Her Secret Life (Kimani Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Gwynne Forster (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kimani (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583147713
• ISBN-13: 978-1583147719
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,506,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ABOUT GWYNNE FORSTER
Gwynne Forster is national best-selling and award-winning author of seven novels of general fiction, thirty-one romance novels, and eight mainstream and romance novellas. All of her mainstream novels and several of her romance novels have been featured in Black Expressions Magazine. When Twilight Comes, her first mainstream novel, was featured on the magazine's cover, and it also remained on the Essence Magazine list of best sellers for several months. Her latest mainstream novels, A Different Kind Of Blues and Getting Some of Her Own were published in October 2007 snf 2008, respectively to excelledt reviews. Publiher's Weekly called A Different Kind of Blues "An ode to life...wise and wonderful..."

Among her many awards and forms of recognition, Gwynne is most proud of her election in 2006 to the Affaire de Coeur Magazine Hall Of Fame and of the Life Time Ahcievement Award conferred by Romantic Times Magazine in 2007. The following novels were nominated by Affaire de Coeur Magazine for 'Best romance novel of the year with African-American Hero and heroine: Ecstasy, Obsession, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, Swept Away, Secret Desire, Scarlet Woman. Winners of the award were: Beyond Desire,Ecstasy, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, and Swept Away. Readers of Affaire de Coeur Magazine named Gwynne one of Top Ten Favorite Authors for the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2006, and one of five outstanding achievers (1998). Rendezvous Magazine voted Secret Desire "Rose Bud of the month" for November 2003. The 2001 Gold Pin Award from Black Writers Reunion and Conference went to Beyond Desire.

Double Day Book Club and Literary Guild selected Beyond Desire and used the book to start the Black Expressions Book Club. Romance In Color internet site gave its 1999 Award of Excellence to Against The Wind and voted Gwynne Author of the Year. The site voted Flying High runner-up to best romance of the year 2003 and gave it Honorable mention. Romance Slam Jam 2000 nominated Gwynne for the Vivian Stephens Lifetime Achievement Award. Romance Slam Jam 2001 gave Gwynne an Emma Award for her novella, "Learning to Love" in the anthology, Going To The Chapel. Romance Slam Jam 2003 nominated Blues From Down Deep for an Emma Award as best mainstream novel. Gwynne lectures extensively on fiction writing, and on making the first sale.

A native North Carolinian who grew up in Washington, D. C. , Gwynne holds bachelors and masters degrees in sociology, a master's degree in economics/demography and has additional graduate credits in journalism. As a demographer, she is widely published. She is formerly chief of (non-medical) research in fertility and family planning in the Population Division of the United Nations in New York and served for four years as chairperson of the International Programme Committee of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (London, England). These positions took her on official business to sixty-three developed and developing countries.

Gwynne sings on her church choir, loves to entertain, and is a museum hopper, gourmet cook and avid gardener. She enjoys classical music, opera, jazz and blues with her husband with whom she lives in New York City. She is represented by the Steel-Perkins Literary Agency, 26 Island Lane, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Reach Gwynne at P.O. Box 45, New York, N.Y. 10044; E-mail [e-mail]; Web page - http://www.gwynneforster.com -. Blog: http://gwynneforster.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A long read, July 12, 2006

By 

Romance Lover "RL" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Secret Life (Kimani Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

As an avid lover of romance I find it easy to pick up a book and finish it in a couple of hours. Unfortunately this book did not sweep me away. The story was cool, but it was missing something. Sensuality it didn't have. But I also didn't like the hero. He was a Gamma male sometimes. There was nothign that drew me to him. I was not emotionally taken with this book. Some of the scenes were more technical than romantic. It was a cute story. I love the idea of living the double life, but I think it could have been alot better.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better, September 25, 2006

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Her Secret Life (Kimani Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

HER SECRET LIFE by Gwynne Forster
September 25, 2006

Rating 2.5/5 stars

I really hate giving out anything lower than 3 stars in a book review. In my opinion, if a book gets published, it's because it's readable, or enjoyable, or well written. I am giving HER SECRET LIFE a 2- 1/2 star rating. My problem with the book could be the type of book it is. The book had a lot of erotic sex scenes with explicit detail, which I'm not much of a fan of when I read romance novels. When I read a romance novel, I want romance, good characterization, great dialog that sounds REAL, not forced or fake. Unfortunately, this book didn't have too much going for it at all. While I "got" the main character, Jackie, and understood what motivated her (she worked two jobs to help pay for her father's health care), I did not care for the male counterpart, Warren. He seemed like a chauvinist pig, and while I'm not sure this was the author's intent, it seemed all he cared about was "having her in me".

Jackie worked days at an African American publishing company. She has a Ph.D. But at night she's a sleazy waitress at a gentlemen's club. She keeps her two worlds separate, and even her sister and father do not know she's working her butt off at this club. She meets Warren at the club and they have great chemistry. The rules are, however, that they cannot have a romantic or sexual relationship, as it's hands off or she could be fired. So they meet at a corner near work after she gets off at midnight, and they slowly get to know each other, if you know what I mean. The sex scenes are definitely hot and heavy, very descriptive, and while maybe this book was aimed for the erotica fan, I guess I didn't want my story to be all sex and not much romance. I think I would have liked the book better if the characters felt real to me, but they seemed stiff and forced. The dialog was definitely unrealistic and awkward. I did like Jackie's father, who seemed to be a very loving father who was mourning his wife, and was now ready to meet his maker. But overall, I just did not "feel" this book and it certainly didn't call to me. I was disappointed, as my first experience with Kimani was wonderful and so I'm not turned off by this line of books. HER SECRET LIFE could have been much better, even with all the sex scenes, if the characters were not cardboard cutouts and the dialog flowed a lot more realistically.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars High Hopes for Disappointment........, July 4, 2006

By 

V. in p.g.co. MD. "Bookfeiner" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Secret Life (Kimani Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really loved and enjoyed Gwynne Forster earlier work, But lately I've been getting disappointed with her work.This book is good in some ways and others ways just not-what-I-was expecting in, being a
G.F. die hard fan. I won't lose the hope,but makes me apprehensive
about future purchasing .