Customer Reviews

Savor the Sweetness

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

 

 

Savor the Sweetness by Marchel Alverson is a wonderful book about two couples Terri & Lawrence and Celeste and Jayland. These couples relationship go through serious changes and make you ask yourself, "If I were faced with these problems could my relationship survive?"

I felt that Marchel Alverson was able to deliver a great story about two diverse couples that seemed to have it all from the outside but really had issues that they were faced with and had to find their way through. Celeste suffered the ultimate loss by losing Jayland in a car accident towards the middle of the book. Marchel really made you feel Celeste's pain and what it felt like to lose the person closest to you, along with the regrets and all the steps that is involved with the grieving process. Celeste makes some unforgivable choices throughout while grieving that will have you questioning how far will she go before she loses it all!

The only thing that I can really say that needed improvement was the editing throughout the book. I felt that the grammatical errors recurred too often but really didn't take away from the story. The storyline itself is very strong and the character development with every character introduced throughout the book was wonderful. You can definitely see that Ms. Alverson has a bright future in writing!

TaNisha Webb
KC Girlfriends Book Club Radio Show Host
KC Girlfriends Book Club President

Celeste Gray and Terri Hunter are best friends who have the best of everything. But even the lavish homes, beautiful children, and loving husbands cannot stop them from wanting more. Celeste is trying to escape her mundane life as a homemaker. Terri is seeking some much needed attention from an online romance. Celeste and Terri's world turns upside down when Celeste's husband Jayland is killed in a car accident. Jayland's death causes Terri and Celeste to go down a path to self-destruction. Terri tries to have a more serious connection with her online lover. Celeste's loneliness causes her to want sexual healing from Terri's barely legal son Rowan. Will their friendship last through these trying times?

Savor the Sweetness is an impressive novel by Marchel Alverson. Alverson pulls the reader into the complex lives of Celeste and Terri. You will truly feel the deep connection that makes up their friendship. This novel takes the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions as this story unfolds. You will feel the emptiness of Celeste as she tries to cope with her husband's death. You will also feel the uncertainty of Terri as she tries to seek comfort in the arms of another man. This story wouldn't be complete without some shocking twists and turns that will keep you on your toes. Alverson added a nice touch to this story by including the private orange grove where Celeste and Terri share their secrets. Savor the Sweetness is an emotionally-charged novel teemed with realistic characters and situations. Savor the Sweetness will have you looking forward to the next novel from Marchel Alverson.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
of Urban Reviews

Celeste Gray and Terri Hunter have little in common, save the lifelong friendship that's sustained them throughout the peaks and valleys that each has experienced over the years. Celeste is a wife and mother whose husband eagerly fulfills her every need, and Terri, with a fierce independent streak, wants for nothing as she makes her mark on the world. The two women are the very semblance of strength, class, beauty, and success, and their lives are striking examples of the best the world has to offer.

Looks are often deceiving, though, and such is never more true than with Celeste and Terri. Beneath their polished facades, both women secretly crave change, longing to experience the very lives that others would gladly exchange with them if the opportunity ever presented itself. To paraphrase an old saying, though, the grass may always seem greener on the other side, but the true essence of life always lies in personal perspective.

Whether she's ready for it or not, change ultimately - and tragically - comes when Celeste's husband is suddenly killed in a hit-and-run accident, sending her on an emotional tailspin that leads her to make one ill-informed decision after another. For her part, Terri struggles to comfort her ailing friend - a task made nearly impossible when Celeste begins a lustful pursuit of Terri's barely-legal son. As the bond of their friendship weakens further and further under the considerable strain, the two women are forced to take deep introspective looks within themselves - and one another - in order to come to a greater understanding of the true nature of their relationship - as well as the looming prospects for their quickly unraveling lives.

The second effort by Marchel Alverson, Savor The Sweetness is a promising sign of a literary talent that continues to improve. Her compelling tale of humanity at its most raw and vulnerable is all at once arresting, inspiring, and engaging. Accentuating her storytelling is her conversational writing style, which enables the reader to relate to the women's travails on a personal level. Even though the women live in the lap of relative luxury, the sagas of their lives unfold in the depths of familiar human drama, which offsets the shallow opulence of their existence.

Furthermore, by personalizing Celeste and Terri so effectively, Alverson prevents the women from being demonized in the eyes of the reader, which allows their actions - questionable though they may be - to be viewed as natural byproducts of the simple machinations of everyday lives with which we are all familiar.

Impressive and engrossing, Savor The Sweetness is a highly recommended account of the best and worst of the common human nature that binds us all.

This book makes you want to hurry up to get to the end, but don't forget to "Savor the Sweetness" of it. Marchel Alverson has a great writing style that wraps you up in the story.

Escape with this book. I think all women will relate to the themes of relationships, friendships, sex, motherhood. It's even a little sexy at times. Just a little more sweetness for you.

"Savor The Sweetness is simply an amazing story that will take readers on an emotional ride."

"Two women who have shared a wonderful friendship are tested when a tragedy unravels their lives. What was once a friendship of kindred spirits who shared a special and private orange grove to relish in their inner most thoughts, has now been tainted and forever changed."

"Once deep and painful truths are told, will they be able to salvage their relationship? Perhaps in time the lesson will be learned to always savor the sweetness in life."

"Yet another fantastic story from the talented author Marchel Alverson. Who is unafraid to encourage readers of her writings to dig deep and feel the emotion weaved in her creativity."

Like the fragrant grove of orange trees bursting with delicious ripened blossoms that paint the backdrop to this delectable tale, SAVOR THE SWEETNESS is a bittersweet, juicy story told in expert fashion by Marchel Alverson.

Celeste Gray is silently searching for affirmation, despite a loving husband, adoring daughters and the good life. Her best friend, Terri Hunter, is married, yet alone. Her husband's career keeps him away from home, leaving her to seek comfort via the Internet. When a tragic accident tears through their comfortable fabric of life, both women find their facade fading and their deeper, insecurities are revealed.

An engaging story from the creative prologue to the very last sentence, SAVOR THE SWEETNESS provides an intriguing and captivating story. Not bound by surface definitions of love and life, SAVOR THE SWEETNESS provides an in depth exploration of human nature and the inherent duplicity of people.

Additionally, SAVOR THE SWEETNESS is a hallmark novel for self-publishing authors, proving that self-publishing does not mean a lack of quality, ingenuity or creativity. I can honestly say this was one of the better novels I have read in 2008. I cared about the characters, became invested in their development, their decisions and mistakes. The writing, the careful character development and attention to detail, impressed me. For example, Marchel Alverson's decision to keep the Internet "connection" nameless added a deeper dimension to his personality and nature. Also, the arc of Celeste's life was carefully drawn, where her reaction to devastation resembled her pre-married life, when beauty was her defining factor and saving grace.

Despite some editing and technical issues, SAVOR THE SWEETNESS is an impressive novel and a fulfilling read. Marchel Alverson is one to keep an eye out for and is poised to be a genre-defining author in years to come.

Reviewed by a. Kai
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers