Customer Reviews

Love is Blind

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Who said you cannot find love over the internet, in the personals or on a blind date? Urban Books anthology, Love is Blind, showcases three authors who say you can as they write love stories based on blind dates.

In Parry "EbonySatin" Brown's story, Love is Just a Click Away for Mysti Ellington. Mysti has just made partner in the law firm she works for and is now looking for someone to share her success. She is determined to try the personals on the internet, much to the dismay of her best friend, RaMona. RaMona wants Mysti to meet men the old fashioned way and introduces Mysti to Keith. While attracted to Keith, it is Stephan who has Mysti intrigued. What happens when Mysti and Stephan finally meet?

In Pat Simmons' story, Words of Love, radio talk show host, Carmel French and sales rep, Rice Taylor, express their feelings for each other by writing love letters. It starts with one simple letter to the station from Rice and for months they correspond by mail. In their letters to each other they fall in love, sight unseen. Will the love still exist when they finally come face to face?

In The Switch by Lisa Watson, Justin Langley attempts to save Sabrina Ridgemont the embarrassment of being stood up by his best friend, Adrian. Justin means to tell her the truth of who he really is, but an ex-fiance shows up with some unkind things to say and Justin cannot reveal his true identity. When the truth is revealed, how will Sabrina react?

Love is Blind is a book for the true romantic. In each story falling in love with an unknown person is the central theme. While Love is Just a Click Away was an easy and humorous read, the other two stories were long and drawn out. The female protagonists in Words of Love and The Switch had so many issues they became frustrating and the reading laborious. I think the romance reader will like this book.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

Good book. Three short stories about finding love in the most unexpected ways. Great job ladies. Looking forward to hearing more from the two newcomers.

This book was incredible. Each author wove a unique and enthralling tale that pulled me in from the first word. I curled up with Love is Blind and a glass of merlot, and before I knew it, I'd almost finished the entire book. The next day, I couldn't wait to get home from work so I could pick up where I'd left off. Ladies, I think you have a winner here! Can't wait for the next one!

LOVE IS BLIND is an anthology by Essence Best-Selling author Parry Brown and two newcomers, Lisa Watson and Pat Simmons. In each story, the main characters find love in untraditional ways.

Parry Brown contributes the first story--Just A Click Away. Mysti Ellington is a successful attorney and well on her way to becoming a partner at her firm. One day it hits her that she doesn't have anyone special in her life to share her successes with. With a little wisdom from an unsuspected source, Mysti embarks on surfing the net and decides to place an online ad. After screening her emails and rejecting a few undesirables, she begins to have a satisfying exchange of emails with someone who uses the screen name: BlacKnight. Before she knows it, Mysti is bitten by the love bug. Brown brings us into the millennium by showing how love can be JUST A CLICK AWAY.

Words of Love by Pat Simmons is about a popular radio talk show host Carmel French. Carmel communicates with one of her fans, Rice Taylor, via letters. The attraction of their words leads them both down a path that neither planned. Carmel has to ask herself if Rice is a fabrication because he seems too good to be true. Just when you think they will finally meet one another, Carmel gets cold feet. It is up to Rice to make the first move and back up his Words of Love. Pat Simmons story is an example on how powerful the WORDS OF LOVE can be.

The last contribution in the anthology is The Switch by Lisa Watson. Justin Langley decides to substitute as his best friend on a date with Sabrina Ridgemont. He didn't plan on falling in love with her. Before he can reveal his true identity, Sabrina finds out he lied. Heartbroken and distraught, Justin must pay the consequences for deceiving the woman of his dreams. Watson shows in The Switch how important honesty is to a relationship.

All three of the stories put an emphasis on the importance of loving the entire being, mind, body, and soul. In each story, the characters are falling in love because they are getting a peak beneath the surface of the individual, not just the physical.

Readincolor Reviewers
Shelia Goss

What a great concept for an anthology. From old fashion love letter writing, to new aged Internet dating, to borrowing the identity of a best friend this book takes a unique look at different ways to find love. I found passion between the pages without the characters being between the sheets.

Since I met my husband of ten months on the Internet, Just a Click Away, was very real to me. The Switch had me on a roller coaster ride from beginning to end. As a hard core Parry EbonySatin Brown fan, I say kudos to her for introducing me to such promising new wrting talent. Hope these ladies team up again!

I really loved the concept of this book--three novellas about blind dating in the 21st century. Having met someone wonderful on a blind date myself, I really related to the stories. They were so vividly told, I felt butterflies all over again. I liked "The Switch" the most, probably because it evoked so many emotions--from anger to pity to elation. Unlike the previous reviewer, I felt that it was full of passion and a bittersweetness that only someone who has felt the sting of rejection can relate to. (Anytime you're tempted to talk back to a book, you know it's a good story!)

All three stories were page-turners. And definitely powerful enough to urge any reader to consider the crap shoot that is blind dating.

In a world where it's becoming common to meet significant others in a variety of ways including on the internet, "Love is Blind" struck a chord or satisfying resonance with me. Of personal ads, pen pals and blind dates are nothing new, but in this crazy busy world we live in alternative dating schemes such as those introduced in the three short-stories of this anthology are now more commonplace.

In Brown's contribution, we see a lawyer who seems to "have it all" realizing that success is not as sweet without someone to share it with. She takes a chance on finding love in cyberspace, much to the chagrin of one of her dear friends who thinks such antics are only for the desperate. In Brown's charming story, we see that sometimes taking a chance pays off.

Simmon's story focuses on a long-standing practice of letter writing in "pen pal" fashion. As love blossoms through the mail for a radio-show host and her doting fan, we see her struggle with past disappointments as she struggles to trust that the affection shared through words is real.

In the final story by Watson, we see a case of mistaken identity turn to romance when a man whose purpose it is to relay that his irresponsible friend will not show up for a blind date becomes enamored with lady in waiting. The major tension arises when instead of revealing his true identity he assumes the identity of his missing-in-action friend. When the truth comes out, will his potential lady love be able to forgive him.

Although a bit whimsical in places, all in all this is a story that will appeal to the true romantics at heart. This is a great read for a lazy summer day or a rainy afternoon. It is also one I'll revisit!

Parry "Ebony Satin" Brown, author of the hit novel Sittin' in the Front Pew, makes her latest contribution to the literary world in the form of a collection of short stories by herself and others entitled LOVE IS BLIND. The collection, also co-authored by Lisa Watson and Pat Simmons, builds from the fact that the characters in the three short romances are brought together by some form of a blind date.

The first story, written by Brown, is that of a woman with much going on in her professional life, but little in the romance department. In this, the information age, she decides to step outside her dating boundaries and find love online. Another story, penned by Simmons, takes the reader through an exchange of love letters between a talk-radio hostess and one of her fans. Finally, Watson's contribution tells of a case of mistaken identity during a blind date.

This collection seemed to be missing something. It was as if all of the stories were following the romance novel formula with the calculated endings, but what romances have that these stories lacked was passion. I thought the characters were dull and the stories were fairly contrived. Some of the writing was good, but the stories themselves were lackluster and laborious. Perhaps a reader looking for a more fanciful read would have more luck than I had with LOVE IS BLIND.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This book is a little out there. Like, these situations would never happen. Not at all realistic. Somewhat entertaining, but it took me some time to get thru it. Boredom set in after a while.

These 3 ladies know how to write. I especially liked Lisa Watson's story. Lisa brings her charaters to life and draws you into the story.