The Ultimate Betrayal

April 15, 2015
Fans of the Reverend Curtis Black series will rejoice with this latest installment of the extended-family saga. Despite their spiritually rich environment, temptations abound for the members of the Deliverance Outreach community. This time, Curtis' daughter, Alicia, takes center stage. Preparing to remarry Phillip Sullivan, assistant pastor of her father's church, Alicia should be happy, particularly given that Phillip has forgiven her for ruining their first marriage by having an affair with Levi Cunningham. But as the nuptials approach, Levi finishes his prison sentence for dealing drugs and immediately contacts Alicia. Determined not to betray Phillip a second time, Alicia tries but fails to ignore Levi's overtures. Maybe he's her true soul mate? But does that justify letting down not only Phillip, but also her entire family? Meanwhile, Alicia's best friend, Melanie Richardson, discovers that her husband, Brad, has once again lost thousands of dollars in the stock market. He's promised to reform, but he's said that before. His late nights at work aren't helping their marriage, either. To make things worse, Melanie's mother-the delightfully rude and awful Gladys-relentlessly needles Melanie about her weight, cautioning her that Brad will stray if she doesn't get down to at least a size 8. Soon Melanie finds herself slipping back down the rabbit hole of her childhood eating disorder, exercising twice a day, eliminating solid foods, and making excuses to keep others from guessing the extent of her problem. Roby (A Christmas Prayer, 2014, etc.) toggles back and forth between Alicia's and Melanie's stories, ratcheting up the tension as both women's lives threaten to careen completely out of control. The writing is simple and clean though sometimes a bit saccharine. Nonetheless, Roby is a master of making a delicious mess of otherwise good, merciful, God-fearing people's lives. Melodramatic, yes, but compellingly readable.

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May 15, 2015
Roby (The Prodigal Son, 2014) continues the Reverend Curtis Black series with an installment about his daughter, Alicia, who is finally ready to remarry assistant pastor Phillip. She has put her affair with Levi and her compulsive shopping behind her. But her former boyfriend is out of prison and tempting her again with messages and texts. She just can't seem to resist him. Her best friend, Melanie, is becoming obsessed with her weight owing to criticism from her mother and arguments with her husband. Alicia breaks it off with Levi again and marries Phillip, only to reactivate her shopping habit. Levi has her followed and won't give up. Melanie's health deteriorates, even while she cares for her ailing father. The two friends each know something is wrong with the other, but neither can see past her own issues to help. Despite shocks for both ladies, the ending does offer hope. Roby's highly engaging prose offers edgy characters and intense drama without explicit language or lengthy sex scenes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015

Rev. Curtis Black's daughter, Alicia, has divorced her womanizing second husband and begun dating first husband Phillip Sullivan, whom she wants to remarry. But she's still attracted to Levi Cunningham, her former partner in adultery. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

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