Customer Reviews

Pink (Shades of Style, Book 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When she relocated to New York City, Raya hoped to turn over a new leaf and leave the old things behind. She is on a quest to reinvent herself and prove everyone that she is an independent person who could take the world by storm. Flex is someone who is trying to sprint away from his past. He is an iconoclast trying to break free from the overbearing demands of his father and while also trying to walk the Christian walk but is tormented daily by the sins of the world. When fate sets Flex and Raya on a collision course, what will happen as they constantly cross paths?

Aryanna "Raya" Joseph is a cutting edge designer who is working under her potential at her friend's uniform design business. Raya is striving to manifest her independence from her seemingly domineering, filthy rich father who would like to see her do other things with her life. To him, money is everything and he sacrificed his personal, nurturing relationship with Raya to pursue his financial conquests. Raya on the other hand, wears her heart on her sleeve and will give away her last dime to help someone in need. Having loved and lost, Raya is on a soul-searching mission and is questioning everything she once knew, including God's love for her.

Fletcher "Flex" Dunham Longhurst III is three times phine. With an old soul, his dashing looks and no-nonsense approach, the ladies love this personal trainer. Yet, Flex is focused on his Christian walk and doesn't have time for the frivolous innuendoes of the fairer sex. He is committed to taking care of his mother, building his business and his involvement in various charity programs to worry about much of anything else. Due to the skeletons in his closet, he feels that he is in no position to offer anyone a romantic invitation into his own personal chaos.

When Flex and Raya unite over a charity case, fireworks fly! The sexual tension between them is undeniable. Will Flex be able to embrace his past to accept his future? Will the individual walls that both he and Raya built around their similar, yet secretive upbringings, come tumbling down in time for them to love each other unconditionally?

PINK is a book that reaches out and grabs your attention. It not only has vibrant main characters who have everyday struggles, but it also has a strong supporting cast of secondary characters who add a robustness to this story. Ms. Griffith does a fine job in describing the characters and their feelings by using vivid imagery to weave a tale of truly romantic suspense. This book flows nicely to relate a warm and engaging tale.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

I wasn't sure whether I'd like this book since it appeared to be marketed to African-American females, and I'm Asian-American. Luckily I was proven wrong. "Pink" was a breezy refreshing read. The characters seemed real, not preachy or annoying and actually relatable. It was very cool to find out what goes on inside the fashion design world and how a small business operates. And it was very nice to to see the story from Flex's POV and not just assuming what he was thinking from Raya. Looking foward to reading Jade!

Pink was a refreshing read! It's rare to find a book where the physical attraction between two characters is written in a way that is both realistic and honoring to Christ.

Raya and Flex come from similar backgrounds. However, since they are both running from their parents and their past, it takes them a while to realize how similar they are. They are immediately attracted to each other when they first meet on the subway. But mistakes both have made in their past make it difficult for them to see that this attraction, and the deeper feelings that come from it, is something that God has directed and not something that He frowns on.

Marilynn has written some astounding characters. Not just the main characters of Raya and Flex, but the friends and family that support them are also amazingly real. These are people who have made mistakes, in some cases many mistakes, but to whom God is still showing His redemption and grace.

I will be first in line to read any future books from Marilynn Griffith!

Pink is a wonderfully told story about love in the Big Apple by new author Marilynn Griffith. The main characters, Raya and Flex, struggle with building an honest relationship since they both seem to be hiding secrets from one another. Their romantic journey to love will leave you panting for more as the flames ignite between this fine-looking couple. With Raya's flair for designing clothes and Flex's talent for sculpting hard bodies, they score with a winning combination of fashion and fitness. Watch out for the next chapter in this "Shades of Style" series.

Barbara Joe-Williams, author of Forgive Us This Day & Dancing with Temptation

In Marilyn Griffith's second novel, Pink, the reader is introduced to Raya Joseph, an aspiring fashion designer. She has a flair for style, both in clothing and hair. She is hiding her talents by working at Garment of Praise designing choir robes and church uniforms. Two projects come her way which will enable her to showcase her talents; designing a wedding gown for her archenemy, Megan and designing uniforms for a boys basketball team sponsored by her church. .

Flex Dunham nee Longsworth is a personal trainer, model and a man practicing celibacy and trying to live a Godly life. He proclaims that he will never get married. After all, his parents never married and Flex blames his father. A father who only provided financial support until he left school.

One day while on the subway, a man (Flex) whispers to Raya "God loves you." Little did Flex know when he whispered those prophetic words on the subway platform that Raya would become a significant part of his life. Raya and Flex are certainly made for each other. They both denounce their wealthy fathers, choosing to have little to do with them based on unfounded concepts that their fathers have done their mothers wrong. Each of them seemed to have a belief that they are unworthy to receive any blessings from God, or be happy in life. Instead, they feel they should continuously be punished for their past sins.

This book was so dreary that it took me almost a week to finish it, because I kept putting it down. There is much turmoil in the lives of Raya and Flex, and in the lives of the secondary characters. Lyle and Chenile, while going through the fire, were a breath of fresh air in the novel. Even in the midst of losing a baby and terminal cancer, they still remained positive. Gram and Jay also brought relief to this read.. Many times I wanted to remind the author of the many scriptures in the Bible where it speaks of happiness, laughter and joy. As with her last book, I felt this author made being a Christian to be a dull and boring life and it is not. I just do not understand why her characters had to be so oppressed. While the writing was good, the story is so depressing I will not be recommending this book to very many people.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

I love love love this book! It was one of the best reads I had in a long time. It was so good that I went and bought the rest of the series, which I highly recommend all to do after reading this book. Marilynn Griffith is definitely a great storyteller. I loved the character so much that when I have a daughter I plan on naming her after her LOL. But yes, pick this book up today and I guarantee you will not be able to put it down.

This book is intriguing! I loved the twists and turns that gave the book more mystery as to how it would end. Being an avid Christian fiction reader, I truly enjoyed the Christ connotations and spiritual strength that the characters were depending on. What a great quick read! I know you will enjoy this book.

What I loved about PINK was that it was a Christian romance that involved very believable characters with issues that most people have in their walk with God. The characters were not "holier than thou". Raya and Flex's love story was complicated because they both had a complicated past. They both had stepped out of God's will and were learning to dedicate themselves to the Lord all over again. They both had hurts that had to be healed and a lot of these hurts stemmed from their childhood experiences. I enjoyed traveling the journey with them; although Raya frustrated me at times. They needed to communicate a whole lot better but that is what made the story so interesting. The ending had a unique twist.

The secondary characters at Garment of Praise add to the interesting mix of personalities in Griffin's stories. I enjoyed the entire Shades of Style series. Each woman's story gave the reader a different view of Christian women trying their best to do the right thing. I loved the backdrop of the New York fashion industry. I also enjoyed the strong bonds of friendship that the characters shared.

I like Marilyn Griffin's writing style. Having read all of her books; I can honestly say that she is an author whose writing holds the attention of this avid reader/book addict. Her stories keep me reading late into the night and until the last page is turned, I am entertained and uplifted.

Idrissa Uqdah
The Book Review Diva

Pink by Marilynn Griffith is the first book in the Shades of Style series. Raya Joseph up-and-coming fashion designer trying to leave behind a broken heart. Flex Dunham is a handsome model/physical trainer trying to leave his past behind and be the man the Lord wants him to be. Of course they're going to meet and fall in love! The drama in the story comes from the struggles each character faces in coming to the realization that much like God's love, this love is one from which they cannot earn or hide from. The couple bond over his basketball team, especially a young player named Jay in need of parents. Raya works at Garments of Praise a Christian based fashion design company struggling to make ends meet while staying true to its goals. This book is filled with characters rich with history and begging for their own stories to be told. Lucky for us, Griffith has finished the first three, and the last is slated to be released later this year.

I bought this book on Friday night and finished Saturday night... I was so engrossed in the book, I could not put it down. Marilynn Griffith always kept me wondering what was next. I did think for a moment, how likely is it for a family to lose a child then the husband have cancer shortly thereafter... then I thought it's possible as well as God's healing power. That particular storyline of the book was an illustration of that couple's faith and trust in God, whether they suffered a death or an illness... they still trusted God and God remained faithful even when others faltered in faith.
The struggle of letting go of the past to embrace what God has for you was awesomely and eloquently depicted thru the lives of Raya and Flex.

I loved the way that Griffin uses imagery and the wondrous flow of words to describe the scene, and the characters. Never felt like she was rushing to get to a point.
I loved Pink- am eagerly awaiting Tangerine and currently ordering Jade!!!! If I had more than two thumbs I'd give this book all of them.