Customer Reviews

All About Eva

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eva Cantrell meets Donovan J. Dorsey by chance. She is out with her friend and is introduced to him and immediately she is taken in by him. He is handsome, educated and, most importantly, paid. Within a short period of time, Eva discovers that Donovan has no problem sharing his wealth, especially sharing it with her. Eva becomes used to the good life and for a couple of years she lives in the lap of pampered luxury. However, when it is discovered that Donovan may be on the left side of the law, the party ends and Eva ends back up on the south side of Chicago. All About Eva by Deidre Berry tells the story of Eva's rise and fall and her eventual growth.

All About Eva is a page-turner that is filled with details about the high life and the low life. It also shows how easily life can change and that while it is good to be taken care of, one must know how to take care of one's self. I recommend this novel to all who love drama-filled, contemporary storytelling.

The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

Eva Cantrell is a fashionista and socialite because of her well-to-do Wall Street boyfriend, Donovan. She has grown accustomed to the very best material things that life has to offer until one day her life is turned upside down. Donovan turns out to be a thief, goes on the run, and leaves Eva on the other side of the world without a penny to her name or an airplane ticket back to America.

Deidre Berry pens a story of a fall and an eventual rise back to the top. Us as the reader may not connect with the high society lifestyle but at one point or another we have been knocked down in life and had to pick ourselves back up. Because of this, I could not help but cheer for Eva as she has to learn how to depend on herself and make many different choices to put her life back together.

`All About Eva' is a quick, fun read that held my interest from beginning to end. While it is a piece of fiction we can all learn a lesson to apply in our lives about how to be self-sufficient and how to get back up once everyone has turned their back on you. I would recommend this book to others.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes.

Eva Cantrell goes from zero to sixty in a few seconds flat when the Midwest chick turned New Yorker meets eligible and rich bachelor Donovan Dorsey. And so begins their world wind relationship. Eva is whined, dined and quickly becomes accustomed to the finer things in life, a big contrast from her humble upbringing in Chicago . But Eva goes from sixty to zero in the matter of seconds when her world comes crashing down around her after it's discovered that Donovan, unknown to her, has been stealing from his clients. Rich and famous one day, broke and shameless the next, does Eva have what it takes to survive?

Cute, witty and entertaining, I truly enjoyed "All About Eva." Deidre Berry's sense of humor and writing style were both refreshing and welcomed. "All About Eva" is a quick and easy read that I can and will easily recommend to others. Now, I gotta backtrack and get her debut novel, "The Next Best Thing." Four stars...[...]!

OOSA BOTM

A renowned party girl, for Eva, the price was always right. No more checking sales tags, as she popped the most expensive bottles, coutoured it up, and could get into any club she wanted. She was an official `it' girl and didn't mind living her new fairy-tale lifestyle out in the newspapers.

Well, that was until Donovan Dorsey, the love of her life, decided to dine and dash with half of New York's elite and not so elite nest eggs. Broke, busted and holding the proverbial bag, Eva learns that she is homeless, penniless and quite possibly a co-conspirator. When she turns to her so-called friends for moral support, she learns the hard way that the word was used too freely and is forced to start over again from the bottom.

Reduced to the off the rack crowd, Eva packs it up and heads home to the Windy City. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's has rendered her a perfect stranger to Mama Nita, her grandmother. Though she's in need of her love and strength, she's able to connect with her comical family and discovers that family, despite their flaws, is always good for the soul. When Donovan is found, Eva's life is flipped upside down again. It's a choice between quality over quantity. Which will she choose?

`All About Eva' is a crafty, funny and inspiring read. I really loved the story from start to finish. Deidre Berry has created unique characters that you get to watch blossom through the pages. A few editing issues (Hey, I live in Chicago!), but not enough to detract from the story. I would recommend this book to all!

Reviewed by: Crystal
4.5

Like the song says, "she wants to lead the glamorous life, ... without love it ain't much"

Very enjoyable. I like books where the main female character shows major personal growth. Eva got caught up in Donovan's rich and privileged world and lost sight of life's important things like family and friends.

When Eva's riches became rags, she quickly learned that Zoe was not a 'misunderstood' BAP, but a spiteful and spoiled bitch. And, she learned that Kyle and Tameka were her "true friends, thick or thin".

The story flowed easily. I enjoyed reading about Eva's rebound and renewed awareness and appreciation for people, particularly her family.

I was on the library waiting list for nearly a month -- but hey, "All About Eva" was WORTH THE WAIT!

What would you do if you woke up and everything that you know has changed? Well that's what happened to to Eva Cantrell. The fabulous life she lead vanished, like a plastic bag caught in the Chicago wind and Eva went from Louboutin's to Pay-less overnight! What had she done to deserve such circumstances? Has Karma reared her ugly head, or was she the victim of a horrible prank?

Twenty - two year old Eva Cantrell moved to the bright lights and big city of New York, striking out on her own finally realizing her dream of moving from looking out of her window of the housing project she lived in, to looking up at the buildings who's windows opened up to a world where anything was possible; and if you could make it there you could make it anywhere!
Eve, found employment at an up and coming magazine, and with the help of her longtime friend Kyle, she made New York City her home. When a chance meeting at a party Eva and Kyle find a man you only see in your dreams, but she definitely wasn't dreaming! Eva's body was suddenly filled with the heat that ignighted as her eyes looked longingly at all 6 ft 2in of this dream walking and how he fill out his designer suit, but when he took her hand humph! That's all she wrote!

Donovan Dorsey one of 50 most eligible bachelors, was elegant, financially secure, sexy and most of all looking her way. Eva allowed Donovan to sweep her off her feet, she swam in the seas of the rich and famous where price tags were for the financially challenged. Anything she wanted was hers and Donovan made sure she had it all.

But what brought Eva to this point, where now the glamorous life was a song played on the local radio station. Eva's life was now on blast, she was guilty by association, and no one wanted to associate with her! What would she do, how could she recover from this betrayal?

This was an excellent story showing that we all need to have our own in life, not depending on anyone else. It's wonderful to be swept off your feet, but the problem is where you land. Those old school lessons we all know and need to remember, that ain't nothing free in life but JESUS!

Melody Vernor-Bartel
Reader's Paradise
5 Bookmarks

Eva Cantrell exchanged the life of a beauty magazine editor for that of a socialite when she started dating investment banker Donovan Dorsey. Her days were filled with shopping and lunches at high-end restaurants and her nights were filled with parties all over the globe. She was quickly brought down to reality when she was abandoned in Switzerland while on vacation with Donovan. When she arrived back in the States, she discovered Donovan was missing, she had no place to live, all her possessions were gone and her friends had turned their backs on her. With nowhere else to go, she rooms with Donovan's attorney until she can get on her feet and they discover Donovan's whereabouts. These are only the beginning of the troubles Eva faces in ALL ABOUT EVA.

ALL ABOUT EVA is the first book I've read by Deidre Berry and I was thrilled with her humorous style of writing. Her writing flows naturally, making the book a light and easy read. Eva's character came across as real with the flaws of being mesmerized by her lifestyle, the greed associated with it and her gullibility to think it will last. When she realizes it is all gone, she has to rely on her inner strength to get back on top. I would recommend this book to others to indulge, read, and enjoy.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

All about Eva was and interesting read none the lest had you not wanting to put the book down until it was finished. I would recommend it as a excellent (curl up on the couch and get it all in kind of book) as well as a good book club read. Hope this is helpful to you. Thanks.

All about Eva by Deidre Berry
evan is a fashionasta, donovon is a wall street trader. he finds her and falls in love with her. talks her into moving in with him, and he talks her into getting rid of her apartment. she loves shopping and he doesn't mind paying her bills.

eva enjoys her birthday surprise party and afterwards donovon takes her to france, then switzerland. some things don't add up: the fight at her party for one. after he goes missing for 24 hours things become very clear when she uses the phone to call US and finds out he was wanted for embellizament for 1.2 million plus. she did call on a few friends but some just hung up on her. now that shes back in town she goes to get her belongings and finds out she has no apartment now. she also has lost all her clohting on the plane ride back to the states.

Didn't see the ending when they do meet up again, wow!

Eva Cantrell grew up in Chicago as part of a family who struggled to make ends meet. While in New York trying to pursue a career as a magazine editor, Eva is swept off her feet when she meets wealthy, single investment banker Donovan Dorsey. Donovan is quite the catch and has no problem giving Eva anything she wants to make her happy.

With her self appointed "fashionista" title and "Ms. Thang" attitude, Eva is all about spending money and looking like a social butterfly while moving in VIP circles. But she is soon thrown off her high horse when her prince charming Donovan turns out to be the mastermind behind a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme!

Eva is CLUELESS to what Donovan has done and why. Worse, she's left to face the music while looking like his co-conspirator. A barrage of accusations starts flying and doors begin to close right in her face as the severity of Donovan's crimes become clear.

While I enjoyed this entertaining read, there were three character Gwen, Kyle, and Tameka who I felt the author only scratched the surface of their personalities to gave us just enough information on them to make the story work. All three had important ties to Eva as well as their own intriguing personal woes, that if developed could have added more dimensions contributing to a well rounded story.

A rushed ending was evident as the author tried to put a bow on the package. But an excellent short poem by poetess Sharmina T. Ellis called "Eva's Journey" summed up the transitional stages of the main character nicely.

A recommended read.

Locksie
ARC Book Club Inc.