Dating Games : A Novel [Hardcover]

RM Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

RM Johnson, author of the #1 Essence bestseller The Harris Family, returns with a riveting story of love, family, and revenge.

At age thirty-three, Livvy Rodgers is fed up with relying on men and working her dead-end job, so she decides to apply for a scholarship to become a registered nurse. In order to afford school, she needs to move to a smaller apartment -- leaving no room for her twin daughters, seventeen-year-old Hennesey and Alizé.

Though both gorgeous, the two sisters couldn't be more different. Hennesey, a brilliant straight-A student, is soon off to college on a full scholarship. She's in a strong relationship with Rafe, a recently released convict unjustly jailed for drug possession after taking the rap for his old friend, Smoke, who has since become the most ruthless drug dealer in Chicago. Now a free man, Rafe wants nothing to do with his old friends and street life -- especially when he falls for Hennesey.

On the other hand, Alizé, who is perfectly comfortable relying on her undeniable sex appeal, is a hell-raiser. Once Livvy makes her announcement, Alizé is in desperate need of some money. She and her girlfriends come up with an outrageous plan to score some fast cash -- persuading the men with fat pockets they meet at clubs to take the girls to a hotel, and then drugging them and making off with their wallets and jewelry. In a weird twist of fate, one of their first victims is none other than Smoke, Rafe's old buddy from the street. Once robbed, he's bent on revenge -- and the violent chain of events that follow will change the women of the Rodgers family forever.

Emotionally charged and filled with unforgettable characters, Dating Games is an intense and thought-provoking page-turner, exactly what readers have come to rely on from RM Johnson.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Johnson's latest (after Love Frustration) is an urban soap opera of sex, drugs, crime and deceit-and even true love-weaving together the dramatic, if predictable, story lines of various Chicago denizens. Livvy Rodgers, a nurse's assistant and single mother of twin 17-year-olds, is struggling to make ends meet as well as to get over her elusive and bad-hearted lover, Carlos. Daughter Hennesey is a sweet honor student headed for college with a full scholarship; smart-mouthed twin Aliz‚ cares for little but money and sex. Manly, kind Rafe Collins is fresh out of prison for a crime he didn't commit and stuck in a job as an auto mechanic for his old criminal pal, Smoke, who's using the fancy car dealership as a front for drug dealing. Cutting between different points of view-but always keeping a cool, almost journalistic distance from his characters-Johnson charts the heartbreaks and hopes of each of them. Livvy may have finally found a good man in Wade Williams; Rafe takes a shine to Henny but not before Aliz‚ tries to rope him in; Wade befriends Rafe; and Henny and Rafe get their chance but it's a bumpy road, as everyone's lives cross and recross, binding them all together. Livvy's quest to find love and security, Rafe's struggle to escape the clutches of Smoke and make a decent life and Aliz‚'s misguided attempt to steal her way to luxury all come down to a violent denouement. The final chapters strain credibility, but this is a solid drama from well-known author and Essence bestseller Johnson.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This is a great story with a disappointing ending. As a teenager, Livvy has twins and is determined to provide for her girls better than her mother was able to provide for her. Yet she is struggling financially as much in adulthood as she did when she was a child. Her girls, Hennessey and Alize, are as different in personality as they are identical in looks. Hennessey uses her intelligence to succeed and is a studious young woman with a scholarship to college to study pre-med. Alize uses her looks to get by and has never seen the point of spending too much energy on books. Hennessey begins dating Rafe, an ex-con who is trying to do the right thing but keeps running into situations with his old running buddy, Smoke. When Alize puts a plan into action to steal from unsuspecting men with money, she meets her match in Smoke, who is determined to get revenge. The consequences of her caper not only affect her girlfriends but her sister and Rafe. Dramatic and suspenseful. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743244559
• ISBN-13: 978-0743244558
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,049,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dating Games Had Me At Hello!, September 2, 2003

By 

Kimberly Renee (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dating Games : A Novel (Hardcover)

Hail! Hail! RM Johnson has done it again with his new and exciting fifth novel Dating Games. I am giving straight praises for this one. It is a must read, well worth ANY dollar spent. This book was undoubtedly amazing, and it had me hooked from the first chapter. Mr. Johnson has definitely put his foot in this novel, and it is obvious!

The book starts off with Livvy Rogers, single mother of two twin girls; Hennesey and Alize, yes the wild combination of two liquors. And that's just the beginning. Livvy is a hard working, underappreciated nurse's aid who has a strong desire to someday be a nurse herself. She wants to give her two teenage daughters a better life than what she had growing up, if only she can get herself together first, and stop falling into bed with the wrong men and for all the wrong reasons. Livvy tries to instill in her girls the value they hold within themselves, but it's hard for them to see her side of things when they don't understand why she doesn't have that same strength to make her own life better.

The story also opens up to the lives of these two twin girls who are dramatically different in their own right. The oldest of the two siblings is Hennesey, a straight A, straight-laced bookworm, who spends her free time being her mother's biggest cheerleader. She's dressed in baggy clothes, glasses, and all of the other things that would hide a beautiful young woman underneath. Her focus is school. She's planning on becoming a doctor as she prepares to head off to college. Boys and falling in love are the two things least on her list, until she runs into a ruff neck, braid wearing older guy name Rafe;and not only does she shed that soft school girl image, she opens herself up to love.

And love. That's the one thing that fast and sassy Alize acts like she isn't looking for. She so hell bent on being the finest thing in every man's life that she doesn't even think about the consequences of the wild activities she's involving herself in. She's willing to use her body and her looks to get exactly what she wants, and if playing sexual games with Smoke, a notorious and brutal drug dealer will thicken up the pockets of her tight hip-hugger jeans, she's down for the challenge. But when that moment comes and more than her life is at jeopardy, Alize finds herself wishing she never headed down that dark road to begin with.

This book was a serious page-turner. I felt like I personally knew these people. I laughed, yelled, and cried with these characters. RM Johnson made me Fall In Love with each and every one of them. And even when the book was over, I found myself wanting to know what was going on in the lives of these unforgettable characters. I'm still wondering.

I'm telling you, Dating Games is hot...and the characters will leave you drunk with pleasure and no doubt wanting more. Can we please say sequel? ; )

K. Renee

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT THE AVERAGE RELATIONSHIP NOVEL, October 31, 2003

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dating Games : A Novel (Hardcover)

Not your typical relationship novel, DATING GAMES has an extra pinch of something akin to what one finds in a thriller. It's not the same ole, "I lost my man, I want a man, or I don't need a man" seen in contemporary relationship novels. This book focuses on the importance of family, showing how our lives are truly a reflection of those we encounter, and the impact our actions have on those around us. With witty dialogue, unforgettable characters, and a heart-stopping ending, DATING GAMES is sure to be a favorite amongst R.M. Johnson fans.

DATING GAMES starts off with the introduction of thirty-three year old Livvy Rogers, a single mother who wants to be a registered nurse. Livvy has had a rough life and has been very unlucky in love. She is fiercely devoted to her twin daughters Hennesey and Alize, who are as different as night and day in attitude, demeanor, and their goals in life.

Hennessy's love interest Rafe is a recent parolee who is set on cleaning his life up and staying away from those people who could affect his probation. Unfortunately, his parole officer has set him up with a job working with his old buddy Smoke, who appears to be legit on the surface but is still involved in illicit activity.

R.M. Johnson does a superb job in developing his characters so that each one comes across as being a uniquely memorable individual. He also manages to elicit sympathy for his characters, tossing them into unbelievable situations that leaves the reader praying that things will work out. When the lives of these characters criss cross, this novel takes on the type of climactic ending only seen in a thriller. R.M. Johnson does not disappoint in creating conflict and setting about taking the reader on a journey that will change each of the character's lives forever.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of intense action & engaging characters, September 1, 2003

By 

Cydney Rax "rmn1994" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dating Games : A Novel (Hardcover)

Dating Games is nothing and everything you can expect from writer RM Johnson. The novel starts off introducing us to Alize and Hennesey (teenage twins who are opposite in behavior and demeanor), and to their mother Livvy, a frustrated but earnest woman who hopes to become a nurse and try to live a better life for her kids when it comes to her relationship with men.

The action sparkles and pops while reading about the adventures and attitudes of Alize, a hoochie mama with a mouth that takes no prisoners. If she feels it, she's gonna say it, and at times, it's a delight to watch her energetic self in action. Hennesey, smart and ambitious, has her own problems to solve when she meets a guy who is trying to gain her admiration.

For the first part of the book, the story does a lot of build up as other minor yet critical characters are introduced. By the last third of the novel, the action and intensity may have you gripping the pages to see what happens next. RM Johnson takes these characters and puts them through all kinds of conflict, causing them to discover the importance of family, trust, sacrifice, and commitment. The novel is as good as my favorite Love Frustration, and should be embraced and enjoyed by his many fans.