Satin Nights

This was a good book. I loved the chemistry between the 4 best friends. They kept me in stiches with their witty sense of humor

In Harlem, thirtyish Regina Harris thinks she might finally have her act together while raising her four years old daughter Camille. She worries about her best friends as Puddin just killed a grandfather in a car accident, but has no remorse blaming God for the black ice and is using a stolen credit card that Regina wonders if she lifted off the sexagenarian vehicle victim. Yvonne is back with abusive Robert who treated her like dirt five years ago leading to her almost killing herself. Finally drug dealers want Tamika, her twelve years old son and other family members dead. Meanwhile ex convict and drug dealer Little Joe Blayton wants back in Regina's life. He dumped her when she was his sixteen years old Satin Doll wearing him out fifteen years ago and her ex-spouse Charles also wants back in her life. Even her teenage niece shocks her when she announced she is gay. When did friendships and men become so complicated thinks Gina but responds to herself when she became thankfully one of the four musketeers years ago. SATIN NIGHTS is a powerful realistic (including street vernacular) look at relationships in Harlem between four "sisters" and the men and family members in their lives. The story line is character driven with Regina as the focus holding the plot together via her interrelationships with the strong ensemble cast. Karen Quinones Miller's provides quite a tour of Harlem as her readers will appreciate this insightful slice of inner city life. Harriet Klausner

Oh my God, you'd think she'd have learned her lesson by now! But no, Miss Regina still doesn't know how to let go of her past and simply live in the present. Regina's doing well and living in New York making a good living, but then she runs into Little Joe, a man from her past. Dig this, he was messing with her when she was 15 and he was like thirty-something, so that tells you right there that he isn't the best choice for her to get back involved with. And then the fact that he's a former drug dealer and just got out of prison after serving 16 years should seal the deal. But no! Regina has carried a crush on him all these years because back in the day he was one of the few guys who treated her right. So of course she starts back up with him again. And then the drama begins, because Little Joe in one dangerous dude. And of course Regina's friends, Yvonne, Tamika and Pudding all have their drama going on. Tamika's family is being harrasssed by neighborhood dealers, Yvonne is being beat up by her lawyer boyfriend who's now a crack addict, and Pudding is always in trouble cause that's just who she is. This book is simply great, and I'm glad that Karen finally decided to revisit the characters that she first introduced readers to in Satin Doll. It took five years, but it's worth the wait!

Best-selling novelist, Karen E. Quinones Miller takes readers on an unflinching tour through the turbulent lives of Regina Harris and her three best friends, Yvonne, Tamika, and Puddin'. This closely knit foursome was previously introduced to readers in the critically acclaimed novel, Satin Doll. In her much anticipated sequel, Satin Nights, Miller does a wonderful job of reacquainting us with these characters without alienating anyone who hasn't read the prequel. Through her writing, Karen E. Quinones Miller paints a vivid picture of Regina's rekindled affair with Little Joe Blayton, the much older and scandalous ex-con who, after a 16 year prison stint, still manages to stroll into her life and excite her the same way he did when she was his fifteen year old lover. She still feels that little girl love, but now, through the cautious eyes of a woman who knows who she is, and where she's going has everything to do with where she's been. The colorful dialogue and witty images never let the reader forget that although Regina and her friends have shifted away from life in the hood...the hood is still thriving within them. Miller doesn't apologize for her characters, nor does she try to redeem them in our eyes. She merely gives it to you the way you'd get it on the street...raw and uncut. Satin Nights is a novel that grabs your attention from the first sentence and holds it until the very last word. A great discussion for book clubs.

Satin Nights tells the story of Regina Harris who is a writer living in Harlem, with her young daughter. One day while walking down the street, Regina (who is divorced from a U. S. Congressman) runs into an old boyfriend who just got out of prison after spending 16 years there for dealing drugs. Turns out she still has feelings for him, and he still has feelings for her, and they start their affair back up. But Little Joe is just as dangerous as he ever was, and even while being loving and protective of Regina he does some foul stuff on her behalf; unbeknownst to her! He also gets involved in the lives of Regina's friends Yvonne, Tamika, and Puddin', and Regina's 18-year-old niece Renee; all in the name of being helpful. But it turns out what he considers being a knight in shining armor is what other people might consider the legendary sinister black knight. I bought this book at the National Book Club Conference on Saturday, and was finished it by Sunday night. It's filled with drama, and is just too good for words. Now I'm going to go run out and get a copy of Satin Doll so I can see what the characters were like when they were young.

I first got turned on to this author when I read her Uptown Dreams earlier this year. When I found out that she was writing this book I hurried up and read Satin Doll since I heard this was supposed to be a sequel. Let me first say that Satin Doll was really good, and I fell in love with the characters. Let me also say that I actually loved this book, Satin Nights, even better! You don't have to read Satin Doll to understand this book. Not at all. Ms. Miller gives wonderful character descriptions, and does as much character development in Satin Nights as if she were writing about the characters for the first time. Satin Nights follows the story of Regina who, though previously married to a U. S. Congressman, is now divorced and living with her young daughter in New York City. Though she had a drama and crime filled youth, she believed she'd gotten that all out of her system, and is now living a rather middle-class life, but then she runs into an old boyfriend, Little Joe (who was only mentioned in Satin Doll, but becomes a full blown character here!) right after he's released from a 16-year prison term. She realizes she can't resist him, even though the relationship can only be trouble, and so they begin an affair. Things go great for awhile, but Little Joe proves, in no uncertain terms, that a leopard cannot change his spots. While he's well-meaning, he's dangerous, and downright vicious. And people who cross Regina are in for trouble with this man as her "protector." And of course Regina's ex-hubby Charles comes back on the scene, and the reader finds out that he still loves her and wants her back, and throws a holy fit when he realizes his ex-wife is seeing an ex-gangster. But that's only part of the drama in the book! There's drug-dealer's fire-bombing people's homes, dustheads streaking naked down the street, and rap stars being conked over the heads (and deservedly so!) with champagne at their own CD Listening Parties, and still so much more. And yet, for all that, I wouldn't classify this as a street-lit book. But I would classify it as really, really, good .. . and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting read.