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The Color of Love

Sandra Kitt (Goodreads Author)

4.01 · Rating details · 965 ratings · 71 reviews

THE HEART HAS THE ANSWERS WHEN LOVE IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

Leah Downey was a brilliant young commercial artist moving up fast on the Manhattan career track.

Jason Horn was a street-smart cop getting over a nasty divorce and an even more agonizing personal tragedy.

All the odds said they would never meet. But they did. Everyone they knew said they should break it off before th ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 398 pages

Published March 1995 by Penguin Books

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· 965 ratings · 71 reviews

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Sep 01, 2009 Christina rated it did not like it

I REALLY didn't like this book.

I tried to keep an open mind. I really wanted to read a well developed love story. I'd hoped that the interracial dynamic would be thought provoking as well as enlightening. If you, as a reader, are anticipating the same, this is surely not the book for you.

The characters were meagerly developed. They were often one dimensional only one minor character offered any semblance to likeability.

Leah Downey is an attractive Graphic Designer who is plagued with thoughts I REALLY didn't like this book.

I tried to keep an open mind. I really wanted to read a well developed love story. I'd hoped that the interracial dynamic would be thought provoking as well as enlightening. If you, as a reader, are anticipating the same, this is surely not the book for you.

The characters were meagerly developed. They were often one dimensional only one minor character offered any semblance to likeability.

Leah Downey is an attractive Graphic Designer who is plagued with thoughts of self loathing, lackluster relationships, and an overwhelming fear of black men. Early on in the novel readers learn that Leah was raped. This traumatizing experience she decides to keep to herself. Throughout the novel Leah is tormented with nightmares and continues to be vexed by every black man in her life and those passing by on the street. The scapegoating of black men is surprising for a black woman, who, in all honestly can't manage to paint but even one man in an even remotely positive light: Leah Downey's father.

Even the white male love interest, Jason Horn is a despicable rogue who I found hard like, let alone love. First of all, I just couldn't understand that this attractive successful woman would meet this man for coffee even though she met him when he was pissy drunk on the street and she believed him to be homeless. He remained an alcoholic throughout the book, and about the only thing he could do well was have sex with her. Over and over again Leah's blackness and womanhood was assaulted by associates and friends of Jason's and not once did he stand up for her. Leah's preoccupation seemed to be, "I can't believe of all the beautiful blonde women in the world, he loves black me..."

Needless to say, I was disgusted.

I was hoping for a story...I don't know...about LOVE! That is what the title suggests. The abuse Leah had to endure at the hands of everyone around her just left me feeling angry and wishing that she was a stronger character. Leah was unapologetically weak. Her weakness wouldn't have been so bad had she some type of revelation or personal growth to quicken the pace of the novel.

I wouldn't suggest this book to anyone.
...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Obsidian rated it really liked it

Shelves: tbr-2017

I have to say, that I am really glad that I kept my copy of this book all these years. I really enjoyed reading it as a teenager and I thank Kitt for exposing me to interracial romances as a teenager as well. I didn't even know that was a genre til I got older.

In "The Color of Love", Kitt explores an interracial relationship between an African American woman named Leah who is a graphic designer and a white man named Jason, who is a New York City police officer.

Kitt tells the story focusing on n I have to say, that I am really glad that I kept my copy of this book all these years. I really enjoyed reading it as a teenager and I thank Kitt for exposing me to interracial romances as a teenager as well. I didn't even know that was a genre til I got older.

In "The Color of Love", Kitt explores an interracial relationship between an African American woman named Leah who is a graphic designer and a white man named Jason, who is a New York City police officer.

Kitt tells the story focusing on now just Leah and Jason, but also a street wise kid who is also African American who is angry that he feels that Jason is now overlooking him due to dating Leah. He gets weirdly obsessed with her, and I honestly don't get why that character was included. It just didn't fit the overall story that Kitt was trying to tell in my opinion.

Besides the interracial aspects of this relationship that Kitt takes a close look at, she also looks at how Jason's views of African Americans shifts since he may be what would be called a "casual racist." When he's interacting with suspects he thinks nothing of letting the "N" word slip, but quickly feels sickened by what he has said and thinks that he doesn't view Leah that way at all. If Kitt had more moments like that in this book, it would have been five starts to me. I like that it was open and honest about the issues that many black women have with dating outside of their race that it would have worked for me more. Leah does get accused of not being "black" anymore by a few people, but in the end, the book just wraps things up neatly and I really wish there had been a follow-up to this one.

Some of the characters did not work well at all. Leah's sister needed slapped upside her head. She does something that Leah ends up hard shrugging about that really didn't work for me at all. Let's just say that it would never occur to my sister or I to do something foul to each other like what happens in this book.

The setting of New York felt very alive and just dark to me at times. Maybe because of all the recent police shootings that involve African Americans, I just could not get into this book the way that I was able to as a teen. I just found the whole thing implausible.

Still enjoyed this look back at an older romance fave. ...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Paganalexandria rated it really liked it

Shelves: interracial-romance, physical-copy, four-stars-or-almost-perfect, reread, cops

8/9/18: This is a revisit of an IR classic, originally read over 20 years ago.

A lost soul on her doorstep catches Leah Downey's attention, and prompts a show of kindness on her part. Jason Horn's life was rocked by tragedy, and but is thankful that a stranger reached out in his most vulnerable moment. She the softhearted Black artist, him the hard-bitten White cop, on paper they have very little in common. Something is sparking between them, but the reality of the worlds they both inhabit, test ...more

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Jul 17, 2009 Elise-Pinterest+Goodreads=The Perfect Book Boyfriend rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bwwm, interracial-romance, a-favorite, good-book

My first IR book. I read it many years ago, a checkout from the library. I ended up buying it and I have reread it several times since then. And I rarely EVER reread books. Very sweet story.

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Oct 26, 2014 Urenna Sander rated it it was amazing

I enjoyed reading this book concerning Leah Downey, who is a black graphic artist and white cop, Jason Horn. This book is controversial, not because this is an interracial romance, but that it exposed the love between a white cop and a black professional woman in New York City during the late eighties.
The distrust and polarization between white policemen and non-whites is extremely evident in Leah’s sister and housemate, guile Gail, who is a strong character in this book.
Gail’s verbal attack a I enjoyed reading this book concerning Leah Downey, who is a black graphic artist and white cop, Jason Horn. This book is controversial, not because this is an interracial romance, but that it exposed the love between a white cop and a black professional woman in New York City during the late eighties.
The distrust and polarization between white policemen and non-whites is extremely evident in Leah’s sister and housemate, guile Gail, who is a strong character in this book.
Gail’s verbal attack against Leah is brutal and burns like chili peppers in Leah’s already wounded ego. You could almost imagine the aggressive Gail snarling and spitting mad at Leah and Jason’s friendship.
But Gail is not the only one against Leah and Jason’s relationship. Their peers are either angry or appalled and one of Jason’s juvenile defenders despises Leah and might cause her harm.
Jason is revealed as a strong, sensitive character. He and Leah met under unusual circumstances, which I will not reveal.
I believe Leah is attracted to Jason’s friendliness, assertiveness, his being emotionally available, and not playing endless games. Dating Jason piques Leah’s curiosity. Although ambivalent, she accepts every date he proposes.
The book reveals both Leah and Jason have painful, unhappy pasts.
Fears concerning their relationship and where it would lead develops. And once they establish they more than like each other, both fail to address the negative impact of their blossoming romance. In the process, there are misconceptions, sometimes frayed emotions, and hurt feelings.
Although I love Leah’s character and sensitivity, in my opinion, she appears complicated and a bit quirky.
Throughout the book, Leah reveals her inability to assert herself. On the job, she is confident and her work ethic unassailable. But in her personal life, like many strong women, she has emotional difficulties and shows a lack of confidence. This appears evident when Gail spat out her disapproval of Jason. And again, when Gail and Leah’s ‘friend,’ Allen, deceives her.
Although some might question Leah’s lack of anger concerning Gail and Allen’s deception. Leah reveals that to forgive is divine. She shows strength and resilience by forgiving, forgetting and loving.
Maybe a lack of expressing emotions was due to Leah experiencing physical and emotional trauma, which surprisingly, she never shares with her family. Instead, she suffers nightmares, attempting not to address the issue with a psychotherapist.
Leah overreacts with fear when she sees Jason in his dress blues. On another occasion when he apprehends a thief, she believes Jason’s persona violent. At that point, I believed Leah’s character had serious emotional issues. Yet, Jason displays an enormous amount of patience during her apprehensiveness.
I could understand Leah’s anxiety about Jason’s job and where he stood on certain matters in the non-white community. But he appears compassionate. As an officer for juvenile delinquents, he tries to overcompensate, tirelessly helping hardened juveniles with money, housing, forming sporting events, and taking them to concerts. Jason’s peers believe he is a bleeding heart.
In conclusion, I was surprised the author didn’t focus on Leah’s bad experiences and fears being addressed in the book.
I laughed when during Leah and Jason’s reunion, she thought their lovemaking so amazing she might be considered sinful.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a sentimentally emotional romance. This was also well written.
...more

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Apr 08, 2010 J.J. Murray rated it it was amazing

This is the first interracial romance I read, and it still resonates today, even after 15 years.

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Jun 22, 2010 Mercedes Keyes rated it really liked it

This was my first interracial novel ever and I enjoyed it immensely!

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Mar 23, 2012 Deloris rated it liked it

I liked the book but It was more cerebral than romantic . I felt like is was a study in a relationship between a black woman and a white man. This couple were attracted to each other but in this book they were not passionate about each other they just wanted to be together. I felt this was more a story of how society view I/R relationships. To me the book was a good story that explained the hardships the went through because of other people but to me they lacked the passion to make this a great ...more

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Jul 20, 2013 Connie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It was a good story. This was a reality based book of how a real love story could truly be. No hidden billionaires or witches, or electrical first meetings. It's a book of two people who didn't have an explosive beginning, but their love grew over time. Leah was a woman with a secret that stunts her emotionally. She is very passive and introspective. She wasn't overly beautiful, but her personality made her more attractive. Jason, had a very sad event happen in his life that gave him a chance to ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Jackie rated it it was ok

It was difficult to be drawn into this acclaimed 1995 interracial romance, in part because the "telling rather than showing" style is so different from most romances being written today, and in part because the heroine is so utterly lacking in self-esteem (and the narrative doesn't present this as a problem to be overcome). Only in part 2, when the protagonists finally start dating, and clumsily try to deal with the prejudice they encounter (and their own biases) did the story begin to interest ...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Cardyn Brooks rated it it was amazing

Shelves: go-to-author, contemporary-romance, rdn2020christmasreadinglist

Color of Love was the first interracial romance for me where the Black characters were simply complicated human beings with brown skin who had not internalized racism. It's a romance that's simply a good novel about two people and the many obstacles they work to overcome to begin their HEA. I don't usually reread fiction, but I've reread this book more than once (along with Linda Howard's Kill and Tell). ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 Laura Parker rated it it was amazing

One the first and most emtionally complex contemporary interracial lovestories published. I hope it's reissued soon. I reread periodically. It has unique and engaging characters with more in common than the issue of race ...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Karen1976 rated it it was amazing

it was the first book i read about interracial relationship.it was ok

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Sep 21, 2010 Sonya added it

Awesome book. I re-read this book all the time!

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Dec 18, 2014 Winter Sophia Rose rated it it was amazing

Intense, Engrossing Beautiful Read! I Loved It!

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May 22, 2017 Felicia Glover rated it did not like it

I did not realize this book was written in 1995. It explains he references to the use of pay phones. It is amazing how writers viewed interracial relationships back then and how some authors of today have the ability to fluently write on this subject matter.

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Aug 01, 2018 Diamond rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance-reading-challenge-2018, interracial-romance

I finished this long ass read in two days. Take that as you will. It definitely was drama filled and interesting. I don't like when a character has no backbone. I understand and fully believe that you must forgive and move forward. That being said, I don't know of any woman who would just go along with the regularly scheduled program after finding out she was betrayed in the worst way by someone so close to her. That entire situation was totally unrealistic to me. I darn near put the book down i I finished this long ass read in two days. Take that as you will. It definitely was drama filled and interesting. I don't like when a character has no backbone. I understand and fully believe that you must forgive and move forward. That being said, I don't know of any woman who would just go along with the regularly scheduled program after finding out she was betrayed in the worst way by someone so close to her. That entire situation was totally unrealistic to me. I darn near put the book down in frustration reading Gail rant and rave with total disregard for Leah's feelings. I HATE GAIL SO MUCH. So please beware of her annoyance. It's bearable, but you may look crazy talking to yourself about the few choice words you'd say to Gail yourself. Also, I don't believe I ever heard the exact year the story was supposed to be taking place. I guess it was set around the time the book came out (1995) because they talk about Jason being in the Vietnam war when he was a young boy. I like that they didn't make that a point and it was implied. It's annoying being spoon-fed obvious information. I like to work my brain with the possibilities. The Color of Love WAS published about 23 years ago so... dang

I love the topic. I find it heartbreaking that shit like this ever happened. I can only imagine what my white grandfather and black grandmother had to go through in the 60/70's. I wouldn't be here if they didn't go in secret dating and marrying each other. I wish they were still alive so I could ask a million questions. This book really made me think. Going into this book I was already feeling strongly about interracial couples being a thing that's not really written and raved about. I would like to get more into all kinds of interracial romance because I read a lot of white-on-white and black-on-black stuff. While its nothing wrong, I think it's obvious and realistic that love has no color. I see interracial couples all the time. It's common as heck and I'm glad people don't really talk too much shit about it like how they were in this book.

I cried. I teared up a little in the middle of it, but the ending was a bawl fest for me. This goes to say I had a strong interest in the characters. Some parts were predictable to me, but not boring at all. I HIGHLY recommend this but beware of the annoyingness. ...more

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Jan 29, 2018 Gretchen King rated it it was amazing

This bar none, is the best love story I've ever read, be it interracial or otherwise. All of Sandra Kitt's books are amazing, but this one - the first - is in my opinion the best. I so wanted this book to be made into a movie back in the day. I pictured Anika Noni Rose and Tom Berenger as to two stars to play them. He's too old for the part now but I think Brad Pitt would do nicely.

I find myself re-reading this book every few years when I long for a realistic romance involving a professional bla ...more

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Jun 01, 2018 Wanda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, reviewed, 2018

Since this was written more than 20 years ago the social pressures against Leah and Jason’s relationship were a bit dated but the insights into their feelings made it seem like a contemporary romance. There was a foreboding sense of suspense throughout the story that led up to a dramatically emotional ending. I just wish it had included some sort of epilogue with a glimpse into their future.

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Dec 28, 2020 Brytani Wright rated it liked it

This book was a decent book. The love sorry was interesting but I didn’t like the authors negative view of black men. She was necessarily down right hateful but every black man mentioned in the book had some negative spin.
The black man she was dating was selfish in bed and left every time afterwards. He ended up cheating on her with her sister....
The white mans partner apparently cheated on his wife.
The black youth was either violent, misogynistic, verbally abusive or criminal minded.
It wasn’t ...more

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Jul 11, 2019 Rachael rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, diverse

Didn't look at the published date of this book when I started it so I didn't realize it wasn't a newer release. Jason is a white vietnam vet and cop who meets african american graphic designer Leah on the night of a tragedy. Months later he comes back to introduce himself to the woman who was kind to him. Leah is well aware of how her family and society will react to a black woman dating a white cop but Jason is forced to confront a life/occupation of white priviledge when they start getting ser ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Ann Jeffries rated it it was amazing

I read Ms. Kitt's novel when it was released in print. THE COLOR OF LOVE is so compelling that I still remember every detail all of these years later. That novel caused me to do a marathon read of all of Ms. Kitt's novels. Occasionally, I will re-read THE COLOR OF LOVE and I still have the same reaction. I miss Ms. Kitt's voice in this literary wasteland so much that I started writing novels for my own pleasure. Yet, I still want to hear her voice.
Ann Jeffries, Author ...more

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Jun 14, 2020 Marilyn Kavanaugh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Realistic and heartwarming

The book includes sisterly rivalry, fatherly wisdom, troubled young black men and an unflinching depiction of the many challenges of an interracial relationship.

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Apr 19, 2018 Starr rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

Thought this was going to be a love story. It's not... ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Great read. Didn't want to put down. I thought I knew the ending, but there was a twist. Thanks Sandra I look forward to reading more of your books. ...more

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Sep 24, 2019 Geena Kenemore rated it it was amazing

Very good read.

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Jan 27, 2020 Tigger rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Skipped around just did not keep me turning the pages, but just an ok read.

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Nov 03, 2020 April Sunshine rated it really liked it

I read this book a very long time ago. A time when i was actually dating a white cop. Very sweet read though my story didn't end with a HEA. Haha ...more

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Dec 26, 2013 WTF Are You Reading? rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-2013, net-galley, adult, oh-how-romantic, life-issues, don-t-believe-the-hype

Leah Downy has been through a lot in her life. Hiding from life in a relationship based more in convenience than love; existing in the shadow of her vibrant and opinionated sister Gail, and still suffering the effects of a mugging.
When she meets Jason Horn, she has no idea what to make of the attractive white man with the sad, haggard eyes.
What she does know is, that the more that she tries to ignore him...the harder ignoring him becomes.

The story, characters, and plot are all run-of-the-mill go ...more

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Oct 18, 2013 Rosanita rated it it was ok

I've read a lot of interracial romance books in my time. Normally, I really like them. This one, not so much. I just don't think you have to make the Black guy in the book a bad person. By having him be an arse to Jason, that's exactly what Ms. Kitt did...not to mention the affair with Leah's sister.

Why is it that Leah wasn't angrier at her sister and the arse? I mean, yeah...blood is thicker than water, but Gail did everything in her power to steal Leah's man and then gets pissy for Leah datin ...more

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About Sandra Kitt

Sandra Kitt

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Sandra Kitt is the author of more than twenty novels, including The Color of Love, Significant Others, and Close Encounters, as well as numerous short stories.

Her work has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award and has appeared on theEssence and Blackboard bestseller lists. She is the recipient of the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award.

A native N ...more