Pat Tucker (1)Besprekingen

Better than I thought it would be. It's about a woman who goes to jail and finds out who her real friends are.

By: Pat Tucker & Earl Sewell
Published By: Strebor Books
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Book Blog For GMTA
Review:

"A Social A Affair" By Pat Tucker and Earl Sewell was quite some read that truly held my attention till the end. Being bored with her life as a wife and mother and under the influence of her best friend decides to get involved in the porn industry and reinvent herself by coming someone she isn't as Candi. Along with this, we find Quinn who feels trapped in his marriage set up a Facebook, and twitter account to 'reinvent himself as a professor who seeks companionship. Soon, both Candi and Quinn get hooked up and are now living a double life. Now, this is where I say you must pick up the read because it will get very complicated and you will only have to read to find out where this author will take the read. It will be a very interesting read. You will be definitely left thinking 'One can never be certain whether the face behind the social media such as Facebook and twitter is someone that they really are or just a make believe' leaving you to only be careful if this is what you are into. I thought "A Social Affair" was a well written and very believable read that had some drama, suspense and even some humorous sections. Would I recommend? YES!

This was my first Pat Tucker book and I truly enjoyed it. The characters were interesting and the reader soon discovers that they all seem to have deep, dark secrets that come back to haunt them. It was brave of the author to tackle several taboo subjects (male down low behavior, incest, etc.) and cleverly weave them into the storyline.

The main characters of the story are Clarke (married man looking for sexual satisfaction outside his marriage), Kelsa (Clarke's wife who suspects he is cheating but doesn't have any proof), and Persha (Clarke's mistress). The story really heats up when Clarke manages to devise a plan where he can have his cake and eat it too. Since his wife works the night shift and has early morning classes, Clarke suggests Persha temporarily move into his house when she discovers her condo is infested with mold. Persha lives out of a suitcase and has to leave the house before Clarke's wife arrives home in the morning. While it is feasible that there might be rooms in a house the wife doesn't check on a daily basis (this is true even in my own house), the statement that the wife insists that the doors to all rooms remain closed is a little far-fetched. Naturally, everyone knows that this arrangement blows up in Clarke's face. This is when the book really starts to get interesting and the reader is in for a rollercoaster ride while the storyline takes so many twists and turns - many you will never see coming.

The book is definitely a page-turner and I found myself eagerly awaiting the next chapter. The ending was unusual but very realistic - definitely not your typical "happily ever after" Hollywood ending. I would definitely recommend this book and am eager to read more books by Pat Tucker.

I have read several of Pat Tucker's books and I have to say this book was very disappointing. The book starts off introducing the characters and describing their failed romantic relationships. This is done to set up the premise of why they would be willing to pay someone to hook them up with a prison "soon to be released" inmate. The whole dating service storyline was very unbelievable - I find it hard to believe any woman would pay $500-$1500 to be paired up with a prison inmate. Then these inmates turn out to be perfect gentlemen when they get out. Only for the reader to later discover some of them had their own motives for participating in the dating service. I found the whole premise of the book and the plots to be a very long stretch of the imagination. They just did not work for me and, therefore, I did not find them entertaining.

Unlike her other books, I found the characters in this book very uninteresting. I will have to confess that I even skipped several chapters - it was either skip the chapters or stop reading the book. I think I should have chosen the latter - stop reading the book all together. Thankfully, I have been renting the books from my local library so I was not out of any money. Although, this book was a disappointment, I have already reserved "Proceed with Caution" and "Led Astray". I am willing to check out her other books because "Infidelity" was a great book! So I know the author is capable of writing books that keep you glued to the edge of your seat.

While I enjoyed reading Led Astray, I do not feel it was one of Pat Tucker's better books. The plot revolves around the marriage of Keisha and her husband, Dexter. Keisha doesn't get along with Dexter's family nor is she liked by his friends - they all feel Keisha had too much of a wild streak for laid-back, homebody Dexter. After Dexter digs up Keisha's old club-hopping buddy, April, and they surprise Keisha at her anniversary party, things really start to heat up. When April decides to stay in town, Keisha finds herself backsliding into her old ways: club-hopping, staying out late at night, and even having extra-marital affairs.

Each time Dexter discovers Keisha's indiscretions, he always forgive her and hope their marriage is worth saving. Meanwhile, Keisha's behavior goes from bad to worse. While some readers will blame April for encouraging Keisha to betray her husband, it is worth noting that when April meets a man and decides she is ready to settle down, Keisha continue with her indiscretions.

Once again, I found the ending the downfall of the book. While it looked like Keisha and Dexter were heading for divorce court, all of a sudden they were happily married and starting a family. All the things Keisha hated about Dexter and the things she loved about her lover no longer seemed to matter. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had ended with Dexter accepting Keisha's indiscretions and understanding why she was so unhappy in the marriage - this would have led to Dexter having some self-acceptance and, perhaps, choosing a better and more compatible mate in the future. The book left me feeling like Keisha settled for Dexter and decided to remain in an unhappy marriage. Naturally, this situation occurs often in real life but the book left me wondering how long Keisha would be able to remain faithful to her husband especially once the stress and pressure of parenthood is added to an already fragile relationship.

Proceed With Caution starts off great and it really does hold the reader's attention until the end. I am not sure what happened but the ending does not flow with the rest of the story.

The plot is based on a single woman having an affair with a well-known, married congressman who based his election on morality. The relationship takes a strange turn when the mistress finds out she is pregnant and congressman lies by saying he had a vasectomy and can no longer have children. While realistically most people in prominent positions would have encouraged the mistress to have an abortion, this congressman decides to pay her $25,000 to keep silent. Meanwhile, a close friend (who has a gambling problem) of the mistress decides there is much more money to be made by blackmailing the congressman. This is where the story started to lose me. It moves from a love affair between two adults to secretly planting video cameras in the mistress house as well as bugging her phone. Then the congressman's bodyguard starts to intimidate and physically harm other parties all at the direction of the congressman.

Without giving away the ending, I will just say that no one will see the path this book takes. While I like surprise endings, I also like for the ending to make sense within the context of the storyline. The ending in this book was totally out of place and left me wondering what the author was thinking when she chose that particular ending. This is definitely not one of Pat Tucker's better books and I would not recommend it.