Customer Reviews

If It Isn't Love (Urban Renaissance)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow, where do I start...

Initially I thought this book was going to be about some booty chasers that were bedding women from here to alaska, but I came to find a heart wrenching story that left me speechless. Parents, take heed in how you treat your spouse, especially in front of your children. We don't stay children forever, and some of those things that you thought you were doing in secret we saw all along and are now following in your foot steps. That's not always a good thing.

Love...such a serious thing. And the things we endure and do for love can be to the extreme. This book showed the ugly side of staying true to your marraige vows...even when it hurts. And even the good side of not settling for anything and finding someone who truley loves you through thick and thin.

Don't sleep on this one folks. This is a must have and a must read!

This is a book of family, its relationships and the impact one's actions have on one another. Dwayne S. Joseph told stories that were very emotional and tightly woven. This family consists of an adulterous preacher, his wife that has strenuous relationships with their three offspring....that is until the mother makes changes happen.

Due to the judgments and disappointments these family members have very little to do with each other with the exception of the two daughters. These sisters are very close and supportive of each other as one endures the fallout of a committed relationship that was not committed as she believed and the other the perils of deal with marriage to a wonderful husband that has a son with a woman full of jealousy and manipulation. The third sibling, a son only has a relationship with his father and it is enduring at best.

I actually read this book twice in four days as the first time, I was too emotionally invested to be fair to the book it self. I would give this book a 4.5 rating if it was available. I look forward to reading other books by Mr. Joseph and those to come.

Jean Stapleton-Blige, a wife, mother and child of God, has learned that she has six months to a year to live. While the news is disheartening, Jean has decided that this may not necessarily be a punishment, but a gift. Can she change the relationship with her and her three children before it's too late?

Once Karen, Monica and Jeff were able to leave the nest, they moved and have never been back. The girls have serious issues when it comes to their mother and have wondered why after all of the disrespect she hasn't left. While Jeff has his own issues, he's more like his dad then he'd like to be. Karen is having a baby, Monica has learned her man hasn't been faithful and Jeff is ready to settle down. With so much change in their own worlds can they adjust while mending fences?

"If It Isn't Love" by Dwayne S. Joseph was a fast and emotionally charged read. People who enjoy Dwayne S. Joseph's books will be pleased with this one.

Reviewed by: Crystal

If It Isn't Love

I have read several of the author's books and I have not been disappointed yet. I am currently reading 'Til It's Gone. I am looking forward to his next book. Dwayne S. Joseph is one of my favorite male authors.

This is my first novel by this author and I was thoroughly impressed. Jean is the matriarch of the family and married to a philandering minister named Stewart. For years jean played the doting wife while being laughed at behind her back by the fellow church parishioners due to her husbands cheating ways.After being married for more then twenty years and enduring years of heartache and strife Jean decides she's ready for a change especially since she been diagnosed with terminal form of Leukemia . Jean has been estranged from her three children Karen, Monica & Jeffery because her children couldn't stand being laughed at. Jean is now ready to right her wrongs but will she have enough time before she passes.

Karen is the oldest and married to Alex who she loves with all her heart but with major baby mama drama to the umpteenth power will they survive.

Monica is the middle child who has been dating Bryce for three years but Bryce has been a bad boy. Will he be able to right his wrong or will the sins of Monica's father keep them apart.

Jeffery is as they say like father like son. Jeffery followed in his fathers footsteps and loves him some women but will his ways keep him from finding true love.

I got this book and couldn't put it down at one point I was cheering for Jean and then yelling at Bryce. I was so caught up in the emotions and the drama that felt like I right in the mix.I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy books filled with drama. I give this book five stars all day

reviewed by Kecia

for Readers in Motion Book Club

[...]

Jean Stapleton-Blige is shocked when she receives the devastating news that she has leukemia. Given six months to live, she is faced with the task of righting all the wrongs she has put her estranged children through.

Jean's husband, Stewart, is the pastor of First United Baptist and has provided for his wife and children, and because of this, he feels he has every right to engage in extramarital affairs with any woman he sees fit because it's just sex.

Her daughters, Monica and Karen, have watched as Jean became a spineless woman in their eyes, putting up with their father's affairs for all the world to see, while her son, Jeffrey, followed in his father's womanizing ways. The daughters have a major issue dealing with their mother and respecting her when they feel she doesn't respect herself. Karen is dealing with raising her husband's son and his son's crazy mother. Monica is just learning her boyfriend has cheated on her, and lastly, Jeffrey may finally want to settle down and stop his womanizing ways. Her children are going through all of this and dealing with the devastating news that their mother is going to die soon; will there be a chance for the family to reconcile?

IF IT ISN'T LOVE, Dwayne S. Joseph's sixth book, is a very quick read and filled with tons of drama. It's about a family's relationship and the actions of the parents reflecting on the outcome of the children. This book will not disappoint.

Reviewed by Deidra Lucas

for The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

As soon as the mail carrier brought this book to the door,I opened it up and started reading.I read it quickly and didnt want the story to end.

Jean Stapleton Blige gets the shock of her life when the doctor tells her she has six months to a year left to live due to CLL.She is married to a womanizing minister name Stewart.She stood by his side faithfully while other church folks laughed behind her back due to her husband's infidelity.

Jean has a strained relationship with her three children,Karen,Monica and Jeff whom she haven't seen in awhile.Feeling that Jean was weak,Karen and Monica moved away and never looked back and Jeff turned out to be just like his father.Since she has little time left to live,each moment counts and upon her diagnosis she decides it's time to rekindle her relationship with her children by inviting them to a dinner on her birthday where she announces what's going on in her life and apologizes for some of the wrongs she's done.

As soon as the mail carrier brought this book to the door,I opened it up and started reading.I read it quickly and didnt want the story to end.The story flowed at a smooth pace.I enjoyed reading it.

Reviewed by nicole098

Street Lit Clique

I love the Dwayne Joesph one of my favorite authors , however I could not get into this book it took me forever to read it , I just did not like the characters, I could not understand the Mother or Father and there relationship with there children did not make sense to me... Love the other books by this Author however this was not my favorite!!

My complaint about this book is the title and cover, but other than that, great story.

Jean is the matriarch of the family and married to a jack-legged preacher named Stewart. Jean never complained as she held her head up high enduring the whispers behind her back about her husbands extracurricular activities with other women. After receiving terrible news about a fatal illness, Jean decides it was time to set things straight. Refusing to undergo treatment to prolong the inevitable, Jean calls her three children to come home Karen, Monica and Jefferey, after a lengthy absence for a birthday dinner. She even goes as far as to tell them to invite their spouses and lovers that she never had a kind word for in the past which brings about a cloud of suspicion. During the dinner a lot of secrets are revealed and Jean finally gathers the strength to leave her philandering husband, Stewart which he does not take too well and is faced to deal with the decisions he's made throughout their marriage.

Dwayne S. Joseph never disappoints, while not a story I'm used to getting from him, I did enjoy it. It's great to see that he can switch it up from time to time and show us that he has a softer side!

After reading Never Say Never by this aauthor I would have thought that I would get a fully detailed story of a woman who finds out she is going to die in less than a year. But instead the ending was rushed and it was more about her grown kids then what I thought would be the main character (The Mother). Anyway I was very dissapointed that the story ended so soon; but I won't give up on this author, b/c he can write good books. Too bad it wasn't this book.