Paranormal/Futuristic
Access Denied
By Natashs Smith
Nov 27, 2007 - 7:09:47 AM

Leah Bradley has just been turned down by her sixth assignment. She and the men paired with her most often end up friends before the three month time period ordained by the Committee is over. However, with each assignment, being rejected and deemed not worthy as a life partner is getting harder and harder to stomach. Leah is realistic and knows what she looks like. Hoping against hope that her next assignment will be easy, she asks for and is granted a reprieve before she must report to her next life partner pairing. During this time, Leah soul searches and decides to be content with her lot in life. That is, until she is reassigned to James Edwards. In James, Leah dares to hope.  

James Edwards just knows he is being punished. His life guide refuses to allow him another reprieve and so gives James his next life partner pairing assignment. When James opens the file and sees the woman assigned to him, he is appalled at how shallow he feels. Just because the woman is plain, albeit homely, doesn’t mean she is a bad person.   James decides to just get through the three month assignment and then go on his merry way. Something happens to James’ plans. And that something is Leah Bradley.  

Things are not quite as they seem. It seems that the Committee enjoys playing a higher power, no matter how badly they hurt their subjects. James and Leah must be strong if they can be together, forever.

Not a big fan of Futuristic/Sci fi, I was surprised when ACCESS DENIED caught my eye on the Cerridwen Press website. I found it to be a realistic look, despite its futuristic setting, of how a man and woman relate to each other and most especially how our perception of the opposite sex has an effect on each and every one of us. Leah was judged by her looks as so many are in this life. She took what she could in stride and did her best to overcome her heartache. She was strong but easily hurt, and I found myself hurting when she hurt. James took his time in making me like him. He was snarly and a bit hateful, but once I got underneath his hurt, I could see exactly why he was the man he was.  

ACCESS DENIED kept me pretty much spellbound the entire book. While not erotic, it was often romantic and sensuous and the love story of Leah and James stayed with me long after I read the last word. I would recommend this book to anyone.