In Harlem New York, Mae Malveaux is a wealthy young woman who knows debutante balls, wealth, prestige and traveling wherever her heart takes her. During Mae's girlhood, she has developed a crush on Alice but when its discovered that Alice is pregnant, the two are cruelly separated and lose touch of one another. As time marches on, Mae becomes a cold, cruel and a calculating widow who dares to use people for her own goals, including her cousin's daughter, an innocent musician, a self-made man that is equal to her in power and prestige, and a religious young wife. Will they be able to survive her cruel machinations or will there be casualties in this game of sex and lies?

I read Dangerous Liaisons a few years ago, and UNFORGIVABLE LOVE is a worthy retelling of the story. The characters are much more fleshed out and their motivations make far more sense to me than in Dangerous Liaisons. UNFORGIVABLE LOVE also stays very close to the original book, but at the same time, there is something beautiful and redemptive in this retelling. The author also focuses on major and minor details, be it a head twist that Mae may do to convey an emotion, to a story of Cecily becoming in sync with nature while away from Harlem, to Elizabeth loving how the bible sounds.

Readers will get to know the characters on a much more intimate scale than Dangerous Liaisons, which is interesting because Dangerous Liaisons is a novel created out of letters, and letters are supposed to convey an intimacy that might lack in modern novels. I also found myself uncertain when it came to Valiant Jackson, who is the equivalent to Vicomte de Valmont, because put up one front outside, but may feel something else on the inside.

For those seeking a wonderful adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons with a twist and a story that takes place in modern America, as well as a story that portrays a non-European culture, don't miss out on UNFORGIVABLE LOVE!

Book Summary

In this vivid reimagining of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it’s the summer when Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball’s color barrier and a sweltering stretch has Harlem’s elite fleeing the city for Westchester County’s breezier climes, two predators stalk amidst the manicured gardens and fine old homes.

Heiress Mae Malveaux rules society with an angel’s smile and a heart of stone. She made up her mind long ago that nobody would decide her fate. To have the pleasure she craves, control is paramount, especially control of the men Mae attracts like moths to a flame.

Valiant Jackson always gets what he wants—and he’s wanted Mae for years. The door finally opens for him when Mae strikes a bargain: seduce her virginal young cousin, Cecily, who is engaged to Frank Washington. Frank values her innocence above all else. If successful, Val’s reward will be a night with Mae.

But Val secretly seeks another prize. Elizabeth Townsend is fiercely loyal to her church and her civil rights attorney husband. Certain there is something redeemable in Mr. Jackson. Little does she know that her worst mistake will be Val’s greatest triumph.