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Last Updated: Sep 6th, 2010

NEW REVIEWS POSTED

TRR Favorite Books Reviewed

Those books rated at the top of our scale have been identified as TRR Favorites.  Check them out via the FAVORITES link.

Secret Betrayals by Harriet Wilson

Chante Summers, Jasmine Reeves and Toya Johnson are best friends who share just about everything but their deepest secrets.  Chante’s husband is a very successful entrepreneur whose income allows her the benefit of being a stay at home mom.  Although she can have anything she wants, her husband is not able to meet her needs in bed.  When she seeks satisfaction outside her marriage, she compromises herself and her marriage.  Toya loves money and money alone.  She’s not interested in finding love, only opportunities to make a buck.  This desire has driven her to prostitution and pornography, and blinded her to what love is.  Jasmine Reeves is engaged to a man who is truly devoted to her, but her heart and body belongs to her forbidden lover.  An unplanned pregnancy pushes her to make a decision, but she’s unsure if it’s the right one.  

The Cheating Curve by Paula T. Renfroe

Being the wife of a celebrity is not an easy task especially with all the tabloid gossip and groupies that follow mega stars. Aminah Anderson is the spouse of a very popular disc jockey and record producer, whose many infidelities are exposed for the world to see.  Aminah does not understand why her husband cheats on her while she has been devoted to him over the years.  The pain of each of his conquest is driving a wedge between them and causing her to rethink her commitment to their marriage. To add insult to injury, her best friend, Langston is having a frivolous affair, cheating on a husband who has been nothing but good to her.  Aminah refuses to support Langston’s decision to cheat on her husband and her stance causes a rift in their longtime friendship. 

The First Person by Peron Long

Things are far from holy at Deliverance Temple Church where Seth Reynolds is the pastor.  His marriage to Justine is a farce and has been for years.  They are both very much aware of each other’s infidelities although they are not privy to who their partners are.  If they paid more attention to each other’s trysts, they would know they were both having an affair with the minister of music at their church, T’Shobi Wells. 

An Inconvenient Friend by Rhonda McKnight

As she devises her plan of “Operation Steal Greg”, Samaria Jacobs reflects back to the days growing up in an Atlanta housing project.  It isn’t long before she succumbs to the world of hustling to get money and wear the trendiest clothes.  She knows stealing Greg Preston is going to be a piece of cake, but she needs to get friendly with his wife, Angelina to make it all happen. 

Best African American Essays by Gerald Early and Randall Kennedy

During 2009, it seems everyone’s mind was on the Obama family and their impact on our race, our country and the world.  This is clearly seen in “the Presidential Election of 2008”, the first section in BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN ESSAYS by Gerald Early and Randall Kennedy.  Other sections include essays on the proverbial race card and racial profiling, Black American narratives and African American literature, as well as Isaac Hayes’ quest to learn more about his family in “Family Matters”.  My favorite set of essays in this collection was about Michelle Obama in the section entitled “The Other Obama”.

 

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

The emotional and verbal abuse Davidia Jones receives from her mother and classmates is enough to make any child draw into a shell.  Her home environment is a revolving door of many men her mother entertains, her mother lashes out snide, cruel remarks while her classmates maliciously name her “Monkey Night” because of her dark complexion and unruly natural hair. Davidia retreats into herself and never speaks again.  However, when she watches the movie, “Sixteen Candles” she feels all hope is not lost. 

First Of State by Robert Greer

FIRST OF STATE by Robert Greer takes us back in time when a young CJ Floyd, stressed by all he'd seen and done, returned from Vietnam. He goes to work with his uncle who is a bail bondsman in Denver. After going to a pawn shop on Larimer Street and finding a friend in the owner; two men are murdered, the owner and a Chinese man. CJ's upset because the man, an amputee from World War II, gave him good advice about handling the depression he suffers from the war. Five years pass and there is still no solution to who killed the men. He decides to continue searching for the killer even though his uncle suggests he leave it alone but CJ just can't let it go or die. He begins checking out small clues about the people who look to be innocent. Will he be able to solve the mystery? Can he survive the tragedies that occur as a result of his search for the elusive killer? 

Heaven Forbid by Lutishia Lovely

The parishioners of Gospel Truth Church are healing from the disgraceful departure of their former pastor; even so Reverend Brook's return to the pulpit after retiring years earlier is not welcomed by all.  They find his rules and mandates harsh, intolerable and many leave the congregation.  Maxine Brook, affectionately known as Mama Max to her family and friends, thinks her husband's return to the pulpit is what he needs.  However, they both are dealing with their own secrets and issues which escalate, forcing them to make some decisions.