Customer Reviews

The Sistahood of Shopaholics

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

 

 

What better way to cure a broken heart than a shopping spree at your favorite mall. Leslie Esdaile, Monica Jackson, Reon Laudat and Niqui Stanhope present four stories about sister-friends Della, Neecey, Ramona and Gillian as their shopping addictions spin out of control while simultaneously turning up romance in the process.

THE SISTAHOOD OF SHOPAHOLICS opens with a bang in "Shameless" by Leslie Esdaile. A bad marriage, bitter divorce and unforeseen single parenthood sends Della Reese to Victoria's Secret in a frenzy with one thing in mind- silk lingerie. Having abstained from shopping and male suitors (both as a part of therapy) in over a year, Della indulges in a black gown while Byron Fulton watches from afar. Who can ignore the shapely, full-figured woman embracing a silk nightgown with a look of pleasure on her face? Not Byron, and soon Della finds that a trip to the mall was just what the doctor ordered.

Gaining twenty-five pounds is enough to send anyone over the edge and that is exactly what happens to Neecey Ballard in Monica Jackson's, "Please Baby Please." A shopping spree meant to cure her ailing self-image turns into a nightmare when Neecey's car is repossessed from right under her nose. Owner and repo man, Joseph Vaughan, is willing to work out a plan of action but it will cost Neecey more than her car's back payments...it may cost her heart.

Ramona Jackson's, nail salon may be the hottest thing in Atlanta, but her heart is on fire for former beau, Kadeem Smith. In Reon Laudat's, "It Takes Two", a wedding between mutual friends reunites these two lovebirds and before you know it, Kadeem and Ramona begin right where they left off. This love affair may be short lived when Ramona's meddlesome ways sends Kadeem packing and Ramona scurrying to the nearest shoe store.

There is no such thing as a little white lie. In Niqui Stanhope's, "Promises", prima donna, Gillian Asher, announces to her Nana at long last she is betrothed to a wonderful man. The waiting game is over and Nana is ready to meet the groom to be; but there is one slight problem-he does not exist. In an attempt to find a way out of this dilemma, Gillian, proceeds to Atlanta's, Phipps Plaza mall and becomes entangled in a brawl over the perfect black dress. Fifteen-hundred dollars worth of damage later, Gillian, comes face to face with mall security and the man who may be her knight in shining armor.

THE SISTAHOOD OF SHOPAHOLICS is entertaining...comical...and outrageous. The antics of each woman and the lengths they go to are amusing. While each novella mentioned the shopping addiction of each protagonist, only two stayed true to the premise. At times, the addiction appeared as an afterthought, focusing more on the romance itself. Also, one of the stories seemed rushed and in the process produced a few discrepancies. These reservations expressed, however, did not detract from the novellas as this reviewer found them engaging. I recommend SISTAHOOD as a fun, relaxing Sunday afternoon read. Romance readers will not be disappointed.

Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster
APOOO BookClub

I am typically not a fan of short stories or novellas, but I thought I would give this one try... Especially since it focused on my favorite subject... SHOPPING!
In this short story collection, four women find that their obsessive need to shop coupled with the compassionate men in their lives, makes for great therapy.
My had to be opening story "Shameless", by Leslie Esdaile, which I found to be fun and refreshing.
Esdaile introduces us to Della Mitchell a Philly native, now residing in Atlanta. Following an awful marriage, and an even worst divorce, Della makes an ardent beeline to Victoria's Secret with the one thing in mind that can soothe her aching heart.... Lingerie... silky-smooth-against-the-skin-make-you-forget-all-your-troubles-lingerie.
Her therapy sessions which include no shopping OR men have been triumphant...But she wants to reward herself... She can treat herself just this once right? When she finds the ideal sleek black gown, she's so emerged in it; she doesn't seem to notice the sexy airline pilot admiring her from afar. Maybe this indulgence was worth it after all...
Each of the stories made it a point to refer to the poor shopping habits of each of the central characters, but there wasn't enough of actually staying true to the theme, which is why I gave the book 3 stars.

Four females characters find their compulsive need to shop sidelined by the men in their lives in this exceptional anthology.
"Shameless" by Esdaile, tells the delightful story of Della Mitchell's first shopping trip following a year of abstinence. After a few chance meetings with sexy Byron Fulton, Della contemplates another area of her life she's been avoiding.
Neecy Ballard has her car repossessed by Joe Vaugh in Jackson's humorous tale, "Please, Baby, Please." For reasons Neecy doesn't understand, Joe, offers her a job to help pay off her debt. But is Joe's capacity to spend money reeling her in?
Kadeem Smith is back in "It Takes Two," by Laudat. Just before her friend's wedding rehearsal, Ramona Jackson finds out the once and former love oher life is also in the wedding. Will sparks fly again for the two former lovers?
Having lied to her Nana about being engaged, Gillian Asher finds herself in a quandary in "Promises," a touching story by Stanhope. Embarking on a shopping spree to rid her mind of worries, Gillian meets Rick Parker. Could he be fiance material?--Romantic Times Bookclub magazine

I could have easily been one of the women in this book for that matter so could you. I loved that each story was its own but still tied together as with all of the books like this from St Martin's.. I really enjoyed this book and I hope that you will as well.

I generally stay away from short stories and reading this collections strongly reminded why I don't read short stories. When we read fiction we know that we may have to accept creative liberities by the author esp. in romance novels. Couples meet and fall in/out several times, the dramtic breakups and breaks, the skanky ex's etc...In all of these short nothing felt real or believable.

Shameless- 3. This story was the most interesting. It was also the longest story which defintely help with the the writers character developement. We could see how Della shopping addiction really affected her entire life which was believible. I could even get into how Bryon felt that instant connection with Della.

Please, Baby, Please-3.5 Neecy's shopping problems were also well written and believible. I really liked Joseph's character. He was smart and no nonsence. The best thing about this story was that the two charatcters had atleast met earlier in the story and the author indicated that several weeks passed by in the story. So thier chemistry and subsequent relationship was believible. I didn't really like they way Joseph handled thier misunderstanding but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.

It Takes Two- 2 Was very boring and Ramona's shopping problem was barly mendtioned. They main characters had a past histroy which some back ground info made thier romance more believible. However, Ramona and Kadeem were jsut boring and the reason for their break up in this story was not a valid reason to break and Kadeem seemed very inmature.

Promises-2 This was the weakest and most poorly written of the 4 stories. Gillian's promise to her "nana", which was the basis for the story was stupid and very immature. There was no character development. I finished the story and I didn't know Gillian or Rick. Gillian had money and didn't seemed to be suffering because of her shopping addiction. But since the author didn't take the time to develope her charatcters I guess we'll never know. The story was too short even by short story standards and the author to the easy way by adding a lame one paragraph epilogue.

So to sum it up I would not recommend this collection of short stories.

In these delightful, well-written and HOT quartet of novellas, readers will meet four beautiful women who share a love for shopping and men....

In "Shameless," single mom Della Mitchell returns to Victoria's Secret to satistfy her love for fine lingerie, after a yearlong shopping sabbatical. Divorced from straitlaced banker husband Robert--the remaining love of Della's life now is her daughter Claire. And of course shopping, and being in a support group for shopaholics, she is just now allowed to return. Della never thought she'd meet the love of her life over a velvet and lace number in a shop full of women's underthings......

"Pleas, Baby, Please" sees Deniese "Neecy" Ballard at least 25 pounds and 3 dress sizes bigger than she ever was....was food replacing her love of shopping, something she'd promised herself she wouldn't do, considering her propensity to overspend and her dire financial straits? Depressed over her weight gain, Neecy takes to the credit cards...and is in a store about to yell "charge it" when she hits an all-time low; the tow truck is just outside the store to repossess her car. What she does not count on is the "repossessor" being so cute; and although he takes her car, he gives her the opportunity to make good on her outstanding car payments by working parttime at his used car lot. What neither of them bargain for is the "extra work" that both would find themselves puttin' in......

In the third story, "It Takes Two," shopping diva Ramona Jackson is in the mall "just" to buy a wedding gift for friend Jalisa...but runs into gorgeous ex-boyfriend Kadeem Smith, who still makes her knees weak. Although they haven't seen each other in four years, it is clear to both that there is still unfinished business between them. Turns out that both are in the wedding party of their mutual friends. Can they move beyond their past and claim the love that quite obviously still exists between them? Read on to find out......

"Promises" finds Gillian Asher in a unique bind. In an effort to save her grandmother from a life threatening illness, she tells her what she longs to hear; that she is engaged to be married. But what's a woman to do without a man in sight? Well, she'll go shopping, that's what...to find the perfect wedding dress. And at a designer sale at a local boutique, Gillian finds her self in a tussle with a frenzied shopper who just happens to want that same dress...dragged off by security, Gillian finds herself under the stern eye of mall manager Rick Parker--who promptly announces that she must pay for any and all damage. Furious, Gillian writes him a $1500 dollar check...but she still needs a fiancee, and he wants a mother for his children...can the two find a meeting of the minds?


Funloving and full of gorgeous men, women will love these tales, where the reader learns that the women all know one another. And every tale gives props to curvy, size 14+ women and the fact that they are beautiful, sexy, and that men find them irresistible.



DYB

Sisterhood of Shopaholics tells the stories of four friends who happen to have the same problems: they are addicted to shopping and their reasoning is because of men, or lack thereof. Break out the glitter and sprinkle it over these ladies because the fairy godmother has arrived to make all their woes go away, with the snap of a finger.

Della Mitchell has an addiction to lingerie and lots of it. It's nothing for her to spend $300 on a nightgown with a matching robe. "Shameless." She's dealing with the insecurity and shopping addiction her divorce has left her with. She made a promise to give up shopping to get her life back in order and to take care of what's really important - her daughter. As a reward to her overcoming her addiction, she treats herself to Victoria's Secrets and finds more than lingerie. She meets handsome pilot, J. Byron Fulton.

Denise "Neecy" Ballard likes to shop period. On one of her many shopping sprees, she happens to look out the window and find her car being repossessed. She not only ends up with a hat she didn't really want, but also the man who's repossessing her car. Joseph Vaughn. "Please, Baby, Please" let her find a good man who will treat her right and appreciate her for the woman she is.

Ramona has a shoe fetish and loves expensive suits. But she can afford it. Nailz and Detailz, her salon, has been very profitable. However, she never mixes business with pleasure and will never jeopardize her business for a shopping spree, but a little splurging never hurt anyone. That's until she runs into her ex-lover, Kadeem Smith while out conquering her fear of going to Phipps Plaza, an ultra chic shopping center in Atlanta, and not being inclined to buy something. After their chance meeting she realizes "It Takes Two" to admit their mistakes and to talk about what ultimately broke them up.

Gillian has the tendency to pacify herself with nice things by way of shopping sprees. She does this to make up for not having a man. But when her Nana is on her dying bed, Gillian concocts some ridiculous scheme to pretend she's engaged to be married in hopes it'll throw Nana into a speedy recovery. Looking for the perfect dress leads to a catfight and ultimately she's left staring in the ebony eyes of mall director Rick Parker. Sometimes making "Promises" you can't keep will put you in hot water. Gillian has new dilemmas now.

If you're looking for a solution to your shopping addiction, Sisterhood of Shopaholics is not the remedy. Instead, it deals more with what caused these women to become shopaholics; it's more like a holistic approach. Once you admit you have a problem, then you're on your way to finding a solution. These women did that and now they're well on their way to happiness and freedom. The authors, Esdaile et. al are talented writers; however the title, Sisterhood of Shopaholics, is a cover up for what's really a romance novel. I loved the ending of each story, although I felt I was left hanging. I wanted to know more.

Reviewed by Esther "Ess" Mays of Loose Leaves Book Review

This book contains four novellas by four well known authors. The four heroines are shopaholics. Each lady has her own set of problems. The interesting twist is that all four ladies in the book know each other. Therefore, you see cameos of the ladies in stories other than their own.

*** Personally, I thought the first and last stories were the best. My favorite author, however, is one of the other two. I was a bit disappointed by that, but I now have two new names to add to my "Check This Girl Out" list. The authors did not make their heroines perfect either. Not many women today look anorexic. It is about time some curvy ladies get their stories told! Well worth your time and money to pick up this book. ***

The only thing I did like about this book was that it touched on an addiction that I'm sure many people snicker at, but nevertheless is devastating and can ruin peoples lives just as sure as alcohol and drugs -- excessive shopping! But, the romances are TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE. In Shameless, a woman bumps into a man 3 times and sleeps with him on the 2nd date and BOOM they're engaged! Please, Baby, Please -- yeah, PLEASE -- a woman is up to her neck in dept, on the verge of bankrupcy and BOOM, she meets a man who not only gives her a job, but gives her control of his bank account and charge accounts in a matter of WEEKS! Again, totally unbelievable. It's Takes Two and Promises are no better! The addictions are barely touched on and the men fall in love with the woman (addiction and all) in a matter of days! It's as if these 4 authors needed a quick check, so they mashed together a couple of hundred pages each, picked up the check and all went shopping. I can hear them snickering in the background now saying 'Can you believe we actually sold that mess!' I'm sorry, but this book was horrible, totally unbelievable and sort of disrespectful to readers in that it seems the authors think we are too dumb to grasp/know a REAL story when we read one!

Also recommended: The Coulter Series by Catherine Anderson The Color of Love by Sandra Kitt Surrender to Love by Adrianne Byrd

I must say I hated this book so bad... I was mad because someone hyped me up and even after I read the review before I read the book I still had to read it for myself. I have read the works of all four of theses ladies and they have some good books out there this wasn't one of them. First let me say I hated the fact that one of the stories the girl was trippin on being a size 14 come on when you get past an 18 or 20 the trip. The shopping thing was ok as females we all can get out of hand but that fact these were same weak female and the men in this book was just as weak. Not one of theses books had a real point or a good ending. Even the love screen and the romance were not there. I can not say one good thing about this book. Each Story was worse then the first. I really was disappointed in Niqui Stanhop store she on my top 15 list of writers.