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Time for Tenderness
Valerie loves Tony; but she has spent the past three years pretending otherwise because she had serious doubts that their love could survive all of her flaws and fears. Regardless, Tony knows Val is the only woman who could ever make him happy. When she agrees to marry him, she believes they can build a life for their young daughter that is better than how Val was raised and more realistic than what Tony has always expected. She trusts him to accept her and to always be her partner.
Unfortunately, the drama and destructiveness from her past inserts itself into their world in a way that Tony can't accept. No matter how hard she tries, Valerie can't shake the fear that maybe love does not conquer all; and the couple must discover whether they are really able to survive through anything.
Unfortunately, the drama and destructiveness from her past inserts itself into their world in a way that Tony can't accept. No matter how hard she tries, Valerie can't shake the fear that maybe love does not conquer all; and the couple must discover whether they are really able to survive through anything.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 9, 2014
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 26, 2014
When a Man Loves a Woman he gives his Heart. This is a well-written contemporary romance that defines the places inside the heart that grow through love, that heal with forgiveness, and become stronger with compassion. The past tore Val and Tony apart. Pride got in the way. But he is the father to her daughter and Val needs him. Eventually, they learn to embrace the good and move forward together in life.
The hopes for happiness that Tony and Val have are put to the test. Mistakes happen and life sends them difficult trials to overcome. The difficult past and family troubles always seem to haunt Val. It’s hard for her to let Tony inside her private feelings, to trust him with her doubts about herself.
But she is strong and Tony has a good heart.
This is more than a story about romantic love. It is about family, of letting go of past hurts and hard words, and rising above hardship to become a better person. The other characters in this story reveal much about the harsh reality and destructive drama that played out in Val’s life.
She is lucky to have Tony. He loves her completely and is devoted to making their family work.
The hopes for happiness that Tony and Val have are put to the test. Mistakes happen and life sends them difficult trials to overcome. The difficult past and family troubles always seem to haunt Val. It’s hard for her to let Tony inside her private feelings, to trust him with her doubts about herself.
But she is strong and Tony has a good heart.
This is more than a story about romantic love. It is about family, of letting go of past hurts and hard words, and rising above hardship to become a better person. The other characters in this story reveal much about the harsh reality and destructive drama that played out in Val’s life.
She is lucky to have Tony. He loves her completely and is devoted to making their family work.
September 4, 2014
This is my first story by this author. What is even more amazing is that to date this is the first AA story that I have ever managed to finish reading. So there is hope for me yet.
For me this story was not just about the love between Val and Tony. This was a story of love or lack of love affecting a whole family. One of the reasons I feel I was able to read this book was because I was able to connect to the themes of the book. Lots of parents from the Caribbean handled their families with harshness. Now I did not say every family but some. I saw it in my own family through my dad and in lots of families in the 60s the lack of tenderness and caring. There may have been love but it demonstrated itself in harsh words spoken to tender hearts. The words and unkindness that some parents and incredibly lots of mothers dealt out to their daughters was shocking and is still shocking to me. Because I have some firsthand experience of the premise of the story it kept me engaged.
Tony was indeed a loving black lead; he was kind, tender and loving towards Val and decided to pursue their relationship even when Val had put the brakes on the relationship when she became pregnant with their daughter. Even when they were not together for the first 2 two years of their daughter’s life they were able to share custody and co-exist amicably.
I felt let down by Tony when he tried to force Val to mend her relationships with Monica and Olivia without truly understanding the pain and hurt these two had inflicted on Val. He then related her unwillingness to expose her heart to them for them to further hurt and trample on her as a sign that she was cold, unforgiving and hardhearted and that perhaps if they should have issues in their marriage she would close her heart to him too. Well at this point in the story I wanted to give Tony the beat down of his life, Val had given him more children been the best wife and loving mother a woman could ever want to be and he was making these assumptions about her. He brought unnecessary stress and unhappiness into their lives when it did not need to be there. Like Val rightly said Tony did not trust her to know how to handle her family. She knew her family better than he did and she survived her past and was able to have some sort of life because she kept her distance from them.
The book raised interesting issues regarding black families and how they deal with conflict which kept me reading the book as I could relate to the story.
What I found disappointing about the story was it did not explain why Olivia had become such a bitter, twisted and unloving mother to her children. Apparently she was once a loving woman what happened to her to make her hurt, abuse and lie to her children and cause them to be uncertain about life and their father. How she turned the children against their father was deplorable and the kids hated their father because of the lies she told them.
The story went at a steady pace exploring the various emotional trauma that one woman inflicted upon her husband and her children and was allowed to get away with it. This in turn had a ripple effect and impacted on the partners or prospective partners of the children.
I rated the book 5 stars because it touched and moved me and I know for a fact that the issues that the book raises are true and has happened and continues to happen in black families with devastating results and lifelong scarring with effects that can take a whole lifetime to overcome. It caused me to reflect on the many women I have met in my life whose story this is! Worth a read!
For me this story was not just about the love between Val and Tony. This was a story of love or lack of love affecting a whole family. One of the reasons I feel I was able to read this book was because I was able to connect to the themes of the book. Lots of parents from the Caribbean handled their families with harshness. Now I did not say every family but some. I saw it in my own family through my dad and in lots of families in the 60s the lack of tenderness and caring. There may have been love but it demonstrated itself in harsh words spoken to tender hearts. The words and unkindness that some parents and incredibly lots of mothers dealt out to their daughters was shocking and is still shocking to me. Because I have some firsthand experience of the premise of the story it kept me engaged.
Tony was indeed a loving black lead; he was kind, tender and loving towards Val and decided to pursue their relationship even when Val had put the brakes on the relationship when she became pregnant with their daughter. Even when they were not together for the first 2 two years of their daughter’s life they were able to share custody and co-exist amicably.
I felt let down by Tony when he tried to force Val to mend her relationships with Monica and Olivia without truly understanding the pain and hurt these two had inflicted on Val. He then related her unwillingness to expose her heart to them for them to further hurt and trample on her as a sign that she was cold, unforgiving and hardhearted and that perhaps if they should have issues in their marriage she would close her heart to him too. Well at this point in the story I wanted to give Tony the beat down of his life, Val had given him more children been the best wife and loving mother a woman could ever want to be and he was making these assumptions about her. He brought unnecessary stress and unhappiness into their lives when it did not need to be there. Like Val rightly said Tony did not trust her to know how to handle her family. She knew her family better than he did and she survived her past and was able to have some sort of life because she kept her distance from them.
The book raised interesting issues regarding black families and how they deal with conflict which kept me reading the book as I could relate to the story.
What I found disappointing about the story was it did not explain why Olivia had become such a bitter, twisted and unloving mother to her children. Apparently she was once a loving woman what happened to her to make her hurt, abuse and lie to her children and cause them to be uncertain about life and their father. How she turned the children against their father was deplorable and the kids hated their father because of the lies she told them.
The story went at a steady pace exploring the various emotional trauma that one woman inflicted upon her husband and her children and was allowed to get away with it. This in turn had a ripple effect and impacted on the partners or prospective partners of the children.
I rated the book 5 stars because it touched and moved me and I know for a fact that the issues that the book raises are true and has happened and continues to happen in black families with devastating results and lifelong scarring with effects that can take a whole lifetime to overcome. It caused me to reflect on the many women I have met in my life whose story this is! Worth a read!
September 6, 2014
I rec'd an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is my honest. First my apologies to MS Turner for not doing this review before now as I thought that I had. Please accept my apology.
Now, the characters are very defined and detailed. The issues in this book are what people go thru, I for one find it hard to trust someone. The scenes in the story are very described. This being stated I give the book a rating of 15 stars out 5 stars. Why 15 stars now you are going to have to keep reading to find that out...
The story is about a young mother Val who has a young daughter by the name of Sherry. Now Val does not want to be anything like her mother as she is hateful, mean,and down right cruel. The father of her child has been asking her to marry him now for the last 3 years. However, Val can't bring herself to make that commitment. She has trust issues. When she was very young her father walked out of her life. Since then she is afraid that any man that she loves will do the same to her.
Val has a sister by the name of Monica who takes care of their mother, and they have a brother by the name of Jason. Monica has been going to school part time for a very long time along with working to support her and her mother. As for Jason well he likes to drink and run from one woman to another.
Now Tony finally convinces Val ro marry him.And they get married. But do they live happily ever after?? And what happens to her mother Olivia?? Does Monica find a man? and does Val and her father end up with a much better and tighter father daughter relationship?? All these questions will be answered for you in the book. Now GO GET IT!!! IT'S ON AMAZON NOW!!! GO GET YOUR COPY TODAY!!!FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO VAL!!
Now, the characters are very defined and detailed. The issues in this book are what people go thru, I for one find it hard to trust someone. The scenes in the story are very described. This being stated I give the book a rating of 15 stars out 5 stars. Why 15 stars now you are going to have to keep reading to find that out...
The story is about a young mother Val who has a young daughter by the name of Sherry. Now Val does not want to be anything like her mother as she is hateful, mean,and down right cruel. The father of her child has been asking her to marry him now for the last 3 years. However, Val can't bring herself to make that commitment. She has trust issues. When she was very young her father walked out of her life. Since then she is afraid that any man that she loves will do the same to her.
Val has a sister by the name of Monica who takes care of their mother, and they have a brother by the name of Jason. Monica has been going to school part time for a very long time along with working to support her and her mother. As for Jason well he likes to drink and run from one woman to another.
Now Tony finally convinces Val ro marry him.And they get married. But do they live happily ever after?? And what happens to her mother Olivia?? Does Monica find a man? and does Val and her father end up with a much better and tighter father daughter relationship?? All these questions will be answered for you in the book. Now GO GET IT!!! IT'S ON AMAZON NOW!!! GO GET YOUR COPY TODAY!!!FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO VAL!!
August 19, 2014
Val has taken care of herself from the time she found out she was pregnant and her mother kicked her to the street. She puts herself through school, gets a good job and takes care of her daughter, her shining light. She loves Tony, her daughter's father. She has always made sure to have him in her life.
Val's dad shows up after being absent for 15 years. She gets to know him all over again.
Her sister, Monica, cannot and will not even consider allowing her father any hop of reconciliation.
She takes care of her mother since her stroke and she goes to college and works.
Val's brother will not let women even close to him, only as fuck buddies. Then he meets Trish and he wants to change for her.
Val's mother is the reason Val and her siblings have such a hard time even thinking of any kind of relationship. She is the meanest biatch and she never lets them forget that. She is the reason their dad was gone for 15 years, he was never good for anything!!
Tony has now had enough and thinks Val has had enough time to figure things out so that they can move forward, together.
He finally breaks her down and she finally lets him in. They form the perfect family. Then he wants Val to reconcile with her family. She tries to tell him but is so embarrassed at the situation and their is only one other person who ever knew what her home life was like.
This is a great beach read. Being mean is not a means to an end. Val figures this out the first time that she hears herself sounding just like her mother.
Val's dad shows up after being absent for 15 years. She gets to know him all over again.
Her sister, Monica, cannot and will not even consider allowing her father any hop of reconciliation.
She takes care of her mother since her stroke and she goes to college and works.
Val's brother will not let women even close to him, only as fuck buddies. Then he meets Trish and he wants to change for her.
Val's mother is the reason Val and her siblings have such a hard time even thinking of any kind of relationship. She is the meanest biatch and she never lets them forget that. She is the reason their dad was gone for 15 years, he was never good for anything!!
Tony has now had enough and thinks Val has had enough time to figure things out so that they can move forward, together.
He finally breaks her down and she finally lets him in. They form the perfect family. Then he wants Val to reconcile with her family. She tries to tell him but is so embarrassed at the situation and their is only one other person who ever knew what her home life was like.
This is a great beach read. Being mean is not a means to an end. Val figures this out the first time that she hears herself sounding just like her mother.
August 17, 2014
If you want a story about a man who truly loves his woman, this is it! It is sometimes difficult to find strong, dedicated, and affectionate Black fathers and partners in romance novels, but Tony embodies all of these traits. He is far from perfect, but even in his mistakes he seems like a realistic version of what lots of women are looking for. Valerie is an equally strong character. She is a devoted mother, but you see so much more vulnerability and self-doubt in her, which leads to a great story about the power of love to overcome a negative past.
At the same time, this is not just a romance. It is also a story about a father's love for his children, and how no one's story is ever one dimensional. Melvin's character certainly made me question my opinion about some of these "absent" fathers we hear so much about. Seeing how hard he worked to rebuild his relationship with his children was a touching sub-plot that made this story relatable and enjoyable. I loved it!
At the same time, this is not just a romance. It is also a story about a father's love for his children, and how no one's story is ever one dimensional. Melvin's character certainly made me question my opinion about some of these "absent" fathers we hear so much about. Seeing how hard he worked to rebuild his relationship with his children was a touching sub-plot that made this story relatable and enjoyable. I loved it!
September 7, 2014
I have received this book as part of a blog tour in exchange of an honest review.
I enjoyed this book and thought it deals with an interesting and important theme.
The characters in Time for Tenderness are very well-written and came across as realistic. Val has a few issues and insecurities but she still manages to be strong and determined when she needs to.
Tony is great as well. He’s patient and loving and great for Val.
Plotwise, Time for Tenderness develops nicely and, as I said, deals with interesting topics as Val’s attempts to overcome her past and reconnect with her family. I think the author did a great job with these characters and story.
The book is well written and interesting and I think fans of contemporary fiction will definitely be able to enjoy this book.
Rating: Worth Your Time (4 Stars)
I enjoyed this book and thought it deals with an interesting and important theme.
The characters in Time for Tenderness are very well-written and came across as realistic. Val has a few issues and insecurities but she still manages to be strong and determined when she needs to.
Tony is great as well. He’s patient and loving and great for Val.
Plotwise, Time for Tenderness develops nicely and, as I said, deals with interesting topics as Val’s attempts to overcome her past and reconnect with her family. I think the author did a great job with these characters and story.
The book is well written and interesting and I think fans of contemporary fiction will definitely be able to enjoy this book.
Rating: Worth Your Time (4 Stars)
August 24, 2014
I have received this book in exchange of an honest review.
I really liked the characters in this book, especially Tony. He was great, affectionate and, most of the time, able to understand Val. He makes a few mistakes as well, of course, but I still think he was great and brought out the best in Val.
Val is a good character as well. Despite her past, she’s strong. She doubts herself sometimes but I think that’s only normal given her story.
Val has a lot to deal with and this book is all about her struggles to let Tony in and learn how to deal with her past and her family.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It is very well-written and deals with an interesting topic.
If you enjoy a realistic, contemporary romance you might enjoy this book.
I really liked the characters in this book, especially Tony. He was great, affectionate and, most of the time, able to understand Val. He makes a few mistakes as well, of course, but I still think he was great and brought out the best in Val.
Val is a good character as well. Despite her past, she’s strong. She doubts herself sometimes but I think that’s only normal given her story.
Val has a lot to deal with and this book is all about her struggles to let Tony in and learn how to deal with her past and her family.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It is very well-written and deals with an interesting topic.
If you enjoy a realistic, contemporary romance you might enjoy this book.
September 5, 2014
What a great sweet book of love and hurt. Val is a very determined and independent mother to sweet baby Sherry.She has a hard time to open her heart up to Tony the babies father. Tony loves her and Sherry very, very much and vows to wed Val and have a chance at a family together. Val's troubled childhood just seems to keep getting in the way of her future with Tony.Can Val get past all the heartache and betrayal of her childhood? Will Tony be able to save her from feeling like she will turn out to be just like her mother. In this book you will fall in love with Tony who is like the all american father and husband.
April 14, 2015
Just So Awesome
This is such a wonderful story of family and people and love and coping with life.I am in awe when a writer gets it right the first time and this is done right.The magnitude of emotions in this story is enough to drive you to drink.This is a story of a broken family trying to deal and hide from the pain.This is a story of having to deal with some ugly truths and how to make through.I love that writer is capturing real life and situations and dealing with them as real people would.This is a story of overcoming and putting yourself back together and coming out whole.Worthy to be read and recommend.
This is such a wonderful story of family and people and love and coping with life.I am in awe when a writer gets it right the first time and this is done right.The magnitude of emotions in this story is enough to drive you to drink.This is a story of a broken family trying to deal and hide from the pain.This is a story of having to deal with some ugly truths and how to make through.I love that writer is capturing real life and situations and dealing with them as real people would.This is a story of overcoming and putting yourself back together and coming out whole.Worthy to be read and recommend.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews