Jana has avoided returning to her home for years. Now the only person in
the world she trusts, Lisa, has convinced her to come home and face the
memories of her childhood abuse. Believing herself finally ready to
overcome her fears with the help of her best friend, Jana accepts a new job
back home and the offer of a place to stay in Lisa’s home.
Jana is totally unprepared to find her teen-age crush, Nicolas Marchetti, in
Lisa’s bedroom the very night she arrives. Not normally a voyeur, Jana
still can’t help but watch the scene she stumbles upon. She is even more
unprepared when both Nicolas and Lisa invite her to join them! Although
shocked, Jana can’t stop thinking about it, and finds it harder and harder
to resist the methodical seduction staged by Lisa and Nicolas…
Let
me say this up front – forget that this is a F/F/M book. Yes, it has
erotic content that involves two women, but that is totally not what
Lisa’s Gift is about. Anyone who skips this book based on
preconceived notions of what it might contain will miss the most touching
and beautiful story I have read in a very long time, a fact which cements
its place as my Recommended Read for April 2007. Mackenzie McKade is
already in my list of favorite authors, and this is not the first time she
has convinced me to read a book with subject matter outside of the norm for
me. Each time, I am more than pleasantly surprised both by what I have read
from her and my own reactions to it.
You could remove the explicit scenes from Lisa’s Gift and
still have a wonderful love story that stands on its own without the sexy
bits. Of course, why would we want to do that when they are so well done??
LOL That is, essentially, what this tale is about – love. It is about love
that transcends societal boundaries, a selfless love that gives without
thought of taking back, a love that fosters trust.
The story had some breathtaking twists. I confess that I figured most of
them out earlier in the story, but it did not lessen the impact of the
ending when all was revealed. McKade effortlessly peppers the story with
clues to the surprise ending, giving readers every chance to anticipate what
is coming.
As prepared as I thought I was, I could not help the water works when the
ending came. Even now, writing this review several days after finishing the
story, I still tear up just thinking about it.
Lisa’s Gift is a story that will stay with me for years, and
people will talk about it for some time. I would be very surprised if this
book does not escalate Mackenzie McKade’s writing career to the next level
soon.
Reviewed by Jennifer
