Love Frustration : A Novel [Hardcover]

RM Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Jayson Abrahms is tired of dating, tired of the games involved, and wants nothing more than to settle down. Thankfully, in less than a week he will marry Faith Sheppard, the love of his life. But there is one minor issue -- Jayson's longtime best friend, Asha Mills. Not only is she gorgeous, but Asha and Jayson also used to be lovers. Concerned about Asha's intentions, Faith delivers an ultimatum to Jayson, forcing him to face the toughest decision of his life: Either Asha goes, or there will be no wedding.

Jayson reluctantly sets out to end the friendship but cannot bring himself to do it. When he lies to Faith and tells her Asha is out of the picture, he never expects Faith to learn his secret, but Faith bumps into Asha and, discovering the truth, decides to get even with Jayson for his betrayal. Meanwhile, Jayson still believes that things are as they should be and, a few days before the wedding, sets out to meet Faith at a hotel room where a surprise party is promised for her. Hoping to surprise his fiancee with a gift of roses when he walks into the room, Jayson instead receives a horrible shock.

When a videotape of that night's painful events surfaces, Jayson finally starts to unravel the web of lies that has been cast around him. Because it is not just Faith who has been harboring secrets from him; Asha is also turning out to be a very different woman from the one he fell in love with years ago.

Never turning away from the harshness of reality, "Love Frustration" candidly confronts what happens when people have what they don't want and love what they can't have.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After turning out several relatively staid novels about the Harris family, Johnson changes directions with this randy sexual soap opera, in which half a dozen young Chicago professionals try to bed-hop their way to the perfect partner. The story starts optimistically with protagonist Jayson Abrams and his fiancee, Faith, about to wed, but jealousy threatens the relationship when Faith feels threatened by Jayson's ex, a sexy, multiracial massage therapist named Asha Mills, and orders him to terminate his close friendship with her. In the fight that follows, the wedding is canceled. Asha, it turns out, has problems of her own when she receives a marriage proposal from her rich boyfriend, Gill, just after she discovers that she has a preference for female partners. Her first tryst is a successful liaison with a sexy older client named Angie, but Asha's next offer is an unwelcome pass from a co-worker, a bossy lesbian named Big Les who catches Angie and Asha in the act and demands a piece of the action. Jayson, meanwhile, discovers Faith in flagrante with her married lover, launching the still-besotted couple into a series of head games as each amps up the jealousy factor. Johnson writes serviceable prose, but rather than develop credible romantic situations, he consistently chooses ludicrous, over-the-top sexual subplots in a narrative that rarely goes more than a chapter without a sex scene or romantic intrigue. The lurid, nonstop booty action dilutes the quality of the story line as well as the erotic power of the novel, making this effort a disappointment from an author with a solid track record.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The course of true love does not run smoothly for Jayson, whose relationships with women always come to a bad end. Even Faith, a beautiful social worker who promises to marry him, is only using him.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743229738
• ISBN-13: 978-0743229739
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, well-written, and steamy, October 3, 2002

By 

BookRemarks (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Frustration : A Novel (Hardcover)

Love Frustration is an appropriate title for RM Johnson's most recent novel. Who wouldn't be frustrated when he or she must deal with tough choices regarding their relationship? Do we or don't we get married? Should I take him back? Is this love strong enough to endure all the heartache and pain? These questions and many more are answered in this relationship novel that includes not only the main character Jayson Adams and his fiancée Faith, but also Jayson's best friend, a female, named Asha, someone whom he wants to keep in his life against Faith's protests.

Many plots twists and turns will keep the reader flipping through the pages of this novel. There are tons of steamy sensual scenes, breezy sharp dialogue, wonderful humor, eloquent writing, drama, and an unexpected climax - all the requirements needed for an engaging read. Lovers and friends will find lots to digest and discuss with RM Johnson's Love Frustration.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE FRUSTRATION No doubt!, November 17, 2002

By 

"divalicious" (ATL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Frustration : A Novel (Hardcover)

Where do I start with this book? First of all, this book read like a movie. R.M. Johnson's writing puts you right there on the front seat of the movie. You can visualize everything.

I like how he broke this novel up into characters. First, you have Jayson. He's what you consider a good man. Jayson is in love with a woman name Faith. At the beginning I liked Faith. I thought she was a nice woman that deserved a good man like Jayson until her best friend Karen shed some light on her. Karen had a small part in this book, but it was well worth it. I slowly began to hate Faith for the things she did to Jayson. Your mouth will literally drop once you find out her dirty secrets she has been keeping from Jayson. Faith is scandalous with a capital S!

Then you have Asha, Jayson's best friend that Faith despies. Asha and Jayson use to be in a relationship. Things didn't work out so they became friends.....best friends. But little Miss Asha isn't too innocent herself. She has been keeping something from Jayson that will change the way he looks at her and what he thinks of her forever. This secret will have a major impact on Asha's life. Jayson was so upset about Asha's secret that he threw her out of of her apartment which happens to be the building he owns.

Love Frustration is full of SECRETS, LIES, LOVE, BETRAYAL and MORE SECRETS! I enjoyed this book from the firts page to the last. Boy, was it GOOD! I recommned this book to all book lovers and to those who have an addiction for good books. This one is it.

Ummmm....R.M. Johnson when is the next one coming out???! In the meantime while you are writing another bestseller I'll go and purchase the other two books that you wrote....The Harris Men & The Harris Family. You get five stars for this book no doubt. On my way to add you to my favorite author's list. You are up there with the best!!!

P.S. You had me on the edge of my seat in the last three chapters! WHEW! (I can finally exhale now!)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give Mister Johnson his Propers!!, October 16, 2002

By 

Tania Forrester (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love Frustration : A Novel (Hardcover)

Greatly impressed by his skill of brilliantly depicting true to life characters in The Harris Men and The Harris Family, Mister Johnson came back on the scene and flipped the script in a major way with Love Frustration. This novel is sure to be a favorite in all the reading groups. A story so beautifully told, characters so true to life, a page turner to the very end. To mention any detail of this novel would be a great disservice for all of who have yet to get their hands on this one. To my fellow readers I implore to you that this one is a must read!! Mister Johnson is in the ranks of E. Lynn Harris, Omar Tyree, and Eric Jerome Dickey, nonetheless he maintains a unique voice, an individual with a great talent for story telling. Entertaining, dramatic, and comedic. Love frustration will have you hooked from the very first sentence.

Would it be rather shameless of me to say that I am now an official RM Johnson groupie? I am claiming the title. To all my fellow Amazonians, Love Frustration is a brilliantly told story that will quench that need for a REAL GOOD BOOK thirst!