NEW REVIEW: Allison Hobbs - Put A Ring On It

Allison Hobbs - 
Put A Ring On It - 
Available Now! - 
4 out of 5 books - 


Vangie, Nivea, and Harlow are all desperately seeking to be a bride at the altar. But will they ever get there? Vangie has been struggling as a single mom and always wanted her ex-boyfriend Shawn to be in their son’s life. Shawn seems to have turned over a new leaf and wants to get back with Vangie and wants to live together as a family. Nivea has always lived in the shadow of her spoiled younger sister. With her sister finding the perfect man, Nivea is trying her best to make the not-so-perfect man in her life marry her. Harlow comes from a troubled childhood and has left all of that behind her when she meets her perfect man named Drake. But Drake may have some skeletons in his own closet that Harlow may not be prepared for.

Put a Ring on It by Allison Hobbs is an entertaining look at how three different single women handle their quest for becoming married women. This story is an excellent example of how some women can become so obsessed with being married that they miss all of the warning signs of a shaky relationship. The overall message of this story is that sometimes it’s better to wait for Mr. Right to find you instead of you desperately trying to find him yourself. Put a Ring on It is yet another winner for Allison Hobbs.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews

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NEW REVIEW: Miranda Parker - A Good Excuse To Be Bad

Miranda Parker - 
A Good Excuse To Be Bad - 
Available Now! - 
5 out of 5 books - 


Evangeline "Angel" Crawford is a bail bonds recovery agent who is no stranger to getting into sticky situations. Angel tries to balance her career and being a single mom. Angel gets a lot more than she bargained for when her twin sister Ava is suddenly involved in a high profile murder case. Angel’s pastor, Justus Morgan, joins her in trying to clear her sister’s name. But can Angel keep her focus on the case while her affections for Justus keeps growing? Only time will tell.

Miranda Parker brought us a wonderful debut novel with A Good Excuse To Be Bad. This story is an unexpected mystery filled with a good dose of humor and a good mix of characters. Parker does an excellent job with the character and storyline development for this book. Being a female bail bonds recovery agent was a surprising and unique profession for Angel. Readers will find that the mega church scandal in this book is anything but ordinary. Parker gave readers a little peak into Angel’s background that will make you definitely want to continue with the next installment of this series. A Good Excuse To Be Bad is a great start to a classic mystery series by Miranda Parker.


Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews

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NEW REVIEW: Nakia R Laushaul - Running From Solace

Nakia R. Laushaul - 
Running From Solace - 
Available Now! - 
5 out of 5 books - 


I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical when I saw nothing but 5-star reviews posted on Amazon.com. But when I was given this book to read, I was instantly drawn into the story from the very first page.

From a very young age, Naomi was abused in ways that scarred her for life. Naomi was taken away from her mother and raised in foster homes. She suffered from night terrors for years from the abuse inflicted upon her. Naomi grows up to work for Child Protective Services with the intent to help other children and be a voice for those abused and neglected.

Married to a handsome and God-fearing man, Naomi knows that she has found the one man who she loves beyond measure. Unfortunately, she is afraid of telling him about her past, so she keeps it from him, scared that he would reject her if he knew that she was "damaged." But in the process of doing that, she is pushing him away. Naomi is called into a local school with a suspected case of child abuse. Never did Naomi ever suspect that this particuliar case would change her life and force her to face the demons of her past.

Running From Solace by Nakia R. Laushaul was a phenomenal debut novel. Ms. Laushaul does a wonderful job in making the reader connect to the characters and expressing raw emotion. Every reader is sure to feel many emotions ranging from anger, disgust and for some even dredging up real pain from their own past. If I did not know better, I would really think this was one woman's true life account of her life. To know that this is just a work of fiction is shocking because it is so true-to-life. This by far is my favorite read for 2011 and may just very well be one of the best books I have ever read! Running From Solace is an absolute must read!

Reviewed by Leona for Urban Reviews

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NEW REVIEW: Tiphanie Thomas - Heart Stealer

Tiphanie Thomas - 
Heart Stealer - 
Available Now! - 
4.5 out of 5 books - 


Randall Rowe was a local small town boy turned Hollywood star. On a rare visit to his small hometown, Randall literally runs into Kayla Denton. Kayla was a sixteen-year-old girl who life had dealt a bad hand to, and she was trying to get away from it. Eight years later, Kayla has become a member of the Rowe family, and Randall is returning home for the first time in a while. The question on everyone's mind, especially Kayla's, is why is he here? Randall has returned home to make amends, but things are not as easy as Randall had anticipated. Kayla has been in love with Randall from the first time she meet him, but his reckless, carefree behavior in the past has caused Kayla to guard her heart. Randall will have to give the most memorable performance of his life if he wants a chance to steal Kayla's heart.

Heart Stealer by Tiphanie Thomas is a wonderful read. Thomas is an excellent writer. She does a wonderful job of keeping the storyline flowing without having any lagging moments. She also has very good character development. Their are several secondary characters throughout the story which Thomas integrates into the story seamlessly. Heart Stealer is a feel good love story that should be added to any "to be read" pile.

Reviewed by Tenecia for Urban Reviews

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NEW REVIEW: Deneen A Connor - Tell Him

Deneen A. Connor - 
Tell Him - 
Available Now! - 
3 out of 5 books - 


The story opens with Gail and Skky going back and forth about doing it or not doing it. Gail tells Skky; “How do you know you won’t like it if you don’t try it?" Skky’s stance to her friend of ten years is that it’s for the desperate and she certainly is not desperate. The “it” they are going back and forth about is using Blackplanet.com to find a date. After being single for so long, Skky realizes that she has nothing to lose and she logs on and creates an account. She receives several different hits from her profile and webpage on Blackplanet.com from screen names like Vanilla Skkies (a sixty something year old white guy), a nineteen year old with the name D Lover,  and A Real Brother. At least for her, it was a starting point. Skky manages to keep a friendship with Vanilla Skkies.  A Real Brother is a hopeful, but Distant Lover is a bust. After chatting back and forth with A Real Brother (a.k.a. DeVaughn) for a few weeks, they decide to take it offline and have their first telephone conversation, and then they meet face to face. Two months later, things are going well with DeVaughn and Skky...or so we think.

Another failed relationship under her belt, Skky decides after watching “The Wedding Story” to make a list as Lisa did so she too can meet and marry her true love. A few attributes from her list are: tall, dark, handsome, bald, no kids, and honest. Once she compiles her list, she too puts it in the bible just like the character on the show. The results from the show was that Lisa married the man from her list. The man from Skky’s list is Channing, and he is her knight in shining armor. All is going well and they are getting closer and closer, until Channing leaves a few of his clothing at her house and Skky loses it. Can Skky maintain this relationship with Channing, or will his name be added to the already long list of many. Maybe her BFF (best friends forever) Gail is right...maybe Skky is her own worst enemy?

Tell Him by Deneen A. Connor shows that “Love means exposing yourself to the pain of being hurt, deeply hurt by someone you trust, and getting back on the ride and love like it was the first time."  The book reads like several diary entries. Even looking at the book cover, it reminds me of a stage setting for some spoken word show. All in all, Tell Him was an okay read. I just didn’t feel like there was a story there to tell. I didn’t like the main character at all. I felt as if I didn’t know her, and what I knew about her wasn’t explored...it was told to the reader. However, I did enjoy the acknowledgments because it helped me to appreciate my mom more.

Reviewed by Missy for Urban Reviews

Order your copy of Tell Him today!
 
 

NEW REVIEW: Alretha Thomas - Dancing Her Dreams Away

Alretha Thomas - 
Dancing Her Dreams Away - 
Available Now! - 
3 out of 5 books - 

Sheila King is a beautiful talented young woman trying to live each day on a dollar and a dream. She struggles to pay her rent and bills on time, but her determination drives her to become "somebody" successful, that of an actress.

Shelia knows that being an aspiring actress does not pay the bills, so she finds a job at a club dancing with men for money... fully clothed of course, which leaves her days free for auditions. Sheila is ecstatic when her agent tells her that she landed the lead role in a movie. She thinks that all her dreams are about to come true. But she is about to realize that some things are just a little too good to be true.

Dancing Her Dreams Away by Alretha Thomas was an okay novel at best. Although Ms. Thomas had a good concept with this story, it just was not quite as complete as it could have been. The beginning of the story left me totally confused because it was like I jumped straight into the middle of a story. It's as if the reader was just supposed to know who people were, what was going on, and when and where the story was taking place. I was unclear on the main character's age until the very end of the story. The author makes it a point to describe the club that Shelia dances at, leaving the reader to picture it as a strip club, yet it is a club where the dancers dance fully clothed with men for tips. Maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time believing men would come to a club and pay tips to dance with women that are fully clothed. The character was portrayed as very naive, and at times I found myself rolling my eyes at how naive and gullible she really was. There were scenes in the novel that were unbelivable or down right predictable. Picture a drug addict with morals. The only thing that saved this novel from being rated any lower was the fact that the author pulled the story together nicely and showed the emotion and turmoil within Sheila's character.

Reviewed by Leona for Urban Reviews

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NEW REVIEW: Nancey Flowers and Courtney Parker- He Was My Man First

Nancey Flowers and Courtney Parker - 
He Was My Man First - 
Available Now! - 
3.5 out of 5 books - 


Valentine Daye was introduced to tragedy and loss early in life but was saved by drug lord, Columbo. Fate intervenes upon the demise of Columbo and his crew when one of Columbo’s street runners named Rich saves Valentine once again. These two forge a bond, and love blossoms while they grow together financially as well as spiritually. Rich is pursuing a career in fashion when his path crosses with Vanessa Knight, an heiress accustomed to getting all that she desires. Unfortunately for Valentine, Ms. Vanessa Knight has her heart transfixed on Rich, and is bent, bound and determined that he will be her arm candy.

Valentine is used to being the diva, but when her throne is threatened, will she reach back to her roots and let the ‘home girl’ in her past resurface and handle it? Vanessa knows that money talks, but will the almighty dollar bill be enough, or will she actually have to get up and move like somebody to take her man? Valentine says, "Rich was my man first," but will the love and loyalty be enough to keep Rich’s shoes under her bed or will he follow the smell of that candy apple green? Although the storyline in He Was My Man First isn’t original, the orchestration of the plot had a good flow. The authors did a good job in developing characters with interesting traits. There are quite a few surprising twists in this read, so you will definitely be entertained with He Was My Man First.

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye for Urban Reviews

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Get A Signed Copy of Secret Obsession by Kimberla Lawson Roby (ALL SOLD OUT!)

(ALL SOLD OUT!)



Attention Readers...did you miss the chance to get a signed copy of 'Secret Obsession' by Kimberla Lawson Roby at the 2nd Annual Fall Fiction Fest on Saturday, September 17th in Milwaukee, WI?

Well, you're in luck because we have a dozen signed copies available for $15 each plus $5 priority shipping with delivery confirmation.

You will also get a free book, promo items and a flash drive of 120 excerpts included in your shipment.

(ALL SOLD OUT!)