Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
After trying everything from blind dates to online matchmaking to speed dating, Alexis Sharp has given up finding Mr. Right. Or even Mr. Almost Right. Until the stormy night when the South Carolina spa owner gets a flat…and a hunky stranger comes to her rescue.

Sexy, sensitive, supersuccessful Chicago chef Jared Van Buren is everything Alexis could want in a man. There's only one thing standing in the way of their budding romance—Jared isn't black.

To her surprise, Alexis discovers she and Jared aren't as different as she thinks. As desire melts their barriers, Jared vows to prove to Alexis that they belong together. When it comes to affairs of the heart, what will it take to convince the woman who fills his life with passionate poetry that love is color-blind?

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

31 people are currently reading
141 people want to read

About the author

Melanie Schuster

34 books126 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
174 (50%)
4 stars
99 (28%)
3 stars
57 (16%)
2 stars
11 (3%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Crazy for Books (Stephanie).
1,916 reviews234 followers
October 20, 2012
This is a book I got free through NetGalley. Being an African-American woman who has dated Caucasian men of varying economic status, I have to say the dialogue was pretty bad. It was too flowery. It flet like the author was writing what she would want a mant to speak, not how they actually speak even when they are interested in a woman. If she's met this man, I would be surprised.

I liked the idea of the story but the conversations were stilted and awkward. He constantly calls her "beauty" or "goddess," which becomes annoying to me. Alexis has a name and as a woman of the 21st Century I would have said as much. This isn't to say that endearments are nice and sweet, but these just didn't feel real to me.

Also, their interaction after they've first had sex is just not comfortable or realistic. It seems idealistic.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me. Not enough conflict and not enough intensity in the relationships. That's just my opinion and I hate give bad reviews, since I have to for NetGalley, I am.
Profile Image for Kim.
740 reviews80 followers
December 11, 2012
I have to say I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was very rocky; I'd say the first 15% and I almost put the book down, but once Jared and Alexis finally met the book really picked up. Everything about their courtship was just kismet. The way they met, the way their relationship progressed, everything just fell into place. I could really feel the passion between them. It wasn't just words on the page, the author really made a connection with the reader. The love scenes in this book were a 10 alarm blaze, and there were a lot of them. They were sensual and oh so erotic. I have to say I was really surprised at the level of spice in this book. I think this could make a great family series and I would look forward to reading a book with Sherrie and Jared's brother Lucas...seems like that one will be a goodie. Also I'd like to add that I am so happy that Harlequin is switching it up and doing more interracial romances in the Kimani line. It's a welcomed change.
Profile Image for The BookChick .
1,454 reviews425 followers
October 23, 2012
When Jared finished the poem their fingers slid together and neither of them said anything for a moment until Alexis broke the silence. "We're not going out, are we?" Jared pulled her into his arms and was holding her close when he answered. "Probably not." She melted against him, her arms going around him trustingly as she tilted her head back to receive the kiss. "What do you want to do?" He took his time answering because he was engrossed in the feel of her taut, sexy body against his own. "Everything."

My Rating: ★★★½

Book Description:
After trying everything from blind dates to online matchmaking to speed dating, Alexis Sharp has given up finding Mr. Right. Or even Mr. Almost Right. Until the stormy night when the South Carolina spa owner gets a flat…and a hunky stranger comes to her rescue.Sexy, sensitive, supersuccessful Chicago chef Jared Van Buren is everything Alexis could want in a man. There's only one thing standing in the way of their budding romance—Jared isn't black.

To her surprise, Alexis discovers she and Jared aren't as different as she thinks. As desire melts their barriers, Jared vows to prove to Alexis that they belong together. When it comes to affairs of the heart, what will it take to convince the woman who fills his life with passionate poetry that love is color-blind?

Page Count: 224 pages

Primary Characters:
• Alexis - Female protagonist
• Jared - Male protagonist
Secondary Characters:
• Sherri - Alexis' other best friend who is a single mother
• Emily - Alexis' recently married/pregnant best friend
• Tom - Emily's husband
• Aretha - Alexis' mother
• Ava - Alexis' younger sister
• Alana - Alexis' older sister
• Mrs. VanBuren/Lomax - Jared's mother
• Lucie - Emily's mother
My Thoughts:
Although this story is an interracial romance, more focus is placed on the romance than the interracial aspect. Make no mistake, you are well aware of the couple's racial differences but it isn't the primary focus of the story.

Alexis is a very successful business owner of two elegant spas in Columbia, South Carolina. In pursuit of building her business, Alexis has foregone romantic entanglements. Her life is a montage of hectic activity - book club meetings, water aerobics, friends, family, and work. During a girls-day-in, Alexis regaled her friend Emily and humored her friend Sherri about the horrid dates that she had been on recently. At the end of their evening of laughter, Sherri instructs Alexis to make a list of everything that she is looking for in Mr. Right with one secret thing that only she knows.

Jared is a very successful business owner, restaurateur, and chef. He comes to South Carolina to open a new restaurant and to look for a house. A sequence of events lead Alexis and Jared together and she discovers that he has everything that she wants in a man. Well, not quite everything because he is missing the "dark" in the "tall, dark, and handsome" equation. But Alexis recognizes Jared as her soul mate, although she resists "them" because of her personal belief that he is too good to be true. But one fateful date leaves Alexis breathless when she discovers that Jared is a poetry aficionado - he writes it and recites it. THAT does her in because the secret "want" on her list is for the man to love poetry.

The story is a fun journey of twists and turns filled with humorous moments and family interactions. I loved the ending when Alexis discovers that Jared's family isn't what she perceived them to be. He is the product of a very mixed family heritage. Jared didn't let Alexis know because he wanted her to love him for him and not the racial diversity in his family.

The story was very sweet but had realistic elements incorporated into it. For me, those elements were both a pro and a con. A pro because the characters connected well for me. Jared and Alexis felt like real people embarking on a real relationship and not just characters in a story. The con of the story was in the use of the African American colloquialisms thrown throughout the story which seemed completely at odds with the poise and elegance portrayed by Alexis, her friends, and her family.

Overall, I liked this story a lot and hope that there is another book that provides a happy ending for Sherri.

The book provided as a Net Galley review copy for an honest review.

Reading Time: 5 Hours
Profile Image for TinaNoir.
1,892 reviews337 followers
October 20, 2016
3.5 stars

This started off great! I was really enjoying it. I was also really enjoying Jared and Alexis' whole vibe at first.

And then it began to fizzle a bit. I think it is because Jared was just too perfect. I know, that sounds odd but he was utterly perfect. He said and did all the right boyfriend things all the time. Not a step out of place. So, I think because they hit it off sooo well so early that there wasn't any real conflict. What there was, was largely manufactured. So while the story was romantic and had a good "feel good romance" vibe, I ultimately did not have a real emotional connection to Alexis and Jared's story. I didn't feel I could get my teeth into them.

Also there is a bit of a end of story reveal that I was like "Really?" But in an odd way it fit with the vibe of the story. It was yet another thing about Jared that made him so perfect for Alexis in a way I found rather too pat to be satisfying.
Profile Image for CLorraine.
1,766 reviews19 followers
November 6, 2025
Poetry Man by Melanie Schuster is a part of her Friends & Lovers series, and while the books are interconnected with plenty of crossover from characters the stories can be read as standalones. This story was published in 2012 but does not appear to be overly dated aside from some comments about the politicians in office (no time machines😊) and it is still available on Kindle. Alexis Sharp is a successful businesswoman who could/would make a desirable life’s partner. For years, she shied away from looking for a companion or commitment but now feels like she is ready to take the plunge. However, while she is ready to dive in, the waters she frequents contain slim pickings, indeed. When chef Jared Van Buren stops on a rainy night to help a stranded motorist, he has no idea that he is about to meet his IDEAL woman, even though he was not consciously looking for her! Jared checks EVERY box on Alexis’ list of the characteristics she is seeking in mate, even ones she didn’t specify on purpose. He even has an affinity for poetry and the music she likes. She was seeking a man who is tall, dark and handsome. Is two out of three enough? Jared was an awesome catch; and once he realized that Alexis was it for him, he didn’t hesitate. He was kind, forceful when needed, direct in his intentions (at least in his head) and so respectful of her as his lady. Alexis needed more persuasion, at points in time she got in her own way due to uncertainty and her family’s phobia about marriage. This book was very enjoyable with limited areas of conflict; the two times trouble arose Jared handled his business professionally and in such a way that troublemakers had no room for confusion. I am so glad I stumbled across this story. The next story in this series involves Jared’s brother Lucas and Alexis’ friend Sherry.
Favorite Lines:
So you’re the mystery woman who’s been keeping me awake night after night. We bumped into each other and before I could find out who you were and ask you to dinner and a movie and propose marriage to you,you disappeared,” he said with great amusement. “You felt so good in my arms and you vanished before I could even get your name.”
They all saw him with me there yesterday so, of course, their filthy minds jumped to conclusions
He’s your Poetry Man,” she warbled in a campy imitation of Phoebe Snow.
I just assumed that you knew how much I love you and how much I wanted to marry you.
Do you think that some horrible racists could have raised a sweet Methodist boy to manhood and not know his heart?
https://theretiredreader.com/f/poetry...
Profile Image for LI Martins.
5 reviews2 followers
December 7, 2019
I loved this book! This was my first foray into the interracial relationships romance genre. It is now one of my favorite genres.
Profile Image for Toni.
248 reviews53 followers
October 22, 2012
Alexis Sharp has made a conscious decision to put all of her focus into raising her teenage daughter, running the business of her two beauty spas, and being a fitness volunteer. That is enough to keep a schedule full with no time leftover for a dating or social life. Also, finding your fiance in bed with another woman doesn't help. She is encouraged by one of her girlfriends to create the kind of "grocery list" for a man that is so prevalent in romance novels and chick flicks.

The unfortunate event of a flat tire on the side of a rainy road leads to her meeting Jared VanBuren, an entrepreneur himself, in town to open a new restaurant. He shows his interest immediately, but because he is of a different race, Alexis is a little reluctant to pursue their attraction.

Warning: Any book title Poetry Man is going to contain some corny, predictable, poetic language that is difficult to ignore.
Profile Image for Page Passion .
860 reviews9 followers
April 23, 2017
Been going through a bit a funk and for a while even books, the best things ever created for man, wasn't pulling me out of said funk. But Lo and Behold Poetry Man! It was a sweet story. Some Harlequin books can be silly and corny. This one was the perfect mix of humor and romance. Beside humor and romance, it had a serious theme: inter-racial dating. As a black woman, I've always been interested in dating outside my race. But reading this book opened my eyes to all kinds of hardships. Unfortunately, our society can influence the two people in the relationship.

However, good job to Ms.Schuster for writing an intriguing, funny, romantic story with some real issues.You did what a writer is supposed to do: entertain your reader, but also educating them. I think I will look into some more of Melanie's works!
Profile Image for Christie.
183 reviews
February 10, 2013
I am the first to admit, I do not read Harlequin Romances. Ever. I am a bit of a cynical romantic, actually. But this one seemed to be made for me to read. It was a fast read, but a fun and romantic and VERY sensual read. I know women like Alexis, and I know guys like Jared. From the time they met, I was pulling for them. He knew, she didn't. Life is like that sometimes.

But the writing was well paced, and true. I thought the ending rushed headlong too fast, but that is my only quibble. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it makes you wish and hope that things work out for others like this all the time. I wouldn't mind finding my own Jared. And his character really sold me when he recited Langston Hughes! More than net the eye.

All in all, a satisfying weekend read. Time well spent.
Profile Image for The Book Junkie Reads . . ..
5,021 reviews154 followers
August 18, 2022
Alexis Sharp has completely given up finding Mr. Right/Mr. Right-now/Mr. Anything. She is having a hard time finding a man that she ants to keep. then she meets a delicious body in the dark. Following this encounter, she gets a flat tie and in comes Jared (Vampire) to her rescue.

He is everything in the world she wants in a man except one thing. will that really matter? Can he over come it?

Poetry Man is an apt name as he was her poetry man in more ways than on. She was his poetry woman. They would make beautiful poetry together.

Schuster give the series another beautiful couple.

**Updated August 2022
I find that each time I read this I love it a little bit more. They each had something a little more to bring to their union.
Profile Image for Dafort.
619 reviews19 followers
December 4, 2012
Poetry Man introduces Alexis Sharp and Jared VanBuren, the next couple in Melanie Schuster’s Friends & Lovers Series. We were first introduced to these characters in Chemistry of Desire but these lovers did not officially cross paths until a rainy night in Poetry Man. Alexis and Jared’s journey was a sweet and romantic but it did have its bumps. Alexis had to get past one hurdle and that of Jared not being an African-American. Love knows no color, and Jared works very hard to make Alexis realize they could overcome any obstacle.

This was an entertaining story and we were introduced to more VanBuren siblings so get ready for another installment of the Friends & Lover’s Series.
Profile Image for Brandi.
621 reviews31 followers
December 1, 2012
Okay, so since I liked this book much more than I thought I would. Though it was different from what I expect from Schuster, I can say that I enjoyed this book enough to not want to go to sleep. Jared was truly a knight in shining armor---a real take charge guy. The whirl wind relationship really took me by surprise. Jared was so sure of his feelings for Alexis that he just rushed ahead with all the certainty in the world. I loved how he protected her and never let their relationship be about their differences. He was such a surprise to her and kept existing on her toes. I can't wait to see if there is love for Sherri, Adrienne and Alana.
Profile Image for Lucy.
1 review
December 4, 2012
I really enjoyed reading “poetry man". I just love the way the story unfold and held my attention. I loved the story line of this book but the problem was; the conversations were stilted and awkward sometimes , the overuse of endearments such as “beauty” or “goddess” was quite annoying after a while(because Alexis has a name for a reason),and the lack of conflict between the couple etc. I felt like I didn’t really see the main characters (Alexis and Jared)falling in love.
In general, the book is a romantically filled with humor and joy, and i will recommend this to all readers espeacially romance readers.
Profile Image for Malika.
241 reviews7 followers
September 15, 2013
A quick read, I think I finished it in two sittings. Light, but enjoyable, if you just want to relax with tea/coffee and a book.

Everyone and everything is a bit too "perfect," but hey, it is a romance novel. You are supposed to get lost in the dreamy fantasy of profound love without serious complications!

Enjoy it, don't think too deeply. Just meet some nice characters and relax!

FYI: this appears to actually be a series, although the books stand alone. I found later that the girl friends have their own books of how they found love. I am currently reading the book with "Chemistry" shows how one of the friends meets her husband.

Profile Image for L.M. David.
Author 5 books26 followers
March 7, 2014
Alexis is successful, smart, good looking yet wrapped a bit too tight in the pursuit of her 'soul' mate. During a rain story she gets a flat tire. Along comes Jared to not only save the day, but becomes Alexis' Mr. Right. But there's a problem. He's white, Alexis is black. Does that stop him from pursing Alexis? No. And that's where the fun begins. Jared is her Mr. Wonderful and try as she might to stay away from him, she can't. Face it, if a woman had a man who cooked, cleaned up after himself and pampered her, she'd be a fool not to hang on to him. This is an enjoyable story that gets to the point and doesn't leave you hanging.
Profile Image for Angelia.
489 reviews64 followers
March 8, 2013
Let's just say I started this book and on more than one occassion I put it down trying to decide if I wanted to read it or not.....the begining was really slow or just wasn't holding my attention but after about the first 15 or 20% in it picked up quit nicely and in turns made for a very nice and entertaing read.....Alexis and Jared had tons of chemistry from the moment they met and it only got better as time went on.....Really good read if you have read the other books in Ms. Schuster Working Man series (at least that 's what I call the series)then you will REALLY enjoy this one......
Profile Image for Cheryl.
257 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2016
This book was decent. It took me a while to read as I continually put it down to go on to other things. I was not a bad story but I think maybe a bit boring which is why it took me so long to read. Some of the things I actually truly enjoyed about the story was that there was not a lot of drama, not a lot of slang and just people acting and being reckless. It was a simple love story between two characters that were likable and mature. So yes; a cute story but it may not be one I would automatically recommend.
Profile Image for Tanya Mayes.
710 reviews23 followers
January 12, 2013
I absolutely this book must read. My first on interracial dating. After reading about Jared VanBuren I would definitely date him myself. Alexis was one lucky lady that fate brought her the man of her dreams and more. I loved the way he protected Alexis, the way he treated her with respect and the way he cooked for, just treated her like a queen. They were so alike it was scary.
2 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2013
The beginning of the book was good, I really wanted to continue reading. But it became too much for me, from constantly calling Alexis anything but her name, constantly telling us what designer garment, shoes, bag, etc it became bland. Then there was the sex and later church. Where was the conflict, life issues etc. I couldn't continue. I give it a one because like I said the beginning was good.
Profile Image for Kesha.
440 reviews10 followers
January 28, 2014
Good book but the curse was never explained. I would have like for the cover model to have actually looked more Caucasian or at least like the hero. Jared was described as pale with long blond hair. The cover model is tanned with black chin stubble, I didn't even know it was an IR book from the cover. I would love to read Jared's parents book, seemed like an interesting story.
Profile Image for Elise.
39 reviews2 followers
March 2, 2013
Love interracial romance books, but I hate how the women are always so hesitant to date outside of their race, but with that said I really enjoyed reading the book and loved Jared and his protective side and how far he's willing to go to prove his love.
Profile Image for Shone.
1,347 reviews28 followers
March 12, 2013
Love the story, as always Melanie gave me a good laugh as well as some oh h### moments. Love her writing have read all of her books, I would just like to read one with out the dogs getting as much attention as the main characters.
Profile Image for TJ.
558 reviews
April 14, 2013
Really enjoyed this book. Alexis was very relatable. Her fears and thoughts often flow through my mind. Jared could be any womans night in shining armor. I sighed after reading. Hope there's a sequel!
Profile Image for Chelsea.
67 reviews
June 5, 2013
Jared and Alexis are a beautiful couple. Love knows no color. Schuster did a great job of showing this. I found it quite amazing, that love found these two on the side of the road in the rain! I definitely reccommend this one!
Profile Image for Deborah C. Fidderman.
521 reviews2 followers
May 25, 2016
Poetry Man

I loved the story of Alexis and Jared. It gives hope that everyone's soul mate is out there just waiting. This is a great book. I recommend this book to everyone who loves romance novels.
Profile Image for T.L. Hill.
Author 3 books10 followers
November 22, 2016
When characters are too perfect.......

It makes the story ridiculous. Jared and Alexis are just too perfect. They have perfect careers, perfect looks, perfect talents,etc. The book started off well but went completely into the realm of stupidily unrealistic. Get real!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.