Ebony Angel

Very recently my book club began reading books published by Genesis Press. Ebony Angel came highly recommended, and I'm so glad that we read it. Ebony Angel is so rich in detail, and Deatri King-Bey does an especially wonderful job of taking the reader into the life of the heroine, Ebony, a young woman trying to balance school and a child. Opposites is a theme of this book, and the hero, Richard, is a conservative businessman who is financially comfortable. He is a very complex counterpoint to Ebony, who seems less complicated, at least at first. I've had very good luck lately with interracial romances, and Ebony Angel continues that trend. Race is a point of conflict, but King-Bey handles it with an authenticity that makes it just another part of the plot and not the only substance of the plot. Ebony wears blonde hair, she's got the styled "talon" fingernails. In some ways, she's not the representaion we'd prefer to see of black women. She's no Cosby kid, but as I read further into the book, I realized that I didn't want her to be. She's flawed, which made her a heroine that I could care about even if some of her actions made me uncomfortable. The racial elements are nearly rendered to mere asides by the deeper issues of both characters' lives as both have pained histories that come to bear on their present relationship. Writing flashback scenes is difficult because if they're clumsy, they confuse the reader at best, and at worst takes the reader right out of the story. King-Bey could give a class on how to write flashbacks because she does it with such skill. Ebony Angel isn't the typical romantic, escapist indulgence, so don't expect that. This is a book with weight for readers who want a little more meat on their romance.

Great read, Like so many people living in urban america, Ebony is looking for a way out, and she choses education as her ticket for a better life. Ebony is surrounded by junkies and drug dealers, yet she works with them to try and bring about change. Richard Pacini loves Ebony and can care less that she is a black woman, he is willing to do anything he can to keep Ebony at his side. The story is a look at reality in the urban cities, the issues involved, with race being the least focus. The characters are well written with a little humor. The story designed to make you think.

Ms. King-Bey did an excellent job with the characters and the storyline. the only thing lacking was the ending...the last few pages and epilogue seemed a bit rushed to me...all of as sudden everyone's happy and all is good, then bam, the end. But all in all, a really good read. can't wait to read her other novels!

This was a very good interracial love story! The drama that unfolds in this book will have you on the edge of your seat! Great book Deatri!

As soon as Richard and Ebony met at a subway station, they knew it was love at first sight. But this knowledge, was one of the few things the two had in common. Ebony is a black, relatively poor, single mother and student who lives in the hood. She has a bit of a ghetto edge, as demonstrated by her blonde braids and intricately adorned, super-long fingernails, but she has a compassionate and giving heart. Richard is a white, relatively wealthy businessman who is much more conservative. However, the couple soon learns that nothing and no one are quite as simple as they seem. Ebony is apprehensive about becoming involved in an interracial relationship. Richard is most concerned about Ebony's safety in her neighborhood and her relationship with her daughter's father. These issues however, are just the tip of the iceberg, and as the story evolves we learn both characters have painful and complicated pasts involving family secrets, drug dealers, crime, and even death threats. Their pasts have dramatic, and at times, explosive effects on their present relationship and their future. Deatri King-Bey is a relatively new author, but she writes like a seasoned pro. Her carefully crafted characters are mulit-dimensional and well-developed. Even when I didn't like a particular character, I could understand their motivations and empathize with them. The pacing of the book, propelled by suspense and the uncovering of details from past events, is excellent. The use of flashbacks was effective, with seamless transitions from the past to the present. King-Bey has written so much more than a typical "boy meets girl" story, and while I don't consider myself a romance fan, books like this one are making me reconsider. EBONY ANGEL is a hard-to-put-down story with broad appeal; the characters will keep readers invested in the story and the plot helps maintain interest. Reviewed by Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers