Customer Reviews

Pretty Boys

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

 

 

Author Linda Dominique Grosvenor, delights her reading audience with Pretty Boys, her new book that includes three enjoyable, captivating, lively and enlightening novellas. Sweet Tooth, Pretty Boys and Indian Summer are all astounding novellas that kept my attention from the very beginning until the end and without a doubt left me pondering over the characters long after the completion of the book. Grosvenor's poetic literary style as well as her strong characterization left me satisfied once again.

Each one of the novellas are good enough to stand on its own. I was engrossed in PRETTY BOYS from page one. Shanta in Sweet Tooth reminded me of myself. She was happy by herself, but underneath yearned for 'the one.' Phaedra in Pretty Boys was a character to be reckoned with. She demanded your attention and she definately got it. Watch her transformation from the beginning to the end of the story. Phyllis in Indian Summer had a lot to learn about herself. On her journey, she discovers love in an unlikely place. Three Enticing Tales for the Price of 1.

In the acknowledgements of Pretty Boys (PB) the author prays that these novellas "teach, entertain and enlighten." Ms. Grosvenor has exceeded her prayers; part mystery, part love story Pretty Boys was a captivating read.

One of the novellas had me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to find out why. Why did he do it? Why was her best friend being so evasive? Why did she leave Kelly? In another I was overjoyed at Shanta and her sister Abby's luck at finding their potential love mate in a very unlikely place.

Ms. Grosvenor has five works of fiction, one non-fiction and one poetry book under her belt. An author whose bio is as colorful as a bag of skittles proves she has skills. I was truly entertained by all three stories in Pretty Boys, and look forward to future works by this author.

Three very different novellas comprise, "Pretty Boys." The first story is of Shanta Barrett and due to her poor experiences, she has virtually sworn off men. Her sister Abby persuades her to take a chance with a perfect stranger and she stumbles her way into what could be a promising romance.
The second of the trilogy is "Pretty Boys." The main character Phaedra Dean is a temperamental, self- serving, and vicious supermodel. She is the kind of character that I love to hate and pitied those having to endure her presence. Suspicion looms about Phaedra as she becomes a suspect in a murder investigation and flees only to find herself all alone and that her name no longer carries its former weight. The air of suspense in this story piqued my interest and I felt as if it could have been a full-length `Whodunit.'
My favorite of the three is the last, "Indian Summer." Phyllis Henderson has allowed her current relationship to drain her of self-esteem and her less than faithful lover has robbed her of all dignity. With the worry of money or the lack there of, constantly looming above her head Phyllis views life as lackluster and has fallen into a rut where she merely exist. I sensed that she does not feel worthy of the air she breathes as she lumbers through each day in a listless haze. With less then noble intentions, Phyllis' lover cannot seem to let go and as much as she detests it, he somehow worms his way back into her bedroom time and time again. I favor "Indian Summer," because a transformation takes place within Phyllis in which the reader can almost feel as she gains inner strength, sees herself as more than a sexual object to be abused, and realizes her own sense of self and that yes, she too has value and is worthy of happiness.
Although these stories are typical relationship plots, Ms. Grosvenor's tone made a difference for me. It is not the usual for these sorts of stories and I found them a bit melancholy. Each of the storylines was interesting enough that I could stray away from the knight in shining armor element.
Marian E.
APOOO BookClub

In PRETTY BOYS: A COLLECTION OF NOVELLAS, author Linda Dominique Grosvenor weaves together the tales of three women from very different walks of life with one dilemma in common--men.

In the first novella, "Sweet Tooth", we are introduced to the beautiful and confident Shanta. Shanta is self-sufficient with a glamorous career and a wonderful relationship with her best friend, her sister Abby. All aspects of Shanta's life seems to be just as she had always dreamed except for one area, romance. Shanta has had her share of broken hearts and broken promises. Instead of dating and living it up, she has relegated herself to her work, hanging out with her sister and listening to her favorite radio program, a relationship show called "Thirty Something". It is while listening to the show that Shanta and Abby first hear Dean's plea for the chance to meet one good woman. As a joke, Abby calls the radio station pretending to be Shanta and tells the listeners and Dean that she is that one good woman he is seeking. To the sister's surprise, Dean wants to meet Shanta and decide for himself if she is possibly the woman he has been seeking. Will Shanta take a risk and take Dean up on his offer or will she let her old demons get in the way of finally meeting a great guy? Or will Dean just turn out to be like all the rest?

In "Pretty Boys", supermodel Phaedra has everyone in the palms of her hands ans she gets what she wants when she wants it. However, being rich and famous does not make one happy or lucky in love. Phaedra has rationalized that the game of life is either use people or be used, and she is determined to use everyone and everything to her advantage. It takes a murder and an act of betrayal for Phaedra to come to terms with the ugliness of fame and fortune. Could love possibly find its way to the supermodel as she tries to pull herself out of the seedy world of high fashion?

In "Indian Summer", Phyllis is a woman who has struggled all of her life. She struggles with putting food in her mouth and a roof over her head until a wealthy man comes into her life. Not in love, but in need of life's simple necessities, she compromises her pride and self-respect and embarks on a fruitless romance. Hating herself for being in the predicament, Phyllis must find the strength she needs to discover herself once more. What awaits Phyllis as she seeks to restore her self-respect? Will she find the strength to break away from a man she doesn't love but whose money she needs?

PRETTY BOYS: A COLLECTION OF NOVELLAS by Linda Dominique Grosvenor is an eclectic novella that presents the lives and romantic struggles of three very different women. Beautiful, confident and fragile, the women in the novellas all share the insecurities and frustration of love that readers often have found themselves facing. A quick read that seems to have a little something for everyone including drama, mystery and of course romance, this was a nice little walk down the complex road of love.

Reviewed by L. Raven James
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Pretty Boys, the title grabbed my attention immediately and also since I have a thing for "pretty boys" I was intrigued by how this author intended on exploring the relationships in the book. The book, Pretty Boys, by author Linda Dominique Grovesnor, is a nice and heartwarming group of three novellas, three seperate short stories that deal with women who love the pretty boy and how these men are brought into their lives. One woman has issues with a past lover and she almost let her insecurity of the new man, the pretty boy slip through her fingers because she was having trust issues. What I liked abuot this particular novella was Grovesnor's usage of the radio station for thirty-someting listeners (women and men who discussed their love issues over the air) and how the dare that the sister of this particular character dared her to do. It was a nice and interesting way to get the sister out of her "dump" phase and make her risk love. Cause love is all about risk and trust. The other stories involve an old fashion pretty boy. You know the kind I'm talking about. The one that opens the door for you, will rescue you, the one you can take home to mom and yes, he was fine. I like how Grovesnor kept that particular tale very simple and sweet. The young lady in this tale, well, she wasn't very empowered in her soul. She was dating a guy who basically wasn't good for her and played her to the hilt. Some where in the story, she got empowered, got rid of her ex-boyfriend, learned how to love herself more, and trust in the new situation. And the last tale was one of a woman who went from rags to riches and trusted a pretty boy who was not was he appeared to be but there was another pretty boy who was always there in the background waiting for this woman's love. What I loved about this particular tale is that even though she was in love with pretty boy #1, the self-denial was lifted and she began to see the true man. In additon there was a mysterious death case involved and this story had intrigue and secrets invoved within in.

What I loved about "Pretty Boys" is that there were three different pretty boys described and three different women, a career woman, a young woman in progress, and a successful woman in entertainment, and all three were at different levels of their self-esteem, empowerment, and viewed relationships. If you are interested in reading a book that is fun, diverse, has contemporary relationships, and just want to read a good old fashion tale, then, "Pretty Boys." is the one for you.

Pam Osbey
Author, Black Orchids