RATINGS & REVIEWS
Literay entertainment at its finest.....5 out of 5 stars
If art truly imitates life then this work is a fictional masterpiece. I have
never read any of Dean before Mogul - BUT I am truly a fan from
here and on.
No matter what your sexuality you will connect to the characters and
their stories. You’ll feel like you're reading the journal pages of your
producer or musical artist. Dean delivers such style and grace to one
of the most taboo topics that you can't help but to want to turn the
pages faster......and faster, yet the closer you get to the end the less you
want the story to end.
Not an ounce of disappointment in this book. The imagery, the pace, t
he suspense…..There's not a dull reader moment in this book. Mogul
left me wanting to see a sequel...better yet, I welcome the movie. Thanks
to Dean for taking away from the cliche' monotony that sooo many
authors use to talk about guys like Big A.T. Mogul has done it right!
No What I expected..... 1.5 out of 5 Stars
Fourth Sunday is a novel written by book club members about book club members.
The book is written in dialogue with 45 chapters alternately devoted to each of seven
characters, which makes the book immensely slow and boring.
The characters lack depth and the reader gets lost in unnecessary and lengthy details
about clothes, houses, cars and even details about the food being served and eaten.
Really?
There was a part of me, and I didn’t realize how dominant that part actually was, that
insisted on reading Fourth Sunday to the bitter end in hopes that it would redeem itself. I was
unconditionally and irrevocably wrong in that decision.
Realizing that this is the club’s first novel, I hesitate to give the lowest rating and a negative
recommendation. However, on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being outstanding), the best I can
give Fourth Sunday is 1.5. I do not recommend this novel, but do encourage the authors,
B.W. Read, to keep trying.
The book is written in dialogue with 45 chapters alternately devoted to each of seven
characters, which makes the book immensely slow and boring.
The characters lack depth and the reader gets lost in unnecessary and lengthy details
about clothes, houses, cars and even details about the food being served and eaten.
Really?
There was a part of me, and I didn’t realize how dominant that part actually was, that
insisted on reading Fourth Sunday to the bitter end in hopes that it would redeem itself. I was
unconditionally and irrevocably wrong in that decision.
Realizing that this is the club’s first novel, I hesitate to give the lowest rating and a negative
recommendation. However, on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being outstanding), the best I can
give Fourth Sunday is 1.5. I do not recommend this novel, but do encourage the authors,
B.W. Read, to keep trying.
Two good author's write a darn good book!
In No One in the World, Cobi Aiden Winslow is a successful attorney with
prestigious future goals. He has always lived an affluent and opulent lifestyle
due to the wealth of his adoptive parents, but his father abhors his
homosexuality and reaches out from the grave to counter-act it. Even though
Cobi is having an affair with a married man, Mr. Winslow, the elder, has made
it a condition of his will that Cobi be married by the age of 35 in order to
gain stock in the family business.
Cobi's adopted sister, in order to keep the business intact, sets out to find
Cobi a wife. At the same time, Cobi discovers that he has a twin brother
from whom he was separated at adoption, and sets out to find him.
He succeeds, but finds his brother scheduled to be released from prison.
This confluence of events results in drama, danger, romance and intrigue.
E.Lynn Harris and RM Johnson successfully hold the reader's interest.
I have to admit that some parts of the book made me uneasy, especially
the intimate parts, but I was open minded and think that the story line was good. I would rate this novel
a 3 out of 5 and would recommend it to anyone who is not homophobic.
A short but good to the last page kind of read
On the outside, Paige Donohue appears to be the normal entrepreneurial professional who
is living a good life and even enjoying some luxuries, even though she can ill afford them.
She harbors a deep-seated resentment against her mother for showing preferential
treatment to her sister, Camille, during their childhood years. She hates Camille,
who has excelled in all areas of life and has entered into an opulent lifestyle with a
successful husband and children. Paige has done none of these things and is determined,
in her mind, to “make things right”.
Her hatred for Camille leads her on an obsessive journey to destroy Camille’s marriage and
take over her home, husband and children. She is determined to obtain this objective by whatever
means possible. Roby engulfs the reader in Paige’s unimaginable schemes and you find yourself
compelled to continue reading to find out what Paige will do next and whether her plans will backfire.
Ultimately, we learn the deep dark secrets, not only of Paige, but of her family. Roby’s novel is
reminiscent of the movie “The Bad Seed” and seems to borrow some elements from that movie,
albeit, while dealing with obsessive behavior in an adult, rather than a child.
I would rate this novel 8 out of 10 and would highly recommend it.
is living a good life and even enjoying some luxuries, even though she can ill afford them.
She harbors a deep-seated resentment against her mother for showing preferential
treatment to her sister, Camille, during their childhood years. She hates Camille,
who has excelled in all areas of life and has entered into an opulent lifestyle with a
successful husband and children. Paige has done none of these things and is determined,
in her mind, to “make things right”.
Her hatred for Camille leads her on an obsessive journey to destroy Camille’s marriage and
take over her home, husband and children. She is determined to obtain this objective by whatever
means possible. Roby engulfs the reader in Paige’s unimaginable schemes and you find yourself
compelled to continue reading to find out what Paige will do next and whether her plans will backfire.
Ultimately, we learn the deep dark secrets, not only of Paige, but of her family. Roby’s novel is
reminiscent of the movie “The Bad Seed” and seems to borrow some elements from that movie,
albeit, while dealing with obsessive behavior in an adult, rather than a child.
I would rate this novel 8 out of 10 and would highly recommend it.
A Great Summer Read......4 out of 5 stars
Connie Briscoe is a talented writer and creates well-developed characters with
whom most women can identify. In Money Can’t Buy Love, the main character,
Lenora Stone, is a 37 year old woman who is attractive, but not beautiful,
overweight, but not obese, and works in a 9 to 5 job at which her adversary
also happens to be her boss.
Lenora is a professional photographer and is one of the best in the business.
However, she suffers from low self-esteem which is obvious in the choices she
makes when she wins the five million dollar Maryland Lottery. The money
changes Lenora in ways of which she is unaware, but her friends and lover,
Gerald, are readily aware. Of course, Lenora’s sudden wealth also changes
the behavior of those around her. Gerald has strung her along for 3 years
and is suddenly willing to marry her and she is accepted into a social club in
which the “snobbish” members had rejected her only a year prior.
Lenora is not prepared to deal with her sudden wealth/popularity and makes
unwise decisions both in love and in life. She finds out the hard way that
a top of the line automobile, a large mansion and the sudden interest of a handsome and much younger
man, do not lead to happiness.
Money Can’t Buy Love grabs the reader’s interest and won’t let go. It also makes one stop and ponder if our
behavior would be the same.
I would highly recommend this novel and give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
Well Worth Reading.... 4 out of 5 Stars
Catfish Alley artfully tackles the racial divide between Blacks and
Whites in the South both in the past and as it remains today.
The story is told in the first person from the perspective of each character
and thereby allows full character development of each. Catfish Alley scrapes
the scab off the ugly history of “Jim Crow” and the Ku Klux Klan and delves
into the souls of the characters.
The chapters alternate between Roxanne, a White Southern Woman who, in
her efforts to hide her impoverished past, has cultivated a social status for herself,
and the Blacks with whom, for self-serving reasons, she is forcing herself to deal.
Her interaction with Grace Clark, a Black retired school teacher, ultimately
reveals events that will change the lives of Roxanne and every Black person
with whom she has come in contact.
Catfish Alley is simply and yet beautifully written. It evokes the full range of
emotions from outrage to tears. The descriptions of the communities
in Mississippi leave you feeling like you can almost see the antebellum homes, smell
the hot, humid air and hear the crickets and tree frogs. This novel is a “page-turner” and one that you don’t want to end.
IS IT ALL WORTH IT....... 5 out of 5 stars
What would you do if you and your husband were struggling to survive financially and a five
million dollar offer could fix your problems and the only thing you would have to do is give
your husband up for a weekend? Well that is the in your face concept of Victoria
Christopher Murray’s latest novel “The Deal, The Dance and the Devil”. In this recent
piece Victoria introduces the reader to high school sweethearts
Evia and Adam Langston. The Langstons along with their three children, soon to be
16 year old twin girls Alana and Alexa and 10 ten year son Ethan, are falling on hard times
and the life that they once led is rapidly changing. They feel as if their world is crumbling.
In our current economy state, many readers will be able to sympathize, as Adam is currently
unemployed, bills are piling up, cars are getting repossessed, school tuition has to be paid
and decisions have to be made. And when Adam and Evia are presented with a large offer
by Evia’s boss, Shay- Shaunte, they begin to ask, when do you step aside for something
you stood so strong for?”
From the first page of this contemporary rendition of the traditional “deal with the devil” story,
I was hooked. The experiences and situations that Evia and Adam face are realistic. The book
flowed nicely, with well-written narrative, snappy dialogue, and a quickly evolving plot.
The story evoked so many emotions that I found myself questioning my thoughts,
shredding tears when deals were made and wanting to jump through the pages and ring Shay-Shaunte’s neck. The cast of
characters offer a full spectrum of friends and family that we all have in our life. From her two best friends Brooklyn and Tamica,
who are her sounding board for her decisions, offer advice as if they are the little good angel and red devil that sit on your shoulder
and influence decisions. In additional, you can do nothing by shake your head at Evia’s family. From her club hopping mother,
Marliyn and sister Cashmere to the trouble ridden brother, Twin. There is plenty to get the reader enthralled. I have read all of
Victoria Christopher Murray’s other books and this novel offers the reader a good break from the Jasmine drama. But by far,
this is her best. I highly recommend it and just remember the enemy is out to …kill, steal and destroy.
Very Good Read by Vonda Howard --- 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is the first book in the D-Cup Divas Series. In this short novel author Vonda Howard
introduces the reader to Chandra McMillian, a voluptuous overly stated independent single woman.
Chandra is beautiful, confident and has it going on. She owns her car, her house, a psychiatry
practice and doesn’t need a man to buy her anything. She does however seem to get herself
caught between two guys, Dr. Allen James and Dr. Bryon McCormick, with two totally
different intentions.
In my opinion, Howard presents the reader with an excellent story concept and an unexpected
twist which I would have liked to see in more detail and development. I felt at some point the
story was rushed. However, since the book falls under the erotica genre, the sex scenes are
surely steamy and will not disappoint. But it wouldn’t hurt to add a little detail to back stories.
This book makes a great afternoon read at only 175 pages. The booklover will quickly be drawn
in from the first page. Howard offers a refreshing new addition to the world of already over
saturated erotica books. As this is my first book by Howard, I am looking forward to
reading the three other books in the series and would recommend this selection to other booklovers.
Excellent Read by EJD -- 5 out of 5 stars
This is the first EJD book I have read in a while. I must admit even though I own Pleasure,
Sleeping with Strangers and Waking with Enemies, I have not read any of them. So when
I say that EJD had a new release on the shelves I said let me give it a try. At first, I was a
little disappointed because it was not the EJD that I remember. But after the first couple of
pages I was hooked. I loved the raise and fall of Dmytryk Knight. And I found myself hoping for
good and bad to come of his wife, Cora Knight. As the story started to close, and with
every page I was sure I know what was going to happen and each time I was wrong. Even though
the book didn't end that way I expected I thoughly enjoyed every page. When I reached the last
page and closed the book, I turned to my husband and said "That was a really good book". And
since it was written from a man's voice, I suggested he read it. I might have to go back to the
bookcase and pick up those other EJD books. Written by one satified reader.
Sleeping with Strangers and Waking with Enemies, I have not read any of them. So when
I say that EJD had a new release on the shelves I said let me give it a try. At first, I was a
little disappointed because it was not the EJD that I remember. But after the first couple of
pages I was hooked. I loved the raise and fall of Dmytryk Knight. And I found myself hoping for
good and bad to come of his wife, Cora Knight. As the story started to close, and with
every page I was sure I know what was going to happen and each time I was wrong. Even though
the book didn't end that way I expected I thoughly enjoyed every page. When I reached the last
page and closed the book, I turned to my husband and said "That was a really good book". And
since it was written from a man's voice, I suggested he read it. I might have to go back to the
bookcase and pick up those other EJD books. Written by one satified reader.