Mesmerized — Simona Taylor

A beautiful businesswoman lands a new job at a methanol plant in Trinidad and encounters its handsome new operations manager. He happens to be the cheating playboy to whom she was once engaged. They turn to each other for comfort when religious extremists carry out violent assaults throughout the country. Dear fellow romance lover, In my first BET/Arabesque romance, Night Heat, I was excited for the opportunity to show off my beautiful home, Trinidad and Tobago, by taking my characters on a tour that found them strolling along miles of warm coconut-lined beaches, driving across the lush countryside, and witnessing the miracle of the leatherback turtles nesting at night.

In Mesmerized, my second romance, I have chosen to show another side of my country, the industry, the diligence and the technological excellence that has made this tiny Caribbean state a center for industry, and the largest exporter of both methanol and ammonia in the world. I felt that as a West Indian, it was my responsibility to show that the Caribbean is more than one endless beach holiday. We do play, but when we work, we work hard, and we work well. However, Mesmerized is not a report on world economics; it is a love story. As always, passion and desire, sacrifice and dedication, come first.

If there is one thing that I would like my readers to remember after finishing this sexy and adventurous novel, it is this: none of us deserves to be badly treated by careless lovers. Hurt is not synonymous with love; joy is. We deserve to be loved and respected, and if we demand it, we will get it. Why? Because we're worth it. Happy romance reading.