Sex in the Sanctuary [Hardcover]

Lutishia Lovely (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Dafina Books (2007)
• ISBN-10: 0739480286
• ISBN-13: 978-0739480281
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,623,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lutishia Lovely is an award-winning author of sixteen novels, six of which are romance titles written under her alter-ego pseudo, Zuri Day. In addition to her wildly popular Hallelujah Love Series, Ms. Lovely has a hot new trilogy called "The Business" about a soul food dynasty where delicious drama and sizzling scandal is always on the menu!

Prior to becoming a full-time author, Lutishia enjoyed many different careers. They all, however, had one thing in common - they all were linked into a "world of words". From administrative assistant to radio personality to actor to managing editor and senior writer for a holistic magazine,words have always been the magic that made Lutishia's world go 'round. Probably one of the spins that would most surprise readers is the fact that Lutishia was a rapper! That's right, for a short stint in the 90s, Lutishia was billed as "The Rhaptress" (a combination of a rapper and an actress), and toured with other singers and musicians throughout southern CA. She's happy now to beat out a rhythm on her keyboard...songs in the key of "writer" that she hopes will inspire and entertain!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seventy Times Seven, April 13, 2007

By 

Donielle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sex in the Sanctuary (Paperback)

APOOO Rating: 4.5 stars

Ever wanted to know what goes on behind closed doors in the lives of the nation's first ladies? Lutishia Lovely's Sex in the Sanctuary gives a sizzling and sassy view. Vivian Montgomery, first lady of Kingdom Citizen's Christian Center, is the essence of what a first lady should be. She is polished and poised, loves her congregation and is loved in return. She has a heart for women and seeks God for ways she can be a blessing to them. To top it off, Vivian is Derrick Montgomery's queen. There is no other woman for him. He loves her, protects her, prays for her...and loves to do all he can to pleasure her.

Tai Brooks appears to have it all together like her best friend, Vivian. The truth is, she is facing the fight of her life. Tai, the first lady of Mount Zion Progressive Baptist Church, believes her husband, King, is, once again, testing the limits of her love and her faith with his infidelity. Suspecting anyone that walks into the Lord's house in a cute, little skirt, Tai questions how much more she can take. With God's strength, advice from Vivian, and support from her mother-in-law, with her been-there-done-that attitude, Tai is set on a journey to find out what she is made of.

Lutishia Lovely's first novel was a delight to read. Serious topics, such as forgiveness, sexuality, and animosity between women, are laced with hilarious and high-spirited characters and dialogue. The drama, comedy, sisterhood, lessons, and heartaches will keep you glued to the page. If you want picture-perfect or watered down Christian fiction, then Sex in the Sanctuary is not the book for you. You will find characters who love God, have struggles, mess up, cut up, have sex and even curse a little bit. If you want a story full of real pain, real talk, and real love, then this is the book for you. There is another storyline in Sex in the Sanctuary, just as intriguing, involving singles searching for love and how far some will go to get it. I will have to wait for the sequel, Love Like Hallelujah, to find out if it will be Christ-like love or crazy love. I look forward to reading this author's future work.

Reviewed by Donielle Ruff
APOOO BookClub

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex in the Sanctuary:An PeoplewholoveGoodBooks Review, March 22, 2007

By 

Shay C (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sex in the Sanctuary (Paperback)

Vivan Montgomery has it all: beautiful home, wonderful children, and first lady of Kingdom Citizen Christian Center. Happily married to Pastor Derrick Montgomery, their marriage is the envy of many...Tai Brook is Vivan's best friend and married to Pastor King Brook and first lady at Mount Zion Progressive Baptist Church.

They appear to have a happy marriage but all that glitters ain't gold and Tai is putting up an front but her womanly intution is telling her different. King has had many affairs and despite his numerous denials, Tai believes he is having an affair once again. When the identity of King's latest mistress is revealed, Tai is shocked and surprised and she issues an ultimatum: either your mistress or your family. Who will King choose?

Sex in the Sanctuary is an impressive debut by Lutishia Lovely. Filled with unforgettable characters, realistic scenes, and LOTS and LOTS of drama that make this book worth checking out. While Sex in the Sanctuary deals with Christian themes, it is not your typical "christian" book, the language may be offensive to some but this book is a very enjoyable read! Can't wait until the sequel comes out!! Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Harlequin Romance meets Christian Fiction, May 17, 2010

By 

Lee P/ "In God I trust" (SC, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sex In The Sanctuary (Kindle Edition)

I want to start off by saying, I enjoyed this book. Despite the criticisms I am going to list, I really did enjoy the book. I won't leave you with a summary, as you can find that at the top of this page and with other reviewers. I was most captivated by the story of Tai and King her cheating husband. While I can't fully relate (as my husband has remained faithful) her struggles between divorce and marriage were real. I loved their relationship, as I believe it's the most fully plausible in the book, and it kept me coming back.

The book from the stance of women in the ministry, first lady's especially, was well written. The author also included an outline for a women's conference that I believe would be absolutely AWESOME, if it was local.

My criticisms:
I would not list this book as Christian fiction. Yes, there are scriptures - yes, the characters talk to God - yes, they are all families in ministry trying to walk according to the Word, and yes, they are praying... however the language I can move past - plus another reviewer has already addressed it very well - though it has no place (in my opinion in Christian novels). I understand her urge to make the characters realistic, in that in certain situations, even pastors can drop a word or two... I get that, absolutely, I'm just not so sure we need to read about it! I could have picked up a Linda Howard novel for that. What I can't move past are the sex scenes! They are not as explicit as a Harlequin romance novel, but what's missing isn't a whole lot. I don't mean to pick on Harlequin, but I used to be an avid reader of their books, so it's what I can relate this to.

The adulterous sex scene - way too much! There is one thing to glaze over the fact that a husband and wife are enjoying their sex life, but I felt dirty reading about one husband enjoyed almost explicit sex with his mistress.

As a woman who recently loved and enjoyed Harlequin romance novels, and trying to overcome issues with sexual purity (i.e.: explicit romance novels), this book can send you back where you started. If you're overcoming an addiction to porn, this book can send you back to the internet or video store, or wherever. If you're overcoming issues with lust... prepare to not find a soul in this book who is not lusting after someone, minus (maybe) Derreck. The men and women in this novel struggle with remaining celebrate during their singleness, their struggles are real!

Last thing, there was absolutely no accountability or repercussions for King, the cheating husband. As a minister, especially one whose affairs were no secret, he should have had to deal with (realistically) a backlash from the church. He should have been kicked out, he should have had to issue a public apology... something! He seemed to have some level of accountability with Derreck, though not true accountability, and no one held him accountable (except for his wife, but only in the context of their relationship).

Like I said, I liked the book. I would simply list it as mainstream fiction, as Christians should hold ourselves to a bit higher standard when it comes to what our eyes read. A new Christian may not see some of the flaws, and see this as OK. It's not. The marriage struggles are real, many of the relationships are realistic, and however, it was overboard in the sex, sin, and language areas.

I told my husband, that I think Sex in the Sanctuary is written by a women who used to write Harlequin romance novels, and then got saved. It's a cross over between the two - too much of a crossover for Christian fiction.