Mental Silhouette by Renair Amin

sots 2 Comments

Publisher/Date:  Dodi Press, May 2011
Genre: Poetry
Pages:  82
Website:  http://www.renairamin.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Renair Amin’s MENTAL SILHOUETTE comes in many shades of love, pain, anger, and finally, light.

Divided into four colorful sections, the poems found in Silhouette read like a diary of Amin’s innermost feelings and opinions – as an author, spoken word artist and minister.

First is the Red Shadows section, featuring poems about the splendor of love.

My wish is that I will always love you
Even when faces have changed
And presence is no more
That we will revert back to memories of joy and bliss

The darkness emerges in Amin’s Blue Shadows and Black Shadows, including powerful verses about life’s disappointments in people and society. The aches are palpable.

I feel like I am drowning beneath the sound of thunder
You have no clue what it is like to be me
There are times when things swallow me
Times when the gallows be hanging me

THE DEVIL WILL NOT BREAK ME

Ending on the best note, the glow of White Shadows is the brightest. Amin offers the hope and peace she’s found within spirituality. These poems seem her most personal.

As I lie down before you
Penetrate my soul because I
Know what I want
But tell me what I need
Saturate me with unfound knowledge
Humble me into you because I am proud
Strengthen me because I’m weak

In Mental Silhouette, Amin shares her journey through her work, her jewels that allow her to release her experiences and put them into an effort that is moving, to say the least.

Reviewed January 2012

Suite 69: Black Lesbian Erotica Volume II by Billie Simone

sots 3 Comments

Publisher/Date:  AppleTree Publishing, Oct. 2007
Genre:  Poetry
Pages:  61
Website:  http://billiesimone.wordpress.com

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Laden with swagger and bravado, SUITE 69: BLACK LESBIAN EROTICA VOLUME II by Billie Simone wastes no time in telling you what she wants.

That is a turn-on, as are her poems that reveal emotions from a masculine lesbian standpoint. In Simone’s own words, “They come from my mind, my heart, my pussy, and my soul.”

Some of the poems deal with heartbreak, as evidenced with “suite memories,” where a player laments a lost love, while “u say” sees her confronting a trifling lover. And “after da love has gone” echoes the sounds of missing the one you love.

Femmes, if you want a stud talking sweet in your ear, read poems like “mama, may i”, and “I wanna f**k you so bad.” Just try to resist the words of “talk 2 me”, if you dare:

I want your
mouth
to say the
words I need to hear
say them
and mean them…
say them
with your eyes
open wide
staring deeply
into mine

A writer as well as a skilled photographer, Simone is smooth as silk with the come-ons in Suite 69. The poems come from a brash but heartfelt place, feeling as if you’ve entered a stud’s mind.

Reviewed January 2012

3 the Hard Way: Trilogy of Girls Around the Way by Deardria Adri Enne Nesbitt

sots Leave a comment

Publisher/Date:  Gate Way Publishing, 1997
Genre: Romance
Pages:  148
Website:  http://www.thegatewayzone.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The Plot: 3 intersecting stories about New York women are the name of the game in 3 THE HARD WAY: TRILOGY OF GIRLS AROUND THE WAY by Deardria Nesbitt. The first finds music executive CheyAnta fighting for her dwindling relationship and against the advances of a seductress who won’t take no for an answer, and the two women are a distraction from her thriving business. In the second tale, Islande meets up with an old college flame, and residual sparks surprise her. 3 the Hard Way‘s final story comes full circle as CheyAnta finally gets her life in order – in business and in love.

The Good: The tales are lustful and drama-filled…in a good way. The characters are well-drawn, and as the book progresses, details begin to coincide to make a well-rounded novel.

The Not-So-Good: The writing could have been a bit tighter.

The Bottom Line: 3 the Hard Way in 3 words is easy, breezy, and enthralling. Check out her other two novels, Drama and Back in the Day, which continue the series.

Reviewed January 2012

Dying for a Change by Sean Reynolds (Feb. 2011 Pick of the Month)

sots Leave a comment

Publisher/Date:  Suspect Thoughts Press, Sept. 2009
Genre(s):  Mystery, Suspense
Pages:  256
Website:  http://www.booksbyseanreynolds.com

Rating: ★★★★★ 

The year is 1965, the place is Chicago. The streets are hot, not just because it’s August, but because racism lives and breathes with a fierce determination to tear apart any civility between blacks and whites.

In the midst of this is cool-as-a-fan Chan Parker, 33-year-old numbers runner, working her dead-end profession with all the enthusiasm of a broken toaster. With her boyish good looks, she makes much more money than the average Negro, but being on the bottom rung of a mobster operation making its money off the backs of blacks isn’t her idea of a career. As Chan says in DYING FOR A CHANGE, “Prostitution is doing any job you would rather not do, and I was beginning to feel whorish.”

The bright spots in Chan’s life are her 55 black-over-black T-Bird, her eclectic jazz collection, and best friend Henrietta Wild Cherry. A 300-pound drag queen, Henrietta has been Chan’s rock since childhood, and when the lady asks for help finding a fellow dragster who’s come up dead, Chan is hot on the trail of discovering what happened to Miss Dove.

Dying for a Change paints a vivid scene of old Chicago as she and Henrietta track down a killer. In the midst of it all, Chan’s job proves to be a more of a liability while discerning who’s on the right side of the law – and who’s twisted in the game.

Sean Reynolds’ prose in Dying is deftly captivating, and the slang from 1960s Chicago is authentic, refreshing, and a character in its own right. As you read, you’re transported to that time of juke joints and back rooms, a time when being the wrong color on the wrong side of town could mean trouble. Dying is a mystery, history lesson and cool suspense at the same time.  I would have liked to see more romance, but nonetheless, Reynolds knows her genre, knows her people, and most importantly, knows how to tell a fantastic story.

Reviewed February 2011

Be the Sun Again by Teryn

sots 1 Comment

Publisher/Date:  LM Inc., Nov. 2009
Genre(s):  Coming of Age, Self-Love
Pages:  324
Website(s):  http://www.bethesunagain.com, http://www.lmwrites.com

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Where there is love, there is pain, says a Spanish proverb, and that’s the best way to sum up BE THE SUN AGAIN.

It is the story of Cicely, a girl who begins her life damaged by neglect from an unfeeling mother and absent father. She also bears the weight of her attraction to girls and an attachment to self-inflicted pain. Cicely’s only salve is praying, hoping God would remove her from the horrible situation.

In the meanwhile, Cecily finds Brenda, a girl who saves her by simply appearing on her doorstep. Their love of God unites them, and Cecily believes she’s found someone to live for. She and Brenda begin a young love affair, but soon addictions end their first pangs of love.

From there, Cecily flows from woman to woman, using love as a way to nurse her wounds. From the one-night stand with Alicia to Dawn, who showed what love could accomplish, and to the countless women who in some way, commiserated with Cecily’s afflictions. Through these relationships, the cutting becomes a deeper injury than medicine could cure, but she still manages to hold onto God.

After every breakup, God reveals to her what she should take from them. That, I believe, is the message of Be the Sun Again – relying on Him to help show you the way. It took Cecily loving many to finally love herself, and women who read Sun should learn from her. Being a victim is no way to live; finding your purpose is really what God intended.

Reviewed February 2011

The Butterfly Moments by Renee Bess

sots Leave a comment

Publisher/Date:  Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC, July 2010
Genre(s):  Romance, Mature Lesbians, Suspense
Pages:  208
Website:  http://www.reneebess.com

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Who else could craft a story with the suspense of CSI and the drama of The L Word better than Renee Bess?

That’s THE BUTTERFLY MOMENTS, a novel with a mélange of characters who find themselves caught up in one way or another.

The star is Alana Blue, a veteran officer of the Philadelphia probation system. Attempting to make her last weeks before retirement as smooth as possible, she is given the task of supervising Rafaela “Rafe” Ortiz, a probie transferred because of a workplace impropriety. Alana knows she can handle Rafe; what she can’t handle is her attraction to the notorious bad girl.

This flirtation is the last distraction Alana needs. When her last relationship died, she cut herself off from finding someone new, using her job as a way to fill her days and nights. Her career is also a diversion from the strained relationship with her daughter, who blames Alana’s sexuality for breaking up their family.

As if this wasn’t enough, Philly Police Detective Johnetta Jones needs Alana’s help in solving a co-ed’s death. While finding the killer, the two progress to more than just professional relationship.

Johnetta’s heart, also, has been marred by her years on the force, but for Alana, she’s willing to open herself to the possibility of love. But as the pair’s romance blossoms, it may become stalled when Johnetta’s lead on the case point to a person close to Alana.

The Butterfly Moments is a graceful flight into the mind of Alana, to understand her life and occupation, as well as the supporting characters who fold impeccably into this mystery. Bess has always been the queen of slow-building romance, and Moments is as sensual as her others. The ending takes you to a climax you didn’t see coming.

Not bad for a retiree.

Reviewed February 2011

Cyber Case by Nikki Rashan

sots 2 Comments

Publisher/Date:  Urban Books, Aug. 2010
Genre(s):  Romance, Suspense
Pages:  288
Website:  http://www.nikkirashan.com

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Attention Facebook and Twitter addicts: Nikki Rashan has written a novel that will make you think twice before you make that next status update.

CYBER CASE is the tale of two women whose love has been tested by the Internet.

Mortgage broker Jovanna and her criminal attorney girlfriend Melanie have an idyllic four year relationship. Surrounded by wonderful friends, the pair doesn’t think much about the world of cyberspace except to keep up with the people they love and the occasional acquaintance.

That all changes when one of Melanie’s clients, a lesbian named Sunday, contacts her on a mutual social networking site. Jovanna’s not keen on the idea of her woman mixing business with a friend request, but Melanie convinces her it’s strictly professional.

Straight-laced Jovanna isn’t worried at first. She isn’t the jealous type, and enjoys the life they’ve built as a trusting couple. But something changes. Sure, Melanie’s stress is normal when she’s working on a strenuous case; her secrecy isn’t. Melanie’s suspicious behavior – frequently checking her BlackBerry or shutting her laptop around her – raises Jovanna’s red flag.

Could Sunday’s enticing posts be to blame for Melanie’s shadiness?

Rashan’s Cyber Case tracks the ins and outs of how the internet can dissolve trust between partners.  The well-written story sprints to a great build up; by the novel’s close, it ends without a bang. The couple’s friends – all eight – are introduced with complete back stories that aren’t completely finished by the closing stages. Those things aside, Cyber Case is worth the read.

Now…back to your status updates.

Reviewed February 2011

Dangerous Pleasures by Fiona Zedde

sots 2 Comments

Publisher/Date:  Kensington, Feb 2011
Genre(s):  Romance, Erotica
Pages:  288
Website:  http://www.fionazedde.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Fiona’s taken a slightly different path this time with newest novel, DANGEROUS PLEASURES.

This route to love embarks with Renee, a recent divorcée searching for something completely different from the unfulfilling relationship with her controlling husband. His determination to change Renee compels her to want strictly physical relationships – the more anonymous, the better. If only she could convince her parents of that, who want to see her settled with the boy man next door, drab-ass Grant. Yet, her secretive one-night stands are all she needs – until there’s just one she can’t get enough of.

Mayson, Renee’s best friend and owner of a yoga salon, isn’t searching too hard for love either. Her bedroom is never lonely, plus she receives the affection she needs from her close friendship with Renee. Friends since they were schoolgirls, it’s the longest love Mayson’s had. Now that newest conquest, Kendra, is after Mayson, will that change the dynamic she and Renee have had for years?

Dangerous Pleasures has plenty of insatiable bliss. Renee and Mayson’s closeness is the pièce de résistance of Zedde’s tale, comfortable and demonstrative, whereas the conclusion is explosive. At times, though, the steamy exploits, which seem to appear almost every couple of chapters, were a smidgen too repetitive.

That aside, Zedde still delivers what women want.

Reviewed February 2011

Head Game by G.D. Ellington and K.J. Thomas

sots 1 Comment

Publisher/Date:  Saviour Publishing Inc., July 2009
Genre(s):  Contemporary Romance, Street Life
Pages:  275
Website:  http://www.headgamesandmore.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

You can’t be mad at the antics in G.D. Ellington and K.J. Thomas’ HEAD GAME. It’s the way players play in this novel of love, crime, and deception. The thing to keep in mind is that characters are not always what they seem.

Geneta, for example, is a married business woman living a comfortable, but sexually deprived life. Her husband, Steven, is into lights-off, conservative sex. Tired of her needs being ignored drives her to be satisfied by someone, anyone else.

That’s where Kai comes in. The suave stud catches Geneta’s eye, and like most women in Kai’s life, she can’t resist the appeal of a round the way Brooklyn homeboy with street-wise charm and bedroom appeal. The head of a booming entertainment company, Kai isn’t easily swayed by the many women who want a piece of her.

But something is different about Geneta. After a night at the club, Kai is determined to make the voluptuous beauty her woman. Never mind that she’s married. Kai has a plan for that – and it doesn’t matter who she uses, as long as she gets what she wants.

Geneta, on the other hand, is confused by draw to Kai. What does this mean, that she can be sexually turned on by a woman? And what about her husband, who doesn’t seem to care about his wife’s comings and goings? As the women’s affair escalates, the games get much more complicated for everyone involved.

Head Game is a read in one-sitting book. Lavish sex, gender benders, and crazy twists invest the reader until the very last page. More than anything, I’m ready to see what happens next, because I’m sure a sequel is on the horizon. Geneta and Kai can’t end here.

Reviewed February 2011

Making Our Difference by Ericka K. F. Simpson

sots Leave a comment

Publisher/Date:  EKS Books, Dec. 2009
Genre(s):  Romance, Family, Marriage
Pages:  184
Website:  http://www.ekfsimpson.com

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Monogamy isn’t easy. MAKING OUR DIFFERENCE, by Ericka K. F. Simpson, does it brilliantly.

In her third novel and the sequel to In Fear of Losing You, four lesbian couples deal with the ups and downs of monogamy and marriage, illness and faith, and parenthood. The women, united in genuine friendship, are bonded as family also because of the way the world perceives their sexuality.

If you remember Sweets from In Fear, she was the optimistic romantic. Now in new relationship with Janet, a single mother, she has the love she longed for. But as they get closer, Janet struggles with her sexuality while Sweets is left waiting for the woman of her dreams. Will Janet ultimately see that Sweets is the one?

Kat, a reformed player, has settled down with Cheyenne and made a success of her company, The Whole of Delaware. As she builds the 24-hour sports and activities center into a franchise, can she and Cheyenne truly have it all?

Happiness has shed its graces on Lex and wife Ayanna, their life almost perfect with one child and a new baby on the way, until Lex is diagnosed with cancer. Is their love strong enough to carry them through this rough time, especially with Lex’s family in opposition to their marriage?

Lastly, Genius and Ciara had a playful connection before, and are trying to make it exclusive. Will Genius trust her heart to Ciara, who’s been with several before (including Kat)?

Simpson weaves an excellent yarn in Making Our Difference with a well-drawn cast. God plays a big role in their lives, as well, an aspect that blends nicely (not doggedly) with the plot. The alternative ending is also great touch. The only negative in Difference is the excessive clothing descriptions.

That being said, Simpson nails the characters, and that makes all the difference.

Reviewed February 2011