Hustlin Divas - Book Review
We start off learning that Memphis has three gang groups and within it, there are females who have a factor in how these gangs operate.  We have the  Flowers, Cripettes, and the Queen G and I did not read the story yet, but I heard this author was good in supplying me with the drama and suspense that I crave in stories.  From the looks of it, she doesn't disappoint.  The first two pages, instant fight and you already know what it's about.  The author kind of threw you into the mix of things with limited facts, but you catch on rather quickly.  For those that don't, Tashara is Leshelle's sister and Profit is Fat Ace's brother or closet thing to and they don't want to be a part of any of these gangs and just love each other, but being where they are from its not possible so things hit the fan when their little love is exposed to the wrong people.  You kind of see how they're relationship started and bloomed with the flashbacks. In the beginning of the book, you also meet all the characters in one and how each of them role.  You meet Leshelle and find out what she is to the head of the Black Gangsters Disciples.  She was probably the worst one for me and the most dramatic so, in a sense, I hated to love her character.  She is Tashara's sister and feels responsible for her despite her sister not wanting to have anything to do with any type of gangs.  You also learn a little about how both of the sisters were brought up and you get a glimpse of Leshelle and why she is the way she is.  You also see how these two lethal combinations met and how far Leshelle went to gain her position.
Project Queen - Book Review
This book was interesting and really wasn't the type of book that I stop and read, so this was a first for me.  The book starts off really weird because I have no idea what's going on but, the next few pages make it pretty clear.  I never really  knew what I was in for, but I am very glad that I read it.  I felt like you were watching a young girl blossom into this strong independent woman.  Her family and the choices that she made really made her who she is. You are introduced to Shae Byrts who is a young girl who is not living the good life.  Her and her family have a mix of love and hate that come together in the worst way.  Her mother is an alcoholic who forces Shae into a motherly role for her siblings.  Mrs. Byrts is nothing nice to her family and you really only see her doing two things in this story.  Leaving to get drunk and yelling at her kids and those two combined make for a nasty tale.  In this house, she also lives with her grandmother and three brothers and each of them have their own story that will touch your heart in some kind of way and you will start to understand Ma Violet and Toby's character as they progress.   What I have noticed with each of them was that they were all suffering from something within the family.
The Cartel 4: Diamonds Are Forever Book Review
The authors brought all of my favorite characters back for a whirlwind of a ride in the Cartel 4 by Ashley and Jaquavis.  If you haven't read the first three I suggest you close this tab, go and read them and come back at me.  All the hidden unanswered question are revealed and a few surprising characters return for some eye popping reveals In the privacy of his home Carter keeps his relationship with Mia a secret from his family and for good reason really. He accepted Mia and all her ways and didn't know how to present that to his family.  I loved how the authors showed the boundaries of Carter and Mia because even though she came back, Carter wants to trust her and Mia would follow him to the ends of the earth.  They have magnetic pull to each other because their hearts were in it from the very beginning.
Miseducation Of A Hustler - Book Review
After reading this book, what can I say I am a sucker for drama?  This book did more than just pull me into the story of Wisdom but I felt like there was more realness in this book than any book that I have read.  Honestly, I don't know whether this book was based on a real story or not, but as the situation and the drama unfolds, it's almost if most of this book was based on a real story.  I don't know if it was or not but Jabar is on author that we should keep our eyes on in the future. At the start of this book you are introduced to five people who are playing chess, so to speak with the street game of hustling.  The book just starts off dirty with Wisdom, Dank and Dammoe having a standoff with this cat name Bam.  Things take a turn for the worse and Bam pays with his life.  The boys think that they got off scot free and life goes back to normal for them.  Detective Brown has a different theory for the murder of Bam and gives his theory to Captain Smith who has ulterior motives.  On the other side everything seems to be going well for Wisdom and is crew.  Money is rolling in and people are eating.  This is also where you start getting introduced to each character and the type of person that they are.  My favorite one was Sky and not because she was the only female character, but she was the one was level headed and knew that the streets had her man, but always hoped for the best.  Hoping that he would get out of the game.
Jaylin's World - Book Review
Ok, so this book was the finale of all the Naughty series by Brenda Hampton and it didn't fail to excite me.  Instead of the book being titled Naughty and a number, the author took a different route and decided to call it Jaylin's World and it fit perfectly with the story.  The chapters don't all center on Jaylin, but the characters do and I have got to say, I am going to miss this little journey.  I mean, I have read all of the books and loved every single one of them, but no, there were no tears.  More like a round of applause for giving Jaylin, Scorpio, and Nokea the ending that they deserve. So the book starts off a few years after the last one and Scorpio is married with two kids and her husband is not all that cracked up to be marriage material.  Scorpio accuses him of cheating on her and we don't know for sure whether he is or isn't.  They are on the road when this happens and they get into a bad accident that seems to have more of a major impact on her kids and everyone is rushed to the hospital.  If you missed out on what happened between her and Jaylin well, this is where you find out.  You also find out that she is still holding on to a secret that will soon come to light.
Street Divas - Book Review
After reading the first book, I honestly didn't think there was any more of the story. I thought that was the end and the people who fought so hard to be together were just shattered because of street politics. But that isn't the case. The second book picks up where the first book left off and it starts off pretty gruesome. Let's be real, Melanie was the type of character who you knew who would get what they got coming to her. If you read the first book (which I highly recommend), then you would know her story. Once again, the only thing that pulls me in is the back stories for the different characters. I really believe that the way the author set the story up that the back or past stories will define who these characters are. This goes well for people like Momma Peaches and Lucifer. Meanwhile, a miracle happens and Tashara has officially lost it and after what she goes through, losing it is what she needed. Python and Leshelle are still the crazy King and Queen of shotgun row and because of Leshelle's loyalty to him she get or rather hears her ultimate reward.
Blood Moon on the Rise - Book Review
You are introduced to Tamara who is a special kind of hunter and let's just say that this woman is tough.  She has been through some stuff to get where she is at right now,  which is in a bar hunting for a man.  No, not that kind of hunting for a man.  She is looking for a werewolf in particular and on this night she is in the right place at the right time.  You see Tamara kind of breakdown a little bit when you she starts fantasizing about the one that got away.  She quickly comes back to her senses and you get a glimpse of what her type of job entails as far as her likes and dislikes in keeping humanity protected.  On her current job she finally get the werewolf she is looking for, but things start to stop going as it was planned and Tamara ends up have to wing it.  Luckily her friend Nicholas shows up just a little late and then you find out the connection between these two, but you don't really know why she has to keep her distance.  Later on you learn not just why Tamara has these mental fantasies and doesn't act on them.  Her and Nicholas are a part of an order that track and hunts werewolves and vampires.  I started to see the pain the Tamara goes through with shutting off her feelings, but I think it went both ways and we are just seeing it from a female sense. The history between these two was actually really sweet and I felt for them a little bit because they both wanted to be together forever, but they both knew that wasn't the case being in the Brotherhood.
Zane's Nervous - Book Review
Yes, another Zane book.  You're right another one of her heart stopping, stomach clenching, hand clapping book.  I put this as another one of her legendary books that she wrote a long time ago.  I just don't think it gets enough credit where credit is due.  Next to the sorority, this book was another one that was pulled out of her infamous book Zane Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth.  I got to say, if she ever wants to pull from any more stories, feel free.  I will be the first one reading them. This book takes us into the life of Jonquinette, Jon for short and she is suffering from dissociative identity disorder with a twist. If you read the excerpt at the beginning of the book, then you know what I mean.  You start off meeting Jon and see that she is a timid little thing who really keeps to herself.
The Sisters of APF - Book Reviews
Holy heck in a jar!  All I want to know is where was this sorority when I was in college?  Don't get me wrong I loved my college years, but this book right here had me wondering if it was even real.    In this book you meet a young woman who leaves her country town and heads to college.  When she get there, she learns more about herself when it comes to knowing what she wants sexually.  Along the way, you meet a few characters that not just upgrade the life of this young girl, but show her there is more to sexual freedom than just thinking about it.  So sit back and relax because this book is going to be one book that you will probably finish in a day, yes, it's that good. If you have read any of the stories in Zane Sex Chronicles: Shattering the myth then you should know that APF is one of the stories.  What I love about this author is she took her stories from her short stories and made them bigger.  You are introduced to Mary Ann who has achieved a scholarship to a college and has the chance of leaving her country town for a higher education.  It's not that she is running away because she loves her huge family, but you see that she knows that she has a higher calling.
Wicked Design - Book Review
This was actually the first book and the one that I should have been reading before His Wicked Seduction.  So this is how it went down in the beginning.  You meet Emily Parr who is desperate to find a husband on her own so that she can get away from her uncle and the person her uncle  has a debt to, Blankenship.  While riding, she ends up getting kidnapped by the League of Rogues and one of them has a pretty solid reason for doing this.  When Emily comes to she finds herself in a home that is not her own and realizes that she is not going anywhere.  That doesn't stop her from realizing how hard this man can be and also how soft.  What I loved about Godric is that he was very blunt at the same time respectful.  Don't get it twisted he does want her but he's respectful enough to not let it go too far.  Being held in that house does not help Emily, it actually ruins her because of the Leagues reputation. Emily eventually ends up meeting all the Rogues and starts to have turmoil in her mind about how she is going to get out of this situation at the same time she is slightly comfortable around them.  Godric is having a hard time trying to seduce her, but he finds himself wanting as something more than mistress.
Sellout - Book Review
You meet the characters in this book while they are coming out of relationships that ended horribly. Their relationships start with dating a person that is same race.  Tammy is through with black men altogether and for good reason.  She was the type of woman who looked past a man's demeanor and just fell in love with the man. Terrell is a genuinely nice guy who respects the gentleman's code, but when it comes to his racist girl, Tasha.  He just can't win so they break up and Terrell starts to think that he could have been missing out on something on the lighter side of life.  Now Penelope on the other hand is having no trouble in the relationship area because she is not in one, but you do see her reason why she loves black men and I got to say, it's very true.  I wasn't even going to argue with her about that. Fast forward to nine months later and Tammy has done a complete move for a change of scenery.  Still swearing off men all together except for one.  She gets a phone call from her Mika with some bad news.  Terrell is loving the whole date outside his race things and I can't blame him.  After Tasha, I could see why.  You also see how each of these characters start to become connected to one another.
Secrets of a Kept Woman - Book Review
You meet three young ladies in their high school years and already, they have a plan mapped out for their future and are working hard to obtain it.  They seemed to be three girls who were friends, but not really friends.  But they stayed close throughout the years.  They each end up finding the men in their lives and from here you start to see their lives unravel.  I feel like any woman can connect with these character in some kind of way.  Gladys is in relationship where she finds herself being more of who she know she is.  Rhonda is a know it all who thinks she deserves everything with no moral compass. Shayla wants what she always dreamed about in a marriage.  You see these girls each getting what they want.  Later on in the future we see that the lives that these girls want are within their grasp. Shayla married Titus who was all about her from day one and you see that their marriage really isn't what it seemed tobe.  Titus is not treating her like a wife and he has the worst reason why.Meanwhile, Shayla is venting to Rhonda about how messed up her marriage and you would think that this woman is her best friend and should be encouraging her to fight for her marriage and she does, but in her own messed up way.  Rhonda is crossing boundaries and thinking she has every right to do it but to me, I couldn't stand her.  Gladys is making moves of her own when she is invited to a party clear across town and meets the one man that she let get away.
Mahogany Keys: The Complex Image of the African American Man.(4) The Black Man as an Artist and Promoter of Literacy
Interview with Anthony Pathfinder – Author, proofreader, poet, reviewer and contributing writer for the Urban Book Source The image of the aggressive-looking African American male, who cannot spell his name, has a limited vocabulary and has trouble keeping a job has become -- sadly! – common in the media. However, there isn’t too much said about th