Good To
Me
by
LaTonya Mason
Warner Books/Walk Worthy Press
ISBN
0-446-69645-5
Good To Me is the poignant tale of
Charity Phillips, loving
mother, minister, and therapist. We meet Charity as she
embarks upon her
lifelong dream of operating her own counseling center. Life is good, so
good
she begins to see a chance that she and her ex-husband may
be able to restore
their broken relationship. But when problems that Charity
never expected shake the
foundation she thought she had established, she is forced to decide if
she
will give into her fears and handle things her way or take a firmer
stand on
the Word of God and follow the plans God has ordered for her.
Good To Me is enhanced with
colorful characters like Iesha, Charity’s
spunky and outspoken sister who doesn’t share Charity’s enthusiasm for
her
Christian faith, and Joseph, who believes God has shown him the woman
he will
marry when he’s released from prison. There’s Harmony, a woman who
believes it
takes more than God to make it through life and seeks the assistance of
other
sources for peace and direction. And Emmitt, who feels it’s time for
him to
step up and become a full-time father even if it means hurting his
son’s
mother.
Debut
novelist, LaTonya Mason has created a story which
reminds us there are times when Christians experience pain and
heartache, but that
God does not leave us to bear our burdens without Him. If you want to
be
inspired and uplifted while reading a good story, Good To Me does not
disappoint!
Interview with LaTonya Mason
Because Of Grace 
BET Books/New Spirit
ISBN 1-58314-550-8
Kendra
Norman-Bellamy’s novel, Because Of Grace, is the sequel to
For
Love and Grace.
She makes a smooth transition
with her two
main
characters, Dr. Greg Dixon and his wife Jessica. It is now four
years into
their marriage
and Jessica and Greg are expecting their first
child. This
pregnancy, however, presents a challenge for the couple.
Jessica is struggling with mixed
emotions because of her tormenting dreams of death. Consequently, she
becomes
edgy and this interrupts the intimacy between she and her husband. In
addition,
Greg is devastated when he loses a patient for the first time during a
surgical
procedure. This same patient is the client of his friend, Attorney
Derrick
Madison.
Downtrodden and emotionally
separated from his wife, Greg confides in another woman. As if things
couldn’t
get worse, Jessica has a brain aneurysm, and Greg goes into a tailspin.
Greg
decides he wants to perform Jessica’s surgery but Greg’s boss, Dr.
Grant, calls
on a very successful neurosurgeon to perform her procedure.
Unwilling to give up on his wife,
Greg is sandwiched between two decisions. One, he could defy Dr.
Grant’s orders
and risk losing his job by performing Jessica’s surgery himself; or he
could
risk losing Jessica by placing her in the care of an unfamiliar surgeon.
Will Jessica make it through her
unforeseen tragedy? What will happen to their unborn baby? Will God’s
grace
give Jessica and Greg the strength to sustain life’s adversities?
Although a
serious story, Because Of Grace has
some hysterical scenes involving the
mothers of Jessica and Greg: Mattie, and Lena
respectively. They are your typical god-fearing middle-aged women who
don’t
worry about speaking their minds. They do this a few times throughout
the
novel, which lightens the entire plot.
Because Of Grace
demonstrates that love is stronger than life’s problems. Thanks for a
great
series, Kendra. Can’t wait to read the final installment, More Grace!
Because Of Grace
was reviewed by Christian
writer, Tiffany Godfrey. Tiffany resides in Virginia
with her husband. The rising author is currently working on an
evangelism booklet and has published evangelistic tracts. Visit
Tiffany at her website at www.aboveeveryname.com
