Customer Reviews

No Love Lost

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Title: No Love Lost
Author: Therone Shellman
Genre: Urban Fiction

APOOO Rating: 2.5
Amazon Rating: 3.0

Title: The Life of The Streets

No Love Lost by Therone Shellman is an urban fiction tale that takes you into the lives of Derrik (street name, Infinite) and Jermaine (street name, Blaze.) Even though this is a fictional story, it is an eye-opener as to how young people can be drawn into the life of drugs and crime, not only those that come from broken homes but also ones that come from loving and caring families.

The reader will witness how the reality of the streets will lure Derrik, Jermaine and others into this chaotic lifestyle of trying to maintain a sense of self, attempting to fit in, striving to make money while always being aware that survival is the name of the game. Mr. Shellman takes you on a journey into the lives of The Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is an organization of young people who have the need to feel they belong somewhere, with a desire to be a part of what represents, in their eyes a powerful and supportive group. This book shows the obstacles and challenges they face from their interactions with the police (referred to as Beast on the street), rivaling organizations, community, family, loved ones and even concerns amongst members of their own organization. Loyalty and honor are something these young people learn to define, with the question as to what they really mean to them personally and as a member of The Brotherhood. How does it feel when faced with death or being locked up behind bars? This question is answered well in this book. Mr. Shellman has a way of bringing the characters in this book to life, showing real feelings and emotions as to what they experience due to their choices to engage life on the streets of New York. Sadly, there is no vision of what life could be like beyond what the characters of this book have become accustomed to.

At times, No Love Lost was very hard to follow. There were a number of supporting characters throughout the book that I found distracting to try to keep up with. Sometimes the writing was too descriptive in explaining the body language of the characters during a scene. I feel it would have been more effective to allow the characters to have a dialogue with each other, aiding the reader to better understand what was taking place and how the characters felt at that time. There were some grammatical errors, confusion of characters and awkwardness in sentence structures that led to additional difficulties in reading this book.

Therone Shellman clearly is an evolving author, developing his own style of storytelling. I do look forward to reading his up-and-coming book, Survivor, Therone Shellman's autobiography.


Reviewed by S.E. Koshi aka Lady Flava
APOOO BookClub

No Love Lost

Therone Shellman's No Love Lost is more than your average hood-centric novel. This novel goes beneath the surface of street life and shows all facets of what happens when people are in the "game".

Most urban fiction novels cover the drugs, the dealers and the money, clothes and cars. Those aspects are present in this novel, yet No Love Lost actually does nothing to glorify the wrong doings of drug dealers and gangsters. It also does not vilify the police officers who sometimes work with the very criminals they are sworn to keep in check. No Love Lost shows the drug game in its totality, no holds barred.

I really enjoyed the balance that Therone Shellman offered his readers. Every character had a story that needed one. I also enjoyed some of the plot twists. The killer white girl was a total surprise. You have to read it to understand. No Love Lost had a decent book cover that didn't attempt to exploit what you get from videos. Get a professional editor, and this book will be all good.

Teenage street soldiers, loyal girlfriends and a caring police officer are mixed in with kidnappings, sergeants having extra-marital affairs with reporters and snitching relatives. No Love Lost is one of the most realistic portrayals of inner-city struggles that I've read. Kudos.

Reviewed by Joey Pinkney
UrbanBookSource.com


Therone Shellman's No Love Lost is more than your average hood-centric novel. This novel goes beneath the surface of street life and shows all facets of what happens when people are in the "game". Most urban fiction novels cover the drugs, the dealers and the money, clothes and cars. Those aspects are present in this novel, yet No Love Lost actually does nothing to glorify the wrong doings of drug dealers and gangsters. It also does not vilify the police officers who sometimes work with the very criminals they are sworn to keep in check. No Love Lost shows the drug game in its totality, no holds barred.

Cousins Derrick and Jermaine are like two peas in a pod. Their close bond isn't broken by Derrick's 6 month stint in Juvenile Detention. Derrick comes back a changed young man, but not in the way that his mother would have expected. Derrick's friend Supreme rubbed off on him. Now a 5 Percenter, Derrick no longer eats pork and now wants to be called Infinite. That part of his new identity doesn't bother his mother nearly as much as his affinity for criminal endeavors.

Although he lived in a home with two caring parents, Jermaine chose the streets. Rolling with his cousin Infinite (Derrick) and Supreme, he sells marijuana on the block to make money. They wanted Jermaine to sell a little, save his money and go to college to get his education. Jermaine was addicted to the money and slowly persuades Supreme and Infinite to put him onto the next level stuff they were into.

It doesn't take long for Infinite and Supreme to see if Jermaine is down by law. His first time out with the crew to do some dirt solidifies his ability make it happen when the pressure is on. The trio jack a weed dealer at a truck stop and end up having to let the guns clap to get the job done. The unexpected turn of events leave the weed dealer dead and Jermaine with nick name for the streets, "Blaze". His frazzled nerves instantly calms when he counts all the cash procured from the murderous turn of events.

Infinite and Blaze continue on without Supreme, who attempts to live straight and enlist in the army. They hook up with a group known as M-P-R (Money Power Respect) to form a criminal enterprise. Infinite and Blaze rob M-P-R's competition and turns the drugs over to M-P-R to flip and share the profits.

All hood things must come to an end. M-P-R's operations gets shut down after the police are tipped off by Boom after he's jacked by Infinite and Blaze. The streets loves no one and the outcome is always the same, you die or go to jail. Therone Shellman's skills as an author makes getting there for his characters very interesting and truthful.

Teenage street soldiers, loyal girlfriends and a caring police officer are mixed in with kidnappings, sergeants having extra-marital affairs with reporters and snitching relatives. No Love Lost is one of the most realistic portrayals of inner-city struggles that I've read. Kudos.

What did you like best about this book?
I really enjoyed the balance that Therone Shellman offered his readers. Every character had a story that needed one. For instance Sergeant Ronald Aldoe is more than a hardened police officer without feelings. When he confides in his mistress/star reporter Carla Simmons the toll the streets have taken on him, you really get to see another side of Aldoe. The cop duo of Frank and Speedy is another powerful aspect of the book. Officer "Speedy" got the name because of his track star speed with on-foot pursuits. His hatred for black people is perfectly juxtaposed by Frank's attitude of sympathy and compassion. It's rare that you get an officer that's halfway understanding of the why some people get into the type of trouble you can find in the hood.

I also enjoyed some of the plot twists. The killer white girl was a total surprise. You have to read it to understand.

The book cover was another positive point for No Love Lost. I get tired of seeing poorly composed renditions of Master P covers from back in the 90s. You remember the shiny diamond-encrusted letters, the dollars falling from the sky, the Benz on dubs...ridiculousness. Oh, I almost forgot the scantily clad female.

No Love Lost had a decent book cover that didn't attempt to exploit what you get from videos.

What did you dislike about this book?
I didn't like the grammatical error. Usually you can let a couple slide. There were enough in this book to take away from the flow of the story. Like the Derrick/Infinite narrative. Derrick got the name Infinite when he went to juvie and got hooked up with the 5 Percenters. Cool.

A couple of pages later, Infinite and his cousin Jermaine are about to his up a weed dealer for a lick. Therone Shellman uses Derrick and Infinite in a sentence where he should have used Jermain and Infinite. It took me two minutes to figure out what was going on. I had to go back to the beginning of the book to figure out who was who and what was what.

I also didn't like the fact that twin brothers Hassan and Rassan took on the god body names of Knowledge and Knowledge-Knowledge. There were a couple of sentences that got confusing when they were referenced within the same sentence.

How can the author improve this book?
Get a professional editor, and this book will be all good.

Most of the action in No Love Lost is centered mainly around the young Blaze, nee Jermaine Johnson, as he rises to power in the drug world. Lured into the game by his cousin, Derrik, and mentor, Supreme, Blaze is seduced by the money, freedom, and influence that come along with his increased underworld status - but he is ill-prepared to handle the violence, betrayal, and unpredictability of his newfound trade. As he weaves his way through a tangled web of deals gone bad, police intimidation, and turf wars, a higher consciousness slowly but surely awakens within him, and he ultimately considers making a much-needed life change, prompted by the love of his faithful sweetheart, Rachel.

On the surface, one would think that the gritty depictions of street life in No Love Lost would make it a carbon copy of such predecessors as "New Jack City" or "Juice." Instead, with its realistic reflections on the daily human struggles of urban Black youth, Shellman's narrative falls more along the lines of "Goodfellas": his protagonists are not caricatures, but rather 3-dimensional, flesh-and-blood flawed beings, the likes of which we all see and deal with everyday. True, they have chosen to indulge in a life of danger and uncertainty, but, given the limitations of their immediate environment - not to mention the constrictions of modern society - their ever-dwindling options often leave them with no other recourse. Consider this revealing passage:

"He knew how it felt to be hungry. And as a young man, he learned that money meant the difference between those who ate and those who starved. He'd rather be in jail or dead than starve for anyone. This was verified by the outlaw life that he decided to live. His life, he felt, was like that of a black cowboy in the early frontier. It was all about survival tactics."

In addition, further complicating the boys' lives are the inevitable consequences of the choices they make. It is well known throughout the drug game, that - much like the CIA - once you're in, you never get out. Unsuspectingly swept into an increasingly dangerous life, the boys eventually realize that they'd be in even more danger if they left - which, of course, explains why they stay. The difficulty of this decision is highlighted best in this telling piece of introspection by Blaze himself:

"Yes, he could have chosen a different path because of the opportunities his mother provided, but this was his life and his choice, and he was set on living it the way he wanted to with no remorse for the time being. Maybe things would change later. But for now he was playing by the rules."

A refreshing departure from many of the aimless, sensationalized urban fiction novels currently en vogue, No Love Lost deserves to be lauded for its honest depictions and intelligent handling of contemporary Black youth, particularly the various ways that they choose to navigate the daily quagmire of their lives. One could actually envision Shellman's narrative being required reading in many freshman high school English classrooms across the country.

This a wonderful book that captures your attention in the very beginning; its one that you won't want to put down until you finish the whole story! I love to read all different types of literature in my spare time, but this book is one that far surpassed my expectations. The author does a remarkable job of incorporating tremendous detail, and he entertains as well as educates readers about survival in the hood. It will make you laugh, it will expand your mind, and you may even shed a tear. I would highly recommend that this book becomes a part of your collection. Two-thumbs up! THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE! :D

Jermaine was as happy as everyone else to finally have his mentor and cousin, Derrik, aka Infinite, back. Watching Infinite and his close friend, Supreme, always have money, cars and women, Jermaine couldn't wait to be just like the duo. Being naïve and with his nose wide open, Jermaine knew that they were probably doing something illegal and wanted to get in the mix, and Infinite's return finally opened the door to his well awaited opportunity. Two years later and now officially nicknamed Blaze, the tides are about to get strong and Blaze enters a life that he isn't all to sure that he is ready for.

Money-Power-Respect, thoroughly known as MPR, established their name to the fullest. Organization and trust was not only their most valued law, but having access and making as much money as possible was key. MPR regulated the streets with their keen knowledge of street value and business ethics. Consisting of nine different minds and goals, Blaze enters as the newest and youngest member of the group with only Infinite as his sole supporter.

Detectives and patrolmen alike are banking on the promotions and easy vacations they could possibly have with taking down the notorious crew of MPR. Silently and maliciously waiting for one false move, raids were conducting simultaneously throughout Long Island and surrounding areas. Some of the "Beast" just wanted to have their own faces on the news, while others have a vendetta a mile long. Combing the streets for links and possible informants, the battle and blood bath not only regulates between the police department and MPR but MPR and snitches.

Therone has you on the edge of your seat with each page. This action packed winner might have you wanting to bring out your steel and bring the heat to quite a few characters. Hell, I wanted my nickname to be Explosive for a minute. Therone definitely has a flair for this genre and I hope to read more from him.

Reviewed by: LaDonna

"No Love Lost is an insightful gritty novel that is the follow up story to Love Don't Live Here. Depicting a tale of broken families, betrayal, the pursuit of money and the ramifications of young men making the decision to live a life of crime."

"Jermaine Johnson and Derrik Davis are childhood friends who become members of the Money Power Respect crew, which is notorious for drug dealing and robbery. Their ultimate goal is to achieve money and live the life that they want the only way they feel they can."

"Jermaine and Derrik's life of crime and violence eventually catches up with them, ultimately destroying their lives and also affecting the lives of those who love them."

"Therone Shellman does a superb job illustrating a bold and realistic look at the choices many young men are making today. This novel delivers a powerful message that should encourage young people to make better choices."

Having grown up like brothers with not much other than each other, Derrik and Jermaine get caught up in making the fast money. Known to the streets as Infinite and Blaze, Derrik and Jermaine have major respect on the streets as part of a larger organization called MPR. Seemingly, the earning potential of the MPR soldiers is unlimited until one small incident flares out of control and changes things forever. Knowing right from wrong, will Derrik and Jermaine be able to put the fast life behind them before it's too late?

Even after the initial scuffs with the law and the demise of Infinite, the taunting of the streets was too much for Blaze to resist. His drug game elevated from street-level dealing to supplying the dealers. Blaze through that maybe somehow he could get more from his hustle while still maintaining somewhat of a low profile. One day, while at home chilling with his girl Rachel, Blaze goes against his instinct and gets caught up in even more drama. This time, the stakes are higher and the consequences are far-reaching. Will the world as he knows it come crashing down on Blaze? Will the street family come through from him when the going gets tough?

All in all, in NO LOVE LOST, Shellman has attempted to create an edgy novel depicting life on the streets and the hard core brutality of the drug game. Graphic details and a cast of supporting characters combine to create a realistic portrayal of basic survival. This novel jumps into the action in the middle of the story and weaves a web of viciousness and hopelessness. Written in the third person, the book does not initially reach out and capture the reader's attention. It builds to a slow but steady conclusion that leaves the reader with a ray of hope in an otherwise sad situation.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

No Love Lost was a page turner. I read this book in one day. There was plenty of murder and backstabbing from everyone. I wanted to hear more and see how Blaze and Rachel future went. Mr. Shellman uses dialogue well and however fictional the events in this book, they do take place in real life. This was a well put together book. It reflected on many areas of the street code presently. Mr. Shellman did not hold no punches when depicting images unseen to the naked eye. He mastered this concept. I think Mr. Shellman is a powerful writer and I can't wait until his next book "Survivor". Much Success!!!!

Author Therone Shellman with his sophomoric effort improves on his storytelling prowess with a compelling drama of crime, and the ever paradox of self-evaluating value being tested coming of age. Now comes No Love Lost, where he reaches back in the past to carry a new story forward. The follow up to his debut, Love Don't Live Here is a raw depiction of life in the `hood according to basic survivor instinct based on the protagonists - Jermaine and Derrik. If you know their beginnings, you'd know that rearing children as single mothers and the consequences thereof, can be the progenitor of something that can easily go awry.

We witness this first hand in the decisions they make, and don't make in their developing adolescent years. In the process, they face harrowing experiences having to adhere to lessons learned on the street just to survive. The key questions asked are - what becomes of the malcontent and misappropriations that comes along with it? Why is there a need to break away from the nurturing guidance and sense of family that their mothers worked so hard to provide? Does it matter in the interim when consequences provide a stark picture when all of the colors have faded with no defined value? Along the way, one ends up dead, and the other finds himself in a situation that is life threatening, and hard core decisions needs to be made.

The synopsis of the story without giving away too much, deals with the machinations of drug dealing and the typical mindset of the trade when loyalty is but a temporary idea gone awry without long-lasting value. The fact that they and the friends they gravitate around are willing to gamble with lives to obtain riches, and will go to any length in keeping it, makes for intrigue in a murderous way. I enjoyed the book for the entertaining value it gave me knowing that a story of this magnitude is being played out in reality in communities today. If I'm allowed to go deeper, I will tell you that I'm glad that it's fictional, and that Therone Shellman is one hell of a writer. This is no idle statement: The book is written in a way where the action is nonstop and progressive. Outside of the two main characters, the supporting cast moves in and out and can be substituted for any cameo role the author deemed necessary. On the down side, I would have liked for more of this story to be embellished where content is indicative of fleshing out more detail, and adding other elements to expand the sensibility of the reader.

In conclusion, the Urban Fiction genre, or whatever you want to call the stories of the streets, is here to stay. There will be a shaking out of authors lest they endeavor to improve the stories beyond status quo. They will HAVE to get better in crafting them to support my contention of the aforementioned `embellishing the story more' concept. There's much more to this author, and time will be the only barometer to measure how far he wants to go. In the meantime, there's no time to lose...why not pick up No Lost Love and find Therone Shellman - you won't regret it!