Review: Whatever It Takes by Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker

Release date: December 4th 2017
Publisher: Pocket Star
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Bestselling author Tu-Shonda Whitaker has penned a witty and sizzling romance that will leave you begging for more.

India Parker has gotten to the point in her life where she accepts she will always be alone. All of that changes, however, when her best girlfriend asks her for help in catching her husband cheating on camera.

When India returns the camera, she comes across pictures of Devin, her friend’s twenty-three-year-old son. Only he’s not a boy anymore, and he wants to prove to India that he’s man enough for her.

*Publisher provided ebooks via Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

This was my first time reading anything by this author and I must say, I found this novella to be hilarious. While I never read books according to seasons, I was curious about this one more than the others that the publisher had emailed me and ended up liking it more. 

First of all, you can't go into this short story looking for a lot of depth to characters or something that will rock your emotions in a serious way. It was more on the humor and erotic side. Everything happened fast. Nothing was realistic, but it's definitely interesting. 

So the premise is about an older woman dating a younger man, and all the drama that comes with it. I don't know how I'd feel about my best friend having a relationship with my son, so I could understand why India would be apprehensive about telling Devin's mother. But the fact that they even went out to various public places wasn't exactly keeping things secret, so that had me rolling my eyes at her. As for Devin's mom, she was crazy. Sneaking around and watching her husband, trying to catch him in the act, that's messed up and if she's going to spend her life doing that then maybe she shouldn't be with him. The whole thing was just wild, but it made for an enjoyable read, to me. 

Of course, India had all these issues with dating Devin, as anyone would. Throughout the story, and even though it's already short, she kept bringing up all the reasons why they shouldn't be together. She worried about him wanting children because she felt that time was running out for her, and she feared he wouldn't want to settle down. She even allowed her insecurities to almost destroy what they were starting to have, but thankfully by the end, India was able to get over all that and just be with Devin.

Overall, like I said, it's not deep. Just a short and sexy novella that's warm for the cold weather, funny and light enough to not leave you feeling gloomy. Cute story, Ms. Whitaker.

  

About the Author

Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker is the award winning, Essence bestselling author of Flip Side of the Game and Game Over. 

She is also a contributing writer to the anthologies: Cream and Kiss The Year Goodbye. 

Whitaker was awarded the Ella Baker and W.E.B. Du Bois International Award for fiction writing. Her most recent title, The Ex Factor has been featured in several magazines such as Vibe Vixen and Romantic Times Book Review as one of the hottest, sensual, and humorous tales released this year. 

Whitaker lives in New Jersey with her husband and their children.

CAN'T WAIT TO READ: The Closest I've Come by Fred Aceves

Release date: November 7th 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pre-order: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The Closest I’ve Come is a must-read from talented first-time author Fred Aceves, in the tradition of Walter Dean Myers.

Marcos Rivas wants to find love.

He’s sure as hell not getting it at home, where his mom’s racist boyfriend beats him up. Or from his boys, who aren’t exactly the “hug it out” type. Marcos yearns for love, a working cell phone, and maybe a pair of sneakers that aren’t falling apart. But more than anything, Marcos wants to get out of Maesta, his hood—which seems impossible.

When Marcos is placed in a new after-school program for troubled teens with potential, he meets Zach, a theater geek whose life seems great on the surface, and Amy, a punk girl who doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. These new friendships inspire Marcos to open up to his Maesta crew, too, and along the way, Marcos starts to think more about his future and what he has to fight for. Marcos ultimately learns that bravery isn’t about acting tough and being macho; it’s about being true to yourself.

About the Author

Fred Aceves is a Latino author who grew up in a community like the one described in The Closest I’ve Come, a tough, working-class neighborhood filled with single moms. He attended five high schools and worked two jobs before eventually dropping out of school. He later earned his GED and traveled around the world. He was born in the United States and currently lives in Mexico with his wife. The Closest I’ve Come is his debut novel.

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Review: Seeking Sarah by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Release date: August 15th 2017
Publisher: Gallery Books
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

From the national bestselling and award-winning ReShonda Tate Billingsley comes this gripping and emotional exploration of the complex bond between mother and daughter.

From the time Brooke Green was seven years old, she has lived with the pain of losing her mother. Her father has done the best job he could in raising her, but a piece of her always felt empty. On the day of her father’s funeral, her grandmother breaks the shocking news: her mother, Sarah, is very much alive. She abandoned her family because she claimed she wasn’t fit for motherhood. 

After doing some research, Brooke discovers her mother is living in Atlanta, enjoying a great career…and a brand new family. Stunned, Brooke doesn’t know if she wants answers or revenge against the mother who abandoned her. When she meets Sarah’s husband, Anthony, Brooke sees the perfect way to make her mother pay. But her plan for revenge just may leave everyone in danger, and end up costing Brooke more than she ever bargained for.

*Received a physical copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I discovered Seeking Sarah on Netgalley and became intrigued after reading the blurb. I wanted to understand what could have possibly compelled a mother to leave her child behind, and I was curious about Brooke's character and the ways abandonment had affected her. 

The story started out quite interesting. Although Brooke had a lot going for her--a doting man and a promising career--she had a hole in her heart. One that could never be filled, no matter how she had the love of her father, grandmother, and cousin. She was also welcomed by her boyfriend's family and treated as if she was a part of them. But then things started to unravel a tad after Trent proposed. Brooke knew he was perfect for her and that they both loved each other, yet she just couldn't shake the emptiness in her heart and the feeling of uncertainty. 

A lot of the emotions Brooke displayed stemmed from loss; losing her mother at a young age, and then losing her first fiance. Her pain was understandable and undoubtedly relatable. I couldn't imagine going through something like that and still managed to keep going. However, my connection to her character started to dwindle after the passing of her father. Following the big reveal that he and Brooke's grandmother had lied about her mother's death and had faked the memorial service, Brooke became pretty much out of control. She did things that had me shaking my head and wondering how she could all of a sudden throw away her morals and partake in such appalling acts. 

The downhill began the moment Brooke made the decision to go to Atlanta. I thought she was going to take a few days to just meet her mother and feel out the situation, but then she went as far as to transfer and live there. I mean, Trent wasn't as supportive as a loving fiance ought to be, but regardless, they were in a relationship, and Brooke basically disregarded everyone and everything in her life for someone who had chosen not to be a part of it. I get the rush and excitement of finding out your mother is alive and wanting to go find her and reconnect. But I feel like Brooke needed to take some time to gather her thoughts and consider every possibility before doing anything. And she definitely should have taken a step back once she'd arrived in Atlanta and her fantasy reunion turned out to be just that, a fantasy. Instead, she transformed into a conniving villain from a Lifetime movie and made the situation even more difficult for herself. 

Brooke ended up losing so much more, and while it was sad, I stopped sympathizing with her because of the way she'd constantly bury herself in problem after problem, behaved like an immature twenty-year-old at times, and often dismissed people but then wanted them back as if their life should be placed on hold for her. I guess you could say this was all the effects of abandonment but wow, the whole thing was so dramatic. By the end of the story, I just wanted Brooke to get counseling and work on herself. Even after everything, she still deserved happiness.  

        

About the Author

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother! and three previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; and I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club. Her previous Christian teen novels are Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise, both available from Pocket Books. She is also a contributor to the story anthology Have a Little Faith.

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Review: Dear Drama by Braya Spice

Dear Drama

by Braya Spice

Paperback, 288 pages

Published: April 1st 2012 

Kensington Publishing Corp.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

*Copy provided by author for an honest review.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Have you ever had a friend who just seems to attract trouble, no matter what she does? That’s Allure. Just 21, she barely made it out alive from an abusive relationship with her psycho baby daddy, Greg. Poor girl just wants to be loved, but the harder she tries to find the right man, the more wrong her life gets. Whether it’s Lavante, who has to stuff socks in his pants to make himself feel manly; or Derek, who would be a fine catch if his bipolar disorder didn’t almost get Allure killed; or Bryce, a sweet and sexy cop whose first love is the crack pipe; Allure bounces from one drama to another. Then there’s James, strong and stable—until he knocks her up and hits the road. Get ready to laugh—and cry—at Allure’s crazy love life.

~My Review~

This book completely shitted on everything I thought I knew about domestic abuse, single motherhood, and all the other trials one individual could face. From start to finish Braya educated me about a reality I have never experienced before, and I have no regret whatsoever about reading Allure’s story. 

Her character was constantly disrespected by not only the father of her child, but by men she thought would actually be different and love her. It’s like she attracted scums. That made sense, being that abuse women often times end up with the same kind of men.

Allure comes from a family like many around the world, one that’s broken and irreparable. It has affected her deeply, as is expected, but Allure takes pride in the fact that she’s a good mother, providing and taking care of her daughter the best way she knows how. And she’ll do what it takes to build a loving home for her little girl, Sierra, which is why she left Gregg.

For years she’s been abused physically, emotionally, verbally, hell even mentally by Gregg, the father of her child. This dude is a piece of work. He is the epitome of asshole. The more I read the more enraged I got with his unattractive character. He had me cursing up a storm while on my way to work in the mornings, and laughing in utter disgust on my way home. Gregg’s the kind of man that shouldn’t even be classified as a man. He fits the description of a bastard, and then some. I don’t even want to spare any more time going on about his character. “…And more ass whippings than Ike gave Tina.” Need I say more.

Throughout it all, Allure is surrounded by some ride or die chicks. Her sister Crystal, and her besties Creole and Kendra. My favorite part was Crystal and Creole beating Gregg’s ass after he turned up at Allure’s house on her birthday, acting like he controlled her life. I loved when the girls were together. They always encouraged and never scolded her for her past with that lunatic. As best friends and real friends should, they made her feel good about herself and uplifted her spirits when she was down. With friends like these you’ll be alright.

Dear Drama was one heck of a ride. The best, most realest story I’ve read this year. I was a mess after this one. I cried, I laughed, I sympathized, and above all else, I loved. Indeed, I loved this book and I strongly recommend getting yourselves a copy if you’re up to some seriously intense stuff. A compliment, not a hate.