Customer Reviews

For Love and Grace (The Grace Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If ever a book can grab you in the first few chapters and hold your attention long enough to know that it's character-driven and not a generic read, then you know that you have a good book. I read For Love And Grace and came away convinced that this author is destined for a graceful future. Kendra Norman-Bellamy has penned a love story extolling virtues of likable men seldom seen in lieu of the penchant to show them in sordid situations. Seldom too, will you find novels written where romance is not based on sex, sex, and more sex! Real life situations work best when storylines are woven to give poignancy to the process of eliciting genuine page turners.

When Derrick Madison lost his mother in a tragic car accident he immediately looks for reasons to justify angst gone awry by blaming others, and not allowing the better part of valor be instrumental in the healing process. The gist of this story involves Grace a college student who was involved in the aforementioned mishap. Enter Dr. Gregory Dixon, Derrick's best friend who falls in love with Grace and opens a can or worms that prove to be troublesome and somehow manages to bring to the fore the real meaning of friendship. I was able to read into the author's reason for writing such a book that would raise the sensibilities of strong male charisma amid the need to make viable decisions. Moreover, I saw how one can really bring back together friendship gone bad, how to deal with misguided guilt, learning how to let remorse guide forgiveness, and most importantly, in allowing a higher spiritual awareness define the real reason to fall in love. All of this is inherent in this book!

This is billed as Christian Romance, but the author articulates with clarity and the aplomb of a seasoned writer. It manages to render a heartfelt storyline allowing the characters to define substance, thus taking it way beyond the usual confines of a stereotypical debut novel. Kudos to you Kendra, we welcome this and look forward to the sequel.

As a black man, I love books that glorify black men. I was introduced to the writing of this author by a book store owner in my town. I asked for good fiction where men weren't made to look like snakes and her first words were "Have you read anything by Kendra Norman-Bellamy." With the option to bring the books back for a refund if I didn't like them, I walked out of the store with every one of her titles. That was Saturday. Today is Wednesday. I read all four of her books in five days and I loved every one of them. I can't say that I've experienced love like the folks in A Love So Strong, For Love & Grace, and Because of Grace, but it was kwel to read about black love and survival despite the odds and the forces that fight against them. I'm more of a Jhordan kind of guy in Crossing Jhordan's River. I got issues, but I'll bust a ni**** in the mouth if he messes with my family. All of these books were great and it was good to read about brothers who fought for their women and the survival of their marriage. I think I'm a fan.

This is the first time I've read a romance book where all the lead characters were professional and progressive black people and that in itself was a wonderful relief! Usually somebody in the leading role is a brother with a rap sheet so long that it reaches from one county to the other or a sister who has served more men than McDonalds.

For Love And Grace is a wonderfully written novel that just left me feeling warm and satisfied. I generally don't read a lot of Christian based novels because they lack the ability to capture my attention and hold it until the end. This one did that and did it very well. The author didn't spend her time trying to convert or save the reader's soul, but instead gave us a great story about Christian folks who had to survive an everyday situation that threatened their faith and friendship. The relationship that flourished in the middle of all of this between the doctor and the college student was beautiful.

My favorite character was Sherry who in my opinion did a heck of a job balancing her friendship with Greg and her love for Derrick. I could also relate to her because I too, am a school teacher who grew up with my best friend being a male classmate.

This book is definitely worth the read. I was disappointed to read one reviewer's comment that said she didn't want to see a sequel to this one. Everyone has their own opinion, but I, like the other reviewers, couldn't disagree more. I'd love to see a sequel so that we can read what happened after October 6th! Great first novel from an author who I'm sure we'll hear more from in the future.

Michelle Homer

For starters, I admit that I am too embarrassed to sign my name to this review. Why? Because I'm a grown a-- man and I actually enjoyed reading this love story. Love stories aren't quite something that brothas are proud to admit enjoying reading. I actually found this book under a chair at an airport while I was on business travel. My flight got delayed and I was reading it just to try and keep my sanity during the wait. I was so engulfed in this book that time just flew by. Even when I loaded for my flight, I kept right on reading. I was so hyped at how this book promoted men and kind of gave them the crown that most books like this save for the women. Even Derrick, who by the way was my favorite character. He was bull-headed and at times aggressive and even got way out of line a time or two, but he was never depicted as a bad person. He was very real to me. In fact, I found a lot of me in him. Greg, as "perfect" as he seemed to be was real to me to because he was a carbon copy of my half-brother. My brother got married seven years ago and still treats his wife like rare gold and is always thinking straight, always optomistic and always catching the eye of every girl in the office. As much as I'd like to hold on to this book and re-read it or pass it along to another brotha to read, I don't have those kind of balls. I'm going to give it away to the first Goodwill that I see and if anybody asks me if I wrote this review, I'm going to lie and say no. Yes, I loved the book. But as man as I am, I ain't man enough to tell nobody that I loved it. To the author, keep writing books just like this and if I'm somewhere where I dont' know nobody and nobody don't know me, I'll buy it.

My book club read this book and discussed it for our February meeting after reading "A Love So Strong" by this same author and enjoying it so much. Speaking for the entire reading group, this book (just like the other one) deserves a standing ovation. We loved the realness and the tenderness of this story and how well it all mingled in with the drama and suspense. The members of Author2Author Book Club are true Kendra Norman-Bellamy fans. We have chosen her third novel for our June meeting and look forward to reading and discussing it.

I read this book in one day. I can honestly say that I don't know when I've read a book that kept me so captivated. My book club had a very good discussion on it and we all are on the hunt for the real "Greg". Put a man like him on "The Bachelor" and we'll all apply to be chosen to win his heart. We also all agreed that this would make for an excellent movie. Just noticed today that there's one coming out called "Because of Grace". I sure hope that's a sequel!

I initially read this book in the self-published edition but only recently got my hands on a copy of the new edition published through BET. At first, I wasn't going to read it since I'd done so (twice) already. But I found that there were some changes in the new version that made it worth reading again. I wrapped myself in Greg's arms when I read this book a couple of years ago and I renewed my love for him when I read it again a couple of weeks ago. I love reading the work of this author and I'm sitting on pins and needles as I await the release of the next book. I know it'll be just as satisfying.

This book deserves the respect of a courtroom judge. In a world where the bookshelves are filled with fiction novels that feed such negative energy into the heads of our young and old alike, I must say that this story was one that engulfed me and hugged me like a warm blanket on a winter night. In a matter of three hours, I'd read it cover to cover and I cannot remember the last time I was so refreshed. I'd love to say that I purchased this book and sewed a seed into this young author's career, but I did not. I met her late last year and was given this gem. In my reading room, I have masses of books. Some I've read and some I haven't. I cannot tell you how happy I am that this is the one I pulled for comfort when I was battling with the flu on last week. I'm not sure the age of this author. When I met her, I thought she was barely more than a teenager, but in the biographical information printed, I see where she is married with children. So many of our children are suffering for the lack of proper parenting and constructive surroundings. I hope her children know how fortunate they are to have a mother who is creating positive stories about a community that is in tremendous need of this type reflection. Energy like this can only overflow and spread to the little ones. I trust that this book and other books like it will get into the hands and thus into the minds of our children and adults so that the courthouses, jailhouses and crack houses won't so often bleed black.

Let the church say AMEN! My goodness this book was wonderful! Gregory Dixon is a doctor who has the gift of healing. Little does he know that those same hands will heal the woman who will hold the key to his heart. Grace is such a beautiful, sweet soul and she goes through hell and high water with a near-death experience that leads her down the road to a new life with Greg. Derrick is a tormented man who is wrestling with guilt and anguish that nearly destroys his entire life and his wife, Sherry is a strong black woman who masters the art of balancing her love for her husband and her loyalty to her friends. This book was beautiful and one that I know I will read over and over again. If all Christian fiction was written like this, I'd read more of it.

One - Gregory Dixon: My kind of man! Professional, Christian, Caring, Genuine. His character was unbelievable and believable all at the same time. I agree with one of the earlier reviewers. Why can't our black men be portrayed as loving men who worship the ground we walk on? I LOVED this character. He was my absolute favorite.

Two - Grace Charles: An example for all women! Wholesome, Soft-Spoken, Professional, Talented, Determined. She was a gentle woman, but not a "yes man" type woman. She allowed the relationship that sparked between she and Greg to evolve naturally and when he let her know that he was interested, she opened up. No need to play hard to get when you know it's right

Three - Sherry Madison: The epitome of a friend! Loyal, Dependable, Selfless, Strong. Sherry was able to balance friendship and love without being disloyal or having to choose sides. She stood for right, but stood by her man at the same time even when she didn't agree with him. I think she was really the glue that held everyone together.

Four - Derrick Madison: Stubborn, Imperfect, Real, Sentimental. Even with the hard shell that he displayed on the outside, he was actually a fragile and bruised man. His emotions were real and as a reader I could feel them. Guilt will do some crazy things to the mental state of a man.

Five & Six - Lena and Mattie: Protective, Nurturing, Funny, Funny, FUNNY! These women were irritating at times, but they were hilarious and definitely characters that most people can relate to on some level!

From beginning to end, this was a really good read. My only complaint is that although the cover is nice, I couldn't see the character's faces on the faces of the cover models. I think the author should have chosen a different cover design. Other than that, I have nothing bad to say. I fell in love with these characters and would like to read more about them (in a book with a different cover). Personally, I'm not a big Christian book reader, but I must admit that I have gotten tired of the same old stuff....sex....profanity....criminal activity.....more sex. It was nice to read something different and I enjoyed it very much.