NEW REVIEW: K.D. Harris - Eccentric Bliss

K.D. Harris -
Eccentric Bliss -
Available Now! -
2 out of 5 books -


Sasha Jones never had an opportunity to meet her mom. She tries desperately to eek out life for herself on the bank of insecurities and lack of family connections and support. While working as a psychologist and assistant to the prestigious Dr. Gregory Hayward, her life is turned upside down. She meets, falls in love, and ultimately gives birth to her daughter Azariah, whom she loves beyond measure. But in this world, we cannot have joy without pain, peace without treachery and sanity without insanity. Sasha is about to come in contact with every emotion she thought was possible. The people around her all have secrets that could potentially send her over the edge and keep her asking herself why. One night, a friend makes a call that tosses her life right back on its axle and gives her emotional stability; which in turn could be the end to Sasha's beginning.

Ms. Harris story draws on many psychological and family elements which make you pause and pulls at your heart. With each character, she weaves their desires along with their secrets which offer a recipe of disaster. The writing and performances are superb, the storyline takes the reader to a land of mystery and mayhem right to the very end. However, the editing was shocking and it weighed heavily on my overall rating of this book. I was challenged many times with whether to finish this book or not, but I found myself caught up in the story.

Reviewed by Missy for Urban Reviews
 
Order your copy of Eccentric Bliss:Beyond Measure (Volume 1) today! 
  
 

NEW REVIEW: Michelle Larks - Faith

Michelle Larks -
Faith -
Available Now! -
3 out of 5 books -


Monet and Marcus Caldwell have been happily married for over 20 years, and the only factor missing is a child. Monet is a pediatric nurse, Marcus a police detective, GOD is first in their lives, and everything and everyone else has their respective positions in place. One tragic night after work, Monet is physically and sexually assaulted in the hospital parking lot and the foundation of which their faith and trust in God is shaken and cracked. For years Monet has prayed and believed in a covenant that she has with God that like Sarah, she and Marcus will be blessed with a child. Months after the assault, Monet is healing mentally as well as physically when she discovers that she's pregnant. The question of paternity causes a great divide in their love for each other, their dedication to their marriage, their relationships with family and friends, and their faith in God.

Michelle Larks sparks a realistic view into the lives of everyday Christians with a delicate subject beginning with the title of the book...faith, rape, healing, betrayal, estrangement, trials, anger, love, division, friendship, loyalty, guidance, and trust. Will Monet and Marcus' marriage be able to withstand the strain of her pregnancy and unknown paternity? Did God truly forsake them, and why would He allow them to go through such a tumultuous storm when they've tried to live only for Him? Was Monet's attack a random act of violence, or was this an act of revenge against Marcus? Is their love superficial, or will the bond they've worked so hard to sustain see them through this horrendous storm in life? I enjoyed Faith as a Christian read that wasn't the fire and brimstone preaching. The novel embarked on a realistic storyline and was consistent in all aspects. The scriptures harmonizing with the scenarios was encouraging and enjoyable as well.

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye for Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Faith (Urban Christian) today! 
 
 

ON THE LINE WITH RADIAH HUBBERT - September 2010 - Victor McGlothin

On The Line with Radiah Hubbert - Victor McGlothin - Author of 'The Secrets of Newberry' -
  
Victor McGlothin talks to Radiah Hubbert about:
- His latest book 'The Secrets of Newberry'
- His literary journey
- His reasons for getting out the business
- His plans for the future
- His advice to aspiring authors
- And Much Much More!

Click Here For Our Exclusive Audio Interview
With The Author Of 'The Secrets of Newberry'
Victor McGlothin

or listen to the interview right now in the player below!


Order your copy of The Secrets of Newberry today!

On The Line with Radiah Hubbert
Exclusive One-on-One Interviews with Today's Top Authors!

NEW REVIEW: R. L. Byrd - Looking For Sweet Love

R. L. Byrd -
Looking For Sweet Love -
Available Now! -
5 out of 5 books -


Turn the dial on your radio station to K-103.5. The Love Forum is now on the air in Dallas, TX area. For six months, the ladies will be discussing the most intimate parts of their lives, ranging from their love lives (or lack there of), the ups and downs of dating, and the things that women will put up with...all in the search of looking for "sweet" love.

Radio personality Melissa a.k.a. Lis is in a relationship with a man that she loves with all her heart. More than anything, she wants to spend the rest of her life loving this man. Although he loves her just as much, he just is not ready to make that type of commitment, even after Melissa informs him that she is carrying his child.

Jessie is the main character. Jessie is the director of marketing for Data Commn International. Jessie reflects on her past loves and relationships with men and discovers that she has put up with things she should have never accepted. She turned a blind eye to certain things just to have a piece of a man instead of the whole man.

Brit works for American Airlines as a flight attendant. Her boyfriend Brass is thuggish, sexy and has charm that can have women ready to drop their panites. Brass has no job, but is always up on some type of illegal scheme that he involves Brit with.

Pat is the married one of the bunch. Her husband Donnell is emotionally and physically unavailable to her. Pat has the overwhelming feeling that her marriage is falling apart right before her eyes.

DeDe is dating a married man that is providing the finer things in life for her. He bought her a house, a car and is paying the bills, not to mention providing the most mind-blowing sex.

V has self-esteem issues concerning her weight, not to mention that her husband has left her for another man. This leaves her as a single mom on the quest of finding a man.

Lastly there is Darlene, who got fed up with dating men of the same race. As a result, she begins to date someone outside of her race. Things seem to be just too good to be true between the two of them, and she begins doubting that his love is real.

Looking For Sweet Love by R.L. Byrd was a fantastic read. The writing makes you feel as if you are really listening to an actual radio show. You will find yourself rooting for the ladies and feeling their pain. The author does an excellent job in portraying each characters emotions and thoughts. I absolutely loved the way the author pulled this story together. It damn near brought me to tears. R.L. Byrd is definitely an author to keep a watch out for.

Reviewed by Leona for Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Looking for Sweet Love today!
 
 

Contest for HOT BOX OF GOODIES (Ends 9/6/2010)

Contest for HOT BOX OF GOODIES by Zane - Details Inside...

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: ALAYA JOHNSON - AUTHOR OF 'MOONSHINE'

The Story Behind The Story - 

Alaya Johnson - Author of 'Moonshine' -

Alaya (rhymes with “papaya”) lives, writes, cooks and (perhaps most importantly) eats in New York City. Her literary loves are all forms of speculative fiction, historical fiction, and the occasional highbrow novel. Her culinary loves are all kinds of ethnic food, particularly South Indian, which she feels must be close to ambrosia. She graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a BA in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and has lived and traveled extensively in Japan.

Urban Reviews:  Can you tell us what Moonshine is all about?

Alaya Johnson:  Moonshine follows the story of Zephyr Hollis, a demon hunter turned social activist in the Lower East Side of 1920s New York City. She teaches night school to immigrants and Others (including vampires) and generally tries to repent for her past as the daughter of Montana's most famous demon hunter. However, things turn sticky when one of her students--a mysterious man named Amir--proposes to pay her handsomely for her help in finding a notorious vampire mob boss. Adventures ensue.

Urban Reviews:  How did the story first materialize for you when you started writing Moonshine?

Alaya Johnson:  Rather unusually for me, the core idea for Moonshine appeared to me in a flash one afternoon. I'd been idly contemplating the current trend in urban fantasy and wondered, as a thought experiment, what kind of setup would really excite me. And suddenly the world of 1920s New York popped into my head, and I was hooked. I wrote down a mini plot description, which basically included Zephyr, Amir and the setting, and I was off. The whole process was really a lot of fun.

Urban Reviews:  What made you want to write about vampires?  Were you a fan of the genre and/or vampire legends before?

Alaya Johnson:  I've definitely enjoyed many vampire stories, including modern urban fantasies. But I wouldn't call myself an aficionado. I'd never contemplated writing a vampire novel before the day I had the idea for Moonshine. I thought vampires were fine to read about, but they'd never really captured my imagination before that point. All that being said, some vampire books--especially Robin McKinley's Sunshine--have been on my comfort reading list for years.

Urban Reviews:  What do you think is the hardest thing to overcome when writing Moonshine?

Alaya Johnson:  Probably the research and really getting into the feel of the twenties. I read a lot of books and watched movies and went through many entries in etymological dictionaries to try to give some verisimilitude to the setting. I'm by no means an expert on the period even now, but hopefully some of the details I learned helped make the setting more convincing for readers.

Urban Reviews:  Is there anything else you'd like to share regarding Moonshine?

Alaya Johnson:  I'm currently working on the (as-yet-untitled) sequel. Returning to Zephyr and her friends has been a lot of fun for me, and hopefully will please my readers, as well. Speaking of readers, if you're a fan of historical fiction in addition to urban fantasy, I think you'd really love this book. Some of my favorite writers are Robin McKinley, Elizabeth Peters, Sarah Smith and Dorothy Dunnett--so if you're a fan of any of them, check out Moonshine!

Click here to read the first chapter of 'Moonshine'
Order your copy of 'Moonshine' today!

Official Website:  http://www.alayadawnjohnson.com

Moonshine by Alaya Johnson -- book trailer from Alaya Johnson on Vimeo.

NEW REVIEW: Jordan Belcher - Tre Pound

Jordan Belcher -
Tre Pound -
Availalbe Now! -
3 out of 5 books -


21-year-old Levour King a.k.a. "Tre Pound" is a menace to the streets in Kansas City and comes from a long line of hustlers. Tre is a hood star and feels as if the King's runs the streets and that he is untouchable...even after all the grimey things he has done. He goes around robbing folks without a ski mask. He wants his victims to be well aware of who it was that actually robbed them. Unbeknownst to him, a lot of people want to see Tre dead or behind bars for life and will stop at nothing to make this happen.

Tre's little cousin Camille is looking for love in all the wrong places. Her ex-boyfriend is still in love with her, and he's just waiting for the right opportunity to swoop Camille back up. Her current boyfriend is a pretty boy who does not have much heart. Both of these boys have one thing in common: they are both terrified of Tre Pound. Camille loves her cousin Tre, but she hates the fact that he always scares away anyone that she likes. Will any of these boys have the heart to stand up to Tre?

Unbeknownst to Camille, Camille's best friend Dominique has a secret crush on Tre. Dominique also happens to be the sister of his boy. Tre knows it is a no-no to mess with his boy's little sister but with Dominique being so persistent, things just happen. Tre knows he needs to keep what happened between Dominique and him a secret, but Dominique wants everyone to know. What will happen when Camille finds out? What hill happen when her brother finds out that his boy has been doing his little sister? The outcome cannot be good.

Tre Pound by Jordan Belcher was an okay debut novel. It is a tale of love, lust, lies, deceit and murder. The story is one of your typical street thug and a young girl with self-esteem issues searching for love in all the wrong places. This part of the story will make your eyebrows raise. I am curious to know if the author will be writing a sequel, considering the story has a lot of unanswered questions.

Reviewed by Leona for Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Kindle E-book Tre Pound today!