Five on the Fifth – TRR Black Book Reviews Favorites (Issue #17/May 2008)

- Long, Hot Nights by Candice Poarch (Romance)
- Like Never Before by Sylvia Lett (Romance)
- The Trophy Wife by Ashley & JaQuavis (Street Fiction)
- Dynamic Diva Dollars: For Women Who Aren’t Afraid To Be Millionaires by Elon Bomani (Self-Help/Business)
- Naked Love by Darnella Ford (Fiction)
- Sacrifice: Demon Hunter Series Book 2 by T.L. Gardner (Paranormal)
- Deception’s Legacy by Jacqueline G. Randolph (Fiction)
- One Dead Lawyer by Tony Lindsay (Mystery)
- Sexcapades by HoneyB (Erotica)
- The Knees of Gullah Island by Dwight Fryer (Historical Fiction)

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LONG, HOT NIGHTS by Candice Poarch
Kensington Books, May 2008
304 Pages, Paperback, $6.99
ISBN: 0758219784
Genre: Romance

*Reviewed by aNN Brown

Small, idyllic Paradise Island, off the Virginia coast, has a history dating back to the 1600’s, but the serenity of this remote island is under the throes of a double homicide.

Detective Alyssa Claxton has always charted her course. She was taller than most of her friends, and the cruel jokes caused her to do things differently. At thirty, she is still a maverick, and is the island’s lone detective. She has been in a platonic relationship with a childhood friend for several years, but recently, dreams of Jordan Ellis fill her nights, and those feelings are not platonic. One unplanned, yet unforgettable night, with Jordan, has made her life even more complex. CONTINUE READING

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LIKE NEVER BEFORE by Sylvia Lett
Kensington Publishing Corp., April 2008
288 Pages, Mass Market Paperback, $6.99
ISBN: 0758219806
Genre: Romance

*Reviewed by Tabatha Taylor

Mary J. Blige said it best in her song “It ain’t all roses” and in her latest release, Sylvia Lett shows readers that everything worth having is worth working for.

Danielle Roberts met the man of her dreams, Greg Thomas, in college. Although they were in a class together, they had yet to be introduced until one night they were thrown together at a party. Soon after that, they became inseparable and continued to date after graduation. CONTINUE READING

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THE TROPHY WIFE by Ashley & JaQuavis
Urban Streets Publications, February 2008
300 Pages, Paperback, $14.99
ISBN: 1601621353
Genre: Street Fiction

*Reviewed by Dawnna

Kalil’s story begins when he is released from prison following a drug possession conviction. Passionate about his young daughter and being an integral part of her life, Kalil is determined to lead a straight life with a legitimate job. Kalil soon finds out that his mission will be very difficult to pursue. CONTINUE READING

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DYNAMIC DIVA DOLLARS: For Women Who Aren’t Afraid To Be Millionaires by Elon Bomani
Papyrus Publishing, April 2007
192 Pages, Paperback, $19.95
ISBN: 097882881X
Genre: Self-Help

*Reviewed by Tee C. Royal

It isn’t often that I crack open business books, but DYNAMIC DIVA DOLLARS by Elon Bomani is a book I’m glad I was assigned to review. In it, she details a plan for becoming debt-free, which is easy to understand and straight to the point. She shares her own experience of how she became a millionaire. Even more inspiring is how she made it through her own struggles with money, being divorced with a young child, and how she made it work with just $36 in her checking account. CONTINUE READING

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NAKED LOVE by Darnella Ford
Dafina Books, November 2007
305 Pages, Paperback, $14.00
ISBN: 0758216742
Genre: Fiction

*Reviewed by Brenda Lisbon

Adrian Moses spent most of her life longing for a normal life and craving affection, but found lost love and treachery. At the age of two, Adrian’s mother passed away from cancer. She spends the remainder of her childhood with her father who is lost in his own personal pursuit of an identity. Riddled with disappointment and disillusionment, he commits suicide and leaves Adrian in the hands of his angry, prejudiced and hateful mother, Reva Joe. Despite the difficult times with her grandmother, Adrian found two rays of hope, her art and her first love, Anthem. That is, until Reva Joe disrupts everything and sends her packing to a year-round boarding school. CONTINUE READING

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SACRIFICE: Demon Hunter Series Book 2 by T.L. Gardner
Q-Boro Books, March 2008
288 Pages, Paperback, $14.95
ISBN: 1933967382
Genre: Fiction

*Reviewed by aNN Brown

SACRIFICE, book 2 of the Demon Hunter Series places readers back in the life of Elijah Garland, the Protector. He is still struggling to find some meaning in the destiny he inherited after his death. Elijah’s lineage is not ordinary; his mother was human, but his father was the Arch Angel, Gabriel. CONTINUE READING

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DECEPTION’S LEGACY by Jacqueline G. Randolph
Fultus Corporation, September 2007
276 Pages, Paperback, $19.99
ISBN: 1596821027
Genre: Fiction

*Reviewed by Alice Holman

In 1966, a fully loaded B-52 bomber collides with the refueling plane over Spain. The B-52 was carrying 4 nuclear bombs and the clean up is massive as the US attempts to remove the radioactive materials. A black pilot, one of the few the US has, is injured in the crash and is helped by a young, pregnant Jewish girl who is hiding from her tormentor. She has a young boy with her who is also helpful. The story skips ahead to the year 2030 where Skye, a former DEA agent, discovers some family secrets that she must unravel. Her son, Tristan, also a DEA agent, is now in Spain, attempting to halt the Spanish drug trafficking. She is secretly in touch with the DEA, making sure her son has the support he needs. To explain the Spain of 2030, the past must be explored even the Spanish Inquisition, where Jews and Muslims were killed because of their religious beliefs is a necessary component. Some of the same torturers from the Inquisition, have descendents who are now involved in the drug business and are still murdering Jews and Muslims. CONTINUE READING

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ONE DEAD LAWYER by Tony Lindsay
Urban Books, December 2007
288 Pages, Paperback, $14.95
ISBN: 1933967293
Genre: Fiction

*Reviewed by Dawn Reeves

David Price, security escort for hire, returns in Tony Lindsey’s newest installment, ONE DEAD LAWYER. This time around David is asked to protect the son of his ex-wife’s friend, Daphne. When a prominent, but slick lawyer is murdered, several players in David’s life are somehow connected and everyone is keeping secrets. Further complicating matters, David’s ex, Regina, wants their son adopted by the man she is to marry. CONTINUE READING

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SEXCAPADES by HoneyB
Grand Central Publishing, March 2008
288 Pages, Paperback, $19.99
ISBN: 044658228X
Genre: Erotica

*Reviewed by Paula Henderson

Natalie and Nick are competing for the same management position at the company where they are employed. Both are ambitious and career-minded and they both want that position. They are also lovers and have been seeing each other for three years. Their boss, Justin Flint, has asked them to create their own individual business plans and the best one will be awarded the position. Attracted to both Nick and Natalie, Flint propositions each of them secretly with the incentive of them receiving the position. The heat is on inside and outside the bedroom. Are Nick and Natalie committed to their careers or to the relationship they share? CONTINUE READING

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THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND by Dwight Fryer
Kimani Press, March 2008
336 Pages, Paperback, $14.95
ISBN: 0373831196
Genre: Historical Fiction

*Reviewed by Swaggie Coleman

Dwight Fryer has created a made-for-television mini-series bringing the Gullah-Geechie, African-American culture up from the Carolina low country marshes and into their respectful place in American history. At last, THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND reveals all that was concealed by the illegal whiskey-making Hale family. This prequel to Fryer’s book, “The Legend of Quito Road,” takes place in Charleston, South Carolina where the former slave, Gillam Hale, caused his family to be sold and scattered as chattel slaves. This was due to his moral decision to end the Hale legacy of selling “moonshine” liquor which angered many white customers. CONTINUE READING

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