Review: The Cost of Love and Sanity - Jaye Cherie

 

REVIEW

 

Alexis 'aka' Alex Carter has a well-paying job at a recruitment agency, helping companies search for potential job seekers.  Unfortunately, her job just may be on the line, since numbers are down. Although Alex feels as if her job is safe, she needs to push herself harder than she ever has to maintain the security of her job. Alex starts to feel the as though life is quickly passing her by.  She realizes that all that she ever wanted she has  except for being a wife and mother. It seems that every time she gets involved with someone whom the relationship does not work out. She has no idea what she is doing wrong. Will her dreams become a reality before its too late or will she have to think of other alternatives for the life she desires?

When Alex runs into an ex-boyfriend, Nathan Chestnut, old feelings of hurt and betrayal resurface. Nathan is intent on showing her that he is not the same man she once knew. It seems that no matter what he does to prove it to her, Alex puts a wall up or attempts to sabotage their relationship even before it really begins. Will Nathan get tired of Alex and her accusations and move on?

The Cost of Love and Sanity by Jaye Cherie is an okay read. It is a story about a woman who is happy with her career choices but disgruntled by her past relationships. Alex has a hard time getting  past the hurts of the past to let love into her heart? The story was very slow and repetitive to be a 305 page book. This could have easily been a 200 page novel considering most of the story kept going back and forth with the repetitive thoughts. All-in-all this was an okay read at best, nothing more...nothing less.

 

3.5 Stars

 

Leona

Virtual Blog Tour: Whips & Chains - Pleasure and Pain Blog Tour/Giveaway - Shakir Rashaan

I wanted to take the time to thank Orsayor and Book Referees for being a part of the Whips & Chains, Pleasure and Pain Blog Tour!

 

 

 

Thank you so much for letting me and Ramesses get in with you guys and hopefully give you a few insights into the Nubian Underworld series.

 

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Shakir: Thanks for sitting down with me, Sir, I know the schedule is hectic for you and for me this week, so we’ll do what we do like we normally do when we’re collaborating and let the interview take its course, cool?

Ramesses: You know I have no problems chatting with you, my friend. After all, this is a coming out party for me and you both, you know?

Shakir: Yeah, trust me…I’m definitely enjoying this ride, wherever it leads us. However, let’s get to it because we have an audience awaiting us. First question: where did the Palace come from?

Ramesses: Amenhotep has had the Palace for the better part of the last twenty years. He’s kept it renovated over the years to keep it up to date, but he always had the concept down from the beginning. Most are content with just a room, but his entire estate is set up for debauchery and indecent activities.

Shakir: You definitely have a point. I had fun going out there with you, so I could describe the place as best as I could. Do those things actually happen out there every weekend?

Ramesses: You saw how everything went down during safi’s collaring ceremony, right? You know how things go down the way they do at the Palace, otherwise you wouldn’t have written it the way you did.

Shakir: LOL fair enough, bro, but I’m trying to do this interview like I don’t know what’s going on, remember? Okay, let’s get into why the Nubian Underworld series was created. Do you think the reading public doesn’t believe that people of color (meaning mostly black people) don’t really believe that we engage in kink and BDSM?

Ramesses: Let’s be real, Shakir. We have a bit of an image problem, which was why we needed to sit down and tell this story. If I see another white billionaire wannabe Dominant, I think I’m going to vomit. Yeah, I know money and power are sexy. I get that, but at the risk of sounding arrogant (I am the Great One, after all), they couldn’t hold a candle to the things that I can do once you take away the money.

There are black male lifestyle dominant/Alpha Male characters that can be, and are, positive. My voice is rare out there, and I understand that, which is why I wanted to cut through the noise and let readers see what’s up. No disrespect to Mr. Grey, Mr. Stark and a couple of others, but I would be curious as to where they got their mentoring and training from.

Shakir: Wow, you threw some of the popular characters out there, bro. Do you think you’re ready to hang with them? I mean, the die-hard readers already swoon over you as it is, but you’re about to be exposed to a larger audience. There are bound to be some that will think you’re a bit more intense and dare I say, abusive than the aforementioned Alpha males.

Ramesses: Bring the noise. Being a Dominant means never having to apologize for what you are. You know that as much as I do.

Shakir: Yeah, yeah I know, but this is mainstream folks, you know, the “vanilla” folk we have to try to get to understand some of this stuff, right?

Ramesses: Fair enough, Shakir, let’s roll with the next question, shall we?

Shakir: Cool. Now, the next question readers always ask: what’s up with the capitalization of the Dominant’s and lack thereof with the submissives? I know a few readers had a bit of time figuring things out, can you shed some light on why that is done in some circles?

Ramesses: Let’s see, the whole capitalizing of pronouns and such that seems to drive the vanillas crazy is representative of the hierarchical culture within the BDSM realm. As our girl, shamise, loves to say, “Sometimes a submissive or slave needs the physical manifestation of the purposeful imbalance within a Dominant/submissive relationship.” I agree with that assessment wholeheartedly. The reverence is needed, but it must also be earned.

Shakir: I like that response. Now, last question before we wrap this thing up: are the views and thoughts that you and Neferterri express based on anything that I might have influenced you or my Beloved might have influenced upon Neferterri?

Ramesses: LOL! No, but here is the caveat to that answer. Because we think in similar veins, of course the reading public might think that you are me and I am you, much the same as they might think that your Beloved is Neferterri and vice versa. But here’s the real: people will obviously see what they want to see, and at the end of the day, if they think you’re trying to be slick, then that’s something they need to reconcile within themselves, it’s nothing you, or I would be able to control, and that’s saying a lot coming from a couple of control freaks like us!

Shakir: Yeah, I definitely know what you’re talking about. If the world really knew our respective spouses…well, I’m not about to get into that, that’s another conversation for another time. What is in store for the next book in the series, Legacy? I know you’ve been putting the Palace through a renovation since getting back from out of the country, what else is going on?

Ramesses: Well, let’s just say that there are some lessons that will need to be learned, there will be some even hotter scenes than what was read about in The Awakening, and there will be a twist that you will never see coming. Trust me, you’ll be back for more!

 

(Click on book cover to order)

 

Leave a comment for your chance to win an ebook version of this book from the Author.

 

 

Review: Our First Love - Anthony Lamarr

Can brothers who share one life share one love? Since the tragic accident that changed their lives forever, brothers Nigel and Caleb have been inseparable until one woman captures both of their hearts.

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

 This was an amazing read, and I really liked how the chapters went from one brothers point of view to the others. This is something that I like to see when reading. This type of writing gives you a feel for the characters, in my opinion.  The brother's relationship was kind of crazy to me and very co-dependent/unhealthy I know family is important, but I can't see putting your whole life on hold and sacrificing so much for so long.

 

I felt Caleb should have manned up at some point and faced things more than he did. I mean, yes I did feel bad about what happened to him and all he went through, but he is a grown man after all. I felt bad for Nigel and was rooting for him throughout the book.

 

The ending was a shocker. I wasn't expecting what happened at all!! This was a fantastic read and very interesting!! I gave this book five stars and would recommend to everyone!!

 

 

5 Stars

 

Billie Jo

Review: Twisted Vows of Seduction - N'Tyse

REVIEW

From the very first chapter, Author N’Tyse had me captivated.  I buckled my seatbelt because I knew I was going on a “twisted” ride of a lifetime!  

In this book, Jeff thought he was the true player of all times; however the women that he engaged with had other plans.  Jeff had issues and seemed to want to take them out on everyone and hurt the one woman who truly loved him and the mother of his son, Nadine.  Jeff wanted to play and win his games, but couldn’t really handle the games that were being played on him.  Although Nadine had her issues, Jeff was so into himself and hurt from his past, he could not see his choices of women were not good and that they only wanted his money.  And then there was Greg who also thought he was a player as well and could not stop cheating until reality set in and his wife, Vivian, finally got fed up with all of his cheating.   

Author N’Tyse introduced us to several different game changers and issues.   I enjoyed that I did not have to go back and re-read passages to figure out the characters or their relationship to the other characters.  The character and plot development was outstanding!    N’Tyse would provide just enough tidbits that would pique my interest.   I found myself talking to characters and telling them what to do as if I was really in the story.

I read this book in one day.  I couldn’t put it down.  I was reading it everywhere – while cooking, at stoplights, waiting on others.  This is the second book of the twisted series.  I do not like to read books out of sequence, but this story was so well-written that it was not a huge issue.   I will go back and read the first book, Twisted Seduction, to see the development of the characters.  I hope N’Tyse continues the series because I really want to know what happens to some of the characters. 

This book really made you think about forgiveness and how you treat others. It also made you focus on what was really important and to stop playing games with people’s emotions because you might be the one who gets “twisted” in the end.
 

5 stars

Carmela

Review: Deadly Stuff Players - Flo Anthony

REVIEW

 

This was definitely a piece of fiction.   While Author Flo Anthony had some interesting twists and turns in her debut novel, it was so underdeveloped and unrealistic that it was an extremely difficult and frustrating read.   In the novel, Valerie and Rome are hired to solve a murder mystery for a wealthy client.  Valerie is supposed to be financially secure, but throughout the novel it seemed Author Anthony kept eluding that she needed money, which was confusing to me. 

 I did enjoy the not knowing aspect.  When I thought, I figured out the murderer, Author Anthony gave you just a tidbit to throw you off track. But, plots and/or thoughts were left unfinished.  At times, there was just too much going on.   I had questions, but before they were answered, the storyline changed.    One of the characters, Mr. Dumas, is extremely wealthy, and he had no problem in displaying that; however, it was unrealistic to give a large sum of money ($5,000) for insignificant and minute pieces of information.

The discrepancies and inconsistencies were so frequent that it was hard to focus on the crime investigations.  Who removes a body from a crime scene without an investigation?  Every time, the characters went somewhere names of celebrities were listed.   Although Valerie is a celebrity gossip columnist, the interaction with these celebrities sometimes did not provide any additional information, and their presence just seemed to be filler information for me.  I found myself asking – what did that have to do with the novel?  Also, every time a meal was prepared or shared, the entire menu was listed.  This became annoying to me as a reader.   On a few occasions, there was information presented when it was not previously introduced to the reader, and I had to re-read passages because it did not make sense.  

2 Stars

 

Carmela

 

 

Disclaimer: Book Referees was given a free ARC Copy of this book. Our thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. We were not compensated for the review. Thank you for giving Book Referees the opportunity to review this selection.

 

Review: Parallel Pasts - Julia Blues

REVIEW

“The more you are able to forgive then the more you are able to love.” 
― Stephen Richards

Our past can cause us to become prisoners of our own private hell. The hardest thing about writing a review is when you read a book that is so close to “home." I’m a firm believer in… when a student is ready – a teacher/master will appear, but in this case – it was a book.

Parallel Pasts introduces us to Cory & Fatima – who are so consumed by their pasts it causes them to be afraid to live in the now. They are each fighting their own private demons, and that’s one of the things that connect them. Before they can truly get to know each other, they have to come to terms with their pasts. Will they be able to move forward? Or will they let their pasts consume their lives?

Proverbs 4:23

²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.

Julia Blues has delivered a beautifully written novel that’s heartbreaking, inspiring, and most of all honest. This debut novel has a solid believable plot, along with dialogue that is rich in detail. The Author did an extraordinary job of creating characters that will stay with the reader long after you have read this novel. I really enjoyed Cory & Fatima’s journey of growing, learning, and loving. One thing Author Julia Blues seems to do so effortlessly is introducing readers to numerous characters and having them fit together perfectly in the story.

I finished this book feeling a sense of renewal. Life is definitely a journey filled twists & turns, but we have to continue to hold on through it all.

God has not promised me sunshine
That's not the way it's going to be
But a little rain
Mixed with God's sunshine
A little pain
Makes me appreciate the good times – Walter Hawkins

Excellent debut – Julia Blues...

5 Stars

Orsayor



Disclaimer: Book Referees was given a Free Copy of this book from the Author. Our thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. We were not compensated for the review. Thank you for giving Book Referees the opportunity to review your book.

Review: The Trophy Wives - Charmaine R. Parker

Three trophy wives explore ways of finding satisfaction beyond their marriages.

Shayla, Kyle, and Amber have a lot in common: stunning good looks, college educations, rich husbands, and—despite their affluent lifestyles— dissatisfaction with their lives. Each feels there is a void and seeks fulfillment beyond the routine of a trophy wife.

The three often draw support from each other, but despite their close-knit relationship, each has her own secret she’s not willing to share. So when another woman, Terra, befriends the trio, it isn’t certain whether she’s sincere or whether she has her own special agenda…

As the skeletons in their closets start to come out, Shayla, Kyle, and Amber discover that glamorous looks and coveted worlds cannot shield them from the realities of life. Discover what happens when scandal meets suspense among these smart, rich—yet vulnerable—women. - Amazon

 

REVIEW

This book written by Charmaine R. Parker is an easy read that kept my interest from beginning to end.  I was anxious to know the outcome of this book.  It is a story that involves three best friends. All the friends are trophies for their husbands.  They are all kept in high fashion, beautiful homes, and lives of leisure, although two of them are successful in owning their businesses.   The three include one who is an excessive shopper, another who has unusual sexual desires, and another who is being abused by her husband.  The story includes lies, deception, thievery, adultery, dishonesty, mental and physical abuse, and greed.

Author Charmaine R. Parker has a winner in this book.  The chapters focus on one character at a time and tell what is going on with that character.  I am interested in reading more books from this author.


5 Stars

Edna