Customer Reviews

This Time

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"This Time" is our opportunity to revisit the colorful characters (Dajah, Rick, and Gina) Margaret Johnson-Hodge introduced in "True Lies." As a reader, I immerse myself into the stories I read; I learn to love, hate or tolerate the characters who live out their lives on the pages of my books. I experienced the gamut of feelings for the three main characters in "This Time." I fussed at them, shook my head at their antics, cried with them and thoroughly enjoyed participating in their individual life journeys that continued to bring them face to face with each other and their good or poor life choices. Margaret, I commend you; you are growing as a writer, telling realistic stories about realistic people whom your readers get to know because your characters step out of the pages of your books and into our hearts as they stumble through life, sometimes falling, but somehow finding the will and the way to get up and continue. We don't have to love Dajah or Rick or Gina to know that they are like many of us who don't always make the right decisions. However, we do have to grudgingly admit that we recognize how much they remind us of ourselves.

Margaret Johnson-Hodge is back with THIS TIME, the sequel to TRUE LIES. Yep. Dajah, Rick, Gina, and more are back for a second go round. I spent a sleepless night devouring TRUE LIES when it first came out so I was very excited to see the continuum of those character's lives. What can I say about this revisitation? Loved it....Powerful, powerful story. THIS TIME is literary gumbo, a rare combination of characters real enough to touch, a storyline with more twists and turns than an Amusement park, and insights on every page about life, love, and the intersection of both. Margaret Johnson-Hodge is at turns poetic, wise, and most importantly, entertaining. THIS TIME is right on time.

This Time had all the ingredients of a great book! There were believable and recognizable characters, there was drama and laughter, but more importantly there was the evolution of the characters - wow! It's great when a sequel shows that people can grow. I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the sequel! I especially loved the way the author introduced all the characters from True Lies. This Time didn't leave you wondering what happened to Rick, Gina or Dajah. A great read that will capture your heart from the first page til you finish the last! Great job Ms. Johnson-Hodge, keep sharing your awesome talent!

The long awaited sequel to "True Lies" comes "This Time" revisiting the colorful characters of Dajah, Rick, Kanisha and Gina. Previously, Rick made the choice to give Gina, "a work in progress", another chance once Dajah gave him an ultimatum he could not fulfill. Months later Rick realizes that he made a terrible mistake in the choice he has made and makes many attempts to win Dajah back. Unbeknownst to him, Dajah has met someone in the form of Jeff Gingham - a good looking brother she met on one of her sunset inspired walks.

Struggling with her past, as well as seeing Rick and Gina together in what she believes are familial moments, Dajah decides to give love another try. Rick on the other hand struggles himself, foddering through the dating scene, making one bad choice after another; he learns valuable lessons in unconditional love balancing his relationship with his daughter and her mother; Gina tries to stay "clean" and on track while trying to persevere and save her best friend.

Ms. Johnson-Hodge brings her characters to life once again with poignancy and depth. "This Time" provides insight making us look inside ourselves and look around - there's a Dajah, Rick, Gina and Kanisha in all of our lives. A poetic, wise and entertaining read - Bravo!

Reviewer: Michelle Henley
APOOO BookClub

this book was awesome it picks up where it left off. each character grow over time. i think that all baby mamas who are drama should read true lies first, then this book, it is great for a dramafied baby mama. the baby mama really grew up and got her act together and and dajah and rick grew up and got there acts together. this was a very good sequel. i applaud u margaret.

This Time continues where True Lies left off with Dajah Moore picking up the pieces after the break up with Rick. Rick left Dajah for the mother of his child Gina. Rick now wants Dajah back but will she give him another chance? To further confuse things, Dajah meets Jeff who could be her prince charming but will he gives up his "roulette" dating to be with her? Gina and Tarika are back with their own set of issues. Gina wants Rick to come back home to be a family again with their daughter. Tarika is trying to get her G.E.D. and to pursue a relationship with an unlikely co-worker.

Margaret Johnson-Hodge once again creates a moving story with multi-dimensional characters. You feel all of the emotional struggles of each person. It was also nice to see Johnson-Hodge delve more into lives of Gina and Tarika in the book instead of just Rick and Dajah. This is how a sequel should be done.

With 'This Time', Margaret Johnson-Hodge has created a novel that speaks true to life. Every character was pushed to brink and back, ready to move on, give up, give in and everything in between, all culminating in a story that tugs at the heartstrings and would put a smile on even the most skeptical face. I truly enjoyed being re-introduced to some and introduced to others, and though at times I was fed up with the characters and their actions...the book makes you realize that sometimes the very things that pull us down the most can be the very catalyst for the changes that pull us back up to a place beyond what we could have ever dreamt for ourselves. As always, I look forward to the next work from this beautifully spirited author.

Margaret Johnson-Hodge is back with THIS TIME, her eighth novel and the follow-up to her 2002 release True Lies. For those who read True Lies, it ended with Rick's inability to choose between Dajah and his child's mother Gina which left Dajah heartbroken. THIS TIME opens a while later as Dajah trying to pick up her life and move on. Just as she is convinced she can move past the pain, Rick returns with declarations of love, wanting Dajah back in his life. Though she still loves him, Dajah isn't so quick to accept that he is truly done with Gina, especially since she will always be the mother of Rick's child. As Dajah tries to clear her mind and get over the shock of Rick reentering her life, she meets Jeff. Although he is much older, she feels a connection with him and enjoys the time they spend together. However, she knows something just isn't right with Jeff.

Rick and Gina both have their own demons and issues to get through. Rick must fully understand the consequences of his actions and realize that Dajah may have actually moved on. Gina has to simply grow up. With a child to care for, she must come to terms with the type of mother she has been and work on becoming a better one.

Once again, Johnson-Hodge has written a book that will secure her spot as a storyteller and a book lover's favorite. Her writing is poignant and real, with characters who evolve through the story. In THIS TIME, the reader is presented with a kaleidoscope of lessons of life as well as the emotions one has as they occur. This story reaches out, pulls you in, and helps you see the imperfections and mistakes we all have and make. There is the realization that we can fix those things, affecting not only ourselves, but those around us. It also does a superb job of showing that just when you think you can't go on, that life is too rough or the seas too shaky, you can indeed get past the hard times and evolve into a stronger and better person.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Wow, Margaret did a wonderful job writing this sequel. I was happy to read about the characters from True Lies. There were a couple of twists and turns I didn't expect! I loved this sequel from beginning to end!

In Margaret Johnson-Hodge's novel, True Lies, readers were left not knowing what became of hard-working-good-guy Rick, just-looking-for-someone-to-treat-me-right Dajah, and baby-momma-drama-bringing Gina. But in her sequel, This Time, Ms. Johnson-Hodge has done it again. She has delivered true-to-life characters, with real issues. I've never read a book by Ms. Johnson-Hodge that wasn't poetic or that didn't have characters that I could relate to. But what I like most about This Time is how the characters evolve, just as we do in our own lives. Rick learns that he must balance the dynamics of the love he has for his daughter with his relationship with Gina, and how bringing a woman into the mix will affect all of it. Dajah recovers from her heartbreak when she meets a scrumptious new man, Jeff, and learns that her standards cannot be compromised. And Gina simply grows up. She learns that her actions affect everything and everyone in her life, and even better, she gets a little taste of her own baby-momma-drama. Ms. Johnson-Hodge's work is so down to earth, it let's you know just how imperfect we all are. That we are not expected to be perfect, but that we must evolve. We must grow up if we're immature, we must learn from our mistakes, and it's okay to want something better for ourselves. This Time will have you loving characters that you hated in True Lies, have you cheering them on, and wanting the best for them. A wonderful read!