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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Road to Redemption, April 9, 2008
This review is from: Guilty of Love (Urban Christian) (Paperback)
In Guilty of Love, debut novel from Pat Simmons, readers are welcomed into the life and times of Cheney Reynolds, a self-sufficient, independent, new millennium woman. Having had no empathy from college sweetheart, Larry Thimes, after having endured a traumatic medical procedure, Cheney decides to relocate to her hometown. Starting over would not be easy. She had practically shut everyone close to her out of her life except her best friend, Imani.
Upon settling into her new home, Cheney was a bit apprehensive of letting her guards down with her neighbors, Mrs. Beacon and Parke. However, Mrs. Beacon, affectionately known as Grandma BB to those in her inner circle, and Parke do not allow Cheney's bold exterior to stop them from getting to know her better. After several incidents where she realized these two were there "to her rescue," Cheney finally softened her shell and allowed them into her personal life and into her heart.
This novel deals with strongholds, overcoming them, judgmental family and friends, spirituality and most importantly, what it means to be equally yoked with your life mate. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the many layers of each character, as well as the supporting characters. Descriptions given allowed me to draw a visual of what they looked like and their overall style, especially Parke and his twin brother, Malcolm. I also enjoyed reading about the spiritual warfare with Hallison's character. In the end, I was happy to see that almost all the characters were willing to let go and let God be in control.
Admittedly, the storyline was a bit slow for me at the outset but the author had a way of keeping my interest in hopes of the story picking up. About midway through, the story did pick up and I was happy about it. At this point, it did become a page turner for me. Lastly, and not to take away from the overall connotation of this review, I'd be remiss if I did not recommend the author pay close attention to verb tense for future novels (i.e., worst vs. worse).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Broken Heart, August 29, 2007
This review is from: Guilty of Love (Urban Christian) (Paperback)
Cheney is in love with Larry. Her whole world revolves around him; that is until he convinces her to do the unimaginable, abort their baby. Five years later, Cheney is still haunted by the nightmares of what she'd done. How could she allow a man to dictate her life for her? Cheney cut all ties with her family when the only thing they were trying to do was help. But what they didn't know was that Cheney was carrying around so much guilt and shame. Now after years have lapsed, Cheney has moved back to her hometown of St. Louis trying to make amends with her family and start a new life WITHOUT a man. The task at hand may be a little more difficult than she could've ever envisioned. With the help of her busy body neighbor, Grandma BB, and Parke, a pesky neighbor who lives five blocks away, Cheney's life of solitude is disrupted.
I loved the fact that Pat Simmons used genealogical lines. I learned valuable information about black history. "Guilty of Love" was a very good read. However, I did not like the way the book ended so abruptly! I felt like I was trapped on a cliff left hanging by the rescue helicopter. So there had better be a part two in the works! It has to be! I need to know what happens with the little secret.
Reviewed by: Carmen
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Walk With God., October 5, 2007
This review is from: Guilty of Love (Urban Christian) (Paperback)
Cheney Reynolds had fallen in love with Larry Thimes and thought they were a match made in heaven. Her feelings soon changed when she told Larry she was pregnant. Larry became distant and cold towards her, causing her to make a life-altering decision. During this time of despair, Cheney cut all ties with her family when the only thing they were trying to do was help. The only one that knew what was really going on was her best friend Imani. After five years of loneliness, she decides to move back home to St. Louis to reconnect with her family. Cheney moves into a historical neighborhood enriched with African American history. The house she bought was old, worn down, and needed a lot of work. Cheney soon realized that it was more of a challenge to rebuild her relationship with her family than to restore her new home. With the help of her nosy neighbor Mrs. Beatrice Tilley Beacon a.k.a. Grandma BB, she realized there is someone on her side who truly cares for her. Then she meets Parke Kokomuo Jamison, who is a descendent of a royal African Tribe. Parke is handsome, smart, and looking for his African Queen. The two bump heads and realize that the qualities they were looking for in a mate they found in each other. At times, Cheney would submit to her own guilt and Parke would soon realize that he wasn't as suave as he thought. With the love of Christ, they are drawn to each other spiritually and are destined to be together.
In the book Guilty of Love, I was intrigued as to how Pat Simmons was able to intertwine African-American History throughout the book. I really admired how she took each character through their spiritual walk with God. The scriptures she chose were perfect, and you can see the religious transformation each person was going through. Guilty of Love will have you questioning your own walk with God and whether it's a good one or a bad one. I was kind of upset with the way the story ended, but overall, Guilty of Love is a very good read.
Reviewed by Jackie
for Urban Reviews
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