Can't Say No

Prescott #3

by Bette Ford

Funny, sexy, and hot, ex-NBA star Ralph Prescott is Vanessa Grant's dream lover. He's also a notorious, no-good player—the wrong kind of man for a woman with big responsibilities. But at a mutual friend's lavish wedding, passion and curiosity get the best of maid of honor Vanessa, and Ralph reveals himself to be the best man in more ways than one. Ralph has had more than his share of women, but none has captivated him like Vanessa. To convince her that his player days are behind him, he'll have to show her what kind of man he truly is. He'll have to fight every inch of the way to break through her defenses and claim the blazing ecstasy they both want . . . and show her why she can't—and shouldn't—say no.

Genres: African American Romance, Romance

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Bette Ford grew up in Saginaw Michigan, where she continues to live. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Bette began her teaching career in Detroit and completed a master's degree at Wayne State University. She has taught in the Detroit Public School HEADSTART Project for many years and has retired from teaching. She is writing full time.

She has received several awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best Multicultural - WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN and Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2004 Multicultural Romance.

She is the author of eleven books including, UNFORGETTABLE, AN EVERLASTING LOVE and CAN'T SAY NO. She truly enjoys hearing from readers.

Write her in care of HarperCollins or at PO Box 944, Saginaw, MI 48606.

Reviews

[Myesha-Tiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite Quote: “If you want that man, go after him.~Laura

Vanessa is so stubborn from the start and already thinks her life is over at 26. All I can do is laugh and wait for Ralph to change that perspective.

Ralph also believes he will never get married and all I can do is laugh at this too. Classic acquaintances to lovers and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

I will say Vanessa’s stubbornness gets very annoying after a while but that twist that comes with her twin siblings came out of left field for me but I throughly enjoyed it.

[Barbara Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just say it

Family, friendship, trusting, fearful, family, love, understanding, and compassion. All were found in this soulful book. One thing that stood out here was to fight for what want and need

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the 3 Prescott series books this was my favorite of the series.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept flip flopping between 3 and 4 stars for this book, mainly because I really wanted to like it so much. And I did the first time I read it but with every subsequent read, I find it less and less enjoyable. You have Ralph a still young, handsome retired NBA star, who is smart,runs his own business even though he doesn't need the money, volunteers coaching underprivileged kids, loves his family, and seems like a genuinely all around nice guy. Totally perfect, except for one glaring flaw, he has never had a serious relationship ever and is with a new woman every week (but its is not all bad, because he is always up front that he doesn't do relationships). Then we have Vanessa, who put aside her own personal life, education, and career, so that she could raise her younger siblings after her mother died in childbirth. Long story short. Vanessa is 26 but has never had sex, she decides Ralph is the man she wants to be her first, because he is her fantasy man who she has been secretly in love with for quite some time. Ralph knows she is pretty innocent and doesn't want to hurt her, but decides he will have one night with her anyway. Vanessa doesn't want Ralph to know she loves him, and pretends it's just about sex, but Ralph soon falls in love with Vanessa as well. Throughout the book Ralph does everything short of begging ( and he may have done a little of that too) to try to win Vanessa over. He tries to wine and dine her. He is super nice to her siblings and include them in everything, because he knows how important they are to her. He supports her both emotionally and financially when she has to go through a custody battle. He confesses his love multiple times, is totally faithful to her, and asked her to marry him at least 3 times. AND SHE KEEPS SAYING NO!!! which is completely and utterly ridiculous. I get that this a romance novel, so a happily ever after is required, but seriously Vanessa doesn't deserve a happy ending. She has the perfect man who she loves and who loves her, but she keeps finding reasons why they shouldn't be together. She started getting on my nerves about half way through the book, and by the end of it I was hoping that Ralph would realize that she's not worth and move on. But of course, Vanessa finally comes to her senses and they come together as one big happy family and they all live happily ever after. I think we probably could have cut about 50 pages of stupidity out of this book and it could have been 4 stars.

[Linda Verji · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a Good AA romance and Bette Ford is one of the most amazing writers out there. I loved Ralph and Vanessa's romance and how they worked it out in the end.

*SOME SPOILERS FROM HERE

The only things I found unbelievable is that a die-hard 'not- getting married type' like Ralph would give in so easily to Vanessa who he's known for such a long time just because she's a virgin. In real life it would be the other way round. She'd be doing all the chasing. Then Ralph was so 'extra' when it came to the payments - I really thought most of his tantrums about the money and the marriage were unnecessary at times.

I did love the extra sub-plot with Cummingham and his quest to get the children. Of course it was odd that his wife never even bothered to meet Vanessa to discuss the kids and had no idea that they were 'snatched' but I'll suspend disbelief.

Some reviewers say that Bette's writing was a little bit tedious towards the end. I really don't think so. I think a lot of stuff given was necessary to give us realistic characters. And Vanessa was a real woman with real life problems and handling them like a good woman.

Would I read another Bette Ford? Um Duuuh

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much better with the second read. Picked up a copy at the library and enjoyed it---again. Ralph Prescott is the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. He's also a dedicated playboy who's about to fall relly hard for a woman with a ready made family. Vanessa Grant has known Ralph for a few years and knows his reputation with the ladies, so she is always cautious of his motives. But one thing about Ralph is that he is stubborn and has enough time and money on his hand to wear her down.
Now I want to go back and read the previous two books in the series. (Hopefull they're lendable for my Kindle...if not, I'll be requesting them from the library.)

[T.Say · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are a faithful romance reader who enjoys a good plot over "story as art" then this book may be for you! However the writing wasn't the best almost causing me to give up on the book. A slew of tired adjectives, unbelievable as well as flat characters and average to poor love/intimacy scenes. However, the tension kept me in there. I became engrossed in the main characters. I needed to know what happened to them as I forced my way through painful sentence after painful sentence.I must say I was satisfied with the outcome. It would have been an awesome book if the style was colorful. I have a feeling this author has written better work. I look forward to reading it.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to end the Prescott trilogy. Who would have thought that womanizing Ralph Prescott would finally bite the love bullet. Reading about Ralph in the previous books, and reading about him in this one are two totally different experiences. He was the total opposite of what I expected. Vanessa really changed this man for the better. He really stepped up when she needed him, and shocked Vanessa in the process. Thank you Bette Ford for wrapping the Prescott's up on a high note. I can't wait to read more from you.

[A. Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a nice romance, but definitely not as good as the other two in the series. I found the round and round a little tedious, but I'm glad I got to read them all. I had to get this one electronically; it wasn't even available at the library!

[Cf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice end to the trilogy. Ralph was very patient with Vanessa. Who in my book is such a strong young woman. She truly put her family before herself, self-less. Ralph stepped up in this book and became a "man."

[Carolyn Kean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Prescott series

As usual, Bette has woven a very interesting story into the Prescott narrative. As Vanessa and Gavin navigate their insecurities, we root for two wonderfully human characters

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I read by Ms. Ford and I have to say this is one of my favorites. The writting was amazing. I give this book a perfect 10.

[Shante Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great love story!

[Siti Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the story but hate they she thinks and I think that she is the selfish women I had read.