Category Archives: Victoria Christopher Murray

Never Say Never by Victoria Christopher Murray

Leave a reply

Never Say Never

Never Say Never by Victoria Christopher Murray

Your best friend has an affair with your husband – could you forgive them?

That’s the question which created the catalyst for this novel. Miriam is grieving – her firefighter husband (Chauncey) has recently died in a fire and now she’s a single mom, forced to raise her three sons alone. She clings to her sister friends, Michellelee and Emily, hoping their love and support will help her get through this difficult time.

She also turns to Jamal, Emily’s husband, for support. Jamal and Miriam share a similar pain. Miriam’s husband, Chauncey, was Jamal’s best friend. The two were as close as brothers, and both were firefighters – so Jamal has lost his “brother” and Miriam has lost her husband. Both need to find a way to get through this difficult grief. They turn to one another for comfort – and that’s when their affair starts…

I enjoyed this story. Like all of Victoria Christopher Murray’s books, it was a page-turning novel, and I thought the characters were very realistic. Although both Miriam and Jamal were grieving, I still felt that they could’ve worked harder to resist temptation. Miriam feels bad about hurting Emily, and Jamal loves his wife. However, he just couldn’t resist the temptation – the grief seemed to make both Miriam and Jamal especially vulnerable.

Honestly, I doubt if I could forgive my best friend for such a deception. I know the Lord wants us to forgive, but…I think it would take me a LONG time to forgive my best friend, if ever.

So, if your best friend had an affair with your husband, could you forgive them?

***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up! :-)

26525EB

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Deal, The Dance, And The Devil By Victoria Christopher Murray

2 Replies

The Deal, The Dance, And The Devil by Victoria Christopher Murray

First Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

This scripture is what ran through my mind as I was reading this novel. Adam and Evia Langston are a happily married couple with three kids. Adam was laid off from his well-paying corporate job several months ago and now the family is struggling to survive. Their savings have been depleted and they’re in danger of losing their home to foreclosure.

Evia works for Shay-Shante (the owner of a mega-hair-care company). Shay Shante makes Evia a deal that’s extremely hard to take seriously. Shay offers Evia five million dollars in exchange for one weekend alone with Adam (Evia’s husband). Evia is floored by this offer and she initially says no.

As the story progresses, you learn about other financial obligations that the Langstons are responsible for, like the monthly stipend that’s paid to Evia’s ghetto family and the funds they have to pay for Adam’s mother who’s now in an upscale nursing home.

I was drawn to this story because it shows how much we can come to depend upon money instead of God. Evia and Adam are a Christian couple but their faith is extremely tested when they’re faced with financial hardship.

You also get a glimpse of how Evia and Adam met and how strong their love was. I don’t want to give spoilers but, money can change relationships. Although having some extra cash to pay your bills is nice, being indebted to somebody can bring a whole set of new problems into your life.

You should read this novel if you want to see a realistic example of how money can mess with a strong, Christian marriage.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? Do you think you could give up your spouse to another person for one weekend for five million dollars?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sins Of The Mother By Victoria Christopher Murray

4 Replies

Sins Of The Mother by Victoria Christopher Murray

**Note, although this book has an inspirational message, it’s a mainstream title.

Have the sins of the mother come upon the daughter?

Jasmine Larson Bush is finally living a drama-free life. She’s left her lying, cheating, stealing stripper days behind and is standing by her husband’s side as the first lady of one of the largest churches in New York City. The Bushes have been blessed with the best of everything—including two lovely children.

But just when Jasmine has committed her life completely to God, her daughter Jacqueline is kidnapped from a mall the day after Thanksgiving. The police and the church community join in the frantic search to find the four-year-old. As the days pass without any sign of her daughter, Jasmine begins to crack under the strain and turns to Brian Lewis, Jacqueline’s biological father, for solace.

Has Jasmine’s past finally caught up to her? Will her daughter be found or will Jasmine pay the ultimate price?

==
This book was kind of hard for me to read since I’m a mom. I wondered how I would react if someone took my child (who is five) away, and I don’t know where he is for weeks? I think I’d react much like the character, Jasmine, in Sins Of The Mother.

Jasmine has lived a sin-filled life. Going through previous VCM books, you’ll see that she’s slept with her best friend’s husband. She’s lied continuously, cheated, whored…a whole assortment of things and now she wonders if God is seeking vengeance
against her by allowing her daughter to be kidnapped.

Jasmine turns to her daughter, Jacquie’s, biological father, Brian Lewis for comfort. Brian looks just like Jacquie and being around Brian settles Jasmine’s mood a bit.

Meanwhile, Hosea, Jasmine’s husband, wonders about the attraction that Jasmine now harbors for Brian. Also, Brian is dealing with his own troubles. He’s desperate to win back Alexis, his ex-wife. His marriage folded because of his sexual addiction, and now that he’s cured, he’s determined to win Alexis back.

This book was a real page-turner. You’ll get through this book quickly as you read about the characters getting through the issues and drama in their lives. It was a very enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to VCM’s next book.

I also wanted to point out that if you like VCM then you should try Rhonda McKnight’s books. Victoria’s page-turning style reminded me of the books that I’d read by Rhonda Mcknight.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lady Jasmine By Victoria Christopher Murray

4 Replies


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~