NEW REVIEW : No Turning Back by Brenda Hampton & Oasis

4 out of 5 books

Lola Jones is a beautiful thirty-seven year old woman of three children. Three years prior, Lola and her husband divorced, so the income that the household had was immediately cut in half. Lola was not worried though because she was a successful independent, high producing health/life insurance broker and felt confident that she was set to maintain the lifestyle her and her children lived. They have a beautiful five-bedroom house on 2.5 acres of land, and wanted for nothing. About a year after her divorce the economy took a turn for the worst and it began to affect her income. The money she had saved was totally dwindling away and she was so far behind on her bills and house payments that she was in danger of losing their home.

After talking to a close friend and co-worker about some of her struggles and the guilt she felt that she no longer could afford to do for her children the way she once was and that they were close to losing the only home they knew, she casually mentions that she was willing to do ANYTHING to get the money to take care of her family. With the kind of money Lola needed, her friend gave her two options, to either work as an escort since that was a sure fire way to make good money or to meet up with a man by the name of Blasé that could be of help in another way. The second option she had to think over carefully. The reason being is that once she agreed to Blasé terms, there will be ‘No Turning Back’ after she has made her decision. Ultimately this will wipe out her debt but the ramifications of this decision will affect her family in more ways than she could have imagined. The question is does Lola have the heart to do either one of these things?

I am going to be honest, I purchased this book knowing that Brenda Hampton is a great writer and I am especially a fan of her Naughty series. Not to mention the fact that she teamed up with Oasis who is another talented writer. I had no idea what the book was about because there was no synopsis on amazon. When I got the book I just cracked it open and started reading it. I never bothered to look at the synopsis on the back. Which I am going to say was to my benefit because once I glanced at the synopsis on the back cover prior to writing this review I felt the synopsis gave a part of the plot of the story away. But I digress, I would like you (the reader) to really think about this question while you are reading this book, if you were a single mother and had no help would you even entertain either one of the options that Lola felt she had in order to keep up the lifestyle you and your children were used to? This novel would make for an interesting book club conversation.  The story is drama filled and has quite a few twists that the reader does not see coming. Author Oasis really brought out a different side to the Brenda Hampton we are used to seeing. Which is a good thing, because she teamed up with someone else and they both brought out the best in each other. This is definitely a book I would recommend.

Reviewed by Leona

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NEW REVIEW: The Dark Hunger by Joelle Sterling

4 out of 5 books

The Dark Hunger by Joelle Sterling is the second installment to the Eternal Dead Series. The first book left off with Jonas returning back to Haiti in search of Mamba Mathilde to see if the curse that was put upon him could be removed. Holland is sent away to Stoneham Academy, a school that she will be able to learn more about the witchcraft she possesses and how to use it.

In the meantime the city of Frombleton seems to have gone crazy. The once peaceful town is now under a shroud of terror. A foreman of one of the onion fields that the immigration workers tend suddenly turns on one of the field hands named Pedro, and bites his flesh all the way down to the bone. Pedro is sent to the hospital. His wounds are so bad that it is a wonder he has survived. Or, has he? When Pedro awakens in the hospital madness ensues and no one, not even the hospital employees are safe and no one on the streets of Frombleton or the surrounding area is either, with these Zombies/flesh eaters on the prowl for fresh meat.

Not only are there zombies roaming the area but there is a new Vampire that has come to town since the demise of the leader, and his purpose is to become not only the leader but to rule the town of Frombleton.  His idea: that humans are to be at the vampires beck and call when their hunger arises. If not, then they will be punished severly.

Although, before leaving, Jonas promised to stay in touch with Holland he feels as if Holland would be better off without him. He refuses to reach out to her, with the hopes that Holland would just forget about him. The love he has for her causes him to ache to kiss and touch her but he knows deep down that she is better off without him. Unfortunately, he is unable to rest with the image embedded in his mind that Holland may be in danger. Not only that but his mind will not let him rest with the cries and screams from those he has spawned. Now it is up to Jonas to go back to lead those of his pack and hopefully get Holland out of harm’s way before it is too late.

The Dark Hunger by Joelle Sterling was a very good read. It has more action than the previous book, Midnight Cravings, and it has the reader on the edge of their seat wondering how this story is going to play itself out. Who will survive the zombies or the vampires? The story is very graphic when it comes to the flesh eaters but Ms. Sterling does a great job in being as descriptive as she can, the story will play out like a well scripted movie in the readers head.

Reviewed by Leona

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NEW REVIEW: Keeping Score by Regina Hart

5 out of 5 books

Keeping Score by Regina Hart is the 3^rd book in the Monarch Basketball series. The Brooklyn Monarchs are in the spotlight again. This time it is veteran guard, Warrick Evans. However, Warrick is not sharing the spotlight alone. His wife, Dr. Marilyn Devry-Evans, is also feeling the effects of her husband’s new found stardom. Marilyn liked it so much better when it was just her and Warrick. Now she has to share him with all of New York. All Warrick wants is his wife home and a championship, but the media is putting both in jeopardy, along with an outrageous allegation. Will love be enough to give Warrick everything he wants?

Keeping Score is an awesome read. Ms. Hart is an excellent writer. She does a fantastic job with character development. She has a knack for taking the primary and secondary characters and meshing them together, so that the story flows nicely. This was a great addition to the series!

Reviewed by Tenecia

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NEW REVIEW : Believe In Me by Regena Bryant

3.5 out of 5 books

Catherine "Kitty" Franklin has been cleaning up her father's indiscretions for so long she no longer knows the difference between right and wrong. Kitty Franklin is an attorney to her father, Congressman, Roosevelt Franklin. He views Kitty as the son he never had since he winded up having three daughters. Kitty will do anything to keep her father's name clear, but lately she is starting to wonder if she wants to continue living this way. It is putting major stress and a strain on her relationships with her sisters and mother. When she by chance meets the new executive director of the Franklin Family Life Center, she cannot believe that someone this good has been placed into her life.

Davis Thornton has come to Washington to meet with Congressman Franklin after accepting his dream job. Coincidently, he meets Kitty under very unusual circumstances. The two fall for each other hard, heavy, and quick. However, there are so many obstacles in their way trying to keep them apart, the biggest being her father. But after the Congressman’s latest indiscretion, Kitty now has to choose between her father and the man she has fallen in love with, all while keeping her family intact.

Believe In Me is a pretty good read. There are moments throughout the story where it does not flow well and the writing is a little choppy. Other than that, Ms. Bryant, does an excellent job with the character development. There are also several storylines happening simultaneously, which the author does a terrific job of giving in-depth descriptions of. For this being a debut novel,  Believe In Me was a well written novel.

Reviewed by Tenecia

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NEW REVIEW : Fancy by Vanna B

3 out of 5 books

Maribel Alvarez “aka” Fancy was born into poverty but was trained to use her looks and assets to attain material things.  With no true goals in sight, Fancy flounces through life with the image of living a glamorous life when in reality she is not. Playing the part is the hardest job that Fancy will tackle, but is she equipped to continue the façade that she even hides from her friends?  Will Fancy continue to run game until she finds her pot of gold?  Will her assets be able to captivate a Prince Charming that will love her and all her liabilities?

Fancy was basically just your everyday read about a young girl seeking love and luxuries all the while faking the almighty funk.  There was no true spice or original flavor to the storyline.  I never felt any connection with any of the characters or their plights.  The storyline was consistent but there was not enough spark of excitement or anticipation

Reviewed by Tazzy
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NEW REVIEW : Black Coffee by R.L. BYRD

3 out of 5 books

K103.5 is a popular radio station in Dallas, TX that features a Love Forum Divas session.  It is so well received that the guys felt intimidated and wanted to voice their opinions and thoughts on this 'thing called love.'  Introducing: DK, Quentin, Miguel, Michael, Donnell, Pastor Levine, Dr. Houston and Brass…deemed The Brotherhood.  These brothers come together as raw and realistic as they can, trust and believe it gets quite competitive, raunchy and heated as egos are bruised, secrets are revealed and the lines are crossed. 

Mr. Byrd poses a question for the ladies: Am I drinking the right cup of coffee?  Black Coffee was a mediocre read that has the potential to be a very good read, but there were too many characters, numerous plots, and scenarios that tended to blend a little too much and proved to be confusing at times.  Reading the story will most definitely benefit the reader because there are constant references to its characters and their connections that the reader will easily relate to.  Black Coffee delves into relationships, friendships, loyalty, jealousy, trust, betrayal,  love, life and laughter in its purest essence. 

Reviewed by Tazzy
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NEW REVIEW : Broken Commandments by Janie De Coster

     4 out of 5 books

After three years, Yasmin Lewis realizes that she is worth more than being some man's mistress. Especially, with that man being married pastor, Sidney Wells. For three years, Yasmin has made herself available to Sidney whenever and wherever. Yasmin was not delusional enough to think that he was going to leave his wife and kids for her or anything, but she did want something more. When she is set up on a date with Ambrose Hunter, an attorney from California, she realizes just how much she has been missing.

As always, “what is done in the dark will come to the light.” It is now time to flip the switch on Sidney and Yasmin's indiscretions, but at what cost?

Broken Commandments by Janie De Coster was a good read. The character development of the primary and secondary characters were excellent. However, there are times when the sentence fluency does not flow as well as it should have; which, at times, required rereading particular sentences. However, it does not take away from the overall story, which was a page turner.

          Reviewed by Tenecia
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