Round Table Reviews
, November 10, 2004
Jeannie Langston
"Cecily
Havenshack is a school teacher with a simple life. She has a
husband, who is a US Diplomat -- with plenty of money. She lives
in a palace in Nepal. She has servants for her palace. What
more could a woman want? Cecily wants adventure, lust, romance,
anything out of the ordinary. That will all change with the
coming monsoon season.
Anna, Cecily's best friend, is beautiful
and exotic-looking, and Cecily lives through her little indiscretions.
She devours each little detail of Anna's romantic escapades
and thinks that if Anna can do it, so can she. Cecily borrows
a book, one that she would not want anyone to know that she
is looking at, from Anna. After reading it, she thinks that
can't be too hard. She can't wait for the chance to use what
she has just learned.
Cecily meets a man, but he turns out
to be a gentleman, and she doesn't have the courage to make
the first move. And then she meets a man named Beau. Hurls her
world upside down, in more ways then one.
Beau has been watching Cecily for a
while. One day he decides he has had enough of just watching
her. He takes her on a ride that will change her life forever.
One that will take more courage and strength than is possible
in little Cecily Havenshack.
In MONSOON MADNESS, Gae Rusk takes us
on an adventure with Cecily. At times Cecily is excited and
moved by this man who has so forcefully taken charge of her,
other times she can't stand the sight of him. It is a tale of
wishing for something exciting, then getting just that.
This book is fast-paced with an adrenaline
rush on just about every page. It does contain scenes of rape
and abuse, so it will not be for every one. However, if you
can handle the images, it is a gut-wrenching ride. One that
takes you through all the emotions: from love, lust, anger,
hate, and bewilderment. It is an up and down ride from the start.
As the plot unfolds, I could feel my jaw clench and my gut tighten
for Cecily and all that she goes through during the MONSOON
MADNESS."