Customer Reviews

A Lova' Like No Otha'

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When Zoe Clarke wakes up on her wedding day and it is storming ferociously outside, she should have taken it as a clue that God was not smiling down on her proposed union to Devyn Jackson. In A Lova' Like No Otha' by Stephanie Perry Moore, storms are raging quite a bit in the life of Zoe, usually when God is trying to tell her something.

After being jilted at the altar by Devyn, then crying and beseeching the Lord, Zoe ends up at Devyn's apartment, being comforted by Chase Farr, Devyn's best friend and roommate. He allows her to stay at the apartment and helps her through this trying time. From this point the story gets a little unbelievable and things happen very fast. Zoe finds herself attracted to Chase and wants a relationship with him. They move to Seattle to follow Chase's dream of being a pro football player. Both Chase and Zoe profess to be Christians, with Chase being much more committed than Zoe. Zoe does some things that are against Chase beliefs and he ends their relationship. Zoe returns home, but is called back to Seattle for a job and hopefully back into Chase life.

In this Christian novel Zoe and Chase sought the Lord regularly when the storms of life became too much for them to bear alone. While they had a strong prayer life, they did not attend church, which I found a bit disturbing. They had no spiritual covering, no guidance except for friends. It seemed to me that is why Zoe was so weak. I just could not find a way to like or feel compassion for Zoe as I found her to be fickle and immature. There are good strong messages throughout the book that would be valuable to the population it was intended for, teenagers and young adults.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

A Lova' Like No Otha' is a page turner if I've ever seen one! I was captivated from page one and couldn't put the book down until I had read every word. This book ministered to my soul. It gave me encouragement and hope that I to could be strong in the Lord even in this world that we live in. I thank God for Stepanie Perry Moore. The characters were honest and believable, and often times I thought she was writing about ME!! I cried with Zoe, the main character, through her ups an downs; in near fatal situatons I held my breath. And in breathtaking moments, I felt like I was right there with her; crying tears of hapiness. I couldn't believe the way in wich this story was woven to flow so nicely and include so much action, so much love, but most of all...so much faith. God was all up in this book!! If you are searching for a nice and easy profound blessing to read, look no further...A LOVA' LIKE NO OTHA' is it!!!!!

I loved this book! I will recommend it to anyone wanting to start a PERSONAL relationship with Christ. He is our FIRST love! If you want to get married and you are saved- this is a MUST READ! When you've got him- you got it ALL. It's hard for us to figure that out sometimes, but thankfully He offers us GRACE daily so that we can eventually learn to trust Him more.

Storms WILL come, we have to learn to trust the ONLY one that can calm the storm and you at the same time.

I am happy for Zoe and Chase. Thanks Stephanie for a REAL love story. HE is A "Lova' like no 'Otha".

SUPERB ending!! I can't wait for part II. There is going to be a part two?

I just finished reading this book just the other day,and it kept my interest in a big way. Zoe is just like a lot of us. We think we found the right man just because he is successful, a ball player, yet he is the biggest player around. How she didn't take a closer look at Devyn's friend Chase is beyond me. But like Lil Kim said in an article in Honey a while back, she is more interested in thugs and guys like that,not real nice men who have something going for them. Once you get into this book, you will be glued to it. Gauranteed. Also, I also like the Reading Guide with the Scriptures you can refer to at the end of the book.

This is one of the best if not the best book that I have read in ages.......
I love African American centered books, I love Romance, I love Fiction, and I love Happy Endings....
This book I LOVE!!!!!!!!!

I read it cover to cover three times in a row over the period of an extended weekend, and learned more from it each time!!!!

At first I merely suggested this book to my friends...but they were not going out to buy it quickly enought... so I took it upon myself to buy every copy I could find at the bookstores in my city and give them to all of my friends.....

It also inpspired me to give this book to all young females, who I feel can truly grown and learn from this wonderful book....

I cannot give it enought praises.....

Stephanie Perry Moore is best known for her young adult Payton Skyy series. Lately, Moore has been writing novels for older readers. Her Christian ficion novel, A Lova' Like No Otha' opens rather dramatically with Zoe Clarke preparing for a day she has waited for all her life --- her wedding day. The day starts out gloomy and continues to spiral downward with Zoe being left at the altar as her fiance runs off with his pregant girlfriend. This heart-shattering experience becomes a "turning point" in Zoe's life as her faith must face trial after trial.

In spite of the cruel manner in which her fiance leaves her, God opens the door for her ex-fiance's best friend Chase Farr. Unlike her ex, Chase is a strong God-fearing man heading for the big time in the NFL. Chase has admired Zoe from afar and is ready for this opportunity to show her real love. As Zoe and Chase grow closer together, Zoe's weaker spiritual walk begins to clash with Chase's desire to stay pure until marriage. The conflict endangers the relationship, eventually forcing them to go their separate ways. Zoe learns a valuable lesson as she draws closer to the greatest lova' of them all.

This was not an easy book to put down due to the outstanding character development. Stephanie Perry Moore does a great job hooking the reader into Zoe's life from the beginning. Readers will find Zoe's shattered dreams and struggling faith very relatable. At times her turmoil leaps off the pages inducing the reader to shout "Don't do that! or "Girl, put God first!" Another outstanding character in this book is Chase Farr. In most African American fiction, a man like Chase Farr is rarely included. The beauty of this man's faith especially as a successful African American athlete is quite refreshing!

Zoe Clark believes that she has a good life. She has a wonderful job, good friends, and she is about to marry her college sweetheart, Devyn. Yet she experiences a weird feeling when she wakes up to a storm on what is supposed to be the happiest day of her life, her wedding day. The storm is one of many she will have to weather, because unfortunately, her life as she knows it is about to drastically change. Devyn leaves her standing at the altar for his pregnant girlfriend. Zoe soon finds herself homeless, jobless, and loveless, because she gave up everything in anticipation of her nuptials. She falls into a deep depression, questions her faith in God, and contemplates committing suicide.

Yet, there is a silver lining to the dark storm cloud that seems to be hovering over Zoe. His name is Chase Farr. He was Devyn's best man and roommate. During the time she was dating Devyn, Chase has had hidden feelings for Zoe. He cannot stand to see her hurt and does his best to help heal her heart.

Eventually, Zoe and Chase fall in love. Chase is deeply spiritual and religious, while Zoe is a little lackadaisical in her faith. Ultimately the couple encounters several obstacles that will require them to evaluate their feelings for each other as well as their relationship with God.

Stephanie Perry Moore's novel, A LOVA' LIKE NO OTHA' is a deeply religious yet romantic read that shows one woman's growth in her relationship with God. Throughout the novel, the reader shares Zoe's trials and tribulations and her ultimate realization that she must put God first in all that she does. She learns that God's love is everlasting and he is A LOVA' LIKE NO OTHA'. This is an excellent novel that will leave you with a good feeling. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

In A Lova ` like No Otha `, Ms. Moore addresses two very real issues in today's society, especially for African-American (AA) women: love and marriage. If anyone follows the trends in marriage, it's my opinion, that no one would argue that the statistics are dismal for AA women, i.e., sisters have the highest rate of singleness out of all races of women. Moreover, more AA women are raising their children alone. As a result, many women believe they have to either "settle" for a man, even if he does not treat her well, or be alone which is the theme behind the novel.

The novel centers on Zoe Clark, who on the surface has it all together. She has a strong prayer life, a good job, and at the beginning of the story, we find ourselves witnessing Zoe's "big day", her wedding. After four long years, Zoe is finally marrying Devyn Jackson, the man she has loved since she first set eyes on him. Zoe would classify herself as a very religious person with a strong prayer life; yet, she tends to communicate with God only when she feels turmoil. This fact is even more obvious when tragedy strikes and Zoe begins to realize that she does not truly walk with God. In an effort to overcome this test of faith or "storm", she is forced to do a lot of self-examination and through a series of painful experiences and poor choices; Zoe comes to a realization that forever changes her life and spiritual walk for the better. Fortunately, Zoe has a companion in her journey of self-discovery: Chase Farr. Chase Farr is Zoe's fiancé's best friend. Chase is a true man of God who refuses to allow anyone and anything to interfere or jeopardize his spiritual walk. Chase spends time in the word, he praises God, even when things are not going right, he is constantly seeking God's will in whatever he does. Unbeknownst to Zoe, Chase has loved her since they attended college together and always thought that Zoe deserved better than Devyn.

I like the premise of A Lova' Like No Otha': we must first love ourselves before we can in fact love another. Ms. Moore also wants women to realize that we must first get our hearts right with God before everything else. Still, I found the book excessively "preachy" for my taste. Ms. Moore really used this novel to espouse her personal beliefs, which is fine, but she went overboard. In addition, the novel was melodramatic; can you say "Soap Opera" drama? Finally, the plot was predictable and too pact for my taste. However, if you are someone that is going through a trial and you feel that you are all alone in the world and your faith is wavering then you just might find this book an encouragement.

Leanna

R.E.A.L. Reviewers

Imagine waking up to what you thought was going to be the most

wonderful day of your life and come to find out it is the worst.

Well here you are going to be with the one person whom you are

about to vow to spending the rest of your life with and then all

of a sudden you are hit with the news from your finance,"I

cannot marry you" So you ask him why and all he can say is

because I have gotten my girlfriend pregnant. Then he leaves

with no other explanation. well my first responce would have been

to go after and choke him but it wouldn't have done any good at

the time. I'm at a church filled with all of our love ones and

friends and now I need to tell them there is not going to be a

wedding today. After a few minutes and getting over this

shocking and devastating news I decided to go on with the

reception and party as if I had said the wedding vows.

this book is very good it is a experience that Zoe had to face

in her life even though she was a well educated and very smart

woman it does'nt matter, it still can happen to the best of us.

This book really makes us think and also it makes you look at

yourself to see how much faith do you have with God. All the

things Zoe went through she never forgot about God in her life

even though times got very hard she still kept that faith in her

life.

I reccomend all of our women and young women to read this book

because it

let them know that no matter what you go through in life you

still have the almighty father in heaven to look up to. I find

this book also to be a non stop reading book once you start you

can't put it down.To the author Ms. Moore this is one of the

first book that I didn't put down and say I will read it later.

Stephanie Perry Moore's books are amazing. But this one really superceeds all of her other works. Not only is this book attention grabbing, it has a very sincere message that touches every reader. The book truly makes one yearn for an intimate relationship with God. After completing it, you are inspired to get much closer to your heavenly Father and find all that He wants for you. This book can be read more than once and also used as a devotional, or Bible Study guide. Just writing about it is a joy!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless.