Basketball Jones [Kindle Edition]

E. Lynn Harris (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

AJ Richardson, the hero of Harris's raucous latest, has been the secret boyfriend of NBA star Drayton Jones for seven years. AJ is only too happy to keep their relationship under wraps—after all, with European trips and spending sprees financed by Dray, what's there to complain about? But when gold-digger Judi Ledbetter nets Dray and his fat wallet, things get tricky. Soon, they're married, Judi gets pregnant, and she's gunning to drive AJ out of Dray's life permanently. Blackmail, intrigue and double-crosses round out this fun little romp. (Jan.)
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Review

“There’s nothing like a little love triangle. . . . Steamy.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Harris’s books are hot, in more ways than one.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Harris is a great storyteller who knows how to tug on the heartstrings with wit and sensitivity.” —USA Today
 
“Keeps the sex, scandal and drama churning.” –People
 
“[Harris’s] prose is clean and engaging, the characters compelling, and the plot fast and twisted.” —Seattle Weekly 
 
“Slam-dunk entertainment. . . . A big score for novel lovers.” —Insight News 

 “A story of intrigue. . . . We come to understand why, even in our enlightened time, a pro athlete cannot feel that being openly gay is an option.” —The Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska)
 
“Scandalously entertaining. . . . A look into the glitz and glamour of the NBA.” —Urban Reviews
 
“In true E. Lynn fashion, there’s betrayal, deceit, secrets and of course, sex; all leading to a high-impact denouement.” —Bleu magazine 
 
“Harris . . . create[s] characters that remind us of someone we know. . . . Titillating.” —GBM News 
 
“Since his first novel . . . Harris has challenged and delighted his readers with juicy stories of love, betrayal and the lives of beautiful people. . . . Fast-paced, funny [and] hip.” —Bookreporter


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 205 KB
• Print Length: 258 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0307278670
• Publisher: Anchor (January 27, 2009)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001NLKT5Q
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (116 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,506 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009) is the author of ten previous novels and the memoir What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. His recent novels Just Too Good to be True, I Say a Little Prayer, A Love of My Own, and Any Way the Wind Blows hit the bestseller lists in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other publications. He founded the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now thats what I call a GREAT read!!!, February 1, 2009

By 

PrinceLuva79 "Loves a good book!!" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Basketball Jones (Hardcover)

E Lynn Harris has once again knocked me out with his work! "Basketball Jones" was so good it was hard for me to put it down, and I was sad when I reached the ending!!
Aldridge "AJ" Richardson and Drayton "Dray" Jones have been secret lovers since AJ tutored Dray in Algebra back in college. Dray goes on to have a successful NBA career and AJ is still in his life, as a secret of course. Dray can't imagine his family or teammates finding out he is gay. So AJ goes along with keeping the relationship a secret, even when Dray takes a wife to quiet questions about his relationship with AJ. Aj deals with it becasue he loves Dray and Dray takes very good care of AJ financially. AJ happily follows Dray around the country just to make his "man" happy.
Unfortunately, there is someone who knows about AJ and Dray and they will stop at nothing to either get paid or expose the sordid affair of a married NBA star and his gay lover.
This book is 100 % a must read and a compelling story about love and how far someone will go to keep secrets.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to Like the Main Character, February 16, 2009

By 

Shamontiel L. Vaughn "Message from Montie" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Basketball Jones (Hardcover)

Cons: The best way to make readers feel sympathetic for a character is to make us like the character. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand Aldridge James. Regardless of whether he was out of the closet or not, he was still dating a married man who was on the down low, so whenever he was mistreated, all I was thinking was "So what?" and rooting for the nemeses (and yes, there were several).
There was also a lot of irrelevant talk about Michael Vick and a conversation about "I Love New York" that slowed the pace of the book. I know it was meant to make the book more realistic and have timely conversation, but considering that Vick case is old now, it just seemed like reading last year's newspapers. However, I did enjoy the talk about Obama, although the election is over and he's in the White House now (yay!).
The blackmailers were extremely predictable, and I was hoping that it wasn't the obvious, but it was, so that was rather disappointing. And it took 237 pages and 8 lines down before AJ finally said what I'd been thinking all along.
There was also a heavy amount of snide comments about white women to the point of being tacky (ex. "really tough b***h for a white girl").

Middle Ground: If you're into books filled with drama, scandal, blackmail, fashion, and talk about attractive butts, this is definitely the book for you. I'm not really into gossip so some of it was a little too talk show for me.

Pros: I like the way E. Lynn Harris writes, from dialogue to setting up the scene to the pace of the story. I read this book in two quick days and didn't want to tear myself from it because there were enjoyable parts. Although disgusted by Jade's goal, I enjoyed her outgoing attitude. I liked reading about AJ's mother and sister, and of course the surprise character at the end made me smile a little. I REALLY think I'd have liked this novel more if Dray wasn't married with a child on the way. That part alone repulsed me. I think this would've been a great novel to talk about the problems with gay athletes, and that was touched upon, with Dray's paranoia. For that, I liked the novel, but I didn't like any of that sneaking around DL stuff. It just irritated me. However, there are some topics that are hard on the eyes and ears but that need to be discussed, so for that, I have to give Harris much respect for bringing up these controversial and graphic topics.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars E Lynn Never Fails...Another Classic!!, January 28, 2009

By 

Cory (Philly) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basketball Jones (Hardcover)

I bought Basketball Jones around 5pm the day it came out and finished the book that night. I could not put it down! Basketball Jones is definitely a must read!! E Lynn is such an amazing author and captures the reader from start to finish. Basketball Jones is an intense story of two men in a relationship with many twist and turns

I love how E Lynn novels are the perfect mixture of classy with a raw touch and Basketball Jones is just that. Trust me, this is well worth the money and you WILL NOT be disappointed!! Good Job E Lynn!!

-Cory