Customer Reviews

Two Sides To Every Story (Love Spectrum Romance)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted to like this book. But I just couldn't relate to the heroine. Angela's behavior was immature, vindictive and dangerous. I did not enjoy reading about her deliberately running red lights, rolling through stop signs and other reckless driving behavior all because she was angry at the world and the police. I found her behavior to be irresponsible and I could not like her.

Angela also engaged in some very vindictive, destructive behavior towards Rafe. She made amends for it later, but by that time I was disgusted with her.

Rafe was problematic as well, but mostly because he put up with Angela for so long. She emasculated him on a regular basis. I understand feeling that a person is your "destiny", but if that person does things that you can't respect or even like, what is the point?

There were some bright points in this book, but they were so few and far between that I can't recommend it.

Chicago policeman Raphael Rameris has a dark secret of child abuse which led him to his career to protect the innocent. Committed to being the best police officer he can be, he is thrown off course when he stops Angela Reed for speeding. Her extreme dislike of police offers shocks him tremendously as he wonders how many other people shared her view. When he stops her again for a traffic violation, he is convinced that she is crazy as does his best to stay away from her. As fate would have it, they continue to cross each other's paths. When Angela files harassment charges against Raphael, he is determined to convince her that he is one of the good guys.

Angela is a freelance writer from the suburbs of Chicago. When her brother is arrested and found guilty of gang activity, then locked away in the state penitentiary, Angela goes on a crusade to prove his innocence and to find the dirty cops her brother swears framed him. Unfortunately, Angela believes that Raphael is one of them.

Raphael and Angela reach an understanding and decide to join forces to find evidence that will free Angela's brother. As they begin to work closely together, passion ignites. Can Raphael and Angela ignore the cultural differences between them and take a chance at love? Or will Angela's distrust of the police department prevent her from giving herself completely to Raphael?

Dyanne Davis has written a wonderful love story with a great storyline. TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY explores interracial relationships as well as other issues such as commitment and family obligations. Although this is my first book by this talented author, it definitely will not be my last. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Davis. TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY is a must read that offers a perfect blend of suspense and romance.

Reviewed by Tabatha Taylor
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Dyanne picked the right title for this fantastic book! Angela's character goes through some sad things because of her want to be thug brother. He even turns their parents against her and almost causes her to lose herself and her soul mate because of his actions. Great story and many of you will be able to relate to everything that she goes through to keep her family happy. The love scenes are off the chain! Another great story by Dyanne.

I think if the author had spent a little more time developing the characters this would have been an OK book, but as it stands, it's not all that great. The "hatred" that Angela held toward Rafe seemed forced and shallow. It made her seem ignorant and stupid. I put hatred in quotations b/c if it was as strong as the writer was trying to make it, Angela would not have slept with him in the first place. I understand that her brother was hurt but that doesn't give anyone an excuse to hate an entire group. Angela's refusal to believe anyone but her criminal brother was the proof that she was ignorant and stupid. She ignored everything and everyone else but him which made her annoying and flat. She got on my nerves in the first scene she was in. Rafe was okay at first but b/c he kept putting up with Angela's crap it made him a punk. The book as a whole was a complete let down.

Both Angela and Rafe had to work through cultural and racial differences would make or destroy their complicated relationship. They even counterbalanced each other with Angela's impulsiveness and Rafe's maturity while forming an unlikely partnership to determine her brother's actual innocence. A tragic bond that both characters share is being sexually abused as children. This book tended to be very heavy with layered nuances but the writing quality was exceptional.

I really enjoyed this story about Angela and Rafe. They were two very conflicted people who managed to break free from the dark secrets of their past and find strength together to deal with the painful and tough choices of their relationship... love and trust. Angela is a woman who hates cop's especially since it was cop's that beat up her brother and caused him to be in prison for a crime he swears he didn't commit but was set-up by police.

Rafe is a very proud cop who believes in what he does and takes his oath "serve and protect" to heart. He wasn't looking for love nor was he expecting to find it in the beautiful but angry Angela, who is quick to let him know what she thinks about cop's. He might have steered clear of her but he is drawn to her by a force he truly doesn't understand but cannot deny, Rafe soon discovers that its a force that is not immune to Angela either, and soon it has them both burning with lust and desire for each other. When they realize their need for each other is beyond hot sex, and admit to much deeper feeling's...their two world's begin to collide. Angela and Rafe must weather a storm that conjures past bad memories and feelings that will truly test their love.

I am a fan of Dyanne Davis and have to say this was my favorite story. Rafe is a wonderful man, strong in his beliefs and culture but extremely patient with the sometimes insensitive Angela...who by the way can be a real idiot but you got to love her because even when it becomes clear that her brother has been lying to her, almost get's her and Rafe killed, she doesn't dessert him when he most need's her. It's just painful that she didn't have faith in Rafe's love for her to trust him and let him help him help her. I guess this is a good example of how family loyalty can sometimes cost us big time, and not always in good ways.

This is a great read and I have re-read it at least three times...I really liked these two character's...powerful love, very sexy and hot. Enjoy!

After reading the reviews I did not expect to like the book but it was not that bad. Yes the Angela character is rude, naieve, stupid, rude, prejudiced, did I say rude and not very likeable but there are people like that in real life. There are people with an intense hatred for the police yet who are they going to call when their house is robbed, yep the same hateful police. Rafe must have really loved her but at least he recognised he needed to develop some stones where she was concerned.
He came across wimpish in the beginning like he was whipped. Not sure how many decent guys like Rafe would have stuck it out, more likely they would have moved on. So if you don't mind reading a book where one of the main characters is not very likeable then you will enjoy this story.

I found the story original and both Rafe and Angela to be interesting /complex characters that where well developed. Angela and Rafe meet when he pulls her over for speeding and that's when the sparks fly, literally. Angela hates Cops, because she feels they are responsible for her brother being in jail. She deliberately tries to get Rafe into trouble, by filing several complaints against him. Rafe is a good cop who loves his job, but is haunted by memories from his childhood. Rafe and Angela begin a relationship that is strictly just sex, but find themselves falling in love. Will Angela let the guilt of falling in love with her perceived enemy and being disloyal to her brother stop her from being with Rafe? For the answer, read the book.

I couldn't wait to read this book and once I did I was so disappointed. I couldn't bring myself to care for Angela who was depicted by the author as idiotic, vengeful and dare I use the dreadful "S" word....stupid. I refuse to believe that anyone could fall in love with someone like Angela. She was mean, hateful on many levels and no common sense. The author also went too far in her depiction of Angela's harden-criminal brother. There is no way I believe that selfish jerk cared for anyone but himself. We're expected to believe at the end of the book that he really loves his girlfriend after having read how he didn't care about the hardship he was putting on his elderly parents, nor did he care that he was putting Angela's life in jeopardy.

This is the first ROMANCE novel I've read where I wanted the book to end with the leading lady and the leading man calling it quits.

I thoroughly enjoy Dyanne Davis' work. "The Color of Trouble" was brilliant, but Two Sides to Every Story was a huge let down. I found Angela to be immature, naive, and just plain dumb. I couldn't relate to her at all. I admired Rafe for sticking with her, because I don't know many men who would have put up with the twit. She just made me angry. And the love scenes were definitely disappointing. Mind you I'm comparing them to "The Color of Trouble" which had explosive love scenes. The love scenes in "Two Sides" were tame at best. I expected more from such an "intense" couple. Since I'm an avid collector of interracial romance novels, this book will stay in my library, but I don't know if it will get a second read.