Loose Ends
By Electa Rome Parks  

     After an approximate year and a half wait, the much-anticipated second book Loose Ends has hit shelves, and it is every bit as dramatic, hot and steamy as its predecessor, The Ties that Bind. Author, Electa Rome Parks has the gift and she's certainly using it with her second novel. The characters, Brice, Mia, and Christian are back along with Brice's second wife, Kree. Loose Ends is so well written that I was immediately drawn back into the characters and my love/hate relationship with them flourished. I was most impressed that the book kept this reader engaged until the very last page. There's no figuring out what's going to happen, until you read it all the way through… believe that!

     Continuing on in the vein of a "modern day love story with a twist", Loose ends really winds up. Brice and Mia are divorced and Mia has married his best friend, Christian. Brice has also remarried, a lovely lady who could be Mia's younger sister, Kree. All have relocated and settled down in Atlanta. The focus, after the turmoil that the three friends have faced, is the realization that it is time to reunite the lifelong friendship between Brice and Christian. Can it be done? How will Mia and Kree react to each other? How will Christian take to his friend who treated his wife so horribly? Told from the individual voices of four of the characters, Ms. Parks has added just enough sizzle to keep it hot, enough intrigue to keep you guessing, enough selfishness to make you mad, all backed by excellent story telling. Mia and Christian have an adorable daughter named Lyric and a fulfilling life together. Brice will always be Brice, and Kree is the seemingly submissive wife, totally accepting of his behavior but I wouldn't call their relationship happy. Things aren't always as they seem however and Brice has major control issues. Stemming from a hard childhood, these issues have never been explored professionally and the ramifications of his actions moves this story down an unexpected path that had me up day and night to finish reading the book.

     I am thrilled that Ms. Parks chose Atlanta as the setting for this book, and I'm equally impressed that she used factual places and things and used them effectively. Keeping it real and doing a little research, even with fictional characters, lends a better air to the story. The only danger is the book standing the test of time. When my grandchildren are cleaning my bookshelves and decide to read what I read, I wonder if they will know about the Shark Bar, which by the way has excellent macaroni and cheese. Read both The Ties that Bind and Loose Ends; you won't be disappointed.