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42nd out of 288 books
—
202 voters
The Real Thing
by
J.J. Murray (Goodreads Author)
Former boxing champion Dante "Blood and Guts" Lattanza is being featured in Personality magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" issue, and reporter Christiana Artis has the scoop. There's just one hitch: she'll have to fly to her elusive subject's home in Canada. But once she lays eyes on Dante's chiseled physique and sultry Italian looks, she decides it was worth every mile. Too b...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
April 1st 2010
by Kensington
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I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! First, the author...a MAN! Yes! A MAN! I want to meet the man who can write a perfect love story between a man and a woman from the point of view of a black woman. Oh, yeah he's a white man (did I forget the mention that?) regardless, I stayed up WAY past my bedtime just so that I could finish reading this lovely story.
This was an interracial romance, but race was mentioned in the description of the characters but after that race was no longer an issue. I loved Christiana,...more
This was an interracial romance, but race was mentioned in the description of the characters but after that race was no longer an issue. I loved Christiana,...more
Okay...I just finished The Real Thing...this is the first book I've read by J.J. Murray...it's LOADED with plenty scenery description...I feel like I'm SMACK DAB in sections of NY and Canada...the storyline is ENGAGING...and the full cast of characters are very ENTERTAINING...I find myself LOL at their funny antics and witty dialogue throughout...the description and portrayal of Dante's character is INTENSE...and Christiana and her antics throughout are OFF-THE-CHAIN...once Dante and Christiana...more
This story is like a cross between the Rocky movies and Jennifer Crusie novels.
The book was laugh-out-loud funny with an outrageous female celebrity magazine reporter (1st person story) with a few issues. The boxer, Dante, was attractive and loyal...albeit a bit naive in his fixation on his ex-wife.
The story gives some interesting behind the scenes type look into the boxing world, although I'm not much of a boxing fan.
Overall it's a good vacation/relaxation story. Definitly worth the read.
The book was laugh-out-loud funny with an outrageous female celebrity magazine reporter (1st person story) with a few issues. The boxer, Dante, was attractive and loyal...albeit a bit naive in his fixation on his ex-wife.
The story gives some interesting behind the scenes type look into the boxing world, although I'm not much of a boxing fan.
Overall it's a good vacation/relaxation story. Definitly worth the read.
I thought that I was going to love this book, but I did not. The first 50% or so was good. But after Tiana left Canada I was just skimming the pages. I was interested to see how a white male author would portray a black female. As, I am a black female. I think JJ did a pretty good job. Tiana was very funny and I liked her a lot at first. Then she decided she was in love or lust or whatever, everything went downhill from there to me.
Just because they had sex she thought this man was going to fal...more
Just because they had sex she thought this man was going to fal...more
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I always have a hard time finding a decent bwwm book,this time was no exception.
The story could have been soo much better had the characters been a little more interesting.
I felt no emotional connexion to them and was sometimes even put off by their behaviours.
I mean I expected Dante to have rougher edges.Oddly enough ,in his house he was king,but as soon as his ex-wife came into the picture,he got p...whipped. I am all for women empowerment but not at the cost of equality!
Christiana left a foul...more
The story could have been soo much better had the characters been a little more interesting.
I felt no emotional connexion to them and was sometimes even put off by their behaviours.
I mean I expected Dante to have rougher edges.Oddly enough ,in his house he was king,but as soon as his ex-wife came into the picture,he got p...whipped. I am all for women empowerment but not at the cost of equality!
Christiana left a foul...more
The real thing was a good GREAT! book(I think so anyway). I picked it up cause, im in a interracial relationship and i wanted to read something different from reading about two people of the same race. When i got home and went threw it i saw it had a sex part to it and i didnt really know if i wanted to read it for real. Cause it seems like every book i get in the African Amrican area it just seems like their just full of sex in the book. But i started reading it and it was really good.
It didnt...more
It didnt...more
Personality magazine reporter, Christiana Artis is bored stiff with interviewing people who are famous for no good reason. Too often they’re as dumb as a box of rocks and half as interesting. She wants to return to interviewing everyday people who makes a difference in the lives of others. People who live their lives with a purpose.
Although ten years of anonymity have made Dante “Blood and Guts” Lattanza, former middleweight boxing champion less of a household name, it hasn’t claimed his skill...more
Though I'm not a fan of these so-called "sexy" or "smut" novels that has most women craving for more, I find that J.J. Murray has interested me because he's a white male who is ironically writing in a black females perspective most of the time. Its hardly heard of for an author, so I've read several of his books and when I came upon this in the library, I was like "*gasp*, finally another Murray novel I haven't read!"
This time around main character Christiana is a reporter for a magazine called...more
This time around main character Christiana is a reporter for a magazine called...more
I'm not one to read biracial romance novels, mainly because they tend to focus too much on race issues that I cannot relate to. But this one was just the opposite. The author says it best himself within the book, ". . . they're different. So what? All people are different. All relationships are different. Tell me a good story about these two. Entertain and delight me" (252). This book did just that. It is a story of a magazine journalist that uncovers the location of a ex-world champion boxer hi...more
I received this book after winning it in one of the sweepstakes here. I wasn't really interested about the boxing part of it (I think the sport is brutal) but was very curious about the interracial relationship and how it was going to be presented.
I received the book on Thursday (today is Monday) and I finished it last night. I really enjoyed the store. Mr. Murray presents really engaging characters (I liked to read about Tiana's childhood trobles, it made her more humane). I don't know if I buy...more
I received the book on Thursday (today is Monday) and I finished it last night. I really enjoyed the store. Mr. Murray presents really engaging characters (I liked to read about Tiana's childhood trobles, it made her more humane). I don't know if I buy...more
From the description of the book "a boxer is given the title of Sexiest man alive and a journalist is given the inside scoop with an interview with the star" you think typical indigo romance right? WRONG. This book was read on a whim. It was christmas evening, all the presents were opened, the food was eaten and the only thing to do was to sit around with a swollen stomache and watch reruns of A Christmas Story when i decided to find a book to read. I was skeptical about this book but once i beg...more
Waffling between 2 and three stars. Three stars for the most part, because despite Murray's pechant for a certain type of very-forward, first-person narration, the main character's voice generally manage to be pretty fun and engaging. But at some point, the story takes a super nose-dive into R-rated eyebrow-raising shenanagins, then pops back. Kind of makes me strongly wonder whether that bedroom scene was even necessary, since inserting all that stuff felt so....the love was pretty pure before...more
I loved this book. It had me laughing many a times. I won this book from a giveaway on this site. At first I was reluctant to even sign up for the book because of the boxing aspect. Boy, am I glad that I did though. The book gave me a good romance read without the sport aspect being to overwhelming. I watch boxing from time to time and it' a very brutal sport. This book somehow made the boxing a large part of the story without taking over the story.
I really enjoyed the characters. I was really c...more
I really enjoyed the characters. I was really c...more
I won an autographed copy of this book from the Goodreads giveaway. I read another J.J. Murray book, I'm Your Girl, about two years ago. What I find so enjoyable about his books is their fairly apolitical exploration of interracial relationships. Murray never makes a big hoopla out of two people from different backgrounds falling for one another--he simply lets it happen without any sociopolitical commentary. The conflicts are, instead, interpersonal.
The Real Thing is no different. Christiana, a...more
The Real Thing is no different. Christiana, a...more
I read this book a few years back so I can't remember everything that happened, all I remember is that it was bloody AWFUL!! Of what I can remember The heroine was so annoying and desperate and the lead guy was short and moody. Then there was his ex wife who seemed like a total caricature, none of the characters seemed believable. The end was so cheesy and predictable and on the whole the book was just one great big bore!! I was so pissed that I had spent a good chunk of change on it!
I would give this one 6 stars if I could. I finished this last night. I could not put this book down. JJ captured the raw, intense emotions that come with the great battle of life and love. And how important it is to oneself to have a personal sense of self, love, and respect. I love that although this is an interracial love story, race does not cloud nor take away from the story. You fall in love with Dante immediately and Christiana as well.
This one is a "hard hitter" in more ways than one. I...more
This one is a "hard hitter" in more ways than one. I...more
The Real Thing is definetly a good addition to your bookshelf. I have been reading Murray's work since Renee and Jay and have yet to been disapointed. Though the subjects are always interracial relationships, it's more about how people manage to make their differences work for them. This book is no different. Christiana is a thorn in the side of over-the-hill boxer Dante---one who gives him tips on his jabs and out fishes him. Since we already know that the characters are of different cultural b...more
This book took me a minute to get into it, moved slow in the beginning. Around, the middle, it had me and I could not put it down. What I learned was sometimes as human beings, we try to do or keep relationships that are not healthy or do things for our familys, because it's the right thing to do. I like the fact that he had good friends, we need that in our lives.
I really enjoyed this book, such a good read. The characters were strong and the storyline very believable. I found myself laughing out loud at parts and emotional at other parts. I enjoyed this so much that I will be looking for other books by this author. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a heartfelt, super sexy, awesome story.
I so loved this book. I was a bit more than what I was expecting from this author, but then thats what makes him good isn't it. I guess it's true that everyone is a fool for love at some point in thier life,and our main character played it well. Thankfully for him he wised up in time to experience what good loved feels like.
This book had a lot of awesome qualities. I found myself really enjoying all the parts and the people that were not the lead characters. The female lead almost caused me to give this book a really low rating. It was interesting the emotions she took me through with her complaining, whining and obsessive behavior. I found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit at her childish antics. I can't even from the book tell you what this girl looked like except the fact she had a big a** which was mentioned...more
loved it loved it.. I was kind of surprised to find out that the author J.J Murray is a man but he's is also white which I loved. this novel was a great read the characters were very believable and amazing the writing was breathtaking,original and fresh.
JJ Murray is one of those authors where you know youll love the book. For a male writer, his females leads are spot on. This book in particular was a favorite of mine. The relationship between our main leads are real, funny, and down to earth.
Great book!!! Christiana was a nut but strong and powerful. Dante is a good man. A lil' weak when it came to his ex-wife but he recovered well when he met Christiana.
Won this thorough GoodReads, Did not think I was going to enjoy reading about boxing, but the love story was really what is was about anyway. The characters were easy to get to know and and the story was funny and romantic. I will try to read more of JJ Murphey's books - quick and enjoyable read
Overall loved the story between Jack, and Diane. Was distracted by the stories being reviewd within the story. Once I got to the real story, I did feel like I was invested enough in the character's to finish the book. I had stopped reading and read something else, then decided to come back to the book.
I thought the book was very good and the characters was really funny. I also thought that the book was a bit too fast paced.
Read it two times since purchased 2 weeks ago. May even like better than Original Love.
This was a great read. Looking forward to reading more of his work.
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“Marriage is the interview that never ends.”
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Jul 05, 2010 10:55pm