A Trophy Wife,

Jana has met the man of her dreams. Lawrence is a wealthy, handsome attorney. And he's a Christian. He meets all of her expectations and more. God has truly blessed her with a good husband. The lord has also blessed Lawrence with a good wife. Jana is a Christian, beautiful, intelligent and she loves to cook.

They dated for six months and then he made all of her dreams come true when he provided her with the wedding of her dreams. Now that they are home from their honeymoon, Jana is beginning to see a little change in her husband.

Lawrence begins to make demands about how Jana should dress, wear her hair, spend her time and worship. It causes Jana to wonder why he married her if there was so much about her that he didn`t approve of. This drastic change in Lawrence's attitude has Jana pondering whether he married her because he truly loved her or merely as an asset.

"The Ideal Wife" is an excellent and quick read by Jacquelin Thomas. I highly recommend this book to all.


Reviewed by: Carmen

Clogged Arteries,

Faith is a mother, wife, daughter and friend. She uses her day to help uplift, motivate and encourage others. Along the lines, she feels as if something is missing. Seeking employment outside of the home just may be the answer to the numbness she's feeling, though Jonah, her husband of ten years, has made it clear that he makes more than enough money to support their household and a couple of others. Faith's hands may soon be filled with all types of impending drama.

Jonah is a father, son, and pediatric cardiologist. While he may be something spectacular in his field, he's pretty absent in his home. When the past is drudged up, Jonah finds himself seeking the bottle rather than allowing God's will to flourish. With secrets, unresolved issues and regret looming, Jonah finds himself caught up in a huge mess and alone.

While the Morgans have been married for ten years, there is still a lot that they both need to learn about themselves as well as the other. When their faith is tested, bond is broken and their love compromised, it's up to the two of them to submit and allow God to renew them. Are they ready to deal with this battle?

Newcomer, Rhonda McKnight, has penned a wonderful, encouraging and uplifting story about forgiveness, love and understanding. I loved the characters, the story and love that easily flows from each page. Definitely a book worthy of a recommendation!


Reviewed by: Crystal

Strength in Weakness, Standing For All,

This is a collection of poems on the vulnerability of honesty and temerity. The Greatest Poet Alive, as he calls himself, examines the male perspective on a variety of subjects that confirms some wayward thoughts to be so, but these have remained unexamined thoughts because no one was willing to become the object of the reaction to confirm them. Consequently, the author is exposed to sundry thoughts on behalf of his gender, thereby becoming far more courageous and direct than the voices of his counterparts.

Unequivocal in presentation, "The Confessional Heart of a Man" is personable and affable while remaining sincere with an "in-your-face" approach to some social issues and relational predicaments. This collection was fun and light-hearted, yet sober and serious in its approach to the common, mundane and austere.

This work could be improved by a great rigor in editing and grammatical control. Some of these works would be improved by a change in form to prose as the author explored some unique ways of presenting conventional wisdom, which would be strengthened by development. Such an example is "Caught" that has multiple themes. Or "Brother and I," which focused on maturity.

I found "The Confessional Heart of a Man" to be intriguing and poignant.


Reviewed by: Gail

Rejuvenation,

"The Age Begins" is a wonderful collection of poetry. Each piece in this collection unrelentingly reminds us how strong and powerful love is, and at times temporary, fragile and changing. O'Neal Walters' poetry is so effective because it's true to his experiences.

Admittedly, I was slightly put off by the over, but in this case, I am glad I did not judge a book by its cover. "The Age Begins" offers an admirable and enjoyable sampling of Walters' talent. Highly recommend.


Reviewed by: Marcella

Drama,

"Progression" continues with the foundation laid and characters of "Absolution." The Cohorts return and drama is their middle name.

April Alisa Marquette's second book is a great piece of work. She has another winner. Marquette 's imagination is vivid, her characters lively and the story flowed well. I'm looking forward to the third part of this trilogy.


Reviewed by: Marcella

What's the Buzz All About,

That's the question everyone is going to want the answer to. "The Buzz" is a story that focuses on Buzz, an up-and-coming rapper who's trying to get a record deal; his live-in girlfriend, Ebony, who is the owner of an upscale beauty salon in a trendy Chicago neighborhood; their daughter, Shonda; and rounding out the mix is Arika, the latest R&B sensation. Buzz is a devoted father and works hard to keep his family's home life as comfortable as possible. On the other hand, Ebony is a diva and dislikes anyone who can outshine her, celebrities included. Arika has worked hard to achieve her success. She's pretty and talented, just the right mix of things to make Ebony dislike her.

Ebony lives for gossip and she's addicted to some of the Internet chat rooms. She's not above starting celebrity rumors herself. Ebony thinks she's a celebrity and she's determined not to let anyone, even her best friend Trina, share her spotlight.

"The Buzz" is a very enjoyable book. The plot grabs you, and then the interaction between the characters draws you in. The author gives us the background on each character in detail. This helps you understand each character's personality and why they behave the way they do. This is what makes the book outstanding. "The Buzz" is a must read. Solid debut.



Reviewed by: Anna

Blind Justice,

"The Heart of Justice" tells the story of a successful man working in corporate America. His career is his life and he finds this to be very lonely. Justice is a police officer who at times appears corrupt and struggles with whether or not she is making the right choices. The two become involved in a heated love triangle which ultimately separates them, but circumstances beyond their control brings them back together.

I was very impressed at this novel's depiction of a successful man without all the 'hood drama.' "The Heart of Justice" also displayed a very important message about family and how no one or anything should come between you. The intimacy between the characters was not as in your face as most stories, but left a lot to the imagination. The ending was a bit predictable.


Reviewed by: Jermaine

Girlfriends,

Envy Wilson is a single, black, hardworking woman with no children; she continuously sleeps with men and does not believe in love. Meanwhile, behind closed doors she is battling other demons from her "dark" past. Will she regain reality of her future and close the doors to her past?

Layla Hobbs is also a single, black female with no children that is obese and battling with many insecurities within her until a terrible incident changes her life forever. She has a very loving family but cannot seem to find a "good" man to save her. When the tables are turned for Layla, will she overcome her insecurities?

Kacie Mayweather is a single mom with many kids...yes, many. She's also battling a physical medical condition but acts as though she isn't. She loves her kids and takes care of them; but she does not see the terrible mistakes made while searching for love in the wrong places. Will Kacie ever learn the "error" of her trifling mistakes?

"Beautiful Ugly" by Shelia E. Lipsey is one of the most inspirational novels that I've read this year! I found that the characters in this novel, Envy, Layla, and Kacie, without a doubt reminded me of one of my current friends. These women will remind you of someone close to you; whether it's a sister, cousin, aunt, friend, etc. Do you think these women will actually find the ugliness within their heart and bring out the beauty? I truly did not understand the meaning of the title of this novel until I read this novel...excellent choice of words! There were many errors, but even still, I would recommend "Beautiful Ugly." I would continue to read more books by Shelia E. Lipsey in the near future.

Exquisite Novel!


Reviewed by: Tekisha

 The Devil Incarnate,

Bestselling romance novelist Sassy Davenport has found the man of her dreams. Norris is like any of the leading male characters that she creates in her books. He's handsome, charming, kind and rich. But, he seems to have a split personality, one good and the other evil - a modern day Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As people in Norris' life are brutally murdered, the common denominator is Norris. He quickly becomes the main suspect. Is Sassy in love with a mad man. More importantly, is her own life in danger?

I haven't read a book by Gloria Mallette that I didn't like. As a versatile writer, she has taken her newest endeavor in yet another direction dealing with murder, love, family and AIDS. Unfortunately, there were some editing issues. That said, like her other novels, "Sassy" makes for good reading.

Reviewed by: Toni