I Pen Designs
Official Site of Author Nanette M. Buchanan
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Avid readers of the "Tamara Hale" mysteries by Valerie Wilson Wesley won't be disappointed as the female investigator takes on what may be a serial killer. We are introduced to the Desmond family who are not only rich, but have connections with what may be the mafia. Each family member has their own problems which add to the reason Tamara has been hired. Fearing that Gabriella, Dominque Desmond's daughter, may be the next on the list of murders, Tamara is unveiling deep family secrets.
As in all of this dynamic author's writings, the twist and turns make this story a page turner. There aren't many author's who take on the challenge of mystery writing and Ms. Wesley has grasped the attention of her audience with her Tamara Hale, female African American detective. Valerie Wilson Wesley has been one of my favorite authors for years. If you're looking for great reading, excitement page after page, and riveting stories, purchase Valerie Wilson Wesley's books.
5 Star Review
Author, Nanette M. Buchanan
JUST TO GOOD TO BE TRUE by E. Lynn Harris
5 Star Review
The
heading across the book said a New York Times Bestseller, I expected that,
having read E. Lynn Harris novels and becoming a fan. The News & Observers stated Steamy,
funny, and real. I expected that and the
words defined why I loved his writing.
The title, I found myself repeating as I got deeper and deeper into the
pages that held my attention from the beginning to the end. I enjoyed this read, as I knew I would. The plots, the web of intrigue and how it all
came together in the end is what I yearn for as an author and a reader.
Great
choice for any book club discussion. There are so many
angles, characters and issues to discuss.
A mother's love, how deep; was Carmyn protective, or just
over board? Her story, though sad led
her through so many levels of destruction.
The lost of the man she loved due to the terrible lie told by Daphne,
the jealous ex-girlfriend. The lost of
the parents she loved, the old school parents, who allow for no mistakes as
they often make the biggest mistakes of their lives. The lost of trust for fear that the pain of
the past covered her as a cloud waiting to burst and rain on her life. As it did, for when we don't close chapters
of our lives, no matter how difficult, they seem to add on making our book of
life unbearable and forever a hushed secret.
I
admired Carmyn's character although she had issues she had determination and
strength. She had her weakened moments,
maybe the result of guilt or maybe the desire to correct wrongs that she had
not revealed. Taking on the friendship
with May-Jean, a piece of work, and Shelby the girl whose life was mirroring
hers. She learned to love again, let go
and let be, it was late but she learned her son had to experience hurt, pain
and love.
Barrett,
Raquel, lived through pain too. She
emerged from hurt, geared herself to hurt others to gain what she smoothed over
as a necessity for her brother. She was
seeking a healing in all the wrong places.
I
was engrossed with how they all knew each other and yet they didn't know until
Carmyn's cloud burst of rain fell on each of them. Brady, the young man who was too
sheltered. He broke the vows set by his
mother, based on her errors and pain, but he was chained to them mentally. Something I don't know if young men of today
would allow. There love was special but
in a peculiar way it hurt them both.
Harris did it again, and I have always read his books and ended them saying.Wow. The possibilities of the story is what held me captive, especially in the world of sports, surrounded by love and those who love money. I could only wonder where Mr. Harris was headed as he once again brought in some of our favorite characters from his other novels keeping the reader on the edge yearning for more.
Reviewed by
Nanette M. Buchanan, Author
5 Star Review
As a new author M.T. Pope did a EXCELLENT job on his debut novel. Not only did he write about a very taboo subject in the African American community he added a few twists and turns to keep your interest.
Shawn and Mona have what others would view as a impeccable marriage. They have the house, kids, good family, successful career and financial security. What more could anyone ask for? Ask Mr. James Parks, he has a secret agenda and he stops at nothing to make sure each one of his goals are met.
There was non-stop action from beginning to the end. There was never one boring scene in this book. Mr. Pope has a very vivid imagery that allowed the reader to actually be apart of the story. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry, it made me sympathetic but most importantly it make me THINK and by the end of the book I was secretly diagnosing the characters lol. Each character had secrets of their own and as we all know secrets ruin live�you have to read Both Sides of the Fence to see how.
M.T. Pope keep up the good work!!! I cannot wait for Part 2.
Kharizmah
I Pen Designs/I Pen Books Book Reviewer
www.ipendesigns.net
11/09
No More Tomorrows by Rodney Lofton
5 Star Review
Rodney Lofton has done a fantastic job of defining what it is to celebrate true love and life. There are those of us that can only imagine what living life with HIV/AIDS would be like. There are those of us who would cringe at the thought of approaching a new love knowing who we are attracted to is infected. There are those of us that would never understand the choices the gay community must make and battle every day to simply be loved. This brings clarity to those of us who don't understand, but we embrace true love. No more tomorrows is a story about true love, no limits. A love that we all long for regardless of our choice of lifestyles. The characters, Rodney has brought to life, hesitate as we all do wondering will they find this type of love ever. Mark, because of his status and Kevin because he is simply tired of the "games" people play. I found myself forgetting that this was a "gay" love story. I found myself understanding what each of them longed for, found, and then lost to this deadly disease. I found myself bordering tears for those that have passed, that I didn't understand must have gone through this as well. Bravo Mr. Lofton. Thank you for giving me clarity. You have awakened my senses to the plight of those who are positive. Be they heterosexual, bisexual or gay, their desire to be loved, truly loved by family, friends and lovers becomes a complicated issue when HIV/AIDS is a part of their lives.
Mr. Lofton will be interviewed by me on October 17, 2009 on ASA Blogtalk Radio 8:00 p.m. I look forward to discussing his book and his future endeavors.
Memoirs of the Immortal by Vincent Tate
5 Star Review
Justice and Zedekia are part of an underground group known as “The Organization”. From the outside they appear to be well-known and liked businessmen of the New York City corporate world, but once the sun goes down, they are extortionists and murderers. They don’t kill for the pleasure of it, they do so believing this is what they were placed on this earth to do.
They feel it is their job to rid the world of the “evil-doers”. In one instance they brutally murdered a priest who was continually accused of molesting young male parishioners. The priest was able to manipulate the system on each accusation and was found to be not guilty. Justice and Zedekia felt it was their job to avenge the innocent children who had faced years of abuse. They felt the system failed them.
Throughout all of their years of murder and extortion, “The Organization” was able to stay out of the eye of law enforcement. That is until Mr. Devereaux, a forced colleague of theirs, was caught by the FBI, and forced to tell everything he knew about “The Organization”, but will it be too little, too late?
Overall this book was a very interesting read, because it was different from what would be considered a ‘normal’ read. There were a few grammatical errors, but that didn’t take away from the main focus of the story. I would give this novel a 5 out of a possible 5 stars because it takes the reader on a journey into the minds of heartless murderers, and explains it in great detail. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to be pulled in from beginning to end.
Lalia
Reviewer, I Pen Designs/I Pen Books
7/09
The Ultimate No No by Tamika Newhouse
4 Star Review
Tamika Newhouse penned a drama story that many of us
see daily. It�s the story of tested friendships, devotion, adoration, lust,
deception, trust and mounds of secrets. The combination of those characteristics
leave room for nothing but a big ole� pot of disaster soup. Someone once said
there is a thin line between love and lust ask
Tamika Newhouse has done an awesome job painting a very realistic picture of what can happen when you don�t think before you act. Feelings get involved, emotions surface and it becomes harder to break away. This book allows you to be drawn in and captivated by the characters, some you pity, some you love, and some you would love to hate as they draw you into their bona fide lives. I found myself saying �OMG� and �lord what else� throughout the entire book as the snowball was getting bigger and bigger. Overall, Mrs. Newhouse did a good job with her debut novel, however in the future additional time should be spent on editing although it did not really take away form the storyline. This is definitely a page turner filled with lots and lots of drama and I humbly await the sequel-The Ultimate Moment: No Regrets.
I Pen Designs/I Pen Books Book Reviewer
7/09
Broken Birds (The Story of My Momila) by Jeannette Katzir
4.5 Star Review
Jeannette Katzir's memoir of her family takes one on a journey that, just as life, brings one an array of emotions. The story unfolds after telling the reader that this family of five siblings, and their father is in a heated battle for money and property. The Poltzer's matriarch, wife, and mother, Channa has passed on. She has left memories and proof that although each of them five children and her husband were loved she controlled their happiness. From their eldest child to the youngest each individually devoted to Momila inherited her traits. These traits as they matured into adulthood brought destruction to their family relationships. No one confronted the other without Channa's input and it was her word that finalized arguments and decisions. Even after marriage her offspring felt they owed her their loyalty. This loyalty to family did not always extend to the new spouse, after all they were not blood. The father, Nathan, though the provider was also held under Channa's spell. Her fears of his leaving her for another, left little room for him to express anything other than his love for her. He worked endlessly providing for his family and though indirectly mentioned the reader is told the arguments between them were often physical.
Channa's strength or weakness, depending on one's interpretation, was developed after her Holocaust survival. She escaped, as did Nathan the hands of the Germans. Both parents held onto their memories and the author gives descriptive details of their journey to the "free" world. I found myself wanting to hear more during the early chapters as Channa and Nathan's courage and sacrifices were described. I found myself wanting to skip through pages as it seemed the journey was longer than I hoped. I found all of it necessary to understand what the Poltzer children, now adults faced after their mother's death.
The Poltzer family, Channa and Nathan, after escaping the possibility of being executed by the Germans, lived holding on and cherishing the thought of family. After weeping and crying about the lives of those they loved, (Nathan even returned to visit the camps), both parents destroyed, their own. Unconditional love and support was used as a ploy, whenever there was an obvious gain. Each sibling walked on the eggshells of love hoping not to crack any egg filled with yoke. The eggs began to crack with each line during the reading of their mother's will. The yoke of their father's love spilled when he was left to beg his children for support and shelter. The Poltzer family, headed by Holocaust survivors lost the substance of family after Momila passed on.
Jeanette Katzir, in an effort to clean the yoke for herself has written her memoirs. The emotions that this novel will touch would depend on the reader. Though it is slow in unraveling the core it kept me curious. How does one repair the Broken Bird when the shell is cracked?
Reviewed by
Nanette M. Buchanan, Author
July 2009
Another Woman's Husband by Angel Mechelle
5 Star Review
Angel Mechelle�s debut novel �Another Woman's Husband� depicts the drama filled life of Breana Nicole Michaels, affectionally known as Bree to many. Bree is a single mother of two children who recently moved to
Bree meets Dre� her married neighbor. She gets some bittersweet attention from him and she falls for him despite knowing what she is doing is totally wrong. He baits her with his smooth talking and completely wins her over with his immaculate bedroom antics. Bree wholeheartedly believes she has found her soul mate. Things heat up once Neecy, Dre�s wife learns of their relationship. Neecy vows to win her husband back by any means necessary. Neecy gives Bree and Dre� a run for their money. No matter how much family and friends try to systematically lay out the future map for Dre� and Bree�s relationship, each indicating disaster Bree sticks around. Bree goes from a sane woman with morals to every woman's worst nightmare. She actually believes she is entitled to be in a relationship with Dre�.
Boy when I say there was drama after drama I mean it�it was intense and nonstop. Dre was conniving and Bree was na�ve. �Another Woman�s Husband� was definitely a page turner. I found myself reading everywhere (even at work), it held my attention from beginning to end. I pitied Bree for her choices and always found myself talking to Bree asking her WHY!! Bree was a character I just wanted to hug on many occasions and let her know that she was loved and didn�t need any man to justify her self worth. I felt for the children because I knew they had been through a lot as well. This is a book that most people can relate to. All in all this was an EXCEPTIONAL read and centered on choices people make and the consequences of them. Anyone that loves a good read with a few twists and loaded drama would really enjoy this book.
Keep in mind: Take care of yourself first before you take care of others. If you�re sick you can�t help anyone else get well.
This was a literary job well done! I am looking forward to read more of Angel Mechelle�s work.
I Pen Designs/I Pen Books Book Reviewer
7/09
Last Passage to Santiago by John F. Rooney
3 Star Review
Stephanie Rainer- wife and employee of National Security Agency
Ben Rainer- husband and an investigative reporter for Newsweek
Ann Gliden- Ben's mistress
Uncle Lee- was killed aboard the same cruise ship a year ago
This story takes place between
Aboard the cruise, Stephie keeps with the same routine of walking and touring the islands when they pull into the port. Ben rarely goes to see the sights because he uses the opportunity to be with Ann. Stephie begins to have interest in the naturalist aboard the ship named Mike (penguin man). They begin to talk privately and she sees in him, what a real man should be. Stephie gets stuck on the inland during a tour when her boat could not board the ship due to the rocky waves one night. Stephie did not know if it was right, but she made her bond with Mike complete when they shared a bed in the hotel.
Ann begins to tire from being the little stored away freak show. Ann starts to live for herself and decide that this is not for her. Aboard the ship, Ann and Stephie begin to befriend one another without knowing the ties that bind them together. When the cruise has ended, they are at the convention center waiting for the shuttle to take them to the airport. To beat the long lines, they decide to take a taxi. The taxi takes a short cut but is met by the van that she has seen throughout her whole vacation and she is kidnapped. She held in a warehouse but is never abused or mistreated. The conclusion is that she is finally let go, and she has a feeling that her husband has something to do with it.
Her boss who clues her in on the reason for her abduction meets Stephie. The reason for her abduction stems around two men with no connection to her. They are both being held by the other's country. She was abducted because with her position, they figured that she knew something. She is allowed to go when the two men are released. She is also clued in on her husband's actions aboard the whole trip. She is devastated and frees herself from the agony of being married to Ben. She returned to be with Mike, which is what her heart desired. Ben was killed, September 11 aboard one of the flights headed towards
While the story may appear, by summary, to have an action packed and deep story line, it was very dry. The story focused immensely on the details and structure of the many buildings and sights of their trip. The author was very descriptive of the many things seen on the trip. The book appears to have been carried by the descriptions as a way to make up for the lack of a structured and captivating story line. I was very confused and somewhat disappointed with the book and the unrelated conclusion to the reason of Stephie's kidnapping. If you are looking to take a trip to any of the locations in the book, then this is for you. If you are looking to be taken in by a great book then this is not it. I gave the book a rating of 3 out of 5.
Luv2read
Reviewer, I Pen Designs/I Pen Books
6/09
First Comes Love by Shana Johnson Burton
4 Star Review
'First Comes Love' is a Christian fiction novel written by Shana Johnson Burton. The main characters in this story are London Harris, a real estate agent, and Bernard Phillips, a restaurant owner. The two have been best friends since they were children, nothing more, nothing less.
The story starts out with the two of them being dumped by their significant others. After this took place, they decided to get away to Vegas so they could forget their troubles for the time-being, or so they thought. After a wild night of drinking, the two end up in bed together the next morning and realize they got married the night before.
The two decided that they would just as quickly annul the marriage, since they realized marriage wouldn't work for them, and friendship would. But when news of the secret marriage got back to
Bernard and
Overall this book was a very good read. It got a little confusing during the first few chapters when the author would flashback to the main characters childhoods. I don't feel that was necessary to get the point of the story across. I would give this story 4 stars out of a possible 5, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good novel that gets the theme across without the constant use of profanity and sexual scenarios.
Lalia
Reviewer, I Pen Designs/I Pen Books
6/09
Consequences by Linda R. Herman
5 Star Review
For every choice one makes in their life, there are "Consequences". However, as told by author Linda R. Herman in her novel "Consequences", we often find our lives are guided by the choices made by others. Andre and Sade Peters live in a blissful marriage until Sade finds her husband has stepped outside of the marriage seeking what he claims is merely "different". His indiscretions bring deadly consequences to all involved. The question is just how many are connected to his unprotected destruction?
The novella, "Consequences, when love is blind" by the same author gave the reader a peak into the life of those who live with HIV/AIDS and those like Andre, who are in denial. The novel picks up the pace showing the destructive path that Andre has no idea he has created. After losing his family and the love of his life, his wife Sade, Andre wants to confront those he has hurt. Reality has set in for those Andre has touched with his love and his consequences. They have learned to "live" with their fate. Forgiveness and understanding seem to be their foundation to move on. Andre's reality comes rather late as he sits alone to think of where his being "different" began.
The lives of those touched by Andre Peters continue as death is the consequence for both, he and his wife. The women and men in this awesome novel are characters any reader can identify with. The husband on the down low, the wife, the mistress, the "different" acts of infidelity, those born with the consequence of living life with HIV, are all a part of the authors paramount efforts to awaken her captured audience.
A job well done, an unselfish gift of love is what Linda R. Herman has passed on. This written work is told from the heart of the author as she ends the novel with an acknowledgment of reality versus fiction. Bravo Linda Herman, I applaud you.
Author, Nanette M. Buchanan
I Pen Designs
5/09
Serving Justice by Jaqueline D. Moore
3 Star Review
"Serving Justice" is centered around the life of Angela Jenkins, a woman who faced many injustices throughout her life, and vowed never to treat people differently because of their circumstances. As a child, Angela knew she wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up. She wanted to represent people who were unable to represent themselves. This would be somewhat of a challenge for her since she grew up an only child, her parents having died very early in her life, her grandmother raised her.
While in college studying law, Angela met 3 women who would later become the sisters she never had. Theresa, Rhonda, and Darlene, were studying law as well. They all went on to become successful lawyers and judges. While these women had experienced love, or what they thought was love, at some point in their lives, Angela didn't know what it felt like to be in love with a man. That is until she met and almost immediately fell in love with Tony.
Tony was Angela's personal cab driver. She fell in love with him the moment she saw him, but was never able to express those feelings for him because she cared too much about what her friends would think. That is until one day Tony expressed he had those exact same feelings for Angela, and in fact wanted to marry and start a family with her.
Angela would soon find out that her friends looked down on Tony because of his profession, and would proceed to find as much dirt on him as they possibly could so as to thwart Angela from pursuing a relationship with him. But could they stop their friend whose heart was already set?
The storyline of this book was a bit confusing at times because it flashed to scenes of not only the main character's childhood, but her parent's childhoods, and the other characters as well. The few grammatical errors didn't take away from the point the author wanted to make. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate this book a 3.
Lalia
Reviewer, I Pen Designs/I Pen Books
5/09
Chante's Song by Donneil Jackson
"Chante's Song" is focused around the love life of the title character Chante Chambers. A woman who, thanks to her ex beau Jason, pretty much has everything she could possibly want: good looks, a thriving career, money, and material possessions. Because of Jason, Chante never wanted for anything, or so she thought. He appeared to be perfect in so many ways, but Jason was unfaithful to Chante, on numerous occasions. Although she knew of his cheating ways, Chante seemingly could not rid herself of him. That is until she met and fell in love with Keith.
Keith was a lot like Jason in that he was well-established, and could provide Chante with any and everything she could possibly imagine. She met and fell in love with him rather quickly, and the two became engaged. However, Chante could not seem to stay away from Jason. Keith treated her like a queen, but Jason was unfaithful, and tried to buy Chante's love. Chante was torn between the two. The love Keith showed her, she wished Jason embodied. In the end, Chante realized that Keith was the man she really loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and this would not happen until she let Jason go. She finally did that, but was it too little, too late?
The storyline of the book is clear and concise. Although it contained a few grammatical errors, this didn't take away from the main idea. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would give this book a 4, simply because it was quite repetitive, slow to get the point across. Despite this, it was still a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Lalia
Reviewer, I Pen Designs/I Pen Books
2/09
4 Star Review
"Fatal Mistakes: The First of a Trilogy: The Silent Killer" walks you through the lives of Morgan, Jackson, Leila, and Sean who function in their everyday lives like most people, but at times making some very detrimental choices. The interesting thing is these individuals do not consciously realize how their choices will impact the rest of their lives.
Morgan, although a successful legal adviser, she has issues with self esteem which led to her diagnosis of depression and her need to take daily psychotropic medication. Jackson, the go-to man for Sam & Sam is a very dominant and controlling man in his intimate relationships. He does not see an issue with his promiscuous ways; in fact he really enjoys the variety and whole heartedly believes that every man should have a wife, mistress, whore, and a jump off. Leila, a half-way house employee; mother; and wife to her husband Malik of 5 years. She is unhappy in her relationship and finds sexual interest in women which leads to the demise of her marriage, relationship with her children and friends. Sean has some unresolved issues that he allows to take control and manifest in his mind, it brews into jealously and leads him to become verbally, physically and mentally abusive to the women he date.
Whew!. Talk about CHOICES. This book was full of them. I found the story content to be rich, real, and relatable. However it presented a few reading challenges for me, at some points I found the story hard to follow as the imagery was not superior, there were several grammatical and editing errors, and I also felt that it took too long to reveal the fundamental component of the effects of poor choices. Despite all of the items I mentioned; that if improved would benefit both the author and the readers, these items really had no effect on the main points the author succeeded in conveying. Jamison Davis did an awesome job with characterization and story implementation and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading drama that takes you through the journey of love and lust and passionate lessons about choices.
Denise Worthy Reviewer,
I Pen Designs/I Pen Books
3/09
