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Book
Reviews
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IF YOU DIE BEFORE YOU WAKE
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If
You Die Before You Wake by E. Hill
Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
Barbara Barron's life is filled with pain and sadness. She is a widow
who was married very briefly to
the man of her dreams, and because of his devotion for helping others
she loses him forever. Since his
death, Barbara has worked tirelessly to ensure that what happened to
her husband and his best friend
will never happen again.
One day, while at work, she receives a call from a co-worker who tells
Barbara that he has left his
pager at the restaurant of a client, and the co-worker needs Barbara
to pick it up. Since Barbara is a
kind and caring person, she agrees without a second thought. As the
trainer for the software company
that is installing new equipment in the establishment, Barbara will
have to eventually meet with the
client anyway. Little does Barbara know , that going in search of a
pager will bring danger and terror
into her life. When she gets to the restaurant, a very chic and
upscale establishment , she discovers
the owner dead. Though she may not know it at the time, Barbara has
just stepped into a killer's lair.
If You Die Before You Wake by Ernestine L. Hill is a great mystery,
and as a reader it kept me on my
toes. Every page of this book added a new piece to the mystery puzzle,
and I also enjoyed the
numerous plot twists and turns. My only complaint is that I don't feel
that all of the loose ends in the
story were tied up, but overall I really enjoyed the book.
Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks |
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FOR EVERY
BLACK EYE
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For
Every Black Eye by C. F. Hawthorne
Reviewed by Dawn
C. F. Hawthorne demonstrates the ability to tell an age-old story in
an innovative way. For years Annie
has endured physical and verbal abuse as a child and as an adult.
Enter Febe, Annie’s alter ego, who
is there to protect her and to give her the courage to fight back and
you have a story that is so over
the top you have to wonder if you’re dealing with reality.
Utilizing engrossing and compassionate characters, Hawthorne gives us
an interesting look at the
results of domestic violence. Annie not only struggles with the
physical scars and pain of the abuse,
but she is constantly fighting with Febe and her revenge factor. Febe
struggles with a strong and
confident personality that puts her and others in dangerous
situations. Mixed together, you have two
very different personalities who are always at odds with each other.
Hawthorne can definitely tell a story in a very unconventional way.
This is a very good, affective and
graphic story that will have you feeling for each character and their
struggles.
Reviewed by Dawn R.
Reeves
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SITTIN' IN THE FRONT PEW
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Sittin'
in the Front Pew by Parry A. Brown
Reviewed by Stacey
There is probably no greater stress that family endures than the death
of a loved one. In the book
Sittin' in The Front Pew, Parry Brown addresses this difficult time
with great emotional sensitivity and at times with humor. The story
begins with a frantic late night call announcing the death of the
Naylor family patriarch, Edward Naylor. As his daughter Gloria hears
the words, she experiences shock and
disbelief. She quickly begins to prepare for her trip home to bury her
only living parent. But before
she even reserves her flight from Los Angeles to her hometown of
Baltimore, the drama begins.
When Edward Naylor's wife died leaving behind 4 young daughters, he
stepped up to the plate,
raising them alone. In addition, he was active in his church and
community and an inspiration to
others on his job. With all of his daughters now adults, he was just
about to begin a new phase in his
life by getting remarried. His death was not only a shock to his
family and fiancé, but the community as
well. Now at a time when his family is overwhelmed with grief, they
have a funeral to plan. Where will
the funeral be held? When will it take place? What kind of flowers
will be used? Who will sing at the
funeral? Even though everyone agreed on what questions needed to be
asked, finding agreement on
the answers was much more difficult. As the story progresses, the
family mourns together, laughs
together, uncovers secrets, bickers over decisions and ultimately
begins to heal.
One of the greatest assets of this book was that there were the
strong, positive male characters.
Edward Naylor was a wonderful father, a pillar of the community, and
an excellent example for other
men. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that
all of the characters were well
rounded. The author did a wonderful job at helping us see both the
strengths and weaknesses of the
major characters and really let us get to know them. The humorous
scenes were neatly woven into the
book so that just when you feel overwhelmed by all the strong
emotions, you could step back and
laugh. This book made me laugh and it made me cry. I highly recommend
Sittin' in the Front Pew and
look forward to seeing Parry Brown's continued growth as a writer in
her future works.
Reviewed by Stacey Seay
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SIN
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Sin
by Crystal Rhodes
Reviewed by Kalaani
Is love a sin? Was love not meant to be shared and enjoyed by all? Sin
by Crystal Rhodes is a wonderful read that touches you with sincere
understanding of two people desire to fight
that, which is natural, love.
Reverend Nedra Davis has worked hard to establish a large following at
her church, Mount Peter. She has been labeled the "Anti-Drug
Queen" because of the work she has been doing removing drugs from
the community. Reverend Nedra has also made some very sinister people
angry with her anti-drug mission because she is interfering with their
profits.
Sinclair Reasoner is a man who keeps much of everything to himself. A
product of the streets and having to raise himself because of his
mother's drug addiction, he is not proud of some of the things he has
had to do to survive while growing up. However, with determination, he
has now established himself as a business man being in control and of
his own.
Sin, as he is called by many, comes to Reverend Nedra in hopes that
she will be able to find a good home for two boys, Colin and Trevor
Johnson, whom he confronts while the older one is trying to steal his
car radio. Instead of turning them into the police, he opted to take
them home and talk to their mother only to find the deployable
conditions the boys live in and the obvious signs that their mother
was and have not always been around. Sin learns quickly that their
mother is a drug addict. The
older boy was stealing to feed himself and his brother. Sin
feels obligated to help them find a good home where they will be
properly cared for. After reading and hearing about the good work
Reverend Nedra has been doing at Mount Peter, Sin feels that this is
the best place for him to seek help for Colin and Trevor.
The moment he meets and discuss with Reverend Nedra about Colin and
Trevor's living conditions and the unknown whereabouts of their
mother, he instantly realizes that there is more to Reverend Nedra
then just being a minister. Sin also soon learns that Reverend Nedra's
life is threatened because of the work she is doing to rid the
community of drugs. Unbeknown to Reverend Nedra and Sin, they are
about to collide on a very unique obstacle course of finding love,
trust, and faith with each other. They will also face intense
suspense, intrigue and force to make some difficult decisions that
will affect their lives forever. The tides of time, defining love, and
accepting who they are and how they feel will be put to the test
several times for both as the grim reaper waits in the wings. The
outcome is something you
will not expect.
When I first started reading this book, it immediately held my
attention, because the storyline was very different then others in a
romantic sort of way. I applaud Ms. Rhodes for developing this
storyline for us to really take a hard look at each other and judge
not, but understand and learn from each other in the process. Love is
for everyone.
Reviewed by Kalaani
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A FAMILY TREE
TAKING ROOT
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A
Family Tree, Taking Root by Doc Robertson
Reviewed by Stacey
Virginia and Roman Robinson are a sister and brother that know in
spite of whatever adversity may
surround them, they always have each other. The story begins when
Virginia and Roman are children
growing up in California and ends when they are parents with adult
children of their own. The
supporting cast of characters includes their immediate family and a
number of other important
characters with whom they have formed relationships. The secondary
characters were an excellent
addition to the story, adding just what was needed for the plot and
nothing more. Simone, for example,
will quickly become the mother you love to hate. As the story
progresses, we see Roman and Virginia
gain and lose relationships, make heart wrenching decisions, and deal
with whatever situation life (or
their own mistakes) hand them. In spite of their weaknesses and
obvious mistakes, Roman and
Virginia serve as positive examples for African Americans because of
their consistent willingness to
take personal responsibility for their own mistakes and for the ills
of society.
All families have some sort of drama, and this story tells the tale of
the Robinson family's drama.
Roman is a pre-teen that is physically large for his age coming to the
aid of his older sister in an effort
to protect her. Later, we see Virginia and Roman both struggle as
teenagers and young adults trying
to find their niche. The author wrote lyrical romance scenes as the
characters fell in love, and
dramatic, intense action scenes as the characters faced wars abroad as
well as in their own
communities. As a reader, I was able to experience the joys and
frustrations of parenthood and
experience the pain and grief associated with losing someone you love.
None of the characters were
perfect, but just like in your own family, you felt for the characters
in spite of their weaknesses.
A Family Tree, Taking Root is a beautiful story about the joys and
pains associated with being a part
of a family. As the characters grow up, they dream, make mistakes and
are forced to adjust to a
continually changing social climate. The plot addresses a myriad of
historical events such as, the
Vietnam War and the Watts Riots with depth and clarity. The plot also
addressed a variety of social
issues, such as civil rights, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, gang
violence, and education, with
grace and plenty of emotion. However, the story is much deeper than
history and social issues.
Doc Robertson's writing draws you into the story, and his compelling
characterizations make you feel
as if the characters are members of your own family. As a reader, I
experienced the happiness,
frustration, growth and loss right along with Virginia, Roman and
their family members. I am not sure
which I enjoyed more, the rich plot of the story, or the character
development. I love a story where I
can see growth in the characters and this book is filled with lessons
of growth and living up to one's
potential. Although initially I felt a bit overwhelmed by the length
of the book, by the end I felt as if I
were losing members of my own family and longed for just one more
page.
Reviewed by Stacey Seay
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A LOVE OF MY OWN
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A
Love Of My Own by E. Lynn Harris
Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
Raymond Tyler Jr., has returned. After having lived in Seattle,
Washington with his lover Trent,
Raymond has come back to the place where his heart lies, New York
City. New York is a place that
holds good and bad memories for him and has always been his favorite
place to live. Raymond has
recently gone through a pretty rough period in his life and hopes that
moving to a new place will help
to rejuvenate his mind and spirit. He has accepted the CEO position at
a hot, up and coming urban
magazine called Bling, Bling.
Zola Denise Norwood has it going on. She is the innovative editor of
Bling, Bling, she is beautiful and
is blessed to have a family and friends that love her. Zola is only
missing one thing, a man to call her
own. Of course she has men but she doesn't have that man that takes
her breath away or that she can
call a soul mate.
In A Love Of My Own, E. Lynn Harris's eighth novel, he brings us into
the lives of Raymond and
Zola. Also, he beautifully intertwines the September 11 tragedy and
the death of R & B singer Aaliyah
into the storyline and portrays them with compassion and accuracy. As
a reader it was very interesting
to see how these two tragic events affected Raymond, Zola and the
people around them.
A Love Of My Own was a wonderful book. Raymond Tyler Jr., is my
favorite character and I was very pleased to see him back. I have just
one complaint about this book, and that is that I finished it and now
I have to wait for E. Lynn Harris's next literary offering.
Reviewed by Simone A.
Hawks
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