Customer Reviews

The Ties That Bind

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This novel was good from the first page to the last. I love the characters Mrs. Parks choose to use to tell this story.

You have Mia a beautiful young woman who dreams of having a black knight in shining armor which turns out to be Brice. Brice is controlling, possessive and very jealous. I know hate is a strong word to use, but I truly hated this man for what he put Mia through. He treated her like his child rather than his wife! Then you have Christian his best friend and adopted brother who adds more drama to this story than a little! In my opinion Brice never deserved a woman like Mia. She was too good for him. He treated her like NOTHING and she treated him like EVERYTHING.

This story has became one of my favorites and is a MUST READ! It really open my eyes to a world I have never experienced. The Ties That Bind will have you turning page after page to see what happens next and the characters will stay with you long after you have finished the book.

Go get this one you will not be disappointed!

Electa Rome Parks' debut novel deals with the relationships of three well-developed characters - Mia, Brice and Christian. It is a realistic story of marriage and friendship gone awry. After a brief courtship, Mia and Brice marry and Mia's life is dramatically altered.

THE TIES THAT BIND shows how each individual's backgrounds influenced how they interacted with each other. The novel, also, examines how childhood relationships with parents and friends can shape our relationships as adults.

The scenes are very descriptive. Mrs. Parks seemed to have put each character under a microscope so one can actually feel the intenseness of Brice's anger, Mia's fear and Christian's indifference about the whole matter. That is, until he
(Christian) finds he has fallen in love with his best friend's wife.

Our group, the Obsidian Book Club, found the book interesting and we recommend it highly. We hope that Mrs. Parks will continue to develop these characters. We are curious about what will happen to them. Also, we wonder what would happen if Brice met someone who has the same aspirations he has. - OBSIDIAN BOOK CLUB MEMBERS

I always try to support new African-American authors who are publishing their works. So when I heard abouth The Ties That Bind, I decided to give Electa Rome Parks a try. To say the least, I wasn't disappointed. Mia, Christian and Brice pull you into the story immediately. It's like coming home to friends. You get to know their joys and pains. The author, Electa Rome Parks, does an excellent job of taking readers into these characters lives and minds. Brice is a trip, Mia needs to grow up and Christian is torn. Yet, we root for them to be happy. If you're looking for a good read, a page-turner, sensual scenes, then look no further. I'm anxiously awaiting the next one. Kudos on a job well done.

Okay, I thought the title was interesting, but I hadn't read anything by this author before. I decided to give Electa Rome Parks a chance and I wasn't disappointed. The Ties That Bind is a trip. I couldn't put it down. The three main characters: Mia, Brice and Christian are something else. Without giving too much away, what happens when an immature woman meets up with a very worldly man who has these crazy ideas about love and marriage and then we add to that recipe the best friend (Christian) who is always in the picture. What happens? All hell breaks loose! If you are looking for a good, no great read, run to pick this one up. I'm still laughing and my mouth is still hanging open from those love scenes.

The Ties That Bind takes a realistic look at a relationship seen through the eyes of three main characters: Mia, Brice and Christian.

Mia who is a hopeless romantic dreamed of marrying the perfect man but found that her spouse Brice is possesive, filled with jealousy, spousal abuse, and mental abuse and questions whether there is such a thing as happily ever-after.

Being in this type of relationship, Mia begins to turn to Brice's best friend Christian. Christian, a womanizer finds himself falling in love with Mia and the drama begins.

The book was very fast pace and I was unable to put it down. The characters were very realistic and I found myself laughing and angry at Mia for continuing in the relationship with Brice.

This was one of the best books that I have read this year, (along with the sequel "Loose Ends"). It's the story of Brice, Mia, and Christian. Mia meets and falls in love with Brice, they marry. Christian and Brice are life-long friends that are more like brothers. As Mia settles into her marriage with Brice, his "true colors" begin to show and having no else to turn to, Mia begins to turn to Christian. Meanwhile, after being asked to watch over Mia while Brice is away, Christian falls in love with her. Their friendship comes to an end and Mia's marriage with Brice comes to an explosive end! This book is a must-read! I give it 5 stars!
Reviewed by Shay C
PeoplewholoveGoodBooks

Electa Parks brings a fresh approach to an old story. I am an avid reader and I bore easily BUT "The Ties That Bind" grabbed my attention and would not let it go until I had read every page. Look out Terry and E. Lynn you will definitey have competition with this new and exciting author. The characters are believable and the story line excellent. All I can say is "KUDOS!"

This book is ooohh ssssssssoo Good!! At times i felt like I could talk to Mia and she would hear me. Mia, had a very hard lesson to learn, and Brice had to break a really bad habit that was passed on to him. But as my mother would say "You never miss your water till you're well runs dry"
Christian is a better man than most people see him. Even if is a womanizer.And most men would not have treated this situation the same as Christian.What a true friend.
I don't want to say to much it might give the story away. PLEASE GO OUT AND BUY THIS BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!

Ties can bind people in loving and painful ways, and in Electa Rome Parks' novel, "The Ties That Bind," main characters Mia, Brice and Christian are binded in both ways. Mia is a beautiful, young romantic who has finally found her prince charming in the handsome, Brice. However, as quickly as Mia falls in love with Brice, she finds herself falling into despair when Brice becomes overly jealous, demanding, and abusive, using her as a punching bag to vent his own personal issues. One of the major problems that rises is that Mia's idea of a loving mate is someone that sees her as an equal. For Brice, the ideal mate is a woman who knows her "place," knows who wears the pants in the family, and is there at her husband's every beck and call. Brice is not used to Mia's fiery independence; after all, as an ex-womanizer, he is used to having women fawn over him and letting him reign supreme. Brice's best friend, Christian, is a current womanizer and vows to never fall into that love trap, but when he meets Mia and learns of the pain and heartache she goes through with Brice, Christian feels a tug at his heart strings and an overwhelming need to love and protect Mia. Will Mia falter and fall into Christian's loving arms? Will Brice hurt Mia beyond repair or learn from his wrong ways? Will Christian stay away from the woman he loves to keep a friendship that he cherishes?

These are a few of the many questions that are posed and answered in Parks' novel. At 175 pages, this was a very fast read for me, and the premise of the story held my attention. However, I think what bothered me is that the story is more summary than scene. The novel is told from three points of view -- Mia, Brice and Christian. None of the main characters appeared to have truly distinct voices, there were time lapses in the storyline that confused me, and the characters tell us what happened and do not allow us to SEE what happens for ourselves. There were several times in the story where I wanted the author to camp out a while and flesh out the scene that was begging to be revealed. On a more personal reader note, I found myself only truly liking one character throughout the entire novel, and that was Christian. Brice's excuses read more like the author's excuses for Brice's actions, and Mia began to grate on my nerve a quarter-way through the novel. However, with the story's premise, I think we should be angry at Mia for staying and should have some animosity for Brice because of his abusive behavior.

Overall, I think "The Ties That Bind" could have been a stronger novel with more 'in scene' moments and less summary; however, I am interested in reading Parks' latest novel because I can tell that she really enjoys telling stories, and I want to read the stories that she has to tell.

Shon Bacon

Have you ever read a book where the entire time your emotions were on overdrive and you just wanted to jump into the story and beat some sense into the characters? Well, if you enjoy fast-paced, drama-filled, highly charged reads then look no further than The Ties That Bind by Electa Rome Parks. This is a book where you definitely want to slap the heck out of the Husband & Wife Team. After only one month of knowing each other, Brice and Mia decide to marry each other. Mia, 22 years old, is a hopeless romantic at heart, who's seeking her Black Knight in shining armor. Brice is anything but...physically he's 8 years older than Mia...but emotionally he's too possessive, controlling, jealous and abusive. Nothing will stop him from "tapping that behind" when he feels like it. Christian, Brice's friend, is on the outside looking in and he doesn't like what he sees. Will his love for Mia help her to get out of a bad situation or will Christian's life be threatened because of Brice's insecurities?

The Ties that Bind is a compelling read about love, abuse, deceit and betrayal. As I read the story I felt a lot of anger, rage, pain, frustration and outrage...all while hoping only for the best where Mia was concerned. I wanted Mia to wake up and I wanted to Brice to get what was due to him...yes I wanted revenge in a big way! Electa Rome Parks has written an engrossing...albeit disturbing story...which sometimes read more like real life rather than fiction. My only disappointment with the story was that my emotions weren't 3-dimensional; I wish I would have experienced more joy, happiness and smiles and laughs as I read The Ties That Bind.

Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing style and I look forward to future novels...hopefully tho' the next one will be a little more upbeat than this one. (smile)