Victoria Kennedy
apt descriptions for these stories and are often applied
to convey steamy chemistry between characters and
whichever island they inhabit.
A misconception is that hot island stories are easy reads
with not much substance. However, not all love stories
are quick, sexy, and easy. Some have a slow burn, like in
Easier Said Than Done. Nikki Woods uses present-day
Chicago as the place her protagonist escapes to go to
Jamaica. The many layers of the story give us in-depth
information about culture, foods, environment, and
duty, in addition to a history between characters that
lends itself to a second chance at love.
Countless people choose Caribbean destinations
for honeymoons and other celebratory occasions, to
show favorable conditions ranging from fast hook-
ups to the promise of enduring love. Whichever the
occasion calls for can be found in the appeal of tropical
islands. As in all love stories, the right combinations of
characters, plot, and setting is paramount to creating
an engaging tale. But there’s something extra-special
about the culmination of those elements on a romantic
island. As in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, there is
the possibility of something unknown and magical that
holds a reader’s eyes and interest, even when happily
ever after is a foregone conclusion.
The list of island love stories is long and varied but
one thing is bound to resonate with them all: Island
love becomes its own character in an already sweltering
storyline, just waiting for a tall drink of a certain libation
to quench one’s desire.
Victoria Kennedy writes fiction. She contributed to The Dating Game anthology and
wrote a short story collection titled, Where Love Goes. She is also the founder of Zora’s
Den, an online writers’ group. Her latest book is a novel, Sometimes Love, published by
Brown Girls Books. www.victoriaadamskennedy.com
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