Madam Eve by Eddrick Dejuan

Atonement Publishing, LLC: March 2008
978-0980223842
Reviewer: Tiffany
Rating: 3

Evelyn divorced her retired pro-football player husband when she could no longer deal with his lying and cheating ways. As for their pre-nuptial agreement, the judge ruled in Evelyn's favor due to his treatment of her during their marriage. As a way to “help” other women get back at their cheating husbands, Evelyn decides to open an escort business. But, while she is plotting revenge somehow love happens.

This book rated a 3 for a number of reasons. First, the author could have developed the storyline more. I should have been more of a back story on the relationship between Andrew and his father. Next there were a quiet a few typographical errors. This book was in need of some major editing. And, the last but not least the cover art was just lacking. It looked very basic, dull and did not convey what the story was about. Overall, this was a quick read with a plot that will keep the reader interested.

Not Even If You Begged by Francis Ray

St. Martin's Griffin, Jan 2008
978-0312948177
Reviewer: DD
Rating: 4

The voluptuous Traci Evans has an iron gate around her heart. Multiple wounds inflicted by her cheating deceased husband and her nasty mother have almost destroyed Traci’s faith in love, her trust in people in general. Despite all this, her attraction to the sexy Ryan Gilmore, her best friend and neighbor’s son, will not be denied. Traci is not Ryan’s type or at least he did not think so until he met her. Still Traci’s lush curves, generous breast, childbearing hips combined with a heart of gold makes Ryan want to know Traci inside and out.

The slim and trim, 59 years old, Maureen Gilmore loved her husband dearly. Now 4 years a widow she is missing the intimacy and the bond she had with her husband. Can the sexy police office, Simon Dunlap, fill the growing void in her heart despite the fact that he is almost 10 years her junior. Will Maureen let her feelings for Simon overcome doubts and fears due to the age difference?

Francis Ray has done it again. Not Even If You Begged is a page-turner from beginning to end. The characters in this book come to life so naturally you almost forget your reading fiction. I felt Traci and Maureen’s pain as they dealt with their personal struggles. I wanted them to find the love they both deserved with the hot men Francis Ray created to take my breath away. I fell just a little bit in love with both Simon and Ryan for they had qualities most single women look for when they imagine their life mate. The story itself flowed effortlessly. Francis Ray combined the budding romances with sub-plots that gave this story an essence of realness and gave you insight into the characters you can only see when they interact with people outside of their budding relationships. I closed the book wanting to read more but still satisfied with what I was given

(Book Originally Reviewed For BBW Reviews)

Gunmetal Black by Daniel Serrano

Grand Central Publishing: September, 2008
9780446194136
Reviewer: LaShonda S
Rating: 4

Fresh out of jail, the last thing Eddie Santiago needed was to become entangled into the illegal dealings of his childhood best friend Little Tony. Eddie had plans to leave behind the streets of Chicago and the memories they held and move to Miami. His love for Latin music and the congas had Eddie ready to take his money and become legit by becoming a partner in the Salsa record label his prison cell mate wanted to start. But Eddie has to fight to wash the grit of Chicago off his hands and take back what is his for he is haunted by the ghost of a favor owed to Tony, memories of his father's murder and being set up by his old boss Pelon.

From the opening flashback Gunmetal Black gives you a peek into the troubled life of Eddie Santiago. Living a life plagued with violence and crime it is no wonder that the first part of this story centers on Eddies time in jail. It is during this time that we witness the growth of Eddie beyond his criminal past. Filled with intricate criminal plans and deception with every turn, Gunmetal Black is a gritty street novel with just enough drama to hold your interest from beginning to end.

I recommend this book to urban lit fans that enjoy a good plot and mystery with their story. The use of flashbacks to fill in the blanks along with the real life situations the characters are placed in makes this an interesting read. There are no over the top antics and unrealistic finales to disappoint the reader.

Bare Necessities: Sensuous Tales of Passion by Hazel Mills

Xpress Yourself Publishing, LLC: February, 2008
9780979975790
Reviewer: Lashonda S
Rating: 3

Bare Necessities is a collection of erotic short stories featuring combination of lesbian and heterosexual encounters. It is the perfect quick read to spice up your night. The stories are short enough to be read to your mate as bedtime stories. I recommend this quick read to erotic readers who enjoy diverse story lines.

Murder On The Down Low by Pamela Samuels Young

Goldman House Publishing September 2008
9780981562704
Reviewer: Toni Mac
Rating: 5

Los Angeles attorney Pamela Samuels Young has given the staring role in her legal thrillers to attorney Vernetta Henderson. Vernetta returns in “Murder on the Down Low.” It opens with the murder of Quentin Banks, a prominent African American doctor. His shooting death was not the first and it certainly won’t be the last as there appears to be a serial killer on the loose.

Vernetta’s best friend Special is up to her usual antics. But this time her attention is focused on Eugene Nelson, fiance to her late cousin. Her cousin, Maya, died from AIDS, given to her by Eugene as a result of his being on the down low. However, this time, Special may be in over her head.

In “Murder on the Down Low,” Pamela Samuels Young shines a spotlight on the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in the African American community. Samuels Young adds suspense, drama and deceit as her tale takes readers from one surprise to the next. It’s not a book to be read lightly, as it has some powerful messages. For example, African American and Latina women in the U.S. account for more than 80% of the total AIDS diagnoses for women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That’s alarming and part of the reason why “Murder on the Down Low” is worth reading. The other reason is because Samuels Young knows how to deliver.

Them by Nathan McCall

Washington Square Press: ; August 2008 (Reprint Edition)
9781416549161
Reviewer: TS
Rating: 3.5

A good read for book clubs. Good discussion starter…

Nathan McCall's novel, Them, depicts the gentrification of Atlanta 's Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, where Martin Luther King Jr's home is located. The story gives some history the Old Fourth Ward to help you get a better idea of how things were before the changes.

The story focuses on a middle aged man who is suspicious of all forms of government, which he refers to as "Caesar". He starts to feel that it's time to get some roots, so he decides to purchase the home he and his young nephew Tyrone are renting and this is where the story takes off.

As white couples begin to move into the neighborhood, one couple purchase the home next door to Barlowe and Tyrone, and the racial tensions begin to show though out the neighborhood. The couple, Sean and Sandy attempt to fit in and meet neighbors, but they come up against nothing but resistance and cutting eyes from their neighbors. Then you see that their own fears and assumptions begin to take hold the longer they live in a neighborhood that is clearly not welcoming.

McCall does an excellent job of giving you an up-close look at racism and change (or lack there of). The story continued to develop which keeps the story from becoming too predictable. The character development was strong enough to keep you focused on what will happen with the residents of the Old Fourth Ward instead of focusing only on all the negativity occurring in the book.

This book is an eye opener and the story seems believable, although some of the situations that occur are very stereotypical.

Over all, it's entertaining and you will see how this book parallels to real life and will defiantly result in some good discussion.

The Things We Do For Love by Xavier Knight

Grand Central Publishing: March, 2008
978-0446582384
Reviewer: LaShonda
Rating: 4

In The Things We Do For Love, Xavier Knight takes us into the lives of two married couples, the husbands, both members of a gospel group.

Jesse and Dionne Law have endured a lot as a married couple. Jesse is trying to put his past life as a successful R&B singer behind him. As the lead singer of a hot gospel group, Jesse appears to have his life on track. Can he maintain the steady road while keeping secrets that could rock the success of his group and destroy the very core of his marriage to Dionne.

Dionne has landed a job in the ministry that she believes will allow her a platform to better spread the word. Will Dionne be able to maintain her new job while trying to save her best friend Suzette’s marriage, and dealing with the real story behind her adopted son.

Suzzette is married to Coleman, a member of Gospel sensation, Men with a Message, along with Jesse. Their perfect life is shattered by a secret that rocks the very core of what their marriage is based on. Coleman tries to come to grips with his exposed secret and the madness that begins to unfold as the layers of his secret are exposed. Suzette is busy questioning what she knows about herself and what the future holds for her marriage.

The Things We Do for Love is thought provoking novel , tackling issues of homosexuality, infidelity and the prejudice. Addressing the stances that the church, friends, family and the media may takes on during scandal, it is sure to have you wondering what you would do if faced with such situations. The story line is captivating. I recommend this book to Christian Fiction fans willing to think outside of the box on very controversial subject matters. This would also be a great book club read as the story and conclusion make for great debate.

Contemporary reader fans will enjoy this book. This page turner is a quick read. Looking for a little drama, this book fits the bill.

The Cassandra Cookbook by Shawn James

Virtualbookworm.com Publishing: August 2008
978-1602642294
Reviewer: Lashonda
Rating: 4

Cassandra Lee has the world at her doorstep, or so it seems. She has worked to make her parents' bakery a success, working along with her father and getting her culinary degree. Her fresh outlook and innovative ideas have helped the bakery achieve tremendous success in the midst of a failing economy. During a meeting with her parents, she learns that the bakery she has worked towards owning is in negotiation to be sold so her parents can retire.

To further complicate things, only days before her wedding she walks in on her fiancé cheating, with another man. Devastated by the curves her life has taken Cassandra works to get over her heartache and help her parents to close the deal that will allow them to retire.

Told in 1st person from several characters point of view, The Cassandra Cookbook, shares the joys and pains of love, family and professional success. The characters have depth and deal with the real life choices people make to get ahead and find success in life. The writing style grants readers a peek inside of the mind of each character adding to the emotional ties felt with each character.

Overall this was this was a good book with a well developed storyline. I did find the cover to be a bit of a turn off and there were a few editing errors that took away through off the general flow of the book.

Looking for a whole lot of drama with a little romance thrown in, The Cassandra Cookbook fits the bill. There are life lessons and food for thought sprinkled into the pages of this story.

Obessession by Gwynne Forster

Kimani Press: June 2008 (re-released)
9780373831036
Reviewer: Dee-Dee
Rating: 4

After a successful yet unrewarding life as one of the best stoke brokers on Wall Street, Selena Sutton decides it is time for her to put her life in order. She put relationships and family on hold to achieve monetary success but her life felt empty. She craved love and a family of her own. Selena uproots her life moving to a small town in Texas in hopes of finding a quieter life and the love and family she so desires. But Selena gets more than she expected when the Cooper boys roll into her life.

Prince Cooper is pure trouble and Selena wants nothing to do with him. Prince's ego will not allow him to believe Selena does not want him, becoming obsessed with making her his despite her relationship with his brother. Magnus Cooper is handsome and successful, the type of man women dream of including Selena. Unknown to Selena Magnus has been in love with her since the day she rolled into Waverly, the quiet Texas town they call home. But Magnus has demons with roots in family dysfunction. Will Selena and Magnus be able to create a life together despite the challenges placed in front of them. The outside forces determined to keep them apart.

Fans of Gwynne Forster romance novels will not be disappointed with Obsession. It is quality writing filled with plot twist that will keep you guessing through out the book. Selena and Magus are a likeable and readers will want them to share the Happily ever after despite all odds. The challenges the couple face both individually and as a couple will at times seem more than they can handle. Readers will enjoy seeing how these two manage to face all challenges including the ones they have placed in their own paths. Though I found the beginning of the book to be a bit slow, but once the story began to roll I was completely sucked into the lives of Selena a Magnus wanting to know how they will manage to navigate everything that is thrown at them. I throughly enjoyed Obsession and would recommend this book to anyone seeking the classic romance.

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.

Pleasure by Eric Jerome Dickey

Dutton Adult: April 2008
978-0525950455
Reviewed by DD
Rating: 4.5

Nia Simone Bijou is a woman dealing with an internal dilemma. On the one hand she is a successful independent, well educated writer dealing with normal issues of life. On the other hand Nia is a sensual woman with a burning desire to fulfill her need for Pleasure. The need for Pleasure will take Nia down roads she never thought she would travel and teach her that pursuit of pleasure can have both great rewards and great consequences.

I enjoyed Nia's sexual exploration and admired the courage it took for her to step out of her comfort zone to fulfill her desires. Nia was willing to test her boundaries to achieve the ultimate goal of pleasure despite what society would think of her and her pursuit for sexual fulfillment. In Nia, Eric Jerome Dickey created a character that embodies the essence of the modern successful female. She lives her life on her own terms, based on a standard set by her belief system not society's rules. It is this attitude that opens her to her pursuit of pleasure and takes her and the reader on an unforgettable journey.

I truly enjoyed Pleasure. This will definitely be one of my favorite reads of the year. The Erotic scenes were hot without being raunchy and tasteless. All the characters in this story came alive. They were well rounded individuals living real lives filled with their own stories and following their own agendas. I wanted to know made these characters tick and what events put them in Nia's world as she struggled to deal with her own desires. The story itself had me thinking beyond the actual words and sex scenes to my own personal life journeys. Would I be willing to cross my own personal boundaries to achieve my own personal goals.

Gotta Keep on Tryin' by Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant

Publisher: Touchstone, January 2008
978-1416531678
Reviewed by Naleighna Kai, author of Every Woman Needs a Wife
Rating : 4

Patricia Reid and Gayle Saunders, who made their appearance on the literary stage in Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made, return in a sequel that further tests the bonds of friendship, marriage and their careers. In Gotta Keep on Tryin’, Patricia and Gayle have launched a new business venture, and through much trial and terror, the women’s talents propel this seeming pipe dream into something that gains the attention of a major conglomerate. At a time when success is imminent, Vanessa, Gayle’s teenage daughter has become unmanageable, willful and is plagued by self-doubt and a condition that is affecting more teenagers today--bulimia.

Pat has her own troubles when Tiffani Alexander walks through their door claiming Pat’s husband as her father, and it sets the stage for Marcus to suddenly focus on the daughter he’s always wanted, but Pat, whose career has come first, was unwilling to give. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, Vanessa moves in with an abusive boyfriend and holds fast to the relationship rather than admitting defeat and returning to safety. All this is followed by a lucrative offer from a conglomerate that pits the women’s goals and dreams against each other.

Though the women’s friendship survived an overwhelming amount of obstacles in the first novel, the developments, and their unwillingness to confide in each other or ask for help, might be their undoing in Gotta Keep on Tryin’.

This novel, a realistic look at the challenges that Black women face to balance family, career and love, was well written, an enjoyable read and well worth the eleven year wait for the sequel.

Payback With Ya Life by Wahida Clark

Grand Central Publishing: May 2008
978-0446178082
Reviewer: Toni Mac
Rating: 3

Reeling from the suicide of her best friend, Shan is at a crossroads. She wants to move clear across the country and start over while her brother, her only family left, doesn’t want her to leave. A blast from the past convinces her to stay, but with her decision comes consequences. Will she pay the ultimate price and payback with her life?

No doubt about it, Wahida Clark is wicked with her pen game. But I can’t help but be a little disappointed with this novel. A fan of Clark ’s customary style, something just seemed to be missing here – the power that vaulted her to the top. “Payback With Ya Life” has its moments but not enough. Despite not living up to my expectations, I look forward to her next release.