Nationally bestselling and award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley returns with an evocative and steamy romance about the secrets and lies that exist within a seemingly perfect marriage.
Meet Shannon and Jay Lovejoy—the rich and successful power couple who, to the fans of their call-in radio show, seem like they’ve got it all. But after three years, their once passionate and loving romance has fizzled and the couple’s divorce becomes embroiled in not only a mess of infidelity and deceit, but the untimely and shocking death of Jay’s mistress, as well.
This fast-paced and emotionally powerful page-turner boldly goes where ReShonda Tate Billingsley has never gone before with her fiction, delivering the perfect combination of romance and suspense in one thrilling novel.
ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother! and three previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; and I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club. Her previous Christian teen novels are Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise, both available from Pocket Books. She is also a contributor to the story anthology Have a Little Faith.
What a fun read! ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a new author to me and I was charmed by her writing style. Her characters were so vividly developed I felt as though I knew them, even if they frustrated me at times. Janina Edwards’s stellar narration of this audiobook drew me completely into the story. Shannon and Jay Lovejoy host a relationship advice radio show and are thought to be the “perfect couple“. but as we all know nothing is perfect and Jay cheats on Shannon. Now Shannon is not having it, but the couple has already agreed to appear at a convention so she has to put on her best face and act like they are still a happy couple. BUT then Jay’s mistress shows up and all bets are off. now I have to say at this point the book gets a little outlandish, but it was a fun ride. I suppose you would classify this as romantic suspense? But I think it was more like romantic action adventure if that were a genre. I really like Shannon she had a lot of spirit, I also really liked her BFF Nicole. Jay was a smooth talking cheater who I guess by the end kind of grew on me, but the jury is still out. this was just an overall entertaining read with enjoyable characters and some high-octane moments.
This book in emojis 🎤 🍹 🏖 🏩 🧸
*** Big thank you to Gallery and S&S Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
I finished this read in hours. I have read a lot of ReShonda Tate Billingsley's work and this is the first light suspense I have read. Jay and Shannon Lovejoy appear to be the couple that have it all: love, money, a wonderful marriage. But, like most married couples, they have issues below the surface that erupts in this read. Love is wonderful but without trust and most of all, communication, a marriage might find itself on shaky grounds. Add to that a suspenseful plot and you have an exciting but also heartwarming read.
Memorable quote: "...sometimes when things are broken, God has an uncanny way of fixing them."
Thank you, #Netgalley #SimonAndSchuster #Gallery for the ARC.
This was such an amazing and fast read. Thriller x romance, and the writing sucked me right in. The twists were so damn good and I loved it so much. The characters were great, there were a lot of witty and funny lines/scenes.
My biggest problem was the emotional abuse, idk if that's the right term. This man cheated on her and constantly gaslit her to the point where she internalized a lot of the blame and kept calling herself bitter/angry and it really annoyed me.
I appreciated the two stories woven into one, but I don’t feel either was particularly well executed. The romance was cheesy and predictable. The mystery was better but wrapped up too easily for me. It was okay for what it was, but it was forgettable. 2.5 rounded up because I didn’t know this author even wrote mysteries until his book released - a decent attempt but definitely not great.
Power couple Jay (R & B singer, who hasn’t had a hit in years) and Dr. Shannon (therapist) Lovejoy host a radio show and write books, to inspire other couples. Meanwhile, they’re marriage is falling apart at the seams.
As guest speakers at a couples therapy weekend, the Lovejoys are confronted by Jay’s mistress and suddenly find themselves wanted for murder, and in the midst of espionage. As they fight to clear their name, they also fight to save their marriage.
I enjoyed this book, because I wasn’t prepared for the in-depth look into political corruption. I highly recommend this 💎💎💎💎💎 book by @reshondatatebillingsley.
A very soap-opera-esque read, with a media empire at stake all stemming from the acts of a cheating (and not very likable) husband. The drama is there, but I just didn't connect with the characters. It took me days to read which indicated that clearly I was just not feeling it. The writing is fine but the story was just not my thing.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
So I picked up this book knowing I would enjoy it because I love the author’s work, but she really really out did herself with this one. I was captured from beginning to end willing my eyes to read faster so I could get to the end and the end did not disappoint. Excellent book. Well written story and highly recommended.
𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙥:: Shannon & Jay are hosts of a popular podcast and admired as “couples goals”, when behind the scenes their union is crumbling. Jay had an affair, got caught and they’ve spent the last 5 weeks apart. (Sounds similar to the Derrick Jaxon scandal everyone’s talking about) But now they are thrust back together to fulfill their contract to host a couples retreat in the Virgin Islands. Their relationship is already strained, but Jay’s side chick shows up making things even worse.
𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙏𝙚𝙖 ☕️:: A cheating husband and a degrading wife = unlikeable characters. What killed it for me with this one is that it was so predictable. 99% of her stories have a married couple on the verge of divorce and it’s like I read that same thing in every single one of her books. And it always ends the same.
I wished that one of the scenes in this one was eliminated because it was so frivolous; you’re in a dangerous situation and all you can do is play a childish tit for tat game about your marital woes? There are more pressing and urgent issues to deal with at the moment.
The story was quick and bingeable. Although it’s labeled romance, there is no romance here at all; it’s more of a mystery. I liked that she added suspense in the mix, which she’s done before in one of her previous novels, A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Reshonda’s novels are always first place with me; I stop whatever I’m reading and start on hers with the quickness. I have more than 20 of her novels, and this is my least favorite by far.
For once I’d like to see something completely different from her; stray away from the overused storylines and bring a new element of surprise. Give some versatility; spice it up a bit.
While it wasn’t my favorite by RTB, I’ll still be waiting for her next one!
I really wanted to like this book. The writing is good, the fact that it's a romantic story with mystery/action thrown in is a huge plus, but... ***SPOILER ALERT!***
I DO NOT abide by books in which a man cheats on his wife and still ends up patching things up. Worse, he actually blames her for the cheating. What has made her into such an angry, bitter harpy that he just has to fall into the arms of another woman? He got a vasectomy behind her back because he didn't want children.
Yikes. I'm done. No way. There's nothing redeeming about taking back a man who does this. DNF for me, don't care if it turns out to be a big mixup or whatever (although that doesn't seem likely, given the sexual text messages and photos that the FMC intercepts).
Ohhhh I liked thissss. I was captivated by the storyline. It was a random find in Libby so I didn’t even know there was this thriller aspect. Very well done!
I was happy that Libby / overdrive had the ebook and I was able to rent it from my local library. It was an entertaining reas and the fmc was a strong, take no prisoners character. The mmc I cant say that I liked much. He never have the fmc a full picture of his infidelity and seemed willing to not fight for their marriage as the fmc for most of the story.
This is a story of a married couple without children ( although at 38 the fmc longs for children. They rn a successful radio show together giving couples advice in their relationships. However as they are forced to continue giving advice on a retreat, their marriage has fallen apart by the husbands double betrayal ( he first had a vasectomy without vinsult7ng her even though he knew she wanted children) then by his infidelity ( months long affair with a selfish floozy.
He calls the affair a mistake but said floozie follows the h em to tbe carribean and stirs up trouble and causes a deeper rift between the couple. Shes already asked for a divorce. He complains she wasnt giving him enough attention and just nagged ( this is a typical exuse of cheating and since he had no therapy its an obvious copout).
He swears the affair is over but she's seeing evidence that shows otherwise including the airhead mistress confronting her at a speaking event.
When she goes to confront the Hero ( although that word does suit his character what so ever). She finds him leaning over her dead body at her hotel room swearing he had nothing to do with her murder.
From there the book becomes a suspense/ mystery book . They must work together to solve her murder, then they are kidnapped and embroiled in political blackmail.
I find this book engaged and an enjoyable 📚. Read. The assholery of the mmc was slightly too much for me at times but I liked how the fmc and the mmc put their differences aside to get themselves out of danger.
This is labeled as Christian fiction but Id say that forgiveness isnt the main theme in the story and the mention of God and religious beliefs isnt brought up much.
Second book in a short period of time dealing with cheating, safe to say it's not something ai enjoy. This time it was the husband. I don't find it an entertaining plot device and can't root for a character or their romance with their "main" partner, so this one was not a winner. Might give ReShonda Tate Billingsley another go though if she has another book that sounds interesting and don't include as problematic premise
To their fans, they were the perfect couple with all of the relationship answers, but Shannon and Jay Lovejoy, radio talk show hosts, reality was far from the truth and now they must face the world with the news that even their little slice of marital paradise has crashed hard on the shores of selfish failure.
A LITTLE BIT OF KARMA by ReShonda Tate Billingsley has a little of everything, suspense, betrayal, bitterness and even a little fun along the way as she navigates some brutal human failings that would test the patience of a saint, which neither of these characters are.
Emotionally riveting, readers cannot help but become invested in the events of this book, the good, the bad and the ugly sides of marriage, communication and the bravado of the ego. Well written, yet filled with subject matter that is a total taboo for me, I still found myself turning page after page as these slightly unlikeable characters reveal human flaw after human flaw.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Gallery Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher : Gallery Books (September 29, 2020) Genre: African American Literary Fiction Print Length : 288 pages Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
This was good. I thought I was going to be reading a romance and there was some in there but I would look at this more like chick-lit. It had mystery and suspense and a lot of drama. I really felt for Shannon at first but I came to see both she and Jay did wrong in their marriage. They were both at fault for the problems. I don't like what Jay did but I did see his point of view too. I just think he should have gone about it differently.
I liked the ending as unbelievable as it was, and I had a huge smile on my face by the end.
This is my first book by this author but I am going to look at some of her other novels as well, so this definitely won't be my last
Jay and Shannon Lovejoy problem marriage/vasectomy/child death (daughter) Virgin Islands retreat Keynote Speakers, book signing and lead workshops "Love with the Lovejoys" radio show Vonda crazy relentless mistress (had extracurricular activities) Keri friend of Riley radio station manager of sound advice kidnapping Secret Seduction- IVAN? 90's R&B singer/Therapist practice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is an interesting read that required me to sleep on my rating. On one hand, the character's motives are consistent due to how selfish they are. On the other hand, the story is trying to due way too much for the characters to be as selfish as they are at times.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
This book captivated me at the first sentence! I read it in less than 24 hours. I enjoyed the many twists and turns that took place as the Lovejoys navigated their lives and their relationship. Excellent read!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for this ARC via Edelweiss +.
Reshonda Tate Billinglsey is back with another must-read! Romantic suspense isn't normally her genre, but she definitely killed this book! It played like a movie in my head while reading and I was thoroughly impressed. It's quite different from her other work, but I'm glad she was able to do something different and still make it appealing to her regular readers.
In this story we are introduced to Jay and Dr. Shannon Lovejoy, the ideal perfect couple, or so we think. "For a while, we seemed like the perfect team. Until my husband decided that our lives weren't good enough." Like any married couple, Jay and Shannon experience problems, but the deal breaker is Jay's affair. Not only does Shannon have to deal with Jay's infidelity, she must do it in front of the world at week long retreat. Things quickly spiral out of control when Jay's mistress shows up and ends up being murdered.
Jay and Shannon are wanted for murder and have to find the real killers to clear their name. While having to work together to solve the mystery that saves there lives, Shannon and Jay get a better understanding of each other and start to take responsibility for their individual roles in the demise of their marriage. "I know this may sound crazy, but sometimes when things are broken, God has an uncanny way of fixing them."
As I got wrapped up in this story I found myself rooting for Jay and Shannon. This was a fictional book that touched on real life issues with little gems dropped throughout the story. "We want you to know that we realized firsthand that marriage is something worth fighting for, and when you have that one person that God has designed especially for you, you don't give up just because things get hard."
A Little Bit of Karma by ReShonda Tate Billingsley Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 This is a book that I was able to receive from @ in exchange for an honest review. First things first, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was full of drama, suspense, and had a bittersweet ending. Dr. Shannon and Jay Lovejoy were couple goals, everyone’s favorite, and the experts in all things love. But, their marriage is not as perfect as they make it seem. Jay was dead wrong for what he did to Shannon but a part of me empathized with him. I felt Shannon’s pain, as well. In the middle of their relationship woes the couple is framed for murder. At that point, I found myself unable to stop reading! I needed to know what was going to happen next. Good read for me!
ReShonda is a master storyteller and once again has crafted another page turner. This was a different departure from her other books but it was hallmark RTB: a great storyline, relatable characters and a good plot twist. Shannon and Jay Lovejoy had a popular radio show that made them America’s favorite couple. But at the height of their success they’re dealing with turmoil in their marriage because of infidelity. Well, things take off and go south when Jay’s deeds come home to roost. This sends the couple on a journey to redemption in more ways than one.
"A Little Bit of Karma" is somewhat of a departure from Ms Tate Billingsley' usual style. Not exactly a mystery, more suspense. Media celebrity husband and wife romance/lifestyle coaches hit a very rough patch in their marriage. On the verge of divorce, the couple is forced to work together to stay safe and out of jail. Enjoyed the humor and chemistry of main characters. Would like to see this become a series. It could also be a fun movie.
This book started out as a slow read for me. When this book picked up you enjoyed the drama and suspense. Billingsley has a way with writing a great novel. I was shocked at the ending. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Fast paced second chance romance with a bit of a thriller thrown in! The last line of this book is priceless! Lol! I would very much like to see this as a Netflix movie.
This book bored me, i only finished it because i didn’t want to leave another book unfinished. The writing was okay, it didn’t capture my attention and both main characters were unlikeable.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book. I’m very familiar with Tate’s work as was surprised to see that she’s still writing. This story is a little different from what she usually writes (and she notes this in her author’s note) but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s always interesting to see how different people handle a disconnect in their relationship/infidelity. I really hated the kidnapping cliche and the somewhat anti-climatic ending to the story but it definitely took me on some twist and turns. I wasn’t surprised to see that the couple will remain together but am wondering if there will be another installment based on the cliffhanger presented. Overall this was very well written and I would be interesting in seeing what Tate writes next.