Customer Reviews

One of a Kind (Arabesque)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We met Anthia Jenkins and Dexter Washington in Bette Ford's 1995 novel, "Forever After". In this latest story, she has incorporated couples from her previous books and has managed to bring us another tale of romance and insight in to the Detroit scene. When las hear, Anthia's sixteen-year old son Jeffrey has been shot in the back by a business owner who mistakenly thought he was robbing him. Jeffrey is now a nineteen year-old college student relearned how to walk after years of therapy. Anthia has finally given up her job as a legal secretary and realized her dream of owning own doll-making business specializing in one-of-a-kind orginals. Dexter, the director of the community center where Jeffrey belongs, has been a source of strength and guidance to Anthia, but over the years she has desire more a loving relationship with this bronze god. A shared kiss one night seems to have left Dexter with feelings for Anthia that he had been trying to deny. His past is such a tangled webe that he fears rejection but unable to stay away any longer he turns up on her doorstep wanting to rekindle their friendship. Of course Diane and Charles Randol from "Forever After" see what's going and eventually Anthia and Dexter must admit they mean more to each other than just friends. Meanwhile Dexter must dealing with the concerns of the center,unwanted advances and past family problems. This book initially got off to a slow beginning but was well worth the end results

OK we learned that Dexter had feelings for Anthia in Bette's book "Forever After" now Bette brings together the two after Jeff has been released from the hospital and is now attending college. Anthia and Dex have become best friends and have falling in love with each other. After a shared kiss they can not think straight.

Anthia was tired of Dex always keeping to himself and never opening up to her. When she comfronts Dex about how she feels she learns of Dex's trouble past. But this does not change the way Anthia feels about him. It just makes her love him even more.

I thought Anthia and Dex would never get it together because they were both keeping their feelings from each other. I was truly happy with the ending when everything came together.

The secondary characters really help bring this book together. It would be nice to see a story on Anthia's son Jeff and Cora. And also on Dana and Jerome.

Go out and get this book and all of Bette's books. You will not be disappointed.

This book was so compelling. Sometimes there are characters in a book that make you just want to slap them so they would stop and listen to each other. These two characters were like that. That's what makes them so believable. It felt like you knew them. The writing of Ford made you feel the pain that the characters were going through. I just can't say enough about this book. FANTASTIC!!!

Okay, let's be real here: a lot of us look to African-American romance to read between the lines, and we hope to see some well expressed sex squeezed in there, too!

With Bette Ford's work you get all of that, and the bonus is that you get a well developed story as well. She might have easily let us ride on smooth sensuality, but she took the time to set up and explore a number of the problems that plague our communities today. And, in her exploration, she took the time to let us get to know people we could recognize and like.

ONE OF A KIND is a special and thought provoking story -- well worth reading.

AND BECAUSE IT IS, I GOT THROUGH IT IN 3 HRS. FLAT. I COULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN. WHERE I WENT, IT WENT. THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN ANTHIA JENKINS AND DEXTER WASHINGTON WAS FANTASTIC. I CAN'T THINK OF ENOUGH ADJECTIVES TO REALLY TELL YOU HOW GREAT THIS BOOK IS. MS FORD PUTS US INTO EMOTIONAL UPHEAVALS THAT ARE HARD TO COME DOWN OFF OF. TO THINK I ALMOST PUT THE BOOK DOWN, BUT AM I GLAD I HUNG ON IN THERE TIL CHAPTER 10. EVERYTHING WAS UPHILL FROM THAT POINT ON. THE ENTIRE BOOK IS GOOD, BUT WHEN YOU GET USED TO A CERTAIN WRITING STYLE AND IT DOESN'T MATERIALIZE RIGHT AWAY, PEOPLE LIKE ME GET ANTSY. THANK GOODNESS THAT I DIDN'T SKIP THIS ONE. I COULD FEEL ALL THAT DEXTER FELT WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH, THANKS TO HIS GOOD OLE DAD. I JUST LOVE HOW ANTHIA HANDLED HER FEELINGS FOR HIM, AND I WAS RIGHT THERE WITH GIRLFRIEND WHENEVER SHE LET HIM KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING TO HER WITH HIS LACK OF (SEEMINGLY) EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT WHERE SHE WAS CONCERNED. I ASKED THE LORD TO SEND ME A GOOD MAN AND HE HAS DONE SO THROUGH MS FORD'S PEN; TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THANK YOU!! ROMANCE READERS, IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO, PICK UP ALL HER BOOKS, I DID, AND AM I EVER SATISFIIIIIIIED!!

I loved this novel! I used live in Detroit and I just loved the fact how she makes Detroit look more than just a crime capital of the world! And the characters were real people that have real problems and that can be solved realistically. I love Anthia and I just gaggled over Dexter. I felt like I knew him from a long time ago. She is a great author and I've discovered myself wanting to punch the lights out of both the the characters as the story evoled. The external characters made the book as well and I would like to see one with the son.

One of a Kind was the first book that I read by Bette Ford and now I'm hooked on her books. I've had to go back and order some of the previous books so I could catch up on the story line. And every book that I have read thus far by Bette Ford is going to be getting 5 out of 5 stars. I'm really impressed with the characters in the book and the story line. All the hero's are men I wish I could meet in this life time. So please Mrs. Ford keep them coming.

I loved this book. Even tho things worked out in the end as they always do in this genre. I enjoyed the reading the journey Dex and Anthia went through to get there. It must be frustratig to have the love of your life in your life fighting to resist their attraction to you due to some guilt complex. I'm glad Anthia had the courage to go for what she wanted as for Dex he really needed some therapy and not just the sexual kind. Aslog glad good to catch up with the other couples from the past Quinn/Heather Charles/Diane.

This book follows up a situtation found in another one of her books. Its thrilling to see these two characters get their own story. The hero has a past that catches up with him but love wins out in the need. The Heroine's love for her son's makes her adorable and touching to the reader.

I loved this book from the start. I loved both of the characters. But, I was truly ticked with Dexter's father. Straight up superficial. Yep. But, as always in these books, love conquers allin the end.