Category Archives: African-American Novels

An Inconvenient Friend By Rhonda McKnight

An Inconvenient Friend by Rhonda McKnight

Samaria Jacobs is a deceitful, yet captivating diva who will do anything to win the heart of her married lover. Will she get her man or destroy herself and everyone else in the process?

Samaria has her sights set on Gregory Preston. A successful surgeon, he has just the bankroll she needs to keep her in the lifestyle that her credit card debt has helped her grow accustomed to. He’s married, but Samaria would never let a little thing like that get in her way.

Samaria joins New Mercies Christian Church to get close to Gregory’s wife. If she gets to know Angelina Preston, she can become like her in more than just looks, and really work her way into Greg’s heart.

Angelina’s life is filled with a successful career and busy ministry work, but something’s just not right with her marriage. Late nights, early meetings, lipstick- and perfume-stained shirts have her suspicious that Greg is doing a little more operating than she’d like. But does she have the strength to confront the only man she’s ever loved and risk losing him to the other woman?

Just when Samaria thinks she’s got it all figured out, she finds herself drawn to Angelina’s kindness. Will she be able to carry out her plan after she finds herself yearning for the one thing she’s never had. . .the friendship of a woman?

This book was a page turner! I read it in one day! Samaria is having an affair with surgeon Gregory Preston. She’s determined that she’ll be the next Mrs. Preston and she doesn’t care what it takes to get the wifely title that she feels she deserves. To follow through with her plan, she joins the church where Greg’s wife, Angelina, worships. The women’s group shuns Samaria, but Angelina develops a mentoring friendship with the troubled woman. Samaria thinks she looks like a younger version of Angelina, and that in a matter of time, Greg will want to replace his older wife with the younger version.

Angelina is dealing with major drama in her marriage and her faith is extremely tested. She suspects her husband is having an affair, and both Greg and Angelina are still coming to terms with a tragic event that happened in recent years. Can they get over their pain and move on and try to salvage their marriage?

I thought this book moved quickly and as you start reading, you won’t want to stop. I spent last Friday reading this title and I do think Rhonda touches on some subjects that you don’t see often in Christian fiction. The book was vivid and real, and teaches us to really rely on our faith when life gets us down. I know it’s hard to rely on God when things get rough, and this novel is an excellent example of how we need to trust in the Lord no matter what kind of trouble we may have. Also, it shows that God can be tricky…Samaria wanted to get close to Angelina to hurt her…but she ends up growing closer to the woman she initially wanted to hate.

If you want a quick, interesting, page-turning and inspiring read then this book is for you!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Long Time Coming By Vanessa Miller

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Long Time Coming by Vanessa Miller

Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband and beautiful home, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty her entire life and has three children by three different men. After learning that Kenisha has inoperable cervical cancer, the relationship between these two women becomes a catalyst of hope, leading them both to a place of redemption and healing.

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (November 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426707681
ISBN-13: 978-1426707681

Kenisha struggles to raise her three children alone, with little/no help from her children’s fathers or her biological family. She is sick of doing everything alone and is stunned when a friendship blossoms with a woman named Deidre, the principal at her son, Jamal’s, school.

Kenisha needs help even more now since she’s been diagnosed with inoperable cancer. She’s dying and before she passes away from this God-given earth, she must find suitable parents for her kids.

Kenisha goes through a lot of drama and turmoil as she goes through the process of having the deadbeat/incarcerated fathers of her children to sign away their parental rights, giving her the freedom to assign adoptive parents to her offspring.

This story also shows how Kenisha struggles to come to terms with her illness as she questions God and salvation. Does heaven really exist, or is it some fantastical place that people liken to fairy tale stories?

Deidre is also struggling with her own problems. Amidst her new friendship with Kenisha, she’s still holding on to the guilt of keeping a deep, dark secret from her husband. If he discovers why she hasn’t been able to conceive, then her marriage may be over. Deidre and her husband are Christians and they call upon the Lord to help them with their childless plight. Would adoption be the answer that they’re seeking?

This book was a really sad tearjerker. I do think the story is powerful and the message is extremely deep! However, if you should decide to read Vanessa’s book, be sure to have a box of tissues beside you…you’re going to need them.

I’d like to top off this blog post by stating that in spite of the sadness in the story, the ending is bittersweet and will make you smile!

I’d like to thank Abingdon Press for providing the review copy to me. This book will be released November first.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lady Jasmine By Victoria Christopher Murray

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Lady Jasmine by Victoria Christopher Murray

***Note, I consider this a great book with a church setting, moreso than an inspirational novel.

Juicy Jasmine Larson Bush is at it again — battling her past in order to save her future.
With her own lies, she nearly destroyed her marriage to Pastor Hosea Bush. Why, Jasmine was forced to reveal every secret she’d ever kept from her husband, right down to her real age, weight, and shoe size! She thought she had told Hosea everything.

But when Jasmine is blackmailed with a terrible truth from her past that she “forgot” to tell Hosea, more than just her marriage is in jeopardy.

Surprisingly, her first instinct is to tell the truth. Jasmine knows, however, that this is one part of her life that can never be exposed. Determined to keep the life she fought so hard to save, Jasmine is willing to commit any sin — even murder — to leave her past behind her. No one can know the truth about the First Lady of City of Lights at Riverside Church. No one can know that beneath the veneer of a redeemed Christian wife, there lies a sinner — especially not her trusting husband.

When Jasmine Cox Larson’s past comes back to haunt her, in the form of anonymous letters, she wonders what’ll happen to her marriage. Will Pastor Hosea stay married to her when he discovers that she used to be a stripper? When her father-in-law is shot, Jasmine’s husband, Hosea, steps up into the pulpit to fulfill his role as pastor. However, there are those who want Hosea out of the pulpit for various reasons and Jasmine finds herself on a mission, trying to figure out who’s trying to blackmail her and why they’re trying to do it. In the meantime, she’s enjoying her role as First Lady and wants all of the congregation to address her as Lady Jasmine.

I enjoyed this book and like most of Victoria’s novels, this one was a page-turner. My only problem with it was that I wanted to shake Jasmine and get her to stop lying so much! I wished she’d learn to stop lying all the time to cover herself! The characterization of Jasmine is very effective because she’s been through several novels – this is something I don’t see authors do very often, use the same character – as the main character – for several books. Usually when I see the same person in several books, they’re only the main character in one book and then they may be a secondary character in other novels. Having the same main character in several books shows that the person is very well-developed and you feel as if you know them well. Great job in effective characterization.

If you like edgy books in a church setting, then this one is for you.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Wonderful Review For Chesapeake Weddings!

Interview And Book Giveaway For Author Sherryle Kiser Jackson!

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Today I’m hosting author Sherryle Kiser Jackson on my blog! After you’ve read the interview and book summary, leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for her book! I’m giving away two copies!However, you must make a comment about something you read in Sherryle’s interview or in the book summary to be entered! If you don’t, I won’t enter your name into the drawing! I met Sherryle about a year and a half ago at a booksigning event in Baltimore and she’s a nice person and I’m glad to feature her on my blog today!

1. Your book deals with the issue of a single mother raising her teenaged son alone. Do you see this situation a lot within the school system? Did you choose this conflict because it affects so many women today?

My characters, and the circumstances they find themselves in were very real for me. I tried to portray a busy, hardworking single mother who must look for resources within the “village” to help raise her teenaged son. She has been “holding it down”, but like many mothers she began to loose touch in the hustle and bustle of life. Deidre, my main character, like many mothers, gets that inevitable wake up call when her son starts to get in trouble in and out of school.

If it takes a village to raise a child, ideally the father should be fall among that village. I think I also show the very vital part the father plays in the life of his child even though he and the mother may no longer be together.

2. Can you share your publication journey with us? How long were you writing before you secured a contract with Urban Christian and did you have to obtain a literary agent before submitting?

My first novel, Soon And Very Soon was published in 2007 by Urban Christian, but it took over ten years to get it to publication. At that time, it was a shell of what it is now. In my zeal to get it published I shopped it around to traditional publishing houses. I knew nothing about target markets or the genre of Christian Fiction. I received a lot of rejection letters. Some I still have to this day. In retrospect, I know I was blessed in that process. I have some of the best rejection letters! Some said the narrative was flawed, characters were underdevolped, but most said the storyline itself, about two pastors that marry and combine churches, was promising. After licking my wounds for awhile, I had a trail of breadcrumbs to follow, especially when I bought a book called, Temptation by Victoria Christopher Murray. I knew that there was a market for my book. I joined a fabulous workshop of writers that met twice a month at Sisterspace And Books when it was located on U Street in D.C. and I got to work on the story. I sent it off again around 2003 and signed with a major publishing house that held up the book for two years then dropped it from its’ roster before publication. Finally a friend of mine attended the Hurston Wright Conference in DC and in her networking found out information about a new imprint devoted to Christian Fiction under the Urban Books umbrella. She gave me the information in 2006, and I submitted my manuscript. Shortly thereafter, I signed a two book deal for Urban Books/Urban Christian/Kensington.

Wow! I can certainly understand all that you went through! I also read Temptation by VCM and it’s a great book! It’s hard for writers to deal with rejection, especially when it appears that a contract is being granted by a publishing house, and then it falls through! I kind of know what that’s like because I had a similiar experience years ago!

3. You are a teacher who is married with children. How do you balance your writing time and working hours with your family duties?

Do I balance it? It is crrrrraaaaaaazzzy! Despite my “day job” and family, I am in that place where one book is on the shelf that you want to move and publicize, one book is set to come out in less than 6 months that you have to ramp up, and one book is in my Brain that the editor is waiting for me to get down in electronic format. I don’t know if you ever balance it. It is daily prioritizing because multi tasking is an illusion for me. I don’t do that well. I have to concentrate on one thing at a time.

Tell me about it! I can certainly understand how hard it is to prioritize your book publishing duties along with your work and family! It’s hard!

4. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Victoria Christopher Murray writes fiction with a beatiful mix of inspiration and pure entertainment.
Pearl Cleage writes so intelligently. Her characters are intelligent and introspective and real. Sometimes writer’s create fantasy characters on the extremes of life. She writes from the SOUL.
Terry McMillian set it off for me. No one writes dialogue like she does. The voice in her pieces have their own cadence, fast pace, gritty and real.
Eric Jerome Dickey writes hot, blood-coarsing, page turning adrenaline.

Yes, I’ve read all of those authors except for Pearl Cleage (I’ll be sure to check her out.) I also believe Terry McMillian set the stage for more African-American authors to get published!

5. What’s your favorite scripture?

Wow, there are so many. I am so thankful for my home training in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School because verses will come to me when I am writing and I go back and study. Romans 8, the whole chapter, is particularly special to me. Like John 3:16, it reminds me of how special I am to God. It reminds us that we are joint heirs with Christ and that he predestined, called and justified us for a purpose. Read it; it’s good stuff!

Yes, John 3:16 is one of my personal favorites, too! Okay, here’s some information about Sherryle’s book! Read it and then leave a comment to be entered into the drawing!

The Manual by Sherryle Kiser Jackson

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Urban Books; Original edition (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601629354
ISBN-13: 978-1601629357

Need a manual on raising children and having healthy relationships? Refer to the Bible. That’s what Deidre Collins’ inner spirit is telling her to do now that Andre, her son’s father, is back in town after deserting them eight years ago.

At fourteen years old, her son, DeAndre, is struggling with his own issues peer pressure, problems at school, and fi guring out how to navigate his first crush. When DeAndre gets suspended from school for ten days, Andre sees it as the perfect opportunity to get to know his son—and to get closer to Deidre. Can this couple overcome the past for the sake of their son’s future?

It was nice having you on my blog, Sherryle, and everybody, don’t forget to leave a comment for the book drawing! You also need to leave an email address so that I can contact you if you win!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Mom’s The Word By Marilynn Griffith

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Mom’s The Word by Marilynn Griffith

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill (January 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373786417
ISBN-13: 978-0373786411

When her tall, dark, delicious husband joins their three kids in calling her “Mom,” Karol Simons has an identity crisis. Sure she loves the pint-sized trio, but what’s happened to her dreams of writing a novel? Determined to have it all, she turns to her neighbor for help.

Dyanne Thornton is thrilled to stand in as Mom for three weeks so Karol can write. Bursting with baby fever, the career-woman trades her glamorous clothes and four-inch heels for the playground and potty training. She hopes to convince her reluctant husband they should start a family of their own, right away.

Everyone’s in for some big surprises….

This book was a refreshing read that took me back in time – back to the days when I was growing up and we were close to our next-door neighbors. Karol misses her best friend, Hope and Hope’s husband, Singh. Their former next-door neighbors and their tribe of children have moved away leaving Karol mystified and sad. Their new neighbors, Dyanne and Neal, are quite different from their old neighbors. Dyanne is a career woman, and she fancies herself as a future mom, only if she can convince her husband that it’s time for them to multiply.

When you add Fallon, a mature eccentric author, into Dyanne’s and Neal’s household, the story becomes even more interesting.

Karol is facing a crises – she wants to write her book but has no time since she’s a full-time mommy. Dyanne wants to try her hand at motherhood so she steps in, offering to help Karol and her family while Karol takes a vacation from being a parent so that she can finish writing her book.

Both couples find their marriages in trouble when Karol discovers the real reason that Hope and Singh left and Dyanne and Neal face their own problems especially when Dyanne continues her quest for pregnancy.

I recommend this book if you want a good, insightful, refreshing story that you’ll read pretty quickly. The characters are quirky, but realistic and I believe lots of people could find something in this book that they can relate to.

I haven’t gone off on a tangent like this for a book review in a long time, but this novel got me to thinking about my childhood. We were close to our next-door neighbors when we lived on the military base. I recall playing at each other’s houses and I remember my mother being friends with the mom who lived next door. I remember she was a large woman who wore glasses and she had a loud voice. When she laughed, she threw her head back and opened her mouth so wide that I could sometimes see her tonsils when she was laughing about something! I remember their names, but not sure if I should post them here! I did look up the boy on Facebook and I think I found him! I’m not sure if he’d remember me if I contacted him, though!

The reason why I have fond memories of next-door neighbors is because it’s something that I have NOT experienced as an adult. After getting out of college and working full time, living in apartments and houses, I just never really connected with next-door neighbors the way we did while on the military base when I was a kid.

Are you close to your next-door neighbors? Do you think people are close to their neighbors nowadays, or are people just too busy working and living their own lives to develop close relationships with people in their neighborhood?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Secrets And Lies By Rhonda McKnight

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Secrets And Lies by Rhonda McKnight
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Urban Trade Paper; Original edition (December 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601629400
ISBN-13: 978-1601629401
Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of poor communication and neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.
Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?

In her debut novel, Secrets and Lies, Rhonda McKnight delivers unforgettable characters and page-turning drama about a couple whose troubled marriage is pushed to its limits amidst secrets, lies, and an enemy set on revenge.

Cardiologist Jonah Morgan is a workaholic – he neglects his wife and family as he struggles to save the lives of children. One young child comes into his office in need of a heart transplant. Jonah knows he has to save this boy – he reminds him of a lost loved one from his childhood. He struggles with the ghosts from his past, burying his pain and heartbreak by drinking alcohol.

Jonah’s wife, Faith, feels that she can’t trust her husband. He’s never at home, and she feels like a single mother as she spends time with their children. However, when crank phone calls become a regular factor in Faith’s life, she wonders if her husband has found himself a mistress.

When Jonah’s job is in jeopardy, he wonders why these things are happening in his life. When Faith discovers her husband’s childhood secret, their marriage crumbles – what other secrets and lies could Jonah be hiding?

I really enjoyed this story because the characters and situations were so realistic! You’ll keep turning the pages, wanting to know what happens between Faith and Jonah – will they be able to save their relationship?

This book focused on very realistic problems that couples face in a marriage. Secrets And Lies will also make you stop and take a look at your faith in God. We need to learn to trust Him with all of our problems instead of carrying the burdens on our own. When you do that, the burden just gets heavier and heavier, slowly affecting your own life, as well as the lives of your loved ones.

~Cecelia Dowdy~