5
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Release by Dylan Allen
Symbols of Love #3
Contemporary Romance
February 28, 2018
Lilly:
I’m here for pleasure.
And in paradise, I don’t have a past. I don’t have pain, my secrets don't haunt me and I can be anyone I want.
He’s here for business.
Harry's intoxicatingly handsome, rich, and also the biggest jerk I've ever met. So, it's inconvenient that sparks fly every time our eyes meet.
Indulging in an affair wasn't on my agenda.
But fate isn't a mistress to our intentions; And what starts as a strike of lightening on a moonlit beach ignites a fire between us that will span continents.
Meeting again in the unlikeliest of circumstances feels written in the heavens.
And I'll need the courage of the gods to tell him the truth.
They say the truth will set you free... but what if it destroys you first?
It’s happening. And Lilly, I’ll fight for it. I’ll fight for you.
Dylan Allen knows how to write a sexy scene. And she can do heartbreak and angst with the best of them. But the thing that sets Ms. Allen apart from so many of her contemporaries is her subject matter. While other authors touch on second chances, or friends and enemies who become lovers, or even create lovers from opposite walks of life, Dylan Allen focuses on issues that are controversial. That are neglected. That are critical. And it’s one thing for an author to write a book about a bad boy who refuses to change his ways and say, screw it, I’m keeping it like this and if the readers don’t like it, too bad. (By the way, not knocking any of these kinds of books, I LOVE me some second chance, enemies, friends, bad boys, etc…) But it is an entirely different thing to write a book about the DREAM Act, as in Thicker Than Water, or rape and its long- lasting consequences. Then put it out there, hoping that not only will the public read them, but that they will pay attention. And not only does Dylan Allen tackle these extremely difficult topics, but she does them with grace, class, and respect. And oh, yeah, with one more aspect so often missing from the romance genre- multi-racial couples. 
Lillian Hassan is living a half-life. For five years she has projected an air of confidence, self-assurance, and given off the appearance that she has it all together. Although she doesn’t visit at home, she is still there for her sisters, both older and younger, when they need help in a crisis. Holds the family together. Runs a successful business. Dallies with men on her terms. So to all she encounters it seems like she has everything going for her. But the truth is that all you need to do is barely make a scratch in the surface of her protective outer shell of long sleeve tops, long pants and the armor around her heart, in order to see that she is filled with self-doubt and loathing, brimming with hatred and rage, lost to a past she has never shared. And for five years, no one, including the sisters she loves, the friends she once had, or the mother who relies on her, has ever noticed, or cared enough to ask. Until Harry.
Harry Carlisle is in Ghana for business. Only. Recovering from hurts of his own, he, too, hides who he is from those he meets and his true feelings from his family. But the caramel- skinned beauty with the dark, curling hair catches his attention from the moment he spots her. Though their first, and second, and possibly third and fourth, encounters are awkward at best, and downright terrible at worst, Harry can’t let it, her, go. Something in her eyes, in her voice, in her, has embedded itself in his very soul.
And the journey will be arduous for these two. Lies, deceit, distance, obligation and the past will have their wicked way with the pair. But as they say, the truth, although exceedingly painful, and incredibly difficult, can set you free.
Harry and Lilly’s story will captivate you and anger you. It will have you questioning them, yourself and societal values. But, luckily, it is, after all, a love story. And fortunately, another thing Ms. Allen does well, is provide an HEA worthy of both her characters and the readers who adore them.
