Taken for Granted

Rating:
Summary: The exceptional writing enhances this predictable plot.
Review: The story from beginning to end is very predictable, but its written so well that I kept reading.
The story is centered on the main character Nina Epps who is experiencing a midlife crisis on her 40th birthday. With the recent marriage of her 22-year-old daughter Gracie she comes to terms with what she's known for a long time, Jay, her husband of 22 years and 9 years her senior has taken her for granted. Over the years, Jay has continuously had affairs, deterred her obtaining a degree, and belittled her to thinking that she can't survive without him. To be an inspiration and role model for her daughter, Nina not only obtains her degree but also becomes an accountant while maintaining a 'white-picket' fence image of a happy family. With Gracie gone and Jay's refusal to see Nina for everything she has to offer to him and their relationship, its time for Nina to move on.

The second main character is Richard Vincent a dentist from an affluent family married to Estelle, a rental car office manager. Their marriage is the result of Estelle being pregnant with their son, Nathan. From the very beginning, Estelle and her always scamming and meddling mother, Rubylee, easily manipulate Richard. Because Estelle is scared to do what's respectfully right for her husband, herself, and their marriage she constantly succumbs to every demand of her mother to stay on her 'good side'. (Rubylee has a wicked past, present and future.) Rubylee also makes Estelle feel guilty by placing the burden that it's her responsibility to take care 'the family'. The family includes Rubylee, Estelle's thieving younger sister Justine and Justine's fast teenage daughter, Keysha. After a series of events that leave Richard 'broke', Estelle suffering from constant 'headaches', their upscale modern deco home for three transformed into a roach infected ghetto deco pad for six (with two more on the way), and finally the police removing Richard from his home he sees where Estelle's loyalty lies. Richard see that after four years of marriage Estelle and her family have always taken him for granted and its time for him to move on.

The story is conveniently designed so Nina and Richard already know each other from aerobics class. Richard's need to get away from it all leads him to vacation in the Bahamas for one month. After being convinced by Nina's best friend, Rose, Nina and Rose head to the Bahamas for one week. In a 'Stella Got Her Groove Back' fashion, Nina and Richard hook up and see how much they have in common with one another.

The mayhem after each person returns from the Bahamas is what makes this story shine. So not to give away the details how this twosome finally become a couple, the story is filled with passion, murder, betrayal, ruthless parenting, bank robbery, larceny, adultery, and so much more.

Rating:
Summary: On the Wings of Love....
Review: Oh yea!! This book was really good. My mother and I read this book at the same time and was racing to see who would finish first. It was a very fast pace,easy to keep up with book. Rubylee was terrible, she thought she had her life all fiqured out only to end up with nothing in the end like she started. Estelle, was driven to her death with so much stress of carrying the family load only because she had a better life. Nina, indeed was like "Stella" who got her groove back only to reunited with the one person she least expected. Hopefully, she and Richard lived happily ever after and Lil' Nathan came to like/love her as well. When Jay didn't go with Nina to see about their daughter after the car accident I thought that was strange but waited to see the outcome. Justine,received the outcome of a low functioning mother and father I just hoped her daughter(Keysah) saw what that kind of life would lead too and get herself together and finish school so she could help herself and her baby. Richard, did right I think by not letting Estelle know of this other bank account being that she had the type family she did the brotha' would have been left with a deceased wife, a son to raise and most of all "BROKE". Now he can start over and hopefully be able to move on in life and not carry excess baggage into this newly flame lit relationship!! This is a must read for any who feels "Taken For Granted".

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This novel involves the lives of Nina Epps and Richard Vincent.

Nina Epps was married at a young age to a man she felt she had to marry. Nina decided to go to school to get her college degree. After going to school and acquiring her degree she gains a sense of independence. Nina's husband is not pleased by her independence or her college degree.

Nina and her husband have grown apart in so many different ways over the years, they have different views on basically everything. Nina prides herself on keeping in top physical shape while her husband could care less about his appearance.

Nina is an aerobics instructor and this is where she meets Richard Vincent.

Richard is dealing with his own issues at home with his wife and her family. Due to a sense of loyalty Richard endures as much as he can but how much can one person take.

This book takes you on a roller coaster ride that you will definitely enjoy.

I am looking forward to Mr. Sewell's next work.

Rating:
Summary: Drama-driven decisions
Review: Taken For Granted by Earl Sewell is like an [obsession]. Just one page, and you're hooked.

Nina is sick and tired of living under her husband's dictatorship. She's grown as a person over the last twenty years of the marriage, and has, in the process, outgrown her domineering husband Jay.

Richard didn't know that when he married Estelle he would also be marrying her con-artist mother Rubylee, her irresponible sister Justine, and her niece Keysha. It takes a lot of drama for Richard to see that he's been bamboozled by the quartet.

Laced with vivid characters and an emotionally charged plot, this novel grasps any reader looking for an intense love story, an engrossing plot, or just some good old drama. Follow Nina and Richard on their roads to finding themselves, figuring out where their best interests lie, and, most importantly, taking a stand against being taken for granted.

~Reviewed by CandaceK

Rating:
Summary: Whoaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This is an excellent read, and a definite page-turner. It keeps the reader hooked. The ending will shock you. I highly recommend this title for any book lover's collection.

Rating:
Summary: Love Gone Wrong
Review: Taken For Granted by Earl Sewell is a sure page-turner that will
keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. In my opinion,
you are a true writer when you can capture the reader from the
first page and hold them throughout the book, which Mr. Sewell
so skillfully did.

This is the story of two people married to separate spouses who
soon realize the major drama affecting their lives, becomes
unbearable. They indiviudally ponder, as they cope with their
struggles, will there ever be peace of mind and love at the
end of the tunnel.

Nina Epps has been married for 20 years to a husband who is
controlling and clueless to her unhappiness. Her tolerance
of him reaches a boiling point to his dismay, but to her
delight, long awaited freedom. Nina is estranged from her
daughter, Gracie, because Gracie decides to live her own
life and not follow the dreams or path laid out by Nina.
This hurts both mother and daughter and neither one wants
to take the first step to reconcile.

Richard Vincent has been married several years to Estelle.
What he soon realizes is that he not only married Estelle,
but her family as well. One of the major players in the story
is RubyLee, Estelle's mother. Talk about a hustler, manipulative
strewn mother-in-law, RubyLee is one person you don't want
for an in-law. Richard has to eventually come to terms with his
relationship with Estelle and her family. Unfortunately, he
has some rude awakenings to confront him.

Richard and Nina, who know each other from the fitness studio
where Nina teaches, soon realize that there is more going
on with them when they unexpectedly run into each other while
in Jamaica. They are both there trying to regroup and decide
on their life issues and getting up the courage to move on.
Well, now it gets romantic and steamy. Talk about coming
together of minds, bodies, and souls; you will have to
read the book to understand what I am talking about.

Mr. Sewell's storyline was wonderfully crafted and invoked
many emotions as I read the story. The intensity and intrigue
makes this book a sure winner. I truly enjoyed this book and
highly recommend it. I also look forward to future writings
from Mr. Sewell because if they are anything like Taken For
Granted, he is indeed an author to watch for.

Reviewed by Kalaani

Rating:
Summary: Taken for a fool
Review: Taken For Granted

I've read close to 80 books in 2001 and I closed out the year with this one. After reading a number of literary type books in the last month, I read this under recommendation as a quick page turner. There are a number of relationship drama novels out in the African American market that address men who are manipulated by the women in their life but I must say this one is for the record.

Richard, a dentist from a good standing family is married to Estelle, daughter of a con artist ex-con mother, Rubylee. From the beginning Rubylee manipulates and berates Estelle, who in turn does the same to Richard, emasculating him and making a total fool of him. The ultimate insult is when Estelle empties their bank account in order to buy Rubylee a car. Richard runs into Nina, his aerobics instructor, who is also an accountant. Nina is also in an unhappy marriage with a man who tries to control and manipulate her. A series of circumstances and drama brings them together in the Bahamas after they have both decided their marriages are over. They discover their mutual attraction is the real thing and but then they have to go back to reality.

This reviewer had a hard time reconciling Richard's beat-down character as being the kind of take-charge man that Nina would be attracted to. I found taking the kind of mental abuse from his wife and mother-in-law for eight long years as a bit extreme and then allowing the mil and her cast of hooligans move in turning their home into a ghetto paradise was over the top.

I liked the secondary drama of the mother-daughter relationship between Nina and her 22 year old daughter Gracie. I felt Nina's disappointment in her daughter's decisions and would have liked to seen a little more of the dynamics of how a women sometime live vicariously through their daughters. I often wondered if this was supposed to be a comedy-drama or a serious drama novel. The sex scenes in the Bahamas added spice to this otherwise run of the mill relationship novel.

Rating:
Summary: Drama.....and MORE Drama!
Review: Whew! I'm still trying to catch my breath after reading this one.

A true to the word "pageturner", Taken For Granted is a novel about two couples. Nina Epps married Jay at a much too young age. After having conceived a child, Nina had to stay in the marriage for the sake of their daughter. However, after 20 years of marriage, Nina needs a change and a trip to the Bahamaswith her girlfriend just might do it.

Then there is Richard and Estelle Vincent. Richard is a third generation physician who married a woman that his mother thought was beneath him. Throw in Richard's mother-in-law Rubylee, who's manipulative and controlling to say the least, and a sister-in-law Justine, who's just plain ole "triflin", stir this all up in a HUGE pot and you have one big "mess" of a family.

Sure to have your mouth dropped open at many stages of reading, you are in store for one hell of a read! Enjoy booklovers......

Rating:
Summary: good read!!!!
Review: I couldn't put this book down! I finished it in a day and a half. This is the first book I read by this author, and as a result, I am looking forward to another. This book is filled with real life situations, and most of the characters are people with whom you can match with someone you may know. Good work, I'm on my way to reading his other book.

Rating:
Summary: When enough is enough!
Review: Taken For Granted is a story of two people on a slow
collision course. Nina Epps, has been married for 20
years and she wonders if her husband even knows she's
alive. Richard Vincent, has only been married a few
years and he wants a little 'R E S P E C T' in his home.
Both were tired of their situations and needed to make
some changes but habits are hard to break.

An interesting second story was the relationships
between the mothers and daughters. Nina stayed in
her marriage to give her daugter Gracie a rounded
family life. Now, the two are not speaking, because
Gracie married too soon and abandoned the dreams Nina
had for her.

Rubylee, Richards's mother in-law had a hard life
and as a result, she is a user, a hustler and she's
none too stable. She worked her daughter Estelle
like a pro, all at Richard's expense. But Rubylee's
crazy ways and her selfish greed were her downfall
and because of it she destroyed or crippled the
lives of too many people.

A peculiar turn of events lands Nina and Richard in
Jamaica at the same time and they are both ripe for
something that will make them feel human again.

This story was filled with secrets, double crossings
and indiscretions; and Sewell strung it all out just
long enough to have you balancing on the edge, then
he brought this story to a climatic end that was both
sad and inspiring. Kudos to Earl on this one.

Reviewed by aNN