Super Rich: A Guide To Having It All by Russell Simmons

Title: Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All

Author: Russell Simmons

Rating: 4

Headline: A Guide to Spiritual Richness

Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All is not a guide on how to attain monetary richness or steps to succeed in the music and/or fashion business as one might expect from mogul Russell Simmons. Instead this book is a guide on how to find spiritual fulfillment which in turn will pour over to the other areas in a person’s life.

Even if you as the reader does not follow Simmons preferred faith, there are still plenty of “gems” in this book that can be applied to your life without compromising your own religious beliefs. It is a very encouraging book and one that challenges you to raise your level of consciousness. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in breaking the boundaries on their life and are trying to find a new approach.

Never Been To Me by Gigi Gunn

The main character of Never Been To Me is a lady named Persi. She is having an affair with her now married high school crush, Brad. Persi was content with the “other woman” lifestyle of secret gifts and getaways. But, then Brad called it quits and said he was going to work on his marriage. Persi was devastated.

Persi then meets a man named Nick who was a college classmate of Brad’s. What follows is a story of friendship, deceit, betrayal, redemption, romance, and ultimately love. Neither the book description nor this review does the book justice. It is a quick and very enjoyable read. It is one of the best books I have read in 2011 and I highly recommend it to others.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.

Opposites Do Attract by Sherman Smith

Title: Opposites Do Attract

Author: Sherman Smith

Rating: 4

Headline: Opposite does not Always Mean Bad

Sherman Smith explores the old-age question, “Do opposites attract?” in his novel, Opposites Do Attract. Mike is dating a woman named Lisa, who is very beautiful yet very materialistic. Mike puts up with this relationship until he realizes that Lisa has been unfaithful.

Mike then meets Renee. Renee is from the “other side of the tracks’ and different from any other woman Mike has dated before. She is for lack of a better term, ghetto. And, for Renee, Mike is different than the men she has dated in her past. Her former boyfriend was a drug dealing thug who constantly disrespected her.

Opposites Do Attract was a quick, great read. The characters are very relatable and Sherman Smith writes a complete story that explores both romantic and platonic relationships. I recommend this book to those looking for reassurance that outside circumstances do not have to determine the outcome of a relationship.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.

Show Stoppah by Thomas Slater

Title: Show Stoppah

Author: Thomas Slater

Rating: 4.0

Headline: Hard to Put Down

Show Stoppah by Thomas Slater is hard to put down. In the beginning we are introduced to Kimpa and Isis who live in a homeless shelter. Both have been hurt, physically and emotionally, by the men in their lives and they are determined to bring justice to those that hurt them. Kimpa and Isis are determined to get their voices heard and stories told by any means necessary.

Show Stoppah sheds a different light on abuse and Slater does a good job at describing what a person goes through while being abused.  Because of the vivid language used, the reader is completely engrossed into hearing Kimpa and Isis’ stories. We are able to feel their pain and want them to overcome and claim victory. This book is most definitely a ‘show stoppah’ and I look forward to reading more work by Thomas Slater.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.

Valentine by D.V. Hent

Title: Valentine

Author: D.V. Hent

Rating: 5

Headline: I Could Not Put This Book Down!

AWESOME, is the only word that describes the novel Valentine by D.V. Hent. From the very first sentence, I was addicted. The descriptive words and imagery used by Hent made me feel as if I was in the story myself.

The main character is a woman by the name of Sassia also known as Valentine. She is not your “normal” victim. She is a femme fatale, a woman on a mission. Hent is a breath of fresh air as this is not your typical “street lit” book, it is a fresh storyline still packed with emotion, violence, eroticism, and pain that makes this genre so popular.

Valentine is the definition of a page-turner. I completed it in less than twenty-four hours and it left me waiting for more. I do hope that D.V. Hent is considering a sequel. I would recommend this book to everyone that I know and I cannot wait to read more from Hent.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.

You're All I Need by Karen White-Owens

Title: You’re All I Need

Author: Karen White-Owens

Rating: 3.5

Headline: Good Story but No Surprises

The book started off quite well as we are introduced Tia who is a young lady working as an assistant for an attorney. Tia is asked by her boss to help a new attorney from France get situated in their office. What was supposed to be a professional relationship turned into a romantic one once Tia realized her boyfriend was unfaithful a multiple number of times.

Tia’s new relationship is going quite well until her family meets the new boyfriend. Her grandmother and mother are against the interracial relationship and they do not hide their feelings. This creates one obstacle in the relationship but a much bigger one occurs when Christophe is offered a promotion back in his home country. He asked Tia to join him in France but her mother is a major hurdle.

The book was quite predictable as it did not have many twists and turns. You’re All I Need was a very quick read and enjoyable. The lovemaking scenes were quite HOT but were described in a respectable not raunchy manner. I would recommend this book to others.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.

Fighting the Blues as a Black Woman: How I Survived Suicidal Depression by Tanisha L. Herrin

Title: Fighting the Blues as a Black Woman: How I Survived Suicidal Depression

Author: Tanisha L. Herrin

Rating: 4

Headline: One Woman’s Journey to Healthy Living

One would think this book is a general self-help book to help guide a person work their way through depression but it is much deeper than that. Tanisha L. Herrin shares her personal journey of battling depression from her early teen years to her mid-twenties. She lets the reader experience pain that she felt as a child that did not fit into the “in” crowd during elementary and high school and to how the loss of her mother affected her mental state.

This book is not a clinical know-how on ways to overcome depression. It is a woman bluntly sharing her journey and the methods that she used to begin living a more positive lifestyle. While I have never battled depression, this was a great read to help me to notice the signs of depression and to have suggestions if I encounter someone that could be battling it. For that reason, I would recommend this book. I commend Tanisha L. Herrin for sharing so much of her person life with the public.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.