Casey Canyon by S. W. Cannon

 

In the world of reading, there are tons of told and untold stories. There is a host of new authors being let loose on the scene daily. In my humble opinion, there’s nothing like a good story being told. When you find an author who can make you lose yourself in their story, feel what the characters are feeling, make your pulse rate beat to that of the scenes taking place; when you find those things consider it an honor to let yourself go on the ride.

That’s exactly what has taken place with this next new author. S.W. Cannon is new to the scene and it has been my pleasure to not only edit, but read this book of fiction. With her first novella, I’m proud to say this young, African American, female has done her thing!! And yes, I’m looking forward to more to come.

The author has delved into a plot not readily spoken of on the street…..The life and love of a police officer. Not often do we read about things that go on behind the scene of a cop. Yes, we know they’re putting their lives on the lines to protect and serve, but how many times do we get to witness firsthand the lives they live before and after they have on the uniform and have the badge in plain sight.

The story takes place right here in Alabama. The lead character, Officer Casey Canyon, is caught between a rock and a hard place on the job as well as in his personal life. He seems to be torn between right and wrong as well as between the TWO loves of his life, Meredith and Sam.  But as life continues on its course, Officer Canyon is forced to make decisions beyond his control. Sometimes when we don’t do what needs to be done, it’ll be done for us. Because Officer Canyon has an ego the size of Mount Rushmore, he thinks he has time to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. Life doesn’t seem to play fair when he’s forced to make decisions both on and off the job.

Love triangles are messy and when you’re one of the points in this triangle, you’re bound to be bounced around one too many times. Somebody’s gotta win, Somebody’s gotta lose…..Officer Canyon has to decide.

Do right, Do wrong……….I’m sure that’s easier said than done. Sometimes we’re forced into situations beyond our control……….Officer Canyon has to decide.

The author puts a few twists and turns in the book as well as a few surprises so be fairly warned.

This book would get my recommendation as an item that needs to be placed on your reading list. This author is going places and quick. Don’t be left out.  She and her work are going to be the topic of discussion in reading circles everywhere…..soon.

Congratulations to this New Author, S.W. Cannon! My prayers of much success are being asked in your favor!!!

To keep up with Ms. Cannon, go to http://www.AuthorSWCannon.com

Happy Reading!!!!!

Melanie Woods Schuster…

 

In this six book series, the author, Melanie Woods Schuster keeps you on the edge of your seat. One thing you must do is pay attention. By the end of the final chapter of the final book, your head is full of wwaayyy too many people.

The story starts with the meeting of two of America’s rich and famous families. Both families are simply beautiful and have more money than the devil.

The Cochran Family of Detroit, MI; Owners of Cochran communications
The Deveraux family of Atlanta, GA; owners of The Deveraux Group

Both families are wealthy, intelligent, beautiful and large in number.
The author does a wonderful job of bringing both families together thru one twist and turn after another.  Even when tying the families together there’s ALWAYS a secret that you don’t see coming until the very end of the last book.
Miss Schuster does a good job of letting the readers know “even the rich have their share of troubles”.
She’s also does a pretty good job at “coupling” because some of the love scenes are “smoking hot”.

Lucky in Love (the love story of Bennie & Clay) 

 

Until The End of Time (the love story of Andrew & Renee)

 

My One And Only Love (the love story of Ceylon & Martin)

 

Let It Be Me (the love story of Marcus & Vera)

A Merry Little Christmas (the love story of Angelique & Donnie)

 

Something to Talk About (the love story of Alicia & Adam)

In my opinion the entire series is worth reading and I would recommend you go ahead and purchase them all at once. Mainly because you’ll want to keep reading to see what happens next.

To find out more about Ms. Schuster go to http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=462

Happy Reading!!!!!

All of My Love by Francis Ray

Francis Ray is one of those authors you just can’t seem to get enough of. She’s never let me down. Her writing style is right there with a hot cup on a cold day……. it warms you from the inside out. Being a “romance” fan, Miss Francis stays on my list of people to read. I look forward to her new releases.

This book is a short story because it won’t take you long to read it. But once you flip the first page – you’re guaranteed to enjoy each page turned.

The book is so short and to the point, I really can’t write a review without giving away the good parts. Just know that the story is about TRUE LOVE, the kind that never dies.

When two people REALLY love each other – not even time and a past that haunts them will keep them apart.

(It doesn’t hurt that the couple had a strong cheering section, helping them get back to happy)

To keep up with Francis Ray, check out http://francisray.com/

Happy Reading!

Covenant by Brandon Massey

Covenant by Brandon Massey

This book was the topic of discussion for this month with In The Company of 12.  Lively is just one word I would use to describe the book and the discussion.

The book takes place in Atlanta, GA and in the midst of the rise of Mega Churches in this country, the book was very well written and developed. The story line was something any reader could follow and believe. The characters were people you would think are your average next door people. (Well, I hope I DON’T anybody like at least one character in the book)
The book starts out with a regular day of fishing with a father and teen aged son.  Out of nowhere the father is shot and left to die in his sons arms. Leaving behind to mourn his death are the son, a teen daughter and a wife.
This family must go on to learn to live without the beloved dad and sports writer by trade.
The son, Anthony, goes on to become a young man. Finishes college, and becomes a husband. On the anniversary of his father’s death, several years later he’s confronted by a stranger who wants to help him solve the mystery behind his father’s death. The story leads you on a fast paced journey of “who done it”? Just when you think you have it all figured out, up jumps another piece of information which makes you second guess your first guess.
The characters are so well developed you can’t help but wonder how this author came up with this stuff.  He doesn’t leave a stone unturned. Each character plays an integral part in the story. Everybody is somebody. Mr. Massey has a very vivid imagination.
The backdrop for the story is the corruption within a very large Cult-type Mega Church.  I can’t say I’ve had experience with “drinking the kool-aid”, but I’ve known a few people who have gotten so caught up religion and following A MAN that they lose focus on THE MAN.

By the time you’re at the end, you’re left breathing hard and in a hurry to get to the very end because you’re trying to figure it all out.

I would strongly suggest placing this author as well as this book on your reading list. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

To keep up with Mr. Massey, check out http://www.brandonmassey.com/

Happy Reading!

A Generation of Curses by Patricia A. Bridewell & Faatima Albasir-Johnson

A Generation of Curses by Patrica A. Bridewell & Faatima Albasir-Johnson

Being that I’ve never read anything by this author, the title alone captured my attention. So often we as people are overwhelmed by things that are generational. We do it because that’s the way our parents did it or that’s the way Big-Momma did it. Sometimes we have to break away from the stigma that comes along with things of the past. Just because Aunt Betsy made a cake with 6 eggs doesn’t mean Jamesha can’t make the same cake using 5 eggs, but more butter. In the end the cake is just as good.

This story line is a bit deeper than that of a recipe. The story is really based on the relationship of a married couple; Malcom & Khadesia.
Khadesia is plagued by her past: A past which includes several generations of “black widow” women. For generations, she was led to believe that as far back as her great grand-mother, have killed their husbands. This foolishness followed her into adult-hood and speculations that not only did she kill her first husband, but took the life of an abusive boyfriend.
Malcom is the second son to a very prominent pastor of a large local church. He was brought up to believe that if his father said so, it had to be the truth. Just because his father had beliefs of one kind – he should follow in those beliefs. Nobody goes against the head matriarch of a family, right?
When Khadesia faces her past and releases her demons and fears to her husband Malcom and he does the same………….they both realize things of the past can’t always be brought into the future, especially if they’re going to have a healthy, spirit filled relationship.

The author was very descriptive and stuck with the story line. There were other characters in the book which helped bring the story to life, but not so many that you would get confused. Her knowledge of and use of scriptures was well placed.

I can’t say I would give this book a rave review, but it was a good read. It kept you interested enough to finish because you kept wanting to know what would happen next. I think my interest was tickled because I could see a lot of the things going on in the book……….going on in my own family.
(Don’t shake your head at my family, shake your own family tree)

To keep up with both authors, check them out here: http://www.patriciabridewell.com/ and http://www.faatimaalbasirjohnson.com/

Checkout an interview with them here.

Happy Reading!!

That Was Then, This Is Now by Curtis Bunn

This author has to be one of the best kept secrets of all time. His imagination and gift of storytelling is one to be reckoned with.

I was first introduced to Mr. Bunn in 2007 during my first attendance of the annual National Book Club Conference.  (http://www.nationalbookclubconference.com) His love for reading and writing was evident for those in attendance.

Have you ever been going on with your day to day life only to have the rug snatched from under you and the world as you knew it is never to be the same. This book was personal to me on so many levels. The way I tell my story is different because this one is told from a mans side of the spectrum.

In this work of fiction, Curtis tells a love story from a male point of view. It was hard for me to understand a lot of emotions that took place, yet when I finished reading it, I was compelled to believe that when a man loves, he loves hard and long……just like a woman (they just share their emotions differently).

Larry, Julian and Greg are described in detail and each have a story of their own. But it’s Julian whose life is thrown for a tail spin. It’s Julian’s story that brought me to tears.

With a plot filled with raw emotion, you can’t help but feel what the author was trying to portray.

Page after page, you find yourself drawn into “what’s going to happen next”. The author never lets you down, because he had something special packed into this book.  He poured his heart and soul into the writing.

Among the love, laughter and tears, you walk away with a conviction like non-other. You walk away knowing there is a higher power. You walk away with a new sense of love from the male perspective.

It is my recommendation that you not only read this book, but the many other works of Curtis Bunn.

To keep up with Curtis Bunn, check him out here: http://www.curtisbunn.com/

Happy Reading!!

The Perfect Marriage by Kimberla Lawson Roby

It’s amazing what goes on behind closed doors – especially when those doors are “married doors”.

People will only show you what they want you to see and if they want you to think they’re living the perfect life – that’s the picture they’ll paint.

But, as Miss. Kim has portrayed in this book, a coat of paint will only hide the cracked ceiling for so long.

The Perfect Marriage was a blend of happiness AND sadness. But it’s also filled with a lot of hope.

Denise and Derrek Shaw were the perfect couple (Paint). They were both hard working, loving, dedicated and devoted to their only daughter, McKenzie (Paint). They both had powerful careers. They were loved and respected by their family, friends, coworkers and peers (Paint).

Denise worked long hours at a grueling job, so she occasionally used prescription drugs to help cope with her hectic life (paint). Derrek was also under pressure at work so he started using cocain occasionally (Paint).

The ceiling paint starts to peel when the daughter can no longer with the façade life the family is living. When the plaster and paint peels from the wall, those walls start to crack…thus making the picture no longer perfect.

Will these two finally own up to the fact that they have a problem, one more serious than the ugly picture they’re living in? or, will they let the thing that matters suffer more than she should have to…McKenzie?

Sometimes the perfect marriage is not so perfect. But “perfect” in whose eyes?

A wonderfully written book….one that will make you look at your own life in a different light.

Wonderfully written. Thanks Miss Kim!!

To keep up with Kimberla Lawson Roby, check out:  http://www.kimroby.com/

Happy Reading!!

The Good House by Tananarive Due

I’m the proud member of a book club from Birmingham, AL (In The Company of 12). These ladies and I have had some powerful discussions over the years. This book comes to mind when I think back on some of the GREAT discussions we’ve had. Reading 12 different genre’s per year, we find it sometimes difficult to come up with something good, great and wonderful for us all to agree upon. This book won hands down. By the time we finished reading it, we were all scared and were left with memories from one scene or another. My heart is beating fast, just remembering some of the stuff that happened.

Tananarive Due is best known as a “Sci-Fi” author. I think she should be jailed for some of the stuff she writes about AND makes you, the reader, believe. I mean, something this twisted has to be going on inside her head to come up with this stuff, right? The images she conjures up are so vivid, you actually lose your breath.

The story unfolds as the main character, Angela Toussaint, is willed a house left to her by her grandmother. The house is located in Sacajawea, Washington. The house is such a landmark the town’s people call it “The Good House”. Something happened in the house such a long time ago, it’s ancient history. But history has a way of becoming future.

Angela’s son, Corey mysteriously dies at this house two years ago, and she swore she would never return. But she realizes she can’t go on with her life without knowing what happened to her son. Angela will have to go beyond the grave to unravel the truth about Corey’s death.

Family secrets and lies will have to be told and relived in order to uncover the truth about Corey’s untimely death.

Angela’s grandmother was an African American woman who was known to have “powers” supposedly put a spell on the entire town several centuries ago. Could Corey’s death have had something to do with those powers? Could Angela’s grandmother be trying to tell her something from the grave? These questions are answered as you dive into reading this book.

This book is not for the faint at heart. “The Good House” will leave you haunted as a chill reader for a long time. From beginning to end you’ll have to draw your own conclusion and it’s sure to be a chilling one.

To keep up with Tananarive Due, check out: http://www.tananarivedue.com/

Happy Reading!!

A House Divided by Kimberla Lawson Roby

When I saw  that Kimberla Lawson Roby had written yet, another book featuring the likes of The Reverend Curtis Black, I thought “here we go again”. But because I’m a fan, I couldn’t help but be drawn into it. In true Roby fashion, she didn’t let me down.

If you are a member of the real world, your life has been touched by the things Mrs. Roby writes about in the “Black Series”, including church corruption, drug and gambling addictions, infidelity, social status, single motherhood, infertility, sibling rivalry, jealousy, domestic violence, sexual abuse, mental illness, care-giving of a parent, racial and gender discrimination in the workplace, sexual harassment, overweight issues, and the list goes on and on.

In this latest release, we find that the only son of the great reverend Black (Matthew)is faced with being a teen aged parent and has had a child out of wedlock with his teen aged girlfriend (Racquel).

Jealousy consumes the third wife of the great reverend (Charlotte) and things spiral out of control and downhill fast.

Charlotte is ruthless and vindictive! She’s the perfect example of how a First Lady should NOT behave. (or any other woman for that matter). She does what she feels she has to do in order to protect what she thinks in her warped mind is hers.

Curtis, who has done a complete 180 since we were first introduced to us, has learned to love the wife he has and is now trying to live the life he should have been living all along.

They say the chip doesn’t fly far from the stump which means these PK’s (Preacher’s Kids) are within hands reach. Each of Curtis’ children are tainted because of his devious behavior.

If you’ve never read one of the books in the series, I suggest you start from the beginning with “Casting The First Stone”  you will not be disappointed.

To keep up with Kimberla Lawson Roby, check her out here: http://www.kimroby.com

Happy Reading!!

The Turning Point by Francis Ray

Have you ever reached a “turning point” in your life? We all have. If you haven’t yet, you will. The turning point usually comes when it’s least expected. In this story, Mrs. Francis Ray tells the story of when the main characters (Lilly and Adam) reach the turning point in their lives. It just so happens that the turning point for them both is each other.

Lilly is desperate to escape her abusive husband. She’s so desperate to leave….she files for divorce and leave with practically the clothes on her back and the almost broken down vehicle she was driving.

Life had thrown a curve ball in Adams life by leaving him blind due to a car- jacking attempt. His once vibrant life stopped because now he’s left very bitter.

Mrs. Ray brings these characters together letting them both find the love and happiness they both deserve and desire. They’re brought together by chance. Who would have thought that Lilly’s car would have quit on her in the small Louisiana town, in the middle of nowhere? As chance would have it, she’s discovered by Adams mother who sees something in Lilly. She sees the kindness that her son needs. Lilly needs a job……..Adam needs a caregiver. They both have something the other needs. As the story unfolds, these characters reach the turning point of their lives by getting what they both need….each other.

The book is chocked full of everyday life, yet Mrs. Ray puts a spin on the setting, the characters and her descriptions of each has the reader lost in a time of life, love and happiness.

Just when you think you want to give up – the God’s of Love prevail and the two give into their destiny.

This is one of the earlier works of Mrs. Ray. It’s an oldie but a goodie.

To keep up with Francis Ray, check this out: http://francisray.com/