Customer Reviews

Every Man for Herself

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In Maryann Reid's Every Man for Herself, Nina Bettus Raines is a 25-year old woman who desperately needs to make some changes in her life. Raised in Allswell, Texas by a mother who cared more for her young husband, than her daughter, Nina was raped by her stepfather repeatedly at a young age and later married a selfish and controlling husband. Nina's husband Trent was a sneaky man who posed as a minister, while he secretly stashed away thousands of dollars without Nina knowing and kept a wealthy mistress on the side. Tired of being used and abused, Nina confided in her best friend Dee that it was time for her to leave her husband and move to a drastically different location. Leaving a painful childhood and marriage behind, Nina set her sights on the Big Apple as her new stomping ground. Armed with a new sense of self, and a determination to succeed on her own terms, Nina rents a room from an elderly friend of Dee's, and finds a job as a massage therapist at the newly opened Serenity Spa.

Once a shy, country girl, Nina begins to open herself up to meeting new people and doing new things, including having a passionate, short-lived affair with Ahmasi, a Brooklyn poet with a criminal past, and meeting the handsome, charming attorney Lamont, who later proposes to Nina. In between negotiating her divorce from Trent, distancing herself from Ahmasi because he is a crazy, unemployed drug dealer who knew Trent, and trying to work out her new relationship with Lamont Franklin who wants her to be his only woman, Nina comes out shaken but on top as she finally puts her past behind her.

The novel's main setting is true to its' description of the downtown Brooklyn area frequented by poets and other artists, which I enjoyed reading about. However, I was a little surprised that at twenty-five years old, Nina, who was not well traveled or educated, was able to: heal from being raped as a child, deal with her mother's verbal and emotional abuse, divorce a husband, move to the toughest city in the world (New York City), meet not one, but two men who want her, and become engaged to a successful attorney (handsome, smart, educated, owns a home, buys gifts, financially stable), all in what seemed like ONE YEAR!

Overall, I enjoyed Maryann Reid's style of writing, she mixed so many personas together in this book that you are able to identify with at least a few of them. Every Man for Herself is perhaps a fairy tale which reveals that a young woman who is fearless can attract anyone and everything she wants, no matter where she comes from.

DuEwa M. Frazier
Rhymes, Views & News Reviews

I purchased this book because I needed something to read for my recent flight, I stopped at Barnes and Noble and it was on the Bargain books on the front table. I read the back, it sounded like a good book and purchased it. I also want to disclose that I have never read a book by this author before.

Within the first two chapters of this book I was bored and at one point almost decided to put it down permanently. But being the avid reader that I am I wanted to give a few more chapters before I threw in the towel. I wanted to see what was going to happen with the main character, Nina.

I felt this story was all over the place...you begin thinking the writer is going to explore Trent (Nina's husband)-the fake pastor. But you only hear about his hustler ways in the first few chapters. Then you are introduced to Nina's mother and learn that her mother is still married to the man who repeatedly raped her daughter---you learn about the hatred mother and daughter have for each other. Nina decides to escape it all by escaping to New York. Out of all of the people in New York she hooks up with a man (Ahmasi) who has ties to her soon to be ex-husband.

Then she begins to date a man that she met at work (even though it was against company policy). You later learn that this perfect man (Lamont) actually knew her when she was young and claims to have been in love with her then (but that is never addressed or revealed to the main character in the book). You also learn that his mother was her father's mistress who might have killed him and another slew of drama comes with that. I mean I don't know where to start or end---- this book was everywhere and some things didn't add up or make sense to me.

It was a bit raw for me taste, but I will say that it is very entertaining. The characters leap off of the pages at you most of the visuals are raw much like the descriptions given.

Marrying young to move out of the home she shares with her mother and the mother's boyfriend, Nina is ready for a change. Can a country girl from a small town in Texas make it in the big city of New York with all the baggage she carries? In EVERY MAN FOR HERSELF, Maryann Reid attempts to take readers on Nina's journey of self-acceptance, growth, maturity and love.

When Nina discovers her husband has been lying to her about their financial situation, she decides she wants out of their loveless marriage. Being in her small Texas town is not large enough to eradicate the demons she has, which includes her own mother. So with the help of her best friend, Nina heads to New York on a wing and a prayer.

Living in New York is a welcomed change for Nina and she discovers the ambiance of the city, finds a job she truly loves, a nice home and the affections of two gentlemen. However, one of these men has secrets which could be detrimental to Nina. Can she choose the right man and continue on her goal of self-discovery?

Although EVERY MAN FOR HERSELF is a fairly quick read, the story evoked unrealistic situations and, at times, flat characterizations. The characters were not fully developed in order for me to align with the plight of the main character or even the supporting ones. Nina's life was flawed and it seemed as though Reid brushed aside those issues that should have been dealt with in depth. I wanted to feel Nina's pain and embrace her insecurities, but the development wasn't there for me to do so. The believability factor was sorely lacking because of the many dramatic situations that seemed to befall Nina throughout the story, which were not truly resolved or they were explained away too simply. The ending was rushed and Reid tried to close up loose ends too neatly. I do commend Reid for painting a realistic picture of the New York scene, setting up the romance for the main characters and creating truly erotic love scenes.

Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Nina Bettus-Raines of Allswell, Texas, is considered a backward country girl. Nina's young life is overflowing with years of abuse and betrayal from her family. Now 25 years old, she's unhappily married and unable to catch her breath. It seems as if no one is ever interested in Nina's side of the story. In the five years that they've been married, her borrowing, fake-preaching husband Trent is always working some sort of scam...and she's fed up with it. As Nina prays for a solution, her best friend Dee encourages her to finally take a chance on her life. After all, it couldn't get much worse...could it?

Now a resident of New York City, Nina becomes gainfully employed, has her own apartment and was making plans to rid herself of her past. That awkward, backward, country girl she used to be was now oozing with self-confidence.

While taking in the new sights, Nina meets two different men who both spark different yet powerful emotions inside of her. As Nina gets comfy with both, she soon learns that Allswell, Texas, may not be such a small town after all. Will Nina escape the evil past that threatens to smother her?

Every Man For Herself is a great title, but it was packaged a little too neatly in the end for my personal liking. I would've preferred more drama and fewer insinuations. I did like the growth of the main character and based on that fact alone, I'd consider checking out other titles by Maryann Reid in the future.

Reviewed by Nardsbaby
for Urban Reviews

I have heard that everyone is connected in the world by six degrees of separation. I do not know how true that is, but Every Man for Herself by Maryann Reid leads me to believe that it is very possible.

Nina Raines has always had some type of secret that she was keeping. From her father's mistresses to her husband dipping his hand too far down into the collection plate of a small church congregation. Trying to start anew, or maybe running from her past Nina leaves her small country town of Allswell, in Houston, Texas for the city life of Brooklyn, New York. Once in New York, Nina lets her hair down and starts having fun, gets a job that she loves, and meets new people.

Spoken word artist, Ahmasi enters Nina's world, and brings with him excitement and mystery. Something about him has Nina wanting more, but will his secret connection destroy their relationship?

Lamont Franklin, a sophisticated lawyer, comes to Nina as a client, but company policy forbids Nina to go beyond the professional line. Lamont being a strong-willed man keeps trying to get Nina to go out with him. Will Nina risk losing the job that she loves so much for the handsome Lamont?

Every Man for Herself is an easy read that offers hope to anyone moving from a small town to a big city. Maryann Reid shows us why it is better to sometime let the past go, and at other times stand and face it. Even though this book was quite interesting, the execution was not flawless. There was some information given that I cannot understand how it fit into the story. There was also the lack of character dialogue, which would have moved the story along at a much quicker pace. Overall, this was a nice read, something I would recommend to others.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

I enjoyed this book. The story was good, suspenseful and sexy. But, also far fetched. I liked Nina she was a girl who took risks for a new life after leaving her hometown. She finds life takes her through even more twists and turns in NYC. Lamont was good to her but, I thought he had something up with him. Ahmasi was a mystery from the start. Nina's mom had so many issues. It was sad of what happened with her co-worker friend, Melanie. I liked the ending and can't wait to read another novel by this author.