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Women's Fiction

Talk of the Town

Talk of the Town

List Price: $12.95
Your Price: $10.36
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Won't be talking in my town
Review: I was really hoping the writers would redeem themselves with this book. Unfortunately not. All the name dropping and descriptions of who had on what and making sure nearly every designer was mentioned grew old fast. The characters were all selfish, insecure and conceited in their own way. Dakota's reference to Lisa's Payless shoes was just nasty. When I read a novel, be it fiction or non, I look to be educated or learn something that can be used to educate someone else. Looking over my shoulder seductively in a thong isn't exactly what I had in mind. The writers made sure to mention the use of condoms, but only after they had "nibbled" on their partner's goods, first. Call me crazy, but what's the use? Believe me, I wasn't talking about this book in my town, and San Francisco may not be the New York metropolis, but we still know how to do it, whether we have, or have not. My advice, borrow the book from the library.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Trendy, sexy reading
Review: If you enjoy glitz and glamour, then you'll find Talk Of The Town to be a very interesting read. Although, I liked the characters, best friends--Dakota and Morgan--I found these fashion divas (particularly Morgan) to be a bit naive. One would have thought Morgan would be a bit more focused and skeptical in regards to business dealings after her fiasco with Blake in the debut novel, Revenge Is Best Served Cold. Not! She just seemed to be a magnent for business mishaps, and to add to her troubles she has to deal with the fact that she's not the only one vying for her handsome husband's attention. Between his late nights working alongside his sexy, provocative colleague who has her own intentions, Morgan has to deal with her insecurities, and the possibility that there could be trouble in paradise.

Dakota, on the outside looking in, seems to have it going on. Money, style and beauty. But upon a closer look, she's missing the one thing her designer heels and handbags can't give her--a compatible mate. And to add to her loveless life, she has to deal with the loss of her grandmother whom had been her source of strength and a conniving, hateful cousin who would stop at nothing to bite the hand that feeds her.

Despite each women's drama, Morgan and Dakota are definitely woman on the move and friends to the end. Always there to lend an ear to bend or a shoulder to lean on

I like the way authors Tracie Howard and Danita Carter show how true friendship can weather any storm. These beautiful, talented sistahs are definitely carving their mark in the literay world.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One thing you definitely cannot do...
Review: Is call this book garbage. It would be insulting to garbage.
Save your money, save your mind, read a real book with a real plot.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Typical
Review: Pretty crappy book. Too much designer name-dropping for my taste. The writers seemed to happy to make sure they advertised expensive designers than writing an interesting story. Also the storyline was bogus, weak, predictable yet unbelievable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than the First....
Review: The dynamic duo try their hand at yet another tale of upscale 30 somethings living in New York. But, much like Revenge Served Cold, there is still little that is believable in the plot. You see characters that are smart, beautiful, and compassionate BUT the situations are not very REAL!! I mean, Morgan continues to make business decisions that are totally out of left field, and Dakota seems to be very level headed but can't see obvious signs that something is going on right under her nose (w/ cousin Tricia). The characters were developed more so than in the first novel. We were allowed to know more about the people instead of their wardrobe.

At any rate, it is a definite improvement from Revenge. There is not nearly as much attention given to the clothes, clubs, and other superficial nonsense that radiated in the previous book.

Can't wait to see if "Third time is a charm"

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Much Better Effort!
Review: The first book in this series--Revenge is Best Served Cold--(I say series b/c it seems like the saga will continue based on the ending)was a nice novel effort, but something was amiss. There was just too much focus on designer this and desinger that--it was like reading a book about high fashion. However, with Talk of the Town, the authors seemed to have really found their rhythm. High fashion and new money were still obvious themes but done much more tastefully. In TOTT we got to see the main characters, Morgan and Dakota, as more human and less fashion plate. These women dealt with issues that most of us are familiar with--insecurities, wandering spouses, double-crossing boyfriends, jealous relatives. The only flaw I found (which accounts for the 4-star rating) was the way everything tied up so nice and neat. Everybody got what they wanted and everybody ended up happy. NOT! We all know that life doesn't work that way. I know books are supposed to be entertaining, but they should also infuse a little truth.

TOTT was good solid sophomore effort and I look forward to the next installment. I think book 3 could be a 5-star if one believes that we get better and better with each new effort.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nope, sorry...
Review: This one was just as pitiful as their first. Characters were ridiculous, shallow, racist, materialistic and just plain stupid.
One reviewer called this book "Glitz & glamour of the Rich and Famous." I don't know what substance she's abusing, but she's apparently abusing it a lot. The only glitz and glamour is in the minds of the two people responsible for the book (I cannot, in all good faith and fairness, bring myself to call them authors, or even writers), and while some of the people in the book are apparently rich, nobody is famous, except in their imagination. And for every dollar the supposedly rich folks in the book have, they also possess a ton or two of conceit, idiocy and selfishness. A comic book is deeper than this nonsense. WAY deeper.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nope, sorry...
Review: This one was just as pitiful as their first. Characters were ridiculous, shallow, racist, materialistic and just plain stupid.
One reviewer called this book "Glitz & glamour of the Rich and Famous." I don't know what substance she's abusing, but she's apparently abusing it a lot. The only glitz and glamour is in the minds of the two people responsible for the book (I cannot, in all good faith and fairness, bring myself to call them authors, or even writers), and while some of the people in the book are apparently rich, nobody is famous, except in their imagination. And for every dollar the supposedly rich folks in the book have, they also possess a ton or two of conceit, idiocy and selfishness. A comic book is deeper than this nonsense. WAY deeper.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GLAMOUR AND GLITZ OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS
Review: Tracie Howard and Danita Carter introduce us to the glamour and
glitz of New York's upper-class in their sophomore novel, Talk
of the Town, a sequel to their first book Revenge is Best Served
Cold. Returning to the scene we have Dakota Cantrell, a fast-
talking, well-to-do stockbroker working on Wall Street,
and Morgan Nelson, the owner of Cache', a start-up party-
planning company ran solely by her and her operations manager, Lisa, a single mother.

Morgan's husband, Miles Nelson, is in a top executive position with Sound
Entertainment, with a staff that consists of his best friend Phillip Anderson
and new on the scene, Vic Pellam who turns out to be Victoria Pellam. With her
drop dead body and gorgeous looks, she's definitely all woman and has her eyes
set on Miles. Phillip is the man that every woman wants, yet he's in a
monogamous relationship with a career climbing socialite who has no time for
him amidst her high power job as a lawyer. In spite of the issues in his own
relationship, he clearly sees that Vic is making a play at Miles and warns him
to watch his back and steer clear of her.

Meanwhile, Dakota has had to rush home because her grandmother is in the
hospital and her less than perfect cousin gives her hell upon arrival back in
Chicago. While there, she runs into an old school buddy who appears to be the
man she's looking for, and she later leaps into a situation that has her
questioning her judgment when it comes to men. She's once again left wondering
what's wrong with her and why she can never grasp hold of happiness and hold on
tight enough for it to last for a while.

Through various situations and quick-moving scenes we see one domino fall down
and the others topple as they appear in the local gossip column "Talk of the
Town." All of these characters are thrown together in the glamour and glitz of
the rich and famous, taking us into a world that reeks of money and brand-name

material possessions. Yet, the authors manage to let us see the human side of
each character; what makes them tick, their strengths and weaknesses. We're
provided a multi-dimensional look into the meaning of love and true friendship
and how each and every one of us can set and achieve our dreams. Kudos to this
talented duo for such a remarkable and filling story!

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Glitz and Glamour
Review: Upon deciding to read Revenge is Best Served Cold the first novel by
Tracie Howard and Danita Carter. I chose the book because of the
beautiful cover. I borrowed Talk of the Town for similar reasons, the
cover design; the need to give this duo another chance and lastly Talk
of the Town picks up where Revenge is Best Served Cold left off.

Talk of the Town is a New York City newspaper which embellishes on the
lifestyles of the rich and famous while offering a little gossip as a
side dish. Miles Nelson, who is the Executive V.P at Sound
Entertainment finds his name splattered on the pages of Talk of the
Town after a not so innocent dinner with his VP of A&R, Vic Pellam.

As luck would have it, Morgan who is working from home decides to scan
the pages of the paper. She notices the mention of her husband's name
staring at her from the pages as she continues to read the headline and a
seething sensation overwhelms her. Morgan Nelson is the CEO of
Cache'and her company is in desperate need of financial backing, the kind the St.
James family has offered her. But as the saying goes "bad news comes
in threes." Morgan makes a decision that could inevitably cause her
not only to lose the backing offered to her by Mr. St. James, but her
company as well.

Best friends save the day for both Miles and Morgan Nelson. Talk of the
Town was tied together in a neat bow. Getting to the conclusion was a
roller coaster ride, I would definitely take again. Yolanda Joe calls

Tracie Howard and Danita Carter the "dynamic duo" and I concur with
her. You do not need to read Revenge is Best Served Cold to enjoy Talk
of the Town. However, what is tea without honey? It is good but the
honey certainly makes it sweet.

I love reading about affluent African Americans who are striving to
keep what they have and maintain good friendships.

Missy
APOOO Bookclub


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