Can I Get a Witness? by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Pocket: July 2008
9781416521679
Reviewed By: TS
Rating: 4

Can I Get A Witness hits the floor running. Ms. Billingsley does a good job of throwing the reader into the story and you find yourself feeling for the characters and caring about what happens in their lives. The plot and character development are both thorough but it seems a bit too short and slightly rushed at times. When I finished the last page I found myself wishing certain points of the book were longer.

The story revolves around the lives of three sisters and the struggles they go through to cope with their relationships. The sisters are helped along by their Aunt Ida with her the well intended, sarcastic yet funny at times comments and advice. Aunt Ida raised them and encourages them to include God in their relationships.

Vanessa is a divorce-court judge whose marriage has been in trouble for a long time. Unfortunately, Vanessa was totally unaware of their marital problems, leaving her unprepared for the crazy ride she will have to take while dealing with her husband Thomas and his mistress.

Dionne, the youngest and brattiest of the sisters, whole life revolves around getting married before age 30. During her quest to find a husband, Dionne finds Roland; a not yet divorced man with doggish tendencies… which only the beginning of her troubles. Dionne has lots of growing up to do and doesn't seem to actually figure this out until it's almost too late.

Rosalyn, the eldest sisters, is the most level headed. With a happy marriage to a minister and a son - she comes off as the perfect sister with the perfect life. She is spiritually in tune with herself and seeks to help her sisters through their issues. But, she too has some drama of her own.

This book is a very fast read with strong characters. A story line that is crazy, funny, and serious. Ms. Billingsley delivers serious lessons with humor and care. I even found myself speaking out loud a few times at the audacity of some of the characters! A must read.

Dubious by Tina Brooks McKinney

Taboo Publishing: September 2008
9780982108901
Reviewed by Dee-Dee

Rating: 5

Felicia Clark had it all or so she thought until her marriage of 13 years fell apart. She was everything a wife should be and yet her husband still walked away. As she struggles to get her life together and build a life with someone new, Felicia discovers secrets about her husband that shake her to her core and threatens to destroy everything she has worked to gain. Will Felicia find the happiness she deserves after dealing with her husbands secret fetish? Randy is confused. He has secret desires he cannot share with anyone and these desires are destroying everything he holds dear. They have already destroyed his marriage; will they destroy everything he has ever known?

Tina Brooks McKinney has done it again folks. If you read any of her other books you already knew McKinney could write. With Dubious McKinney lets readers know that her writing has no boundaries. This books discusses the feeling of sexual confusion that many people experience and shows how that confusion can affect everyone involved whether you want it to or not. Be warned you may find a scene or two that makes you stop and say hmmmmmmmmm. These scenes are done without being judgmental allowing readers to make their own decisions. McKinney is able to take a topic that would make many run for the hills and deal with it open and honestly. She neither sensationalizes nor underplays the sexual issues making you realize that this could be the lives of the people next door. You just never know. And don't worry, McKinney has not forgotten her fan base. She still brings the drama we have come to love from her previous novels.

Dubious is a page-turner. My only wish is to have Tina Brooks McKinney behind her keyboard right now writing a sequel because there is no way I cannot know what happens. She dropped a couple of bombs at the end of the book and I need to know about the aftermath.