Book Reviews

Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier & More Resilient by Valorie Burton / 199 pages. Read in 15 days

2013-09-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

This book is not only a quick read but also a smart read. In this book, you can learn more about yourself as a woman. The chapters in this book were actually labeled as habits. Clever idea by the author! In the introduction, you can find a comparison chart titled “Successful Women verses Unsuccessful Women” and what to expect from the stories you will read in the book. Those stories will come from women who have been in situations every other woman have found themselves stuck in when it comes to finding happiness and success. The most surprising thing is that these women express their happiness for where their life is currently. Next you will find a chapter titled “Seven Key Decisions” that women should apply to their thinking while reading this book. Outside of the introduction and conclusion, you will find nine habits that will divulge into your psyche and take your thinking to another level. You can find habits’ teaching women how to believe in themselves, get off the hedonic treadmill, letting go of fixing your weaknesses, preparing for life battles, toning down your overabundance of wanting it all right away, and how to collaborate as a successful woman. This book also includes a few bible quotes that can help to strengthen your spiritual thinking as well. At the end of the book you can also find a coaching guide that gives 8 tips on how to become healthier and happier than you have ever been.

Game Over by Winter Ramos / 248 pages. Read in 36 days via Nook

2013-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

This book can be considered a “tell-all” like every other girl’s book in the world of love and hip hop but it wasn't It was a story that kept getting interesting by the sections. The way Winter decided to tell her story was not by blasting those she slept with in the industry but more by telling how she honestly met these hip-hop moguls and became a natural breed of the hip-hop game. At the age of 16, Winter was a former house member of the now infamous “JR Mafia House” a place where you can see upcoming artist just hanging out on a daily basis. This house was located on Atlantic and Saint James in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY and it became a very popular for some of the most famous artists like “Biggie, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, Foxy Brown, and Lil Cease”. Winter started off with trips and how she met so many people. Early in the book she revealed her true love for a local guy from around her way name Smiley. Smiley gave her the world and she looked forward to everything he did for her because she never loved anyone else like him. When she lost him, her world and meaning behind love became cold, like her name WINTER. As expressed through many chapters in the book, Winter never set out to date and love every person she met in the entertainment industry. However she did what most women do when the opportunity arises, she slept with them but after loosing Smiley, she was not into finding love during most of these sexcapades. Although she became well known throughout the hip-hop industry and have admitted to sleeping with Swizz Beats, Young Berg, Damon Dash, Rafer Alston, Ja Rule, Slim Thug, Jadakiss, Dorrell Wright, and more…she made it clear that she did not sleep with everyone that crossed her path. She even revealed how there was a time when Jay Z was interested in her but she chose Damon over him and admitted in her book that she always felt like she chose the wrong one and she could have been “The Beyonce” in Jay’s life now.

Besides spilling the juice on her personal relationships, Winter also went into details explaining how rocky her business relationship was with the rapper Fabulous. She revealed things from how he only paid her 300.00 a week, even when his career skyrocketed to the highest it had ever been to how she walked out on him during a video shoot due to some disagreement about him not bringing a change of clothes which ended their business relationship. The book ended with the details of her shaky relationship with Jadakiss and how he was not in support of her doing Love and Hip-Hop.

This book may be pegged as the next “tell-all” of a vixen but the difference is Winter had a real styling career and has been able to maintain that today. You can find her now working with on movie sets as a stylist. Her story will change your mind about her intentions for sure!

Real Wifeys: On the Grind by Meesha Mink / 257 pages. Read in 30 days

2013-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Kaeyla Dennis was born into poverty. All her life she dealt with being broke, wearing raggedy clothes and being the laughing stock at her school. When her mother left her with her grandmother, Mama Bit, life was far better than it was before but she still found herself to be poor, hungry, wearing old/torn clothes and shoes. There were times when she would have to avoid going to school by playing sick because of being teased or running into girls that talked about her at the bust stop in fear of her life. So the day she met Damion “Dyme” Gunners, 23 years her senior, her life changed and her name too. She became Goldie to him and many others for her gold highlights and eyes. Dyme became her world and for six years he laced her with everything she never believed she would have, including a car, clothes, jewels and a rent-free apartment in the same projects as Mama Bit’s. Mama Bit has been pissed when she first learned of the idea but now that she has passed on, Kaeyla somehow still feels that she disappointed her grandmother by sleeping with a married man and dropping out of school. Although Goldie dropped out of school, she still feels that she is doing way better than most 22 year olds. Through the six years she has been with Dyme, he has always promised Goldie that he would leave his wife and marry her and she believed this story for as long as she could until Dyme’s wife rolled up to her crib to prove otherwise. Dyme had just got finished proposing to Goldie and while they were in the middle of their love making session in her apartment, his wife Freida was honking the horn & screaming her husband’s name downstairs putting on a show in the middle of the winter in front of everyone in Goldie’s projects. With the snow on the ground, it did not stop Goldie from going out there with no shoes on to show her new engagement ring off. She thought finally this is the time to show Freida that Dyme is now her fiancé! Goldie figured just as Dyme was serious about saying he was leaving his wife for good this time, Goldie was serious too about making sure it happened with showing proof of her engagement ring. However, things took a turn when Dyme played the victim and decided to take his wife’s side and deny everything they had been through in the past few minutes to six years, the engagement, two abortions, etc… Goldie was pissed and decided to charged Dyme from the back, he immediately threw her off his back and she fell into the snow for everyone to see and laugh at while Dyme walked away with his wife.

After a few weeks of depression, Goldie decided to hustle at whatever she could. She became the “go-to” girl for movies, clothes, purses, CD’s, everything you can name. That lasted until a bad deal caused her partner to get arrested. Back at square one with all her money in the recent deal gone, she had to find yet another solution because she was determined not to go back to Dyme. She managed to do a few odd jobs but nothing lasted. Goldie eventually became successful again with starting a stripping business but things got even better for her when she was given the opportunity to take a few of her high end strippers on tour with her to do open acts for the rapper, Make$. But this too was over before it really got started and Goldie was violated but like all abused women, she still came out on top living in a high rise apartment in a new city. This book is one story you will always remember!

Ask Wendy by Wendy Williams / 287 pages.

2013-06-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Wendy Williams is a woman who holds nothing back! She speaks what she feels and she feels what she speaks! She is admired by many and hated by a few! Regardless she gives her fans what they look for on her daily talk show called “The Wendy Williams Show”. What her fans love the most are her true answers that are valued by her guests. Wendy can be asked anything and she will give it to you straight with no chaser. In this book, she enjoys answering her fans questions. Since there is no time limit on how much can be said in a few minutes, she takes time to allow her fans to ask just about anything! This book has been dubbed as a place where “No question is off-limits and no situation is too outrageous for her to take on”. Although some advice can he hard for those asking the questions to hear, she tells it to them the realest way she can without hurting their feelings. Wendy wanted to create something that could give her fans and readers advice to cover any dramatic situation everyone goes through. For example, some questions asked in the book are: “My husband is always commenting on how hot the babysitter is. Should I be worried?” or “Should You Forgive A Cheater?” Each chapter begins with Wendy’s personal story behind the chapter title. Each chapter includes the following but in different orders, following Wendy’s personal story, then it goes into a few questions from the fans with similar situations, the “Hot Topic” section where you can review other questions asked on the show; a “How You Doin” Quiz to help you remember points from that particular chapter and the answers to the quiz and an explanation for each answer. Lastly, there is “On No, He Didn’t” or a “Oh No, She Didn’t section and Wendy’s Final Word to make sure her audience and readers are understanding everything they could about that particular question and chapter.

This book has 13 chapters and a heartwarming conclusion to her readers. Her Chapter Titles vary from “Girlfriend/Kid/Family/Work Drama, Mama Drama to Between the Sheets Drama”. In her conclusion she explains that if everyone who reads her book does not agree with her, then don’t hate her because of that, she is simply just a woman from New Jersey who is not perfect. This book is good for anyone looking for answers to a lot of life questions!

Harlem On Lock by Karen Williams / 249 pages. Read in 48 days

2013-05-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

This book was the best of the year thus far. Karen Williams knew what she was doing when she created yet another good read. The book was one that took days to read over and over because it was too graphic to be a quick read. There were days when the graphics was too real that a break was needed. This book introduces Harlem, a young 17 year old beauty who knows nothing but hard times. From the day she was born in Harlem New York her luck was shot. Things really got rough when she moved three days after she was born to California. She had no idea what her life was up against. From the moment they settled outside of Los Angeles in the projects, the drama began. Her mom Aja was a very talented jazz singer but her addiction to heroin won her life over. Her dad Earl wasn't any better. Their addiction has put Harlem in the hot seat many days and she was left to fend for herself. There were times when she would be forced to use her hands to please her landlord to keep them from getting kicked out. She even had to strip to pay back her parents debts to local dealers. Once her mother was lost her battle to heroin, her father took things to another level by raping her, then pinning her down to a bed for weeks while he charged the local’s to come in and have their way with her. This went on until the head honcho in the drug world, named Chief found out and took Harlem in for herself as his main boo. He started out showing that he wanted the best for her but eventually, power and drugs got the best of him and he begin to also take advantage and embarrass Harlem in front of everyone he knew. Chief tried his hardest to ruin Harlem and give her more hell than she was born into with her own parents. This lasted for years until Harlem finally stood up to Chief and made him pay for the misery with his life. In the end, Harlem walked away with her true love and learning about her real father.

Harlem On Lock was definitely a fulfilling read and worth taking the time to read!

Fail Up by Tavis Smiley / 263 pages

2013-04-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

This little guide is a short read for those who want to learn 20 quick lessons on how to build success from failed experiences. He notates throughout the book valuable lessons he learned from his own failed experiences, including those that took place in his personal and professional relationships. His chapter titles range from discussing how Cheaters Never Win, Do Your Homework, A Pink Slip Can Fire You Up, Save Space For Grace, Keep It Tight, Get Ready To Be Ready, Power vs. Principle, and When Everybody Turns Against You”. One favorite title was: “Loose Lips Can Sink Ships”, which he explained as learning how to mind your own business. He quoted at the end of that chapter “There are 24 hours in a day—12 hours to mind your own business and 12 to leave other folks’ business alone”. There is something everyone can take from that message!

There are 20 chapters and each chapter gives Tavis’s Takeaway that can help for future references. The book also includes various pictures of him and his family or on his journey to succeed. You can even find a picture of him and Bill Clinton in the White House. Tavis is the author of several other popular books including “How to Fight for What You Believe—and Make a Difference and “Keeping the Faith”. This book is great for learning quick success.

The Reason Why by Vickie M. Stringer / 291 pages. Read in 20 days

2013-03-25T01:09:00.000-07:00

The long waited arrival of Chino and Pamela’s hook up has finally dropped and made it to our review line. We all know how Chino and Pamela love story ended but we never knew how it started! So, in this story you get to read first hand of what really went down with Chino and Pamela’s relationship. This story starts off with how Pamela met Chino at the Waffle House in the summer of 88’ when he dropped his Ruger P-89 in her purse. Pamela’s initial reaction was to flip on this dude for even thinking she would take a case for him but Chino was smarter than that to let this young beauty catch a case. He knew that there was no chance the cops would even check her for a weapon so he knew this would blow over. However, to save his own behind, he did not take any chances! That moment was the beginning of Pamela and Chino’s ride or die relationship! Chino did what it took to prove to Pamela he was thankful for her covering for him. He spent as much time as he could try to get her attention and win Pamela over. Eventually after a few months of spoiling Pamela, Chino slowly but surely talked her into quitting her job at the retirement home and months later he convinced her to move out of her dorms to be closer to him. With many more promises that he would always be there to take care of her, Pamela eventually quit school to run her brand new salon, L O Quent, bought and partially owned by Chino. Life was good for a good minute until Chino was caught on another person’s turf in a shoot-out and sent to prison, at that moment everything changed for the two. Pamela was left to run all of the businesses and although she became very lonely she vow to never leave or cheat on Chino but that did not stop Pamela from hanging out with her classmate Erik from time to time. When Chino’s got word of this while he was in prison, he completely turned cold on Pamela and accused her of cheating. Chino tried on several occasions to forgive and believe that his Pooh would never cheat on him but deep down inside he could never find it in himself to forgive her, even after he was released from prison. The story ended with Pamela and Chino fighting, then it was a shooting, someone eventually got married and then a baby arrived. As always, Ms. Vickie M. Stringer brings the heat in her novels! This book was no different!

One Taste by Allison Hobbs / 181 pages. Read in 1 day

2013-02-25T01:10:00.000-08:00

One taste is a very short read but worth the time. This story is about Regina & Matt Wheeler who was once high school sweet hearts and an example of what you call a perfect couple. But when they lost their son Devon, who drowned in a nearby creek, their marriage began to crumble. Prior to loosing Devon, Regina and Matt did not have an exciting sex life but now ten years later, they are still hanging on to their marriage but by a very thin line. Regina is first to say that she is in a passionless marriage and that she is no longer sexually aroused by her husband. Regina always felt there was something wrong in her marriage, however she thought time would eventually change things between her and Matt. On the other hand, Matt has always had his own issues sexually, like ejaculating prematurely but he chose to ignore it and find sex with one of his employees, Onika, who is not really into him but enjoys the benefits. Once Regina gets a whiff of this, she seduces one of Matt’s other employee, Cochise, who not only ends up being her boy toy but also her in house lover. In the meantime, Matt is being sent to jail for drug trafficking and possession of an illegal firearm, thanks to Onika, who sold Matt’s van for a few hours to her drug supplier (Nazier). Nazier left the crack and a gun in the van, so Matt found himself fighting a case alone but there is a chance he can have the charges dropped if Onika steps forward and tell the truth. If you are looking for a good quick book that still brings twists and turns, this would be it!

Low Down and Dirty By Vickie M. Stringer / 309 Pages. Read in 67 days

2013-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

This fourth book to the Dirty Red series can be better labeled as a Quadrilogy or Saga, however you prefer to label it was yet another successful read. Ms. Vickie M. Stringer did it again! This book started off with Red living it up in her 2 million dollar home in Scottsdale Arizona. She finally thought she had escaped everyone and everything back in Detroit, including Detective Thomas (the cop she set up for rape) and Jerome (her mother’s boyfriend who physically violated her as a child). There was only one person she had missed in Detroit and it was the infamous Q. Once the love of her life but after shooting him in instead of Bacon, there is no way he would ever give her another chance. Just as Red was getting comfortable in her hot tub, sipping Cristal, her home phone rang and it was Catfish, he had found her and was at her door. Manipulated to open the door she begin plotting on how she was gonna get away from him. After sidetracking him, Red was able to hit him with the Cristal bottle and then using the same bottle to break his fingers. Once she had the opportunity, she ran out the back door of her 7,000 square foot home and into the Arizona Desert. Red had no clothes, no keys and no shoes, only the bikini she was wearing in her hot tub that day. Red ended up on the run for months, never ever returning back to her home in Scottsdale, where she basically had everything, her stash, account numbers and credit cards. Now on the run through several states, Red is force to live up to her old ways and scam up her some money. The longer Red was on the run and the more states she visited, more of her old demons from Detroit begin to close in on her. With Catfish, Black and Detective Thomas teaming up to catch her, she has more at stake and more bullets to dodge. There was a time in Mexico when she ran into Q and his new wife Chass and although she was happy to see Q, it did not stop her from running. While on the run, she meet several people who helped her take her scamming up a few notches and in the end she walked out with enough money to relocate to New York as Regina Morales. Once again she was back on top with a luxury apartment, Gomez Literary Agency and two Gomez Realty Offices, a personal assistant service for high-profile clients, and her royalty checks from Triple Crown Publication. Even with all her new found success and her new name Red still could not hide long enough to stay safe. Detective Thomas and Black found her in New York and were minutes away from killing her before her knight and shining armor came to save her. Now headed to the airport, Red is once again back on the run but with who is the question!

I Make My Own Rules by LL Cool J / 234 pages. Read in 7 days

2012-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is a very good book for all those who aspire to be actors with the fame and fortune. This book was not only a wakeup call to LL Cool J but also to those who have not been able to see him beyond his success. LL Cool J tells us in this read that he wanted to use this book as a platform to heal himself emotionally and spiritually. He wanted to share his story as therapy for him and for those who want to be just like him. As we all know, LL Cool J stands for Ladies Love Cool James. This has been his trademark name since the beginning of his time. Growing up all we knew was LL Cool J, the guy with the sexy big lips that he always enjoyed licking in the public eye. His real name is James Todd Smith, who is a father and husband. In this book, James aka LL Cool J reveals his story of being abused and how he has struggled with getting over this for years now but has finally reached that place where he could get this off his chest and share it with others who are also victims of abuse. He opened up the book with saying this book can be for anyone of all ages and different circumstances besides abuse, he dedicated this book to those who have been misunderstood in the hip hop community, the poor, incarcerated, other races, and youth who face struggles on a daily basis. LL Cool J goes deep in this novel, discussing his family experiences now and growing up, his experiences and prank times on the set of In the House, his touring on the road with his friends and his father who actually got arrested during that time. He also shared how he was partying it up and having the time of his life with a million dollars in the bank and a 15,000 ring that spelled out LL Cool J. That was one of the flyest things about him that everyone remembers from back in the day. In this book he also shares images of his mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, children, wife & their wedding ceremony, him with Run from DMC (not Reverend Run back then), Cut Creator, the former New York Mayor, Quincy Jones, President Clinton, and his mentor Charles Fisher. At the end of the book you can review lyrics from his album “Phenomenon”. This is another great autobiography from one of the best rappers of all times!

Nicki Minaj: The Woman Who Stole the World by Lynette Holloway / 103 pages. Read in 1 day

2012-11-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Nicki Minaj is considered one of the most artistic and unique rappers of our time. This book delves into her discovery, music, and success she’s reached. Born as Onika Tanya Maraj, she quickly became Nicki Minaj, reinventing herself into the star she is now. Nicki definitely had ups and downs. This book started off with how Nicki and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in South Jamaica, Queens at the age of 5. Once she got there, she thought she would only be there for a short period of time but surprisingly to her it turned out to be two years without her mother. When her mother and father finally joined them in New York, dramas for her family had just begun with her dad becoming addicted to crack cocaine. During her teenage years, Nicki Minaj discovered she had talent. Acting was her first love and music was her second love. She tried to succeed at her first love but after one of her last acting roles in a Broadway Play, she lost the passion for it. So she, begin putting her energy into music doing a lot of underground mix tapes for her own music but she was also featured on other’s mix tapes. Recently, she’s been heard her as a second vocalist on songs for Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Usher, Kanye West, Rihanna and David Guetta. Ms. Minaj is known for her glitz and glam but that wasn’t always the way of things. Coming from a dark past, with her father being addicted to drugs, she found comfort and a voice in performing. As a young girl, she sang in her church choir but was overwhelmed with events like that of when her father attempted to kill her mother by burning down their house. Nicki’s story proves that she has earned the respect to be what she stands for now. The best part of this book is that it includes 9 of her song lyrics from her Pink Friday and Roman Reloaded Albums.

Inner Circle by Evelyn Lozada with Courtney Parker / 304 pages / Read in 23 days

2012-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Inner Circle is an intense, drama-filled novel. This book was definitely different from what everyone expected. Instead of a “tell-all” book, Ms. Evelyn Lozada produced the first of a juicy series. This books starts off with a woman (who happens to be name Eve Inez) dating a guy named Chase who also plays for the Los Angeles Leopards. Chase proposed to Eve asking her to give up her full-time job and life in Miami. Eve was dead set against leaving her family and her high profiled life style she worked so hard for but she loved Chase more. Eve Inez finds herself dealing with the hardships that come with being a star athlete’s wife. The book starts five years after Eve and Chase are married. They currently reside in LA and Eve now travels back and forth to Miami still holding on to the same job. This book had so many twists and turns, it was so hard to predict what was going to happen next. In the beginning, Eve and a few others high profiled athlete’s wives (Amber, Jackie, Callie, and Jai) founded the “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” which was created to empower the idea that no athlete, regardless of how rich, pampered, or underhanded he may be, will not get the opportunity to play you and make you feel worthless. The “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” started with the idea of building a brand that speaks “no-non sense accepted here” for the prestige players who enjoys getting over on their wives just because he is a star athlete’s. If a husband cheated, the “Inner Circle: The Wives Association was built to take them down and their jump off’s who would be waiting in the background to get their hands on the money. The “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” also provided financial protection for any of the wives that felt their relationship was going down the drain because of their cheating husbands. Do not get it twisted, the members of the “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” had more drama than a little bit. Amber (Eve’s best friend from way back) husband (Sean) cheated on her with the cook Sa’Myra who happened to be good friends with the Los Angeles Leopards Wives’ Association president Paula Andrews. Paula is also known in this book for sleeping with one of the other Wives Association members, named Jackie. Jackie has plenty tricks up her sleeve and will kick but if she has to just to make herself still relevant as a celebrity entertainment journalist. Ms. Jackie is also sleeping with a spokes model for Tresses Hair Care, named Carmen Garza, who happens to also be sleeping with another member’s (Callie) husband. Carmen gets attacked in her home by an intruder who shaves her head bald, everyone believes it could be Callie but finds out later on that it was done by another woman. Eve who thinks she is saved from all this drama with the perfect marriage to Chase, but soon finds herself caught up in a web of lies too. In the end, Eve discovers that her God’s daughter Olivia (Amber’s daughter) could actually be her step-daughter. Although this book had horrible reviews, it was one that was worth putting on the shelf! Great job Evelyn Lozada, definitely looking forward to this series!

Maintenance Man II by Michael Baisden / 327 pages. Read in 30 days

2012-09-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

Maintenance Man II has been just as good as the first book released in 2000. MM II started off with Malcolm no longer with the woman he thought could take him out of the gigolo game, but after 10 years of trying to live the normal life with Toni, he could no longer do it anymore. This time around, he not only has plans to get back into his escorting services hard but also Malcolm has plans to build a franchise of escorting services. On top of that, he is still doing his thing as the owner of Melvin’s but after the shutdown in LA, he is bringing Melvin’s to Miami. A place that was once his stopping grounds but this time he is bringing the entire gang, Simon (his business partner), Ariel (the club manager) and big Mike (the head Bartender). Together the gang make Melvin’s one of the hottest Jazz Club in Miami. Malcolm is happier than ever, he meets up with an old friend Alex who happens to be now engaged to the Florida senator Gary who is only using Alex to raise the Latina/Latino community votes for his run to be the US Senator. This sequel is definitely worth the read! Check it out to find out who is Malcolm’s new ride or die chick, just how dirty Gary and his partner Vincent are, and who are out of the bunch end up dead!

The Maintenance Man by Michael Baisden / 305 Pages. Read in 25 days

2012-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Malcolm is known to many rich women as the man who put the fires out for the hot ladies aka the #1 Maintenance Man. He has told many haters that they are the reason why he is in business. He feels that men who cannot do their job at keeping their women happy keep him employed. Although Malcolm is appreciate of the ladies and their husbands that keep him employed, he is still haunted by the fact that his dad died in a similar position, having sex with another married man’s wife. With that guilt hanging over his head, Malcolm tries to keep his escort work at a minimum and only with high profile clients that are paying the big bucks. Never the less he is still in the game! Malcolm’s friend Simon plays a huge part in this story as well. He is chasing love from a woman that has always cheated on him. Nothing will stop Simon from hanging on to his now fiancée until he finds out from a Private Investigator that his wife has been cheating on him with a preacher. Simon takes matters into his own hands by setting up a teletron at the preacher’s church of a video showing the preacher and his fiancée Cynthia (the news reporter) making out in front of everyone at the church. Ariel, the new introduction to the bunch becomes Simon’s club manager who also has a few rendezvous of her own, including a married man whose wife comes to beat her down while they are at dinner. This book has a lot of other surprises like the number one stripper, Teddy who also owns the dance group Hot Chocolate gets arrested at the club for not paying child support. In the end, Malcolm inherits his mentor Melvin’s Jazz Club and unexpectedly finds a love interest with a professional dancer name Toni, while escorting another rich woman on a date in Atlanta. This is the first time ever Malcolm actually considers giving up escorting for a woman that he thinks may be the one! This book has been read twice and still much worth the read.

Sexual Exploits of a Nympho Part 2: The Relapse by Richard Jeanty / 238 Pages. Read in 19 days

2012-07-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

Just as Tina and Darren thought their relationship was on the up and up, things began to look bad for the two. Darren with no control over his high profile job duties, finds himself working all the time. Tina with a not so demanding job, because she works for her father, she is left to discover her sexual needs all over again. Although Tina agreed to and completed therapy to help overcome her addiction to sex, she never thought she would be given the time to be hungry for it again. In order to not go there again with the sexcapades, she tries to get Darren to see she needs him. Darren stressed about work thinks that she is back to her old sexual needs instead of waiting to be pleased in moderations, like the therapist taught her, decides to ignore it and please when he feels necessary. Since Darren was too bullheaded to notice that this was pushing Tina away, he allowed her to break up for what he thought was a short period of time. Darren felt the pressure of having sex was just too much to handle while his workload is more than he could handle. After a few other sexual encounters later, the two found that they only longed for each other. Deciding to give it a try AGAIN, they make it to the end this time, planning a nice all out wedding for those who had been on this up and down roller coaster with them since day one. BUT does that stop Darren from cheating while in Miami with his home boy a few years later?

Sexual Exploits of a Nympho by Richard Jeanty / 183 Pages. Read in 11 days

2012-06-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Tina is one hot mamma that can’t keep her legs closed for just her boyfriend Darren. Although her heart only calls for Darren’s attention, her private area calls for anyone’s attention that is willing to stick it to her. Tina and Darren decided to attend separate colleges due to different career interests. While away in college, Tina opens up to sexing anyone. By the time college ended, her appetite for sex had grown tremendously. Her addiction to sex becomes so bad that she picked guys up from just about anywhere she lands her body. But when she is questioned about one of her lovers who was found dead, she becomes enticed by the woman who investigates her, Tracey. Thinking back to her wonderful titty sucking and lick-lick session with her college roommate Tanya, she decided to allow her attraction to grow for Tracey. Although Tracey senses the sexual attraction between the two, she doesn’t allow it to interfere with her job. However once the murderer was caught, it was no turning back for the two. Tina surprised at how much she likes Tracey get the ride of her life, literally. After spending so much time with Tracey, Tina still found herself thirty for a normal life with a man. Somewhere along the way, Darren and Tina called it due to the infidelity on both parts but after a year of leading Tracey on, Tina decided to call it quits because she had missed Darren. After he gives her another chance, she vows to have him be the only one to tear it up, if only he can hit it daily.

It’s No Secret by Carmen Bryan. Read in 42 days. 259 pages

2012-05-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

In this book, Carmen and Nas started off with a great relationship, like everyone else in their younger years. They went through all kinds of up’s and down’s with their live-in situations, they even went through two aborted pregnancies before their daughter Destiny arrived and completed their family. After Destiny arrived, things between Carmen and Nas begin to change. Nas was more in demand with his new album release and was forced to be on the road promoting, which left Destiny and Carmen home alone a lot. It wasn’t long before the distance took a toll on Carmen and caused her to fall into a depression. This lead her to a near death overdose but after a night in the hospital and being threatened that Destiny would be removed from her care if she didn’t pull it together, she quickly recovered. Carmen begin turning her life around and finding other things to comfort her while Nas was on the road. Nas was gone so much, he was called “uncle daddy”. This lead to Carmen hanging out more and meeting other guys, especially when she started getting evidence that Nas was seeing other women when he was on the road. Prior to Nas, Carmen was no stranger to the dating game. So, Carmen took the liberty of dating other celebrity men, including Bubba Chuck aka Allen Iverson after he was released from jail and had just signed with the 76ers. Carmen became hooked on that affair for a hot minute but didn’t let it steer her away from Nas too long. Later she met another celebrity but one that was like Nas’s nemesis. That happen to be Jay Z. Jay Z and Carmen started off as very good friends. It was a year before she gave up anything to him and Jay Z was so smitten that he remained consistent until then. As her and Jay Z became closer over the five years they slept together, rumors started getting back about their relationship to Nas. Carmen continued to play it down for as long as she could. Carmen decided to change her focus. She even enrolled in school and just started doing her as much as she could while also spending time with Destiny. Carmen tried to tell herself she was happy with Nas even though he was still gone often. Whenever Nas came home, they argued but they still could not walk away from each other. Even when Carmen moved to LA to start her own life, Nas was right there. They started making the attempt to bring their family back together in Cali. And although Jay Z and Carmen still tried to see each other when they could, they eventually grew a part. This lead Carmen to believe that she just needed to continue to move on with Nas and they soon got engaged to make this official. However, around the second time they attempted to set a date to get married, Jay Z released a song titled “Is That Your Chick” to take a jab at Nas. Now, after five years, Carmen had to come clean about her affair to Nas because of that song. Soon after, Nas came back at Jay Z with “Ether”. This little war went on with Nas and Jay Z for a few years until they ended the beef on stage at a show in 2005. Nas eventually moved on and begin dating Kelis seriously and they were engaged in no time. However, Nas was still obsessed with Carmen and still having sex with her during his engagement to Kelis. He even went as far as asking Carmen to participate in a threesome with him and Kelis and Carm asked him why, his response was “Because Carm, I want both of my b----‘s at the same time. Carmen was disgusted and told him she was not interested. Nas begin to play mind games to a point his daughter was not invited to his weeding with Kelis, he stopped paying Carmen’s bills and car note. Carmen ended up taking him to court and she was awarded child support and back pay for all her bills. Before then, she was forced to relocate back to New York. This book was one of the juiciest reads in a long time. Other pivotal moments were mentioned in the book, like the passing of Ms. Ann Jones (Nas’ mom), the tragic death of when Nas’ childhood friend, Will, was killed. Definitely a great pick but took too long to get off the shelf and read!

Men Love Abuse:The Guide to Losing the Nice Girl Image & Getting the Man You Want by Tionna (Tee) Smalls. Read in 36 days. 149 pages

2012-04-17T17:51:00.001-07:00

Before we even start with the introduction of this book, let me clarify on the author’s behalf that the title of this book refers to “men who love women who don’t play with their a--es, ignore them, and/or dog them out a.k.a treat them like sh--.” Tionna stated in her book that “many people misuse the word abuse and don’t realize that abuse means mistreatment of people, places or things” but for the purposes of this book, she is blatantly discussing the mental part of abuse when it comes to abusing guys. This book is the first release of a Tionna’s collection of small series titled “Pocketbook” Series that will be written about love and life. Due to the clarification, this post is longer than usual but it is worth it.

Now on to the introduction of Men Love Abuse! Ladies, let me tell you this book will definitely help you get on your P’s and Q’s of putting your man in check. The beginning of the book started with an intro on how Tionna became interested in this topic, and then she jumps right into the first chapter on avoiding the “Nice Girl” Image to get your man and basically make a man earn you. She wants girls to across the US to know that NICE GIRLS use to finish first but now days, girls who abuse their men win! Tionna goes on to give several scenarios of how a woman can learn how to abuse their men from the first time they meet, until the day she feels she has finally “wifed” him up. In this book, Tee will walk you through the obstacles of learning how to reject your man’s phone calls, how to act when you are going on the first date with your man especially when they start front ’n like they are not hungry, and how to turn off your emotions and walk away from your dude when it is time. She even goes deep with telling it like it is for women who let their dude’s good looks cloud their judgment, when and how they should be acting when their phone rings while they with their dude vs. his phone ringing, how they should not spend too much time with their men showing them they have no life, and being “Miss I have all the answers” trying to help him and his friends with all their problems acting like they don’t have anything better to do. Tionna advises women to not be available as much but rather stay busy even when you are not that busy because it will prove to your dude that he has to work harder at getting your attention and guys get sprung on girls who show that dudes come a dime a dozen. In fact, she suggests that women take notes from a Hoe’s page on this one!

Tionna basically want women to know that if you want to win your dude, you need to abuse him, not let him think you are always there where he can reel you in and dump you back into the sea when he is ready. Tionna discussed how looking back on your past or living too much will make it hard for you to keep it moving to bigger and better things in life, she states that women cannot use yesterday’s feelings to determine their actions for the future; and women should avoid giving up everything over a snicker bar and a dream, which may be the only thing their dude is shelling out these days. Tionna encourage women to join her “Save the Suck” Campaign as it will help women to stop giving away the suck to their jump-offs like the government gives out food stamps on the first of the month.

Throughout the book, Tionna brought on the fire with her terminology and her blunt statements in reference to learning how to abuse your man. For example, “slores” is defined in this book as “A despicable mix of a slut and whore”; and “mad money” is defined as having emergency money in case you’re a-- gets mad and has to leave the date.” A few favorites were “mindf--ker men” (men who like to f--k you over mentally); and “soul ties” (basically being a victim of getting into a relationship with every guy you have sex with).

She brought on even hotter statements like “sometimes you have to treat these guys the way you treat your toy Yorkies, reward them when they do good and spank that a-- when they do bad”; and “Be a b-t-h and get hitched, that is the only way to live your life.”

This eBook was definitely worth reading over any I pad, tablet, phone or computer you own.

Power & Beauty: A love story of life on the streets by T.I. Read in 60 days. 340 pages

2012-03-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

T.I.’s debut was much calmer than expected. It didn’t rave the drug infested lifestyle that many expected. In fact, the writing style for this novel was phenomenon. The vision behind the story was clear and straight to the point. Although David Ritz was a huge help in creating this story, Tip did a wonderful job at showing his mastermind skills in writing. There were no similarities between this story and T.I.’s life story. The story was about Power and Beauty, who were two children brought together by fate, but kept away from each other because of stubbornness. Beauty lost her mother at an early age and was adopted by Charlotte, her mother’s best friend and the mother of Power. Power and Beauty grew up together in the same household as half-siblings but took a liking to one another the night Charlotte was murdered at Charlie’s Disco. Charlie’s Disco was a place that was directly across the street from where Power, Beauty and Charlotte lived. Charlotte had been the bookkeeper at Charlie’s for the owner Slim, whose real name is Charles Simmons, and known to be one of ATL’s meanest business men. He practically owned half of ATL and stayed partying with fine women on a daily basis. After Charlotte’s death, Slim felt guilty and decided to give Power and Beauty a place to stay within his headquarters. Beauty not keen to the idea, she believed Slim had alternative motives because he separated her from Power. Never-the-less Beauty stayed devoted to attending school every day but locked herself in her new room when she was inside Slim’s home. Power had been given the bachelor pad above the four car garage, where he was allowed to have girls over anytime he liked. As months passed following Charlotte’s funeral, Power and Beauty grew a part and avoided each other much as possible. Eventually Beauty got fed up with Slim and left for New York to finish high school and pursue her dreams to be a fashionista under the famous Anita Ward. Power eventually dropped out of school because of haters. Slim took that as an opportunity to groom Power for his operation, so he sends Power to Chicago, Miami and New York to learn some important life lessons under some very powerful people. Power and Beauty, on their own journey find themselves sharpening their survival skills in order to master life alone. In the end, they find their way back to each other but before they can connect and hug, Power is pulled away from Beauty by a group of men in a dark location. Beauty believed it was Slim behind the kidnapping because Wanda, the family friend, warned Beauty that Slim was was on a war path to hurt anyone he felt was trying to take over his businesses, and Power was his number one suspect.

The street mentality in this story was very sharp and was definitely displayed as a story of survival. Overall, the storyline in this novel was very impressive and definitely worth the read. The book did have its moments where it took a while to follow the story but it ended well and showed there will be a Part II in the making.

Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now by Maya Angelou. Read in 2 days. 139 pages

2012-02-25T21:19:00.001-08:00

This classic book is an insightful one that delves down into the author’s heart and reveals a part of her soul to the reader. Angelou shares her personal experiences to teach lessons on virtue, respect, womanhood, and freedom. From the pleasant, memorable visits she made to her grandma’s, to the low-points in her life, Angelou’s description of these events depicts the essence of humanity. Despite the author’s renowned status as an author and poet she is still human, always learning and growing. In this book, Angelou challenges us to should expand our minds, by exploring other cultures and embracing diversity. Reaching for our goals and taking new directions when we’re stuck on what seems to be a dead end road like Mrs. Annie Johnson, a black single mother of two who managed to own her own store, in the early 1900s. But more importantly, for us to remember that we are all human and within the search for our endeavors, we must settle down, relax, smell the roses and enjoy all that life has to offer.

Grow It: How to Gro Afro-Textured Hair to Maximum Lengths in the Shortest Time by Chicoro. Reading Continuous for ongoing advice. 105 pages

2012-01-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Grow It is the type of manual you want to have on your book shelf when you are learning to grow your natural and or permed hair. Chicoro teaches women how to grow their afro-textured hair bit by bit. Throughout this manual Chicoro uses hair terminology that helps you to understand why you have damaged, dry, brittle hair that has stopped growing. She split the book into three parts, totaling up to 15 chapters. The first part of the book starts with Chapters 1-4 and Chicoro shares her story of how she discovered she had damaged hair and her journey of learning more about her hair. She shares personal hair triumphs and tragedies that helped her discover the skills she explains in this short manual. The second part of the book starts with Chapters 5-8 where she begins explaining "The Grow It Process" and the third part of the book ends with Chapters 9-15 where she break down six steps that helps you grow healthier hair. Chicoro is very knowledgeable of the products one needs to grow longer hair, regardless if it’s growing in a natural state and or permed state. The best part about this book is that Chicoro lists the specific ingredients that one needs to be mindful of when growing healthier and longer hair. For example, she states that one needs to look for protein extracts in your conditioners such as panthenol, silk protein and amino acids, and collagen. This book is recommended for anyone who is looking to get the ultimate length they desire.

Rejoice! Wonderful Women, It’s Wednesday by Trudy Doleman / 56 pages. Read in 1 day

2011-12-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

This book by far is one of the cutest short books ever self published by created space. The book was designed to enlighten women to not allow work issues to get the best of them. The author of this book was inspired to write this book after witnessing a heated verbal exchange between two female coworkers, whom allowed the pressures of life to take a toll on them. In this book you will find motivational letters all written by the author and sent out via email every Wednesday for the past eight or more years. These emails vary in dates, content and size. Prior to the book publication, Ms. Doleman spent her time sending this weekly message to local women with in the community. You will find that this book begins with an email sent out on March 26, 2003 with the very last letter sent out on October 10, 2007. Overall, you will find 32 inspirational letters that have helped women all over the world get through some of the hardest times during their work week. Some letters are religious in content and others are spiritual in mind. The author behind this book has intended for this book to touch any woman’s life who is in need of perseverance.

The Vixen Diaries by Karrine Steffans / 182 pages. Read in 57 long days

2011-11-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

The Vixen Diaries was a semi-sequel to Confessions of a Video Vixen. The book contained a lot of follow up stories from the first book but still introduced a lot of new and interesting stories. Karrine started this book off describing a weird interaction with the Inconoclast (whom is still not revealed but has been assumed through research to be the A-list star Denzel Washington). The Iconoclast and Karrine originally had a sexual attraction that turned into a back scratching blood scene and ended with him on all fours. After that introduction, Karrine begin sharing the highs and lows of being a best-selling author at 26, the struggle to maintaining in a world of fame but also battling self-esteem issues; the life of always feeling unhappy and fulfilled; being blasted by Tyra Banks verses being accepted by Oprah Winfrey; her friendship with Norwood Young; her encounter with Tisha Campbell at Lisa Raye’s wedding shower; and her connection with Gerald Levert. Karrine also shared how her meeting with Jamie Foxx ended before the sex even started, and her friendship with Chris Rock, Eric Benet, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Andy Dick, Johnny Gill, and Dennis Rodman (whom she actually was intrigued by until she spent time talking to him). She also shared a lot of interesting details of her relationship with Bobby Brown, whom she shared a fun but dangerous relationship with when he stayed at her home. Throughout the book Karrine really expressed her true love for Bill Maher (whom she thought was once the love of her life). Of course Karrine went into more details about her newest sexual encounters since her last book, which included revisiting a love affair with an old flame by the name of Ray J (whom was mentioned in her last book) who this time drops a bomb that he is sleeping with Whitney Houston – which Karrine later used it as revenge on Bobby. At this time in her life, other sexual flames included boxer Mike Tyson, an unknown Boy Toy, another boxer Antonio Tarver and a very young music artist called Baby Boy (whom she chose to protect his identity in the book due to his age but has been assumed through research to be the to be Chris Brown).

One of the most heartwarming stories in this book was how Karrine’s son Naiim was taken from her due to an emotional breakdown that lead to cutting her wrist. Karrine expressed how painful that time of her life was while she had to spend nine months fighting the courts to get her son back. As we all read, Karrine has had a very hard life growing up which is justifiable for her previous lifestyle, however she does reveal several life lessons in her book in regards to living like a spoiled brat out of touch with reality due to her good fortune. She also gives great advice on how it is okay to be your mother’s daughter and not get along with her. This was a lesson Karrine had to learn when she traveled back to visit her mom in Tampa. In the very last chapter and very last page, she boldly revealed that her Papa (and longtime lover mentioned in her last novel) was Method Man.

Although this book was drawn out a bit, it was worth the time taking in all the details. In reading this book, you will find that Karrine is very much liked and supported by the celebrities in Hollywood.

Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans / 210 pages. Read in 14 days

2011-11-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Confessions of a Video Vixen was one of the most popular books out in 2006-2007. Regardless of how Karrine Steffans got to the top of her game, she is still one of the most sought after Vixen’s. With no care or caution in her words, she bluntly put it out there. In this book, she shared a very heartwarming story of her life as a young girl, Karrine shares gruesome details of physical, emotional and sexual abuse she endured as a child and as a wife. The memories that she shared give some justification of why she chose the survival techniques she used to get where she is today. Karrine did not plan to make any friends with the wives or girlfriends of these guys when she shared some of the most interesting details that no-one could ever imagine with some of the biggest hip-hop celebrities. The roster of names ranged from Lil Wayne to Jay Z to Shaquille O’Neal to Fred Durst to Ray J to Dr. Dre to Mystikal to Xzibit to Bobby Brown to Usher. Karrine even fell harder for some of the guys she dated that had wives and families, such as Ice T, Ja Rule and Papa who is allegedly supposed to be Method Man but kept as a secret in this book. In this book, Karrine shared her story how she transforms as a Video Vixen is some of the most popular videos like “Hey Papi”, “Between You and Me”, and “Danger”. She also landed an acting role in “A Man A Part” where she secretly sexed Vin Diesel.

Karrine may have been called many things because of the backlash she received from writing this book but she has also been called a great mother, cook, friend and a successful author, something she has not been given full credit for this day.

Bi-Curious by Natalie Weber / 204 pages. Read in 29 days

2011-10-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

This book is written by Carl Weber’s sister in law. Natalie did a very good job with her first series. Serenity is the real bi-curious one in this story. After seeing her sister Carla make out with one of her girls, she became more curious than ever but there is only one problem, she claims to be in love with her High School Sweet Heart Rock Stevenson, whose now in college and known as one of the top college football athletes scouted for the NFL. With graduation on the rise, Serenity is excited about attending school with him in DC. Rock is not the perfect boyfriend Serenity knows him as but she will soon find out. Besides Rock, Serenity has something else on her mind when she does get to DC. She soon learns how to bump Va-JJ’s with the biggest womanizer on campus, whom she first thought was a fine a-- dude but later found out it was a butch by the name of Sadie. Sadie, a big timer who has her own place off campus and into drugs and partying, introduces Serenity to her world. Serenity falls hard for Sadie and begin to dabble into the off campus bi-sexual world too often, kicking Sadie’s main broad Tootsie out of the normal threesome. Serenity is justifying her behavior as enjoying the college life but she still is in love with Rock. Tootsie will do anything to get back in Sadie’s good graces that she agrees to seduce and kill Rock for Sadie. Sadie with a few tricks up her sleeve wants Serenity too herself and no one else, which leaves Tootsie out of the picture and going down for murder. Lucky for Rock, he records the whole thing and when Serenity gets her hands on the video, she attempts to leave Sadie but not without a beat down and a threat on her life. Someone actually loses their life right in the movie production hall.