SHADES OF JADE

A previously self-published novel, the latest from Strivers Row, a new African-American trade paperback imprint.

Marissa just isn’t the marrying kind—she prefers other women’s husbands. Currently, she’s dating four: true love Terrence, who won’t leave his kids; supersexy Louis; Wayne, who’s impotent but does his manly best to make it up to her; and Eric, a young dentist. Her nagging girlfriend Charmaine criticizes her morally questionable ways, but Marissa doesn’t care. She likes being single, and with an MBA, a Lexus, and all that, this African-American princess is not about to compromise her independence by taking up cooking, cleaning, or any other form of domestic slavery in the name of love. In Marissa’s not-so-humble opinion, Charmaine is old-fashioned. She can just go ahead and marry Gregory, that boring prison guard she thinks is so fine, even though everybody knows she cheats on him. But Charmaine might as well stop trying to fix her friend up. Her latest recommendation, a hunky contractor named Levi, is a No Sale: Marissa doesn’t date men who do dirty work. Gay pal Brandon wrings his carefully manicured hands over her pickiness and advises Marissa to stop telling Charmaine about her affairs, but she insists that her love life is her business. Then an anonymous caller warns Marissa to “stay away from her man.” The question is: Which man? Other threatening calls follow, but the speaker never identifies herself. Brandon, concerned for Marissa’s safety, decides to get her together with Levi, who’s remodeling his apartment. And what do you know? Marissa is attracted to him, even if he is single. And when her phone stalker shows up in person—luckily, on the other side of a strong door—it’s tall, dark, and handsome Levi that Marissa turns to for help.

Briskly paced suspense short on characterization and setting, though some unexpected twists and turns keep things hopping.