Divalicious

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: After reading "5 Dimes" by Darrious Hilmon, I was very excited to see that he had written "Divalicious". The book tells the harsh realities of being famous and being in the spotlight. How the famous are not always happy and have their own deep dark secrets. I really enjoyed Divalicious and I look forward to reading many more books by the talented Darrious Hilmon.

Rating:
Summary: Page Turner!
Review: After reading "Five Dimes" by Darrious Hilmon last year, I eagerly waited for his second novel. Mr. Hilmon did not disappoint me with his sophomore work! Divalious has delicious characters that you love to hate (Ms. Erika) and characters you just want to have as your next-door neighbor (Jill). The drama, cattiness and yes, even love was believable and realistic and somehow, you know each Diva personally by the last page. I rooted for the main character Angel Hart to find the love she so richly deserved, and in the end...well, you just have to find out for yourself! I look forward to years of fabulous novels from you Mr. Hilmon; you have a knack for storytelling. Keep up the fantastic work!

Rating:
Summary: Show Stopper
Review: DIVALICIOUS is a very captivating story about three African-American females who star in a sitcom entitled Brave New World. After one of the stars leaves the show, the producers replace her with a white woman. Angel Hart and Erika Bishop wonder what will become of the show when blond bombshell Faith Maloney enters the picture.

Angel is the trustworthiest of the trio. Her problems stem from her "no strings attached" motto as it pertains to men. So she spends her time dating single men she knows she can never have. While out on the town she runs into Brave's newest writer, the enticingly gorgeous Lucien Alexander. After a steamy conversation over cocktails and the events that ensue, Angel discovers that she has bitten off a little more than she can chew.

Erika, the rambunctious one of the bunch, enacts the no-holds-barred approach when it comes to achieving stardom. She is backed by an even vicious mother, who is living her failed dreams of becoming a star through her daughter. Erika is carrying around a little secret that could not only destroy her career but the show as well.

Faith, who should have the word naive stamped across her forehead, is just happy to be amongst the working class. She welcomes the change in her life while hiding from a shady past and an even more sinister lover. When she meets Brave's creator, the breathtakingly handsome and married Randall Hunter, the mutual attraction is instant. Faith may learn a lesson or two in life after being privy to the depths of his infidelity.

The saga encased in the pages of DIVALICIOUS reads like a soap opera. Once I was drawn into the storyline I could not put the book down. It seemed as if I was watching it unfold on a television screen rather than just reading words in a book. Darrious D. Hilmon is to be commended for his excellent writing skills. I am looking forward to reading other titles by this very talented author.

Reviewed by Pamela Bolden
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers


Rating:
Summary: Delicious Divas
Review: Drama comes knocking on the set of a fictional television sitcom in Darrious D. Hilmon's DIVALICIOUS. Angel, Ericka, and Faith are the shining stars "Brave New World," where all the usual backstabbing, cattiness and illicit affairs are thrown in for good measure. Hilmon delivers an entertaining plot and fleshed characters who are hard to forget.

Angel is the more centered of the three, the peacemaker with her own issues - mainly sleeping with unattainable men and living promiscuously. (Unattainable: read bisexual). Could it stem from the fact that was raised by an abusive father? That her cool confidence masks a fragile heart?

Angel does befriend Faith, the new white girl on the block. A replacement for Khandi, a sistah fired from the show, Faith has been met with an icy reception since her arrival. At first taken aback by her "extreme beauty," Angel learns Faith is a naïve woman with a past, and the two bond quickly. Faith craves attention herself and finds it in Randall, the unhappily married producer of "Brave," and in a secret admirer bordering on obsession.

On every show, in every book, there's always the [...] -- am I right? In steps Ericka, the conniving, cunning whore who doesn't allow anyone to control her - except her mother, Victoria. Worse than Mommie Dearest, Ericka's matriarch has pushed her most of her life to be everything she couldn't. Victoria's obsessive behavior has paid off; Ericka's been highly successful as an actress (though some doubt her abilities). But her mother's manipulation leads Ericka to out-of-control behavior. It's only when Victoria threatens to take the most precious thing away from her that Ericka ultimately stands up for herself.

Hilmon is on his stuff with this outing. Divalicious is delicious fun that plays out as most soap opera fare, complete with bed hopping and man stealing. The end wraps up a little too neatly, what with everyone uniting as one big happy family. Everyone manages to get it together for the sake of new baby Hope. I won't give away whose child it is. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out.