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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Poetry Corner


From the Night My Soul Cried....



Love in the mirror

Love is the mirror
Through which I see
The inspirational
Portion of me
The veil is lifted
The light within
Shines through my eyes
Yet sees no sin
Fear lurks in the mirror
Through which I can know
The part of myself
That I hid, so long ago
Within lies the truth
Of who I really am
When I listen faithfully
I hear it once again
It was only a delusion
A fragment well played
It is time to transcend
And see what we made
Not righteous, not depraved
No judgments to convey
No guilt to bestow
Only love to awake
When we focus our love
With an open awareness
We unite our soul
With the Divine

Copyright © 2014 Lashawone (LaRedeaux) Powell

AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK AND EBOOK.   www.midnightpublications.com 


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Can this Love sustain the ride?







Niya 2: Dreamer’s Paradise

Love: - A decision to put the needs of another before your own.
Friendship: - An enjoyable bond with another with some common interest(s).
Infatuation: - Temporary chemical reaction to another.

In this second book of the Dreamer’s series, Niya and Jamilla pick back up where they left off in part one.  Both Niya and Jamilla are still living in their tortured existence. 

Niya feels an insatiable love for Jamilla but believes the love is unrequited.  Niya is an explosion of emotions, when she loves, she gives you 100% of her heart.  Of all the girls she loved, for her Jamilla is the ONE…maybe.  Niya has a tendency to love those as damaged as she is, with the exception of Roxie in book one.  Smiley, Marlo, Jamilla and even Brazil are all broken women seeking an escape from the torment of their lives.  And Niya has the propensity to save them, which in doing so she hopes to save herself as well.   In this book Niya’s volatile emotions explode on the page, scene after scene.  In the beginning chapters, we get a glimpse of her relationship with her mother.  It gives more insight to whom she is because of where she’s come from.  Niya has the strength of her Grandmother to triumph through adversity, but she must be willing to accept the changes to come. 

Jamilla, remains confused and unsure about her true feelings for Niya.  Coming from an environment where the duality of love and hate are blurred nearly beyond repair, Jamilla doesn’t realize the mixed message she has been sending Niya throughout their friendship.  During the course of this book, Jamilla becomes closer to Niya mentally, physically and almost intimately.  During many moments in a chemically induced state, Jamilla and Niya share intimacies that borderline the affections given to your significant other.  Yet when put in everyday normal occurrences Jamilla reminds Niya she is not gay.  Their confused relationship/friendship causes a strain and sends both of them into the arms of another. 

In this segment, the author takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.  Her words through the experiences of Niya and Jamilla causes you to look at your relationships and love in the purest form.  Dreamer’s Paradise is a well-crafted saga that explores the journey to love and how circumstances and experiences can unite two people in that journey together.  Will Niya and Jamilla find their Happily Ever After?  Or will Niya realize that having unconditional love in her friendship with Jamilla is more important than the intimacy she longs to share. 
This is definitely a 5-star read and one I am more than happy to share with others. 
 
File Size: 1205 KB
Print Length: 336 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1497410975
Publisher: Gifted Publications (April 29, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00K1F1BQG


Purchase your copy Niya 2: Dreamer's Paradise




Monday, May 19, 2014

Glowing Embers in a Dying Fire





"Glowing Embers in a Dying Fire" is a profound tale of a bond; a sisterhood that forms between two divided souls, Pashen and Valentina, where they learn to shed the shame, release the burden, end the suffering that life managed to dump in their laps and voyage together to become completely whole. Their friendship endured; the embers remained ignited even when everyone gave up and the world died around them in life’s fire.
Review: The bonds of sisterhood and friendship
     Friendship essentially involves a distinctive kind of concern for your friend, a concern which might reasonably be understood as a kind of love. Set in the late ‘80s Glowing Embers revolves around the lives of two girls; Pashen and Valentina.  For most, starting your freshman year in high school is a joyous occasion but for   Pashen and Valentina it marks the turmoil both of their lives encounter. 
     Pashen was an only child, she was the apple of her mother’s eye and likewise she loved her mother with all her being.  Alma however was lonely and begins to relate with Bill.  After marrying Bill, Pashen’s life changes.  Bill is unlike Alma and Pashen, he is unlearned and abusive.  His growing disdain for Pashen and intellect reflects in his treatment of Alma.  Pashen endures the months to years of turmoil stemming from neglect and seeing her mother belittled and abused; mentally and physically. 
     Valentina is the youngest daughter born to her family.  She is the delight of her parents.  However her life takes a turn for the worst, when her mother decides the life she wants is not the one she is living.   Valentina is an old soul, even in the midst of chaos she is the strength that propels her family forward. 
Through the bonds of friendship and sisterhood, Pashen and Valentina triumph against the elements of hatred, jealousy and the many obstacles life threw at them.  Their unity survived the fire.  Glowing Embers in a Dying Fire is a nostalgic tale of friendship and strength.  At the end of the day, it reminds us of the most precious thing in life.  LOVE. 

File Size: 656 KB
Print Length: 272 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Honorable Menchan Media and Peace in the Storm Publishing (March 13, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00J07D4Q6

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Tainted by Blacc Topp review






Synopsis:
Monica cursed under her breath; she didn't like the fact that King had a hold on her body the way that he did. Their bodies had fit together as if they were made for each other. ...she had allowed herself to fall in love with a serial killer, a man with obvious mental problems, and if she didn’t end the case soon, one of them would surely meet their demise at the hands of the other. 

Driven by the need to right the rape of her nine-year-old sister at the hands of drug lords, Monica Deitrich for a decade trained to work in law enforcement. Hired by the DEA, she receives her first assignment: Infiltrate and bring down King Kochese, a ruthless killer who controls the Texas drug trade. She soon finds her job is not so simple. Never mind the danger of working undercover – the simple fact is that King Kochese is a virile, complicated man who she quickly falls for. 

Review:
For the most part, it has been quite a while since I have read well written, urban book by an indie author.  This is one of them.  Tainted starts off with the main character, thirteen year old Monica Deitrich.  Monica grows up with drug addicted parents and her little sister Jazzy.  While away on a church retreat, Monica receives devastating news that alters the course of her young life.  This book quickly progresses, Monica now an adult graduates and joins the DEA.  Her first case fresh out of the box is an undercover agent tasked to bring down Dallas' most notorious dealer King Kochese.  Monica plays her role so superbly that she doesn't even realize she's fallen for King.  King Kochese: born of an addict himself, Kochese sets out to become somebody in a world of nobodies and druggies.  At a young age as well, Kochese runs away from home and is taken in under the wings of Michael Ross, one of Dallas' large criminal.  This book contained many plot twist and turns, that kept me on the edge of my seat.  The story flowed seamlessly as the plot progressed.  Not only was this book untypical of the average urban book, the elements of surprise betrayals, loyalty, hope and dysfunctional crazy characters  kept me turning pages to see what would happen next.  This was my first read from this author but it most certainly won't be the last.  I highly recommend this FIVE star novel.


File Size: 4276 KB
Print Length: 288 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: BlaccStarr Media Group
Purchase your copy on Amazon or www.mrblacctopp.com