American Love Story

One of my top reads of the year! Engaging from the first page, and I didn’t want to stop reading until I got to the end.

I’ve loved every book in this series, but this is the one I finished today so it’s my freshest recommendation. Patrice is such a gorgeous character – thoughtful, guarded, intelligent, sexy, proud. And Easton! His open heart is too easy to see and to wound to fall for at every turn. They both had such real and vital work to do to move from their intense attraction to a life that would accommodate all they need to be able to devote themselves to their goals and to each other.

American Love Story is the third novel in the American Dreamer’s series. I’ve enjoyed this series so much, both for its multicultural aspects but also for the relationship between the stories and social issues. Every story in this series addresses some aspect of power and race, featuring leads from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. But nowhere is this concern illustrated more powerfully or compellingly as in the romance between Professor Patrice Denis and Assistant District Attorney, Easton Archer.

The relationship between Denis and Archer throws into sharp relief the power imbalances and the issues of institutionalized racism and the responsibilities of those in power to agitate and work in favor of change. Even allies who see the aggressions and identify with the victims at times hesitate to act because of internal pressures that hinder positive change. The police harassment of young men of color (specifically, black men) in the fictionalized version of Ithaca, New York offers the opportunity to both test the growing relationship between Denis and Archer, as well provide an illustration of how environments in which police feel enabled to profile and misuse their power are often allowed to flourish from fear of reprisals, or simple indifference.

The actions (or lack thereof) on behalf of the DA’s office and the Sheriff’s office have real consequences on the circle of friends that constitute the core characters of this series. But the consequences on the central love story are direct and immediate, and drive the romantic plot forward. It’s a credit to Herrera’s writing that she can center the issue of power and law enforcement in a narrative that never forgets that it is, in fact, a love story first and foremost. The attraction between Denis and Easton is explosive and leaps off the page, but there is also real respect between the two leads. I’ve read reviews calling out Denis, for being strident in his beliefs and allowing them to potentially sabotage a relationship he deeply wants and needs. But the fact is, if you live our life constantly aggrieved by microagressions and victimized for things you can’t control (your race, culture or sexuality), then situations that are merely abstract for some become realities for others. You live this reality in your skin every day and I absolutely love that the novel doesn’t relent in showing this.

And yet, despite the constant possibility that things will go sideways, love flourishes. Denis and Archer share a relationship that is built on mutual trust, vulnerability and the desire to learn and grow, to be active in their support, not only of each other, but of their goals. Easton, as a privileged white man, does not hesitate to be humble, to admit he is still learning, and willing to be guided. His allyship is a verb and exists independent of his relationship with Denis. It makes their romance that much stronger because they already come to it with similar values.

Romance, at its heart, is always about the negotiation of power. Romances contend with the power structures that inform the settings and cultures of the main characters, whether the author is conscious of this or not. What I find refreshing about Herrera’s romance is that this negotiation of power is the center of the narrative, with consequences that reflect what is happening in the broader culture. It is a different kind of idealization from the one we come to expect in romance. This version of the romance fantasy says that, even in an imperfect world, where injustice is a rot that must be battled constantly, love and dignity can flourish. One informs the other, but in the best scenario, both love and justice will prevail.

I received a copy of the ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars!

Adriana Herrera’s American Love Story is a powerful romance novel that’s timely and should be something we all read and acknowledge. It doesn’t hide behind platitudes. It’s a real, raw look into America right now and the systemic racism that exists in towns and cities and law enforcement. I really enjoyed these characters.

So, why 3.5 stars? I got frustrated with the constant back and forth, and never felt like the romance was moving forward.

Patrice is Haitian-born, having sought refuge in the U.S. He’s also an activist and isn’t afraid to make the local law enforcement aware of its own racism. So Patrice is thrown for a loop when he starts falling for an up-and-coming white assistant district attorney, Easton. They had a hot-and-heavy sexual chemistry previously, and having a second chance to start something new, together.

Easton is very aware of what’s NOT being done in his city when racially motivated traffic stops are on the rise. He’s very aware of his privilege in being able to do something about it, as well. But with a supervisor not motivated to take action and rock the boat with the police department, and the police department having their own way to “handle it,” Easton finds himself in a tight spot. Made all the more when a relationship with Patrice seems more and more impossible.

There’s a lot of chemistry between these two and they sit down and have conversations that need to be had. I loved that about these two. But it’s also something I didn’t like about these two where their relationship was concerned. It seemed like they had an epiphany and were ready to move forward, but every interaction and every conversation led them right back to where they started. All forward momentum was lost, and it got so frustrating.

I knew where both were coming from and I understood it, but I really wanted them to move a step forward every once in a while. By 50%, that hadn’t really happened.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I am excited to read more from this author. This book shines the light on something that can’t be solved overnight, but it opens the gateway to conversations we all need to have–an awareness of self and community that we all need to have–and the path to the journey forward to change. It makes this a novel I won’t soon forget.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah –
I can’t get enough of Adriana Herrera’s writing! This third Dreamers book is a difficult, angst filled read – but it’s also a wonderfully warm and beautiful written romance. After years of hard graft, Patrice has finally been hired as a professor at Cornell University. The move brings him back to Easton, the gorgeous, talented assistant DA that Patrice refuses to let himself desire.

I’m not sure I can remember having such conflicting reactions to any previous characters, ever. Patrice and Easton are both as infuriating as they are wonderful. As a Haitian immigrant, Patrice has had to work impossibly hard for everything he has achieved. Nothing is more important to him than his values and his fight for equality. He’s almost superhuman in his passion, but his refusal to compromise or to allow space for human error makes relationships almost impossible for him. Easton’s passion for justice is just as strong as Patrice’s but at times Easton’s privilege clouds his judgement and he can’t seem to live up to Patrice’s exacting standards.

I think this is the darkest and grittiest of the books in the series so far. Easton and Patrice’s relationship is genuinely complicated in ways that romance usually writing tends to avoid. The conversations between Easton and Patrice are difficult but immensely important. As an assistant DA, Easton represents a system that is institutionally biased against Patrice and the people he identifies with. And while Easton tries to be an ally, he gets things wrong sometimes. This book explores uncomfortable truths about race, privilege, and identity in a way that is both thought provoking and meaningful.

The story isn’t all dark and it isn’t all heavy discussions. The sexual connection between Patrice and Easton is explosive and very steamy. Nesto and Jude from the first book bring some light and some balance to the book. Patrice’s friends drag him from his soap box and back into the real world when he needs it. But Easton and Patrice are probably the most serious of the couples in this series and they both spend their lives working with the darkest parts of society.

I have loved this series from the start and I love the way the author writes romance that is a million miles away from genre norms. This is romance writing that demands thought, reflection and reader engagement. It’s writing about people I recognise and whose voices I want to hear more of. I can’t wait for the next book.

Ruthie –
This is the third book in the series and I would definitely recommend that you read them in order, as knowing each friend’s story builds into the whole. We knew that Patrice and Easton had met last year… now to see what can happen next!

I would say that all these books have brought to attention issues about colour and race that many readers will have never considered. This story does it in a far stronger way than the previous two, but maybe that is because Patrice holds himself and everyone else to an impossibly high standard and as a university professor has more widespread clout that the rest of the Dreamers. He is so focussed on what he considers he must do, that he is determined to pass up the chance of a real relationship with Easton. And that is even more true due to Easton being an ADA. For the first half of the book we do get a lot of information conveyed by both leads from their thoughts and beliefs, rather than their actions and conversations. In fact, one might say this is a particular failing on both their parts – even if for somewhat different reasons.

Once they finally let down some walls, the story speeds up a bit, and we get to enjoy a passionate relationship… even if only until Patrice shuts down again! Thankfully his friends have the best intentions for both men at heart and eventually P gets the message. I am not sure I would have been as patient as Easton, but given his family background, maybe his tenacity was understandable.

Another good addition to the series, and it does a good job of raising some difficult but important ethical questions.

Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.