Hitts & Mrs. [Paperback]

Lori Bryant-Woolridge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

Two people, separated by age and color but united in love, find themselves headed down an uncertain path -- a path the head rejects, but the heart demands be followed ...

Melanie Hitts is a charming African-American woman who is attractive, professional,and fiercely independent. Following a whirlwind romance, she accepts the proposal of successful and devoted Will Freedman, only to walk away several months later convinced that giving in to love means giving up her dreams. Melanie heads to Manhattan to heal her heart and embark on a career as an interior designer.

Soon after, she meets John Carlson, an older, white, internationally famous architect, who is dangling precariously at the end of his creative rope. Brought together as muse and mentor, a spark between them ignites and -- despite his twenty-three-year marriage -- John and Melanie come together.

Through her relationship with John, and with her former fiancé Will in hot pursuit,Melanie sets off on a path of discovery. But once she decides that she's ready to go from a Hitts to a Mrs. will the man she chooses be available?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fast-paced and engrossing story. A definite hot-seller.” (Booklist on Read Between the Lines )

About the Author

Lori Bryant-Woolridge is a fifteen-year veteran of the television broadcast business and the recipient of an Emmy Award for individual achievement in writing. She is the author of the bestselling novel Read Between the Lies and a contributing author to several top anthologies, including the award-winning Gumbo: A Celebration of African-American Writing. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey, with her husband and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060540591
• ISBN-13: 978-0060540593
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,334,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dubbed "a writer to watch" by author E. Lynn Harris, Lori Bryant-Woolridge is the author of the best-selling novel, Read Between the Lies.The book was nominated for a Golden Pen Award in 2000. She is a contributing author to several top anthologies including: Best Black Women's Erotica, the award-winning Gumbo: A Celebration of African-American Writing, edited by best-selling authors, E. Lynn Harris and Marita Golden, and Brown Sugar 3: Opposites Attract.
Her eagerly awaited second novel, Hitts and Mrs. was released in January 2004 and quickly became a #1 Essence bestseller.
She is a fifteen-year veteran of the television broadcast industry, and is the recipient of an Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in Writing (1983). Lori is also the cofounder of the Femme Fantastik Tour, a literary tour dedicated to celebrating and empowering women; and the nonprofit organization, Mothers Off Duty, Inc., a group committed to helping teen mothers continue their education. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
She teaches creative writing and often conducts workshops for aspiring authors. She and her family live in New Jersey, where she recently completed her new novel, Weapons of Mass Seduction, which will be published April 17,2007, has been chosen as the Essence Book Club May pick.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to read something different, January 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hitts & Mrs. (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's much richer and pleasantly different than most of the love stories out now. The author does a great job of painting a complete picture of the characters--Melanie Hitts wants to be more than just a Mrs., but doesn't think she can be the kind of wife her mother trained her to be. I love her fiance, Will. Finally an author who doesn't bash the brother! Will is gentle and patient (there is a dinner scene in here to die for). He really loves Melanie even when she breaks his heart. And you can feel how much Melanie loves him, even though she runs away. John Carlson is an older, white man who is bored with his job and his life. When he and Melanie get together to work on a hotel you can feel the attraction coming off the page. I've never read a book where the writer managed to capture the chemistry between characters so well. And I've never read a book about a love triangle, where I wanted the woman to be with both men. And when Sharon, John's wife finds out that her man is with a sister,watch out! And Candace, she's the girlfriend we all have. The one we just shake our heads at and love anyway! There are lots of twists and turns in this great story. I give Ms. Bryant-Woolridge 4 stars for her outstanding writing ability and one extra for taking the same old story and giving it a little somthin somthin extra! Highly recommended reading.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Three's a crowd..., January 23, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Hitts & Mrs. (Paperback)

HITTS & MRS by Lori Bryant-Woolridge

HITTS & MRS. by Lori Bryant-Woolridge is the story of a young successful African American woman who is torn between her ex-fiancé and her boss. The story sounds simple but it is more complicated than that. Melanie Hitts has just gotten out of her engagement to highly eligible bachelor Will Freedman, feeling that she's being rushed into marriage to a man she has known for only a few months. Her sense of independence has been taken from her, and when she finds out that he has bought them a house as a surprise clinches it for her. The fact that he didn't even consult her on this purchase was enough for her to call the engagement off. And she does this in front of the entire room full of friends and family at their fancy engagement party.

While Will tries to figure out how to win Melanie over again, Melanie moves back to New York City to continue with her highly successful career in interior design. And it's through this job that she meets her soul mate, John Carlson, the head of the internationally known architecture company Carlson and Tuck. Everything would be wonderful if only John was younger, John was not married, and John was black. Melanie doesn't know which is worse, that he's married or that he's the wrong color.

Melanie and John grow together in their platonic relationship, but at the same time Melanie still loves Will. She's never stopped loving him, but she could not marry him under the conditions of their current relationship. Something needs to change. John was everything that Will wasn't, yet both had qualities that satisfied Melanie's needs. With this in mind Melanie wonders if she can have it all, a loving friendship with John and a marriage with Will? As far as she's concerned, there is nothing wrong with that. She's not doing anything wrong, although she and John do love each other, but they have sworn not to push their relationship into the physical.

Although I didn't find this book the perfect book, I am rating HITTS & MRS. 4 stars. I enjoyed the story line and found the book such a fast read that I finished it in two days. Some of the characters didn't' quite ring true for me, including John Carlson's wife Sharon, who I started out liking a lot but had my doubts about some of her actions at the end of the book. The issue of racism obviously comes into play in this book, but it is so subdued and doesn't' really become an issue until the second half of the book that I think it should have either been written in as a main plot line, or not used at all. I would definitely read other books by Lori Bryant-Woolridge and I recommend HITTS & MRS. to those who are fans of romances, African American Lit, or both.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Juicy, action-packed novel, January 6, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Hitts & Mrs. (Paperback)

Hitts & Mrs. explores the feasibility of being married and genuinely loving your spouse and another person at the same time. Melanie Hitts is a beautiful, intelligent and ambitious career woman. She loves her job and her beau, Will Freedman. But when their relationship hits a bump, and she finds herself attracted to John, her married white business partner, Melanie is taught important lessons that will have you turning the pages to see what happens next. The fact that Melanie likes John and vice versa is something that is interesting to witness. Their attraction to each other is compelling and the supporting cast helps to richen the plot.

Lori does a fine job using fire-hot, on point relationship analysis, and lively language to explore this unique and refreshing storyline. Hitts & Mrs. is well written, funny, sensual and thought-provoking. For those who want a change of pace and have a strong desire to become emotionally involved in another facet of male-female relationships, this is a highly recommended read.