The Savvy Sistahs

November 3, 2003
Three Orlando, Fla., women form a friendship club for spiritual inspiration and professional support in this earnest, plodding novel by Jackson (Ties That Bind
, etc.). Amber Stuart, Brandy Bennett and Carla Osborne, otherwise known as the ABCs, have been meeting regularly for a year, holding "sistah-circle" gatherings where they share wine and secrets. They have plenty in common: all three are successful businesswomen and all have been done wrong by men. Brandy, owner of a "very prestigious hotel," discovered on the eve of her wedding that her husband-to-be was sleeping with her best friend; she went through with the ceremony, but then showed the incriminating video at the reception. Now someone is stalking her at work, and she must live in close quarters with a hunky ex-FBI agent while he tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. Amber, a bookstore owner, left her husband three years ago after she found him in bed with another woman. Since then she has thrown herself into her work, but when one of her customers—a handsome tax attorney—passes out on the premises, she devotes herself to nursing him back to health. Carla, computer company CEO, is a single mother as the result of a disastrous one-night stand. When her son's father discovers that he has a child, she is willing to let him into her life, but reluctant to let him back into her heart. Jackson's characters are credibly flawed and endearing, but stiff exposition ("Tonight was a time to not only celebrate their success, but also to embrace their growth as women who were finally able to put to rest their deep emotional pain") and canned sentiment make this a lackluster effort.

November 1, 2003
Amber has escaped an abusive marriage, Brandy divorced her cheating husband, and Carla is raising her four-year-old son on her own. In this latest page-turner from Jackson (Ties That Bind), these sistahs meet in a support group and help out one another until life takes a different turn.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2003
Three successful entrepreneurs--beautiful, intelligent, and sophisticated--meet at an Orlando support group, "The Savvy Sistahs Who Mean Business." Brandy Bennett, a 33-year-old divorcee, manages and owns a prestigious hotel. When she begins receiving threatening notes, an ex-FBI agent to protect her. Carla Osborne is a 32-year-old single mother and CEO of Osborne Computer Network. Her personal and professional lives are in conflict when a past lover reenters her life and makes her company, her son, and her affections the object of his desires. Amber Stuart is the proud owner of Amber's Books and Gifts and a 32-year-old divorcee. During her store anniversary celebration, a male customer passes out. In order to avoid a lawsuit she agrees to help him convalesce. The situation challenges all of her hard-and-fast rules about relationships and men. As with Jackson's previous novels, this will be a huge hit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)