Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It [Hardcover]

J. D. Mason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2010

Thirty years ago, three high school friends were closer than sisters, but a dark, emotional secret tore them apart.  Now, back together at their high school reunion, each of them are tormented and haunted that their greatest fear will come to light.

 

Renetta Jones' childhood had been anything but happy.  After her mother walked out on them, Renetta was left to live with an unsympathetic father and her own insecurities.  She fell for the first man to come along after high school, and spent years in an abusive marriage with a man named Vincent, who used her secret to control and punish her. That is, until he suffered an untimely stroke, under questionable circumstances. 

 

Phyllis Neville sacrificed everything for her career, including her marriage to a man she'll love forever, and a positive relationship with her adult daughter.  But when she is passed over for the promotion of a lifetime, it’s just the first thing to go wrong in her once perfect life as the past rears its ugly head.

 

Freddie Palmer is bored by the routine that her life has become.  Married thirty years to her husband, Don, the two of them have become empty-nesters and Freddie is anxious to start the next phase of her life.  After meeting successful author, Bianca Hightower, at a local bookstore signing, Freddie decides to take her passion for reading to the next level and signs up for writing classes being taught by her new author friend.  But Bianca sees potential in Freddie that transcends simply writing, and introduces her to the kinds of experiences a woman like Freddie never even knew existed. But when the past catches up to her, it becomes one more dark secret she’s not sure she’ll be able to keep.

 

Tasha Darden has lived her life in foster care, and has finally gathered up the courage to try to find her birth mother. One of the three women holds the answers she seeks and she will stop at nothing until she gets them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for J.D. Mason:

"Effortlessly leaves no stone unturned in the lives of these tormented characters. Mason will take your breathe away."--Romantic Times Book Reviews on You Gotta Sin to Get Saved

"[J.D. Mason's] stark portrayals of her characters and their innermost thoughts bring the readers right into the emotional center of the story. Those who enjoy Carl Weber and Eric Jerome Dickey will add Mason to their list of favorites." –Booklist on That Devil’s No Friend of Mine

 

“[M]asterfully told." --Fresh Fiction on That Devil’s No Friend of Mine

About the Author

J.D. MASON is the author of That Devil's No Friend Of Mine, You Gotta Sin To Get Saved, This Fire Down In My Soul, Don't Want No Sugar, And On The Eighth Day She Rested, and One Day I Saw A Black King. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her two children.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (March 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312598564
• ISBN-13: 978-0312598563
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I started writing seriously in 1995 beginning with my first novel "Resurrecting Ruth" which eventually turned into "And on the Eighth Day She Rested", which was finally published in 2003 by St. Martin's Press. Since then, I've written several novels and short story contributions to anthologies. I'm currently working on my 6th novel, while waiting impatiently for the 4th and 5th books to hit the stands in 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Revealed, March 16, 2010

By 

Angelia Menchan "acvermen.blogspot.com" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It (Hardcover)

Thirty years ago all that was told of a crime committed by three teenage girls was a grainy picture with one girl holding a bag in her hand. Their identities and faces were never known. However, 30 years later a young woman, Tasha Darden, who spent her childhood in foster care, is interested in finding out who those women are and more importantly which one was the mother who abandoned her. Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It tells Tasha's story and the stories of the three women in the photo in a fast-paced, very convoluted manner.
Renetta Jones has remade herself into a stunning, online entrepreneur. Once the victim of a missing mother and abusive husband, she has taken her life into her own hands and become the picture of serenity. But, will an incident from the past reveal more current crimes?

Phyllis Neville only cares about her upward mobility in corporate America. She has sacrificed her marriage and relationship with her daughter, Abby, in order to succeed. What the world is about to find out is that beneath that successful, well-dressed veneer is a woman running from the past and the future.
Freddie Palmer has been successfully married for over 30 years and on the surface everything seems to be just fine. But her boredom and sudden love for romance novels sends her into a world she could not have imagined and the past popping up does not help matters at all.

JD Mason takes us into the lives and pasts of these women without revealing the identity of the mother until the very end. I enjoyed the fast pace and humor of the novel, though, at times the story seemed to stretch the imagination just a bit. I recommend Take Your Pleasure Where You Find it to all Mason fans and those who love a fast-paced, entertaining novel filled with surprises.

This book was provided by publisher for review purposes.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Timing is Everything, April 2, 2010

By 

Nardsbaby "Connoisseur of the written word™" (Westside Chi-town, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It (Hardcover)

Going back to your class reunion usually entails ones looking to reacquaint themselves with people they may have lost contact with, show off their new and improved selves, or even hook up with an ex. Well, in regards to Phyllis, Freddie and Renetta, the three former best friends clash as an outdated secret seems to haunt them. While Freddie and Renetta try desperately to rekindle what was once a great friendship, Phyllis refuses to have any sort of dealings with them. What could possibly be so horrid that friends who were as closely connected as sisters can't resolve after 30 years?

TAKE YOUR PLEASURE WHERE YOU FIND IT by J.D. Mason is immediately appealing. Readers find themselves swept up in a 30-year-old mystery. While all of the culprits have been identified, the mystery of the who still lures readers to turn the page. I was caught up from the very first page. You fall into step with the characters, catch up in their lives and learn that this 30-year-old secret will definitely affect, if not ruin, someone's life.

Enjoyable. Can't wait to check out other books in J.D's catalog.
OOSA Online Book Club BOTM

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sins of the Mother, March 28, 2010

By 

OOSA Online Book Club "O.O.S.A. Gets It Read!" (World Wide Web, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It (Hardcover)

Three friends, who have grown apart over the years, find themselves torn between the past and the present and a secret forever binding them. With their secret on the verge of being exposed, each woman must come to grips with their actions and prepare for any consequences.

With her distinctive and witty style, author J.D. Mason unleashes the pain, regrets and emotional journey of four individuals tied together by one decision. She established intrigue at the outset, and then manages to sustain it right through to a satisfying conclusion. She does a fine job of leaving you guessing until the end the identity in question.

Another solid performance, Mason's latest novel only strengthens her reputation as an unique and creative voice and one of my favorite authors. Fans of Mason's work will be delighted with "Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It." Easily recommendable.

Reviewed by: Toni