Mary Monroe
Список книг автора Mary Monroe
Borrow Trouble
A woman lets herself go and finally does something wrong. Down on his luck, a man tries to do something right. For both, the consequences are as surprising as they are rewarding in two tales of lost souls by two rising stars in contemporary African-American fiction. "Nightmare in Paradise" by Mary Monroe Good-looking and as dutiful a wife as she is a devoted friend, reserved and respectful Renee Webb always does the right thing. So when she gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to let her hair down on a Caribbean vacation with her uninhibited friend Inez, Renee is more than ready to let go. But the sun-splashed isle of Paraiso is not what it seems, and Renee finds out that doing the wrong thing–a sizzling night of pleasure with a sexy stranger–might cost her more than she ever imagined. . . "Bad Luck Shadow" by Victor McGlothin Bad luck's been shadowing handsome Baltimore Floyd ever since he hopped a train out of New York City. On the run from some of Harlem's baddest hitmen, Baltimore's luck takes a turn for the worse after he murders a big-time white businessman and gets thrown off the train in Kansas City. Alone and on the lam, Baltimore's got only one shot to get out alive–the biggest heist in KC's history. Lucky for him, Henry Taylor's got his back, and he'll have to use every trick he knows to save Baltimore from going down for good. . .
Deliver Me From Evil
What happens when the life you have is not the life you want? Christine Thurman and her husband, Jesse Ray, built a business worth millions and were once deeply in love. But lately J.R. has become obsessed with his empire and Christine feels taken for granted. . .until Wade Eddie Fisher, a bad boy with good looks from Christine's past, comes back to town. Even though Wade is penniless and undependable, he reignites something deep within Christine. Before long she's immersed in a sultry affair, and has devised a plan so risky that it promises to deliver all she could possibly want–or shatter the lives of everyone close to her. . . "With its sexual triangle and triplecrossing plot, Deliver Me From Evil is modern noir." – Akron Beacon Journal "Her wildest and most entertaining novel yet." – Publishers Weekly
Red Light Wives
From New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe comes a powerful novel about the hopes, dreams, laughter–and limits–of six unique women surviving on the streets of San Francisco. . . They're about as different as six women can be–haughty and humble, beautiful and plain, young and not-so-young, black, white, Latina, and origins unknown. But aside from a gift for laughing hardship in the face, they have one very important thing in common–Clyde Brooks. You might say that Clyde is their «manager.» And you might say that Lula Mae, Ester, Megan, Rosalee, Helen, and Rockelle are colleagues–in the world's oldest profession. Clyde likes to refer to them as his «wives.» Maybe it's their love for the high life–and for each other–that makes the bond between Clyde's ladies so unbreakable. Maybe it's their private demons that keep them so loyal to Clyde–or so he thinks. For hard as they try to distract themselves, nothing can quell the women's longing for a life free from Clyde and what he represents–until one daring act of defiance changes everything. . . Praise for Mary Monroe «Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston.» – Publishers Weekly «Watch out Toni Morrison, there is a new sister in town.» – Rapport "Mary Monroe is a masterful storyteller." – Philadelphia Inquirer
God Don't Like Ugly
New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe sweeps readers back to the streets, porches, and parlors of civil rights-era Ohio to bring to life the first steps of an enduring friendship between two girls from opposite sides of the track. . .Annette Goode is a shy, awkward, overweight child with a terrible secret. Frightened and ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food. But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens: Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, generous Rhoda, who is everything Annette is not–gorgeous, slim, and worldly–welcomes Annette into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and dignified father;her lovely, fragile «Muh'Dear;» her brooding, dangerous brother Jock;and her colorful white relatives–half-crazy Uncle Johnny, sultry Aunt Lola, and scary, surly Granny Goose. With Rhoda's help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms as a woman. But when her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a horrific childhood crime, Annette's world will never be the same."A coming-of-age journey depicted with wit, poignancy and bite." – Publishers Weekly
Gonna Lay Down My Burdens
Bestselling author Mary Monroe won rave reviews from critics and readers alike with her first two novels, God Don't Like Ugly and The Upper Room, both Main Selections of the Black Expressions Book Club. Now she returns with the masterful Gonna Lay Down My Burdens –that rare novel that inspires laughter, tears, and repeat readings. In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her tears to herself. She's too busy shouldering the burdens of her troubled friends, like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But it doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men whenever she can, and trying to drag Carmen along with her. It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups. She has, but they just can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, Chester Sheffield, with his Barry White voice and his all-too-fine body, keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously have for each other. But that would mean abandoning her «boyfriend» Burl Tupper and that's something Carmen just can't do. Ever since Burl ended up in a wheelchair because of a foolish teenage prank she played on him, Carmen's promised herself that she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does, and when she learns that she's pregnant with Chester's child, it's almost more than Carmen can bear. Still, her loyalty to Desiree goes back a long way, and she's not about to let a man get in the way of their friendship–even when Desiree starts stepping out on Chester. Then, on a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth she's avoided for years–and in a seedy hotel in the middle of nowhere, she confronts her demons head-on. Now Carmen has two choices–a life on the lam, or a full circle return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place in the world she can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.