Wednesday, February 13, 2013

NEW REVIEW: Kennedee Devoe - Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right...It Makes Us Even

Kennedee Devoe - 
Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right...It Makes Us Even - 
Available Now! - 
3.5 out of 5 books - 
- 

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right...It Makes Us Even by Kennedee Devoe is about the author's life. Kennedee Devoe shares her ups and downs and the men that have came and gone out of her life. Her first experience with heartbreak occurred at a young age when her boyfriend showed up at her house with his new girlfriend on his arm. Kennedee stood there hurt but refused to show the hurt. The boyfriend would later get a taste of Kennedee's revenge.

As Kennedee gets older, she experiences some highs and quite a few lows with men. Kennedee has dated the insensitive asshole, the man that could not keep his hands to himself, etc. But Kennedee is not the type of girl to sit back and take any crap from any man. Kennedee has had family members handle some situations,  and she has gotten creative in the ways she handled them. As Kennedee gets older, she realizes that it's better to let karma handle the situation instead of taking it upon herself to dole the revenge out.

Two Wrong's Don't Make a Right...It Makes Us Even by Kennedee Devoe was definitely an entertaining read. I commend Ms. Devoe for taking her life stories and sharing them in written form. I mainly commend her for sharing certain things in her life that can be considered controversial and putting certain things between the pages for everyone to know. The overall story was very good. My only complaint are the gaps within the story. There are a few things I would have liked to read more about. Overall, Two Wrong's Don't Make a Right...It Makes Us Even was a good, quick read. I hope Ms. Devoe continues writing, and I look forward to reading more by her.

Reviewed by Leona for Urban-Reviews

  
  

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

NEW REVIEW: Sister Souljah - A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story

Sister Souljah - 
A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story - 
Available Now! - 
5 out of 5 books - 



Porsche Santiaga had spent the first eight years of her life looking up to her older sister Winter. But when her dad is sent to prison, Porsche is forced to grow up in the harsh juvenile justice system that Winter knew nothing about. Through this growing process, Porsche is determined to become a strong woman. Will Porsche be the queen that she is destined to be, or will she be just another statistic?

Sister Souljah finally gives us a true sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever with A Deeper Love Inside. In the prior book, Porsche blended into the background and you didn’t get her whole story. With this novel, Porsche is telling you everything in her own voice so that you see everything through her eyes. Sister Souljah does an excellent job of showing the harsh realities of Porsche growing up in the juvenile justice system. Readers will find that Porsche has a totally different mindset than her older sister at an early age. She was not only concerned about surviving but also to become a better and stronger person. It was refreshing to see the growth in Porsche from the beginning to the end of the book. This story also has some great secondary characters that help Porsche along her journey including a young man named Elisha. Midnight and Winter do make appearances in this novel but this story is not about them. Sister Souljah also connects this story with the end of The Coldest Winter Ever so readers will not feel cheated. By the end of the book, you get a sound and satisfying conclusion with all of your questions answered about Porsche. You actually see the mature young woman that she becomes. A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story is a thought provoking coming-of-age story that was definitely worth the wait.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews


Listen to an exclusive one-on-one interview with Sister Souljah here.

On The Line with Radiah Hubbert - Sister Souljah - January 2013


On The Line with Radiah Hubbert - Sister Souljah - Author of 'A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story' -

Sistah Souljah talks to Radiah Hubbert about:
- Her latest book 'A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story'
- Her thoughts on the juvenile justice system
- Her favorite book to read and why
- Her upcoming project
- And Much Much More!


Click Here For Our Exclusive Audio Interview
With The Author Of 'A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story'
Sistah Souljah


Or listen to the audio interview right now (approx. 23 mins):




Order your copy of A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story today!

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Saturday, December 22, 2012

NEW REVIEW: James Causey - Twisted

James Causey - 
Twisted - 
Available Now! - 
4 out of 5 books - 


Travon Brown is back with more problems than ever before. After the death of his surrogate father Willie, Travon is out for revenge against the person that’s responsible. But will he be able to rely on his street skills in order to settle the score?  He has even bigger issues when he finds out that he’s the father of Angel’s baby.  Now he needs to decide if he can continue with his relationship with Faith or try to explore things with Angel.  Will Travon be able to do what he needs to do in order to go on with his life?

Twisted is a good sequel to the Twist by James E. Causey.  Causey did a good job with the development of Travon as a character. Travon is essentially a good man, but he has some things that he needs to work out.  You see how Travon struggles between doing what’s right and what he feels is the code of the street. Readers will actually feel the strong desire that he has to be a father to his daughter. This story shows how a regular man with a professional career can make questionable decisions that lead him down the wrong path.  It was also interesting to see the dynamics of Faith and Angel’s relationship change throughout the book.  Twisted is another winner for James E. Causey.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Twisted today!
  
  

NEW REVIEW: Saundra - Her Sweetest Revenge

Saundra -  
Her Sweetest Revenge - 
Available Now! - 
3 out of 5 books - 


Mya’s world turned upside down when her father was sent to prison for drug charges. To make matters worse, Mya’s mother turned to crack to deal with the pain. At just seventeen years old, Mya has to play the adult role in order to take care of her younger brother and sister. She also catches the eye of a local hustler name Hood. But things spiral out of control when the violence of the streets hits way too close to home. As a result, Mya makes some decisions that could have deadly consequences for all involved.

Her Sweetest Revenge was a decent but average hood story. This book had the potential to be something different but there were a lot of things in this story that readers of this genre have read before. The physical attributes of Mya and the plight of her family are examples of a formula that’s been used so much in other books that it’s time to break this cycle. There were different situations in the book that were told to the reader instead of creating a scene to show us what happened. Several scenarios in this story were so far-fetched that it came off as very unrealistic. Also, there were a number of grammatical and word usage errors that could not be ignored. Saundra does leave room for a sequel at the end of the book. But there’s not enough of a connection between the characters and the reader to warrant or carry a sequel. Her Sweetest Revenge wasn’t a bad story. With so many options in today’s African American fiction market, Saundra needs to come better than this if she wants to really make a mark in this industry.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Her Sweetest Revenge today

NEW REVIEW: Michael Beckford - Dying To Be Straight

Michael  Beckford - 
Dying To Be Straight - 
Available Now! - 
1 out of 5 books - 


Dying to be Straight by Michael D. Beckford is the memoir of sorts of Paul Stringer. The story is a detailed account of his life from the time he was brought into the world. At around the age of five-years old while his mother (the lawyer) and his father (a chemist) worked on their careers, they had family members watch a young Paul. In the care of his father's brother and wife. Paul's uncle touched him in an inappropriate place and had Paul do the same to him. As Paul became older, he became confused about his feelings for the opposite sex. He knew he liked females, but he was more attracted to guys.

More than anything Paul struggled with what he believed God felt about homosexuality and his feelings and attraction to the same sex. Paul battles within himself, wanting to be "normal" and live a heterosexual life, but the pull of his old life soon becomes something he will need to deal with head on. After losing a good friend, he tries to put things into perspective and evaluate his life and some of the decisions he has made. The question is will he be able to make amends with his family and friends before its too late?

Dying to be Straight by Michael D. Beckford has to be one of the worst books I have read thus far. First, I am a bit confused on if this is supposed to be a fictional account or an actual memoir of someone's actual life. The story takes place from the time the character Paul Stringer is born, from his mother and father describing the hospital room that he was born in 1984. Describing how his mother lit a candle and sat it beside her bedside and when he was born they blew it out. (When did the hospital allow patients to light candles in the birthing room?) Second, the story is way too detailed. From a young Paul and his elementary years to his junior high and high school years and beyond. The problem with this is that it is unnecessary to the story, and with the book being only 204 pages, Dying to be Straight lacks depth and emotion. The story is told in first person, at times it is repetitive, and everything is simply stated instead of being descriptive, making the story too cut and dry. Aside from the lack of editing, the wording of some things are enough to make you shake your head. For example: when the author describes one of the characters being pregnant he words it as "...was scheduled to be deployed from his mother's womb." and "...he was expected to officially arrive on earth in August." EARTH? Seriously, is this an alien baby? The author also seems to make up his own words, such as the character Paul practiced "bisexualism." At one point I had to shake my head when the author described the 5th grade Prom where he was fitted for a tuxedo and how everyone was trying to make plans to hook up afterward. Keep in mind we are talking about 5th graders who are 10-11 years old. Seriously? In reading this story, there was entirely too much going on and situations that were totally unbelievable, especially near the end. It's like the author threw things into the mix because he thought he needed to add more, but it was totally unnecessary.

Reviewed by Leona of Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Dying To Be Straight today!
  
  

Friday, December 21, 2012

NEW REVIEW: K'wan - Animal

K'wan - 
Animal - 
Available Now! - 
4 out of 5 books - 


For those of you following the "Hood Rat" series, Eviction Notice leaves off with Gucci being shot in the club. Animal is kidnapped on the way to a maximum security prison and taken out of the country on a secret mission.

Fast forward...
Animal is still out of the country and everyone thinks he is dead. When he finds out that the love of his life has been shot, Animal is hellbent on revenge. He vows to go back to the states and make sure everyone involved will be murdered. With everyone thinking Animal is dead and gone, it gives him a huge advantage to sneak up on his prey. Unfortunately, it also opens him up to be caught by the Feds and locked up for good if he is captured.

Shai Clark is not only being hunted by Animal, but there is someone that is determined to move in on his territory and take over the streets that Shai's crew has ruled for so long. Big Dawg is still as shiesty as ever but after crossing the line too many times with folks, someone is bound to try to knock him off his square.

Animal by K'wan is the sixth book in the "Hood Rat" series. For those of you that have yet to read this series, make sure you read the books in order: Hood Rat, Still Hood, Section 8, Welfare Wifeys and Eviction Notice before reading this one. K'wan never disappoints his readers; there is always plenty of action, murder and mayhem throughout his novels. A part of me kind of wants the series to end but each book has me wanting to find out what is going to happen next. A good writer knows how to keep his/her readers engrossed and wanting more. Kwan does a great job in doing this.

Reviewed by Leona of Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Animal today!

  

New Review:The Narcissist: Octavia Grant

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