2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up for D.Y. Phillips!, April 14, 2010
This review is from: Love Trumps Game (Strebor on the Streetz) (Paperback)
Author D.Y. Phillips' latest novel LOVE TRUMPS GAME is a fast-paced and excitable read extolling the wiles and wickedness of a million dollar drug business and the man behind it. Topps Jackson can be depicted as Satan's son and it still wouldn't aptly describe a man who kills at random, has no regard for anythng sensible in making decisions to clean his image, and who certainly has no feelings for life, love and liberty. Money, the root of his cause celebre and what will be the progenitor of his demise, is magnified when mixed with the female gentalia that begats a name the author dubs as `monussy' -- the algamation of money and _ussy! Topps claims that there's no better marriage than the two. Ms Phillips does a great job in allowing all of the characters in this story to have a sense of belonging, especially the secondary ones who lend much more than just ordinary attachment. The gist of the story is how a man runs his business feeling that his son should be the sole inheritor of the riched cultivated. It's about how the business is run, what lengths it takes to keep status quo, and who has to be killed to maintain it. The only person that threathens to topple all that he has accumulated is his kids' grandmother, Hattie Sims!
Neema Jean Sims, who can be considered in one sense a protagonist, but it's her mother, Hattie who gets equal billing based on the author's timely plot twists and settings. It adds more flavor to a simmering storyline that have you waiting and wondering what will come at the end. Honestly, reading this story, I didn't want it to end! I'm sure readers will want to know how and why a ruthless drug dealer can cause so much havoc on a family, community and children, notwithstanding? Hattie endures quite a bit before and after her daughter mysteriously disappears, rendering her sole guardian of her two rude and undisciplined grandchildren. This leads to a literary chase scene in which mayhem begats murder. Living life on the run and weaving a tale that can give credence to suspense is what makes this book a hit.
Adequate storytelling prowess is the genesis of any good book justifying options of readership, and of late, the thug life and everything thereof is apropos to `da hood' mentality of enhanced sex, drugs and dead bodies. Love Trumps Game shows what can happen when a person on the wrong side of the law leaves 'lose ends' untethered and fails to secure ties that bind. I like this book and feel that it is a good read, because unlike the average book in this genre, the author while writing it, gave a good balance between the good and bad of the drug trade.I loved the ending. What good is a story without one to give it balance and a sense of accomplished value? I had no problem in rating this book 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend that it is bought where books are sold! Check out why I feel that D.Y. Phillips will be an author you're willing to wait for the next good book in her!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Big Momma always got an ace up her sleeve..., October 19, 2009
This review is from: Love Trumps Game (Strebor on the Streetz) (Paperback)
Hattie Sims is a young grandmother that has experienced a lot in her lifetime and has finally settled into a mundane routine. The drama always comes in the form of her youngest daughter, Neema Jean, an unwed mother of two children by kingpin Topps Jackson. Neema is constantly leaving her children on her mother's doorstep without invitation so that she can traipse around fancy free despite her mother's indignant refusals. Although Neema and Topps have a dysfunctional lifestyle, she's in it to win it for every cent she can squeeze out of Topps. Topps is an evil and soulless character that has made up his mind that his seven-year-old son Brandon needs to be learning the ropes to take over his illegal empire one day.
Topps discovers treachery in his trenches and decides a lesson is about to be special delivered to those closest to him. A determined Hattie throws salt in the game, which brings danger to her and those who aid and abet her in the desperate quest to protect her grandchildren. Will Topps develop a conscience and have mercy on Hattie, or will Hattie outwit this gruesome character?
Love Trumps Game is a fast paced and enticing novel. Relatable characters will have you rooting for Hattie, screaming for Brandon to get a good beat down, gunning for Topps, and shaking your head at Neema. Ms. Phillips is also able to incorporate the beginning of a love story in the midst of all the drama. Love Trumps Game was my first time reading Ms. Phillips work, and her introduction into this genre is very impressive. Kudos!
Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye
for Urban Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read, August 12, 2009
This review is from: Love Trumps Game (Strebor on the Streetz) (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this book it was something different from the regualar street lit. It shows what today's grandmothers go through with kids today. Not only do they raise there own kids but they have to raise there grandchildren as well. Hattie was one strong grandmother to stand up to that monster Topps the kids father. This was a good book don't pass this one up.
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