Customer Reviews

Nappily Faithful

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

 

 

Caution: The series started with NAPPILY EVER AFTER, but the second book was WOULD I LIE TO YOU?, not NAPPILY MARRIED (which was number three). So this, NAPPILY FAITHFUL, is the fourth book of the series.

But no need to re-read everything, unless you are just curious. They are all good, but you should be able to read this one, and enjoy Venus' world, all on its own. As I read, I wondered if I had missed pieces of the last novels. I hadn't -- there actually were a lot of missing puzzle pieces that weren't revealed until this book.

I have read each book of the series, and I've been hooked since the first. I thought that the series was just about a strong black woman. I am so pleased to see that it is, and has probably always been, about black love, trust, truth, friendships, relationships and forgiveness.

Of course, with all of that, there is also a heck of a lot of drama -- more than I am generally used to. But I remained thoroughly interested and entertained. Venus is a memorable character, and I really hope a movie is eventually made --this is good stuff!

Oh, and this novel would be great for a book club. I can't wait to ask my girlfriends what they think about Trevelle!

Nappily Faithful by Trisha Thomas is a tangled web of love, faith, lies and betrayal and Thomas' most ambitious storyline to-date in the series. As the story opens, readers find Venus and Jake recently settled in Atlanta; trying to move forward after debilitating circumstances encountered in Los Angeles. Jake is recovering from a close brush with the law and Venus is barely surviving mentally after suffering a miscarriage. As though the sudden and unexpected move to Atlanta, and their mental well-being, over the last few months was not enough, Venus must now get ready for the biggest battle of her life...fighting for custody of her toddler daughter, Mya.

Airic, Mya's biological father, has not wanted anything to do with Mya since Venus found she was pregnant with child years ago. Now that he is newly wed to Trevelle Doval, a popular television evangelist, Airic is being pushed to present a front of being a loving father and family man for Doval's followers. His speech and sound bites are what are expected of someone who has just had a `come to Jesus' moment--"I'm ready to be a father to my child, even though I've been absent for the last three years, and she calls another man daddy, God has shown me the errors of my ways, and I'm ready to step in and assume my rightful role. Oh yes, and I believe I should sue for full custody of my daughter, because her mama deliberately kept me out of her life." With Doval in the background, egging Airic to sue for full custody, something smells rotten and readers quickly wonder just how sincere Airic's actions are. After all, would not it be easier to start a family of your own, with your newly beloved wife, rather than rip a toddler from the only parents she has ever known? Is not that the Christianly thing to do? What would Jesus do? It appears that Jesus has been left out of the equation as human egos take over.

Emotions run high and all stops are pulled out, as an innocent child's fate lies in the wings. Venus' antics and instability appear to give Airic and Trevelle the ammunition they need to gain full custody of Mya. But, just when all hope appears gone, skeletons quickly begin to fall out of the closet for all involved, including secondary characters like the judge in charge of the custody case. But, are they enough and in time for Venus to retain custody of her daughter?

I have been a fan of Trisha Thomas and the Nappily character, Venus, since the first book in the series was penned years ago. Although some of the characters' actions were way over-the-top and others predictable, as a mom and a sucker for a good storyline, I kept quickly turning the pages to see how the scenarios would play out. Four books later, I am still wedded to Venus and the series. However, many in my reading family do not share my enthusiasm. I would like to see Thomas' fan base grow among my peers, so I would like to see her branch out and give us new characters and themes in her next books. Thomas is a talented writer and I want others to discover and experience her beyond Venus and gang. In the meantime, I recommend Nappily Faithful to those who still enjoy Venus reads and others who have not had a chance to experience Thomas' works. Nappily Faithful is a quick, for entertainment purposes only read, that can be read in one sitting on a lazy afternoon or anytime you want to cuddle up with a book.

Reviewed by Yasmin
APOOO BookClub

NAPPILY FAITHFUL by Trisha R. Thomas relates the story of Jake, Venus and Mya, after they move from Los Angeles to Atlanta. They are hoping to get away from the unpleasantness that happened to them on the West Coast. Jake was accused of murdering his accountant and Venus had her own tragedy while in Los Angeles. Even though they've moved, they are still having difficulty relating to each other. To top off their agony, Airic, who is Mya's biological father, suddenly decides he wants to see her, after totally ignoring her for all three years of her life. His wife, Trevelle, a well-known television evangelist, seems to be behind his demands. Airic doesn't want just visitation, he wants full custody and comes up with plenty of reasons why it should happen, not the least of which is Jake having been accused of murder and the seeming instability of Venus. The court fight is on and Trevelle, fighting her own demons, is pushing hard from the sidelines. Who will win this tragic case?

NAPPILY FAITHFUL is suspenseful as well as entertaining. Each time a problem seems to be solved, it blossoms again in a new and dangerous way. Trevelle is an evil woman, claiming ties to the Lord as she attempts to cover her own sins. Airic is the easy going sort who lets himself be pushed around, while Jake is morose and Venus verges on insanity. The characters were so well-developed you could feel the angst each of them felt as they fought. I truly enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading others by Trisha Thomas.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Venus and Jake are back with more drama than ever. They move from Los Angeles to Atlanta to make a fresh start but their problems are just beginning. Jake is still haunted by being charged for his accountant's murder. The trouble doesn't stop there when Airic, the biological father of Venus' daughter Mya, now wants parental rights to a child that he hasn't seen since her birth. Venus finds herself fighting for her daughter and her husband as this custody battle is putting a strain on her marriage. Airic's new wife, famous TV evangelist Trevelle Doval, is pushing him to get custody of Mya so that they can be a family. Trevelle is also running from her own sordid past that may threaten her future.

Nappily Faithful is another wonderful novel by Trisha R. Thomas. Thomas expertly draws readers back into the lives of Venus and Jake. Although this book is mainly about Venus and Jake, there are some secondary characters that play an integral part to this story. You'll meet Trevelle Doval, whose seedy background may catch up to her. You also meet Delma Hawkins, the judge that's presiding over Venus and Airic's custody battle and how her own secret past may threaten her career and impact the outcome of this case. Trisha R. Thomas did an exceptional job of weaving these characters into the storyline without disrupting the flow of the book. Nappily Faithful is full of drama and humor that is definitely a must read for fans of the Nappily series.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban Reviews

A friend recommended this book since I had read the other "Nappily" books. She advised that it was the best book yet and she was right. This was a page turner from start to finish and I was invested in the characters and the plot of this book. It is clear that Trisha Thomas is growing as a writer and perfecting her craft with each new book. I did not like the ending, but perhaps that was intentional. Just did not like the lack of closure.

Venus and Jake are back, and just when we thought things couldn't get any worse than a possible murder conviction (as played out in the previous book, Nappily Married), they do. Of course, charges have long since been dismissed against Jake...and the family relocates to Atlanta, Georgia in search of a fresh start. However, a fresh new crises soon arises...in the form of daughter Mya's biological father, Airic...who has now decided to exert his parental rights, despite having had absolutely no contact (either physically or financially) with his daughter in her entire 3 years. And with his reknowned evangelical wife influencing his every move, Airic is determined to take Venus to court to fight for custody of Mya. The entire sordid tale plays out with Airic putting the moves on Venus, and an unexpected connection between the holier-than-thou Trevelle and the judge presiding over the custody hearing....
A decent story, with the caliber of writing that we've come to expect from Ms. Thomas, and she does not disappoint. I did not,unfortunately, find the storyline to be particularly compelling. What I found most frustrating was our main character, Venus. Her ridiculous antics while in the midst of a custody battle made me grit my teeth and want to throw the book against the wall. However...this is a must-read for all fans of Ms. Thomas, and specifically of the "Nappily" series.


DYB

Venus, venus, venus. Venus, now Venus Johnston-Parson, and husband Jake have survived and made through some tough times including the murder charges that chased them from L.A to Atlanta and the loss of their baby. Moving is their way of getting away from old emotional baggage but their new life is already unraveling. Venus's ex, Airic Fisher is the biological father of three year old Mya. ( I know, I know, but this happened in Would I Lie To You) Their relationship didn't work out and Airic refused to be a paycheck daddy so he went ghost and decided to let Venus make it on her own. Now Airic has resurfaced married to gospel singer Trevelle Doval. Trevelle doval is something of a mega TV evangelist likened to a very familiar real life person with the initials JB (you'll quickly know who once you read the first few lines of her voice) After a rough life, she believes her new life won't be complete until she and Airic have a daughter, and since she's unable to conceive she's set her sights on Mya. She's hired someone to find out all the dirt on Jake and Venus which leads to a frightening truth about both of them, enough so that Venus conspires to desperate measures to keep Airic from getting Mya by any means necessary. Add into the mix the story of Judge Delma Hawkins who is handling the emotional child custody case, is dealing with her own demons. All that's left is the decision, whose going to get Mya. I read this book in two short days unable to close the book without thinking about it constantly. What a page turner that truly ended to fast but thank goodness there will be another one(I hope) to answer the unanswered question that I can't give away in this review. So much drama, so little time. best book so far this year.

I think this is a great book. I have read the entire series and i cant say enought about it. I really dont read a book unless it captures my attention and this one and all the other nappily books have really kept my attention. I cant wait until she comes out with something else.

Entertaining, easy read and I enjoy all Trisha's books. i reasad it in two days, maybe I have to much time on my hands.

Once again, good job Mrs. Thomas! I have read all of the books in the "Nappily" series, with the exception of "Would I Lie To You?". I didn't know anything about it until I was halfway through reading this one. Anyway, this book was excellent. The author has a way of making you feel the characters. There was a lot of twists and turns and drama in this book. Venus is still as insecure as she was in the first book. I also feel that she is very sneaky and dishonest. At first I felt sorry for her (in the first book), but that quickly changed in the second and third books that I read. Jake seemed like he really cared about her, but he needed to get a backbone. There was too much back and forth with those two. I really didn't see the point of Trevelle Doval. I would have liked the author to spend more time on the lives of Venus and Jake, and maybe even throw in a little twist with Clint Fairchild. I did not like the ending of this book at all. Why didn't Delma just go ahead and tell Keisha who her biological parents were and get it over with? What happens to Airic and Trevelle? Jake and Venus' relationship was on the rocks the whole time in this book. They still didn't seem that happy toward the end. It kind of made me wonder why they were even still together. Did Trevelle have the paternity test changed, or should we just assume that's what happened? What was the purpose of bringing that little baby Ralph into the story? For a brief moment, I thought maybe that was Venus and Jake's baby (that they lost ... I thought maybe there was a twist to that). I would definitely recommend this book.