
influences everything from locations to food to Sienna's
sister's career as a voodoo priestess. Add to that a
sports backdrop and I'm hooked!
The story reminded me of one of my favorite African-
American romance movies, LOVE & BASKETBALL, but what I
enjoyed most was that this captivating tale explores more
of the adult world of these two characters and the
obstacles they must overcome as adults to find a way to
come together. It also deals with triumphing in the
aftermath of a painful and difficult dating experience
that far too many young woman undergo. Ms. Rochon handles
this situation in a delicate and sensitive manner. I
didn't have an opportunity to read her debut novel but
I'll certainly be on the look out for more from Ms. Rochon.
When NBA hopeful Tobias Holmes was injured in a car
accident, he had to find a new passion. After a couple of
false starts, Toby is making a name for himself in the
music industry where he gives raw talent a star turn. When
his most promising client is chosen to be on a reality TV
show, Toby knows exactly where to turn for help.
Though she's loved him most of her life, Sienna Culpepper
is convinced that Toby will never see her as anything but
his childhood friend. However, working with him to bring
success to his new star has all of her carefully buried
feelings starting to surface. It seems almost too good to
be true when Toby starts responding to the heat simmering
between them. But can Sienna trust his heart to follow
where his desire leads?