7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Abuse by Any Other Name..., March 11, 2008
This review is from: Something He Can Feel (Paperback)
Something He Can Feel by Marissa Monteilh is a startling look at spousal abuse. What makes it so shocking is that the protagonist is the wife. Marina Maxwell has always had problems with her temper. Even as a teenager, she was known for striking out when she felt insecure, jealous or wronged. However, now that she is a successful news anchor she feels she has her anger under control. Particularly now that she is in love with and going to marry the handsome, Mangus Baskerville, one of Atlanta's finest.
Mangus is taken in by Marina's spunk, beauty and vitality at first sight. He is also besotted by her explosive sexuality. He is immediately convinced that she should be his wife. There are glimpses of Marina's temper and neediness throughout the courtship, but Mangus is determined to make her his wife. Almost immediately after the nuptials, Marina's true character emerges and Mangus finds himself in an unexpected situation, a victim of spousal abuse. The question becomes will his love for his wife be strong enough to withstand her abuse, particularly since there is a woman in the wings willing to be there for him. Also, will Marina be able to get help in time to save her marriage?
Something He Can Feel is an explosive look at what happens when a person is unable to control their impulses, causing them to explode in rage. Ms Monteilh does a fine job of showing what happens in abusive relationships and that it is not always the man who is the perpetrator. The reader will also get some insight into what causes the abuser to abuse and why the victim will stay. I recommend this novel to all who enjoy suspenseful, erotic contemporary fiction with a potent message.
Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
...To Let Him Know This Love Is Real!, April 8, 2008
This review is from: Something He Can Feel (Paperback)
Marina Maxwell is a successful news anchor in Atlanta. She is adored by her many fans that watch her on the news and through her volunteer activities. Marina has some extreme anger management issues towards men since high school and believes that she can control herself when the right man comes along. Marina soon meets a sexy police officer name Mangus Baskerville who loves her so much that they quickly end up getting married. With Marina being a lady in the street and a tiger in the bedroom, Mangus thinks he has the perfect woman. Mangus gets a rude awakening when he discovers Marina's anger and physical abuse towards him. To make matters worse, a sexy new neighbor named Maxine extends an olive branch to Mangus to try to get him out of his abusive situation. Will Mangus break away from Marina?
Something He Can Feel is a thought-provoking and daring novel by Marissa Monteilh. Monteilh masterfully brought a tale of spousal abuse at the hands of a woman. The storyline was innovative because you rarely hear of the plight of men who are physically abused by their wives. This subject was presented in a very precise and clear manner that will definitely connect with readers. You will see how much of Marina's fractured childhood and young adulthood lead to her extreme anger and physically abusive demeanor towards men. You will feel for Mangus as he tries to deal with this issue on his own. The irony in this story is that Mangus is a police officer whose job is to protect and serve, but he needs to be protected from his own wife. There is a healthy dose of erotic sex scenes between Marina and Mangus, but it ties in well with the whole control and abuse aspect of this story. Something He Can Feel is a classic, emotionally-charged tale. Marissa Monteilh has once again elevated her supreme storytelling skills to new heights.
Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sins of Our Parents, November 7, 2008
This review is from: Something He Can Feel (Paperback)
I don't want this review to be about the abuse Mangus suffered at the
hands of the person who said she would love honor and obey. Nor do
I want to get into the fact that the abuse was verbal, emotional and
physical. I would like this review to be about relationships, our past
and the cycle of life. However when it comes to pain it is most times
masked and definitely needs to be uncovered.
Mangus Baskerville was raised by a dad who holds honor and respect for
his wife in high regards. He believes once you married; the marriage is
most important and you figure out how to make it work. The reader gets a
glimpse into his father's life. We find out that Mrs. Baskerville yelled all the time according to Mangus. but Mr. Baskerville stood by his wife in the same way he's teaching Mangus to do with Marina. As we look closer at Mangus you can see he struggles with his upbringing and his own emotions surrounding the abuse his wife wants him to feel.
Jealousy and anger are the ingredients that erupt into a volcano in
Marina's mind. Whether real or imagined she perfected this behavior from
her childhood demons.
She was raised by a spiritually broken, drug addicted mother and putting
myself in the story I would have to say Marina adopterd the "not me" attitude early on. There's principals to living this life, balance is one of them. Being balanced allows us to act better in situations. For
every action there's a reaction which results in consequences we cannot
escape. Marina becomes a victim of the violence she served just as she
was beginning to gain control of her anger.
"Something He Can Feel" kept me engaged from the beginning to the
end. Even the cover was striking from those rainbow colored earrings to
her mocha skin tone. Ms. Monteilh created believable, strong emotionally
passionate characters who quickly became my friend. The characters were
multidimensional not only did we see strength but weaknesses also. Ms Monteilh accomplished in my literary world what she set out to do which I believe is simple "expose the monster" in order to help our men. The message was plain and profound. Excellent job!!!
Missy
Readers Paradise
Chi-town
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