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Widely hailed for her best-selling fiction, no one combines sizzle and sass like Lutishia Lovely. With their soul-food business firing on all cylinders, brothers Malcolm and Toussaint Livingston seem to have the world at their feet. But playboy Toussaint’s penchant for risk-taking is often more than not-quite-happily married Malcolm can stomach, and a particularly spicy blend of circumstances is about to turn up the heat to record-setting levels.
LC Duncan, patriarch and leader of the Duncan clan is alive and well after being shot by a mysterious gunman. His near death experience has caused him and his wife Chippy to reflect on both the past and present, and together they decide that it's time to return to Waycross, Georgia for a long overdue family reunion. But wherever the Duncans go, trouble and drama are never too far behind, and this time it comes in the form of longtime Duncan enemy Vinnie Dash, and Ruby, the mother of Orlando Duncan's baby who disappeared before the child was born.
A solid marriage, a thriving business, and the esteem of their close-knit Alabama community - Joyce and Odell Watson have every reason to count their blessings. Their marriage has given well-off Joyce a chance at the family she's always wanted - and granted Odell a once-in-a-lifetime shot to escape grinding poverty. But all that respectability and status comes at a cost. Just once, Joyce and Odell want to break loose and taste life's wild side, without consequences.
Ethic has power, but love has always been evasive. After ordering the hit that mistakenly killed the love of his life, Ethic is haunted with guilt and refuses to love again. Focused on being a better man and keeping his family safe, he is raising three children, one of which is a defiant teenage girl, Morgan. No matter how hard he tries to keep Morgan away from the streets, she is determined to defy him. When Morgan finds herself in a vulnerable position, Ethic is pulled back into the deadly game where he was once king.
The year is 1978. The Duncan brothers and their tough-as-nails women have vanquished their rivals and taken their place as the leaders of Waycross, Georgia's criminal enterprises. However, their rise to power has not gone unnoticed, and the family is rocked when their mother, Miss Bettie, is kidnapped and her body is found in a swamp. No one knows who the killers are, but instead of drawing closer, the family is split when their grief-stricken leader, LC, is offered membership in the South's most powerful black organization, the Council.
Freelance writer Jacqueline Tate arrives in Los Angeles and soon meets brilliant, award-winning scientist Randall Atwater, the man she's come to cover at a conference on trends and technology. He is everything she's read about - brainy, witty, handsome, and cool. And after a week spent with the most fascinating man she's ever known, there's no way she can give him up. There's just one problem: Randall's wife of 20 years. No matter - men like Randall are few and far between.
Widely hailed for her best-selling fiction, no one combines sizzle and sass like Lutishia Lovely. With their soul-food business firing on all cylinders, brothers Malcolm and Toussaint Livingston seem to have the world at their feet. But playboy Toussaint’s penchant for risk-taking is often more than not-quite-happily married Malcolm can stomach, and a particularly spicy blend of circumstances is about to turn up the heat to record-setting levels.
LC Duncan, patriarch and leader of the Duncan clan is alive and well after being shot by a mysterious gunman. His near death experience has caused him and his wife Chippy to reflect on both the past and present, and together they decide that it's time to return to Waycross, Georgia for a long overdue family reunion. But wherever the Duncans go, trouble and drama are never too far behind, and this time it comes in the form of longtime Duncan enemy Vinnie Dash, and Ruby, the mother of Orlando Duncan's baby who disappeared before the child was born.
A solid marriage, a thriving business, and the esteem of their close-knit Alabama community - Joyce and Odell Watson have every reason to count their blessings. Their marriage has given well-off Joyce a chance at the family she's always wanted - and granted Odell a once-in-a-lifetime shot to escape grinding poverty. But all that respectability and status comes at a cost. Just once, Joyce and Odell want to break loose and taste life's wild side, without consequences.
Ethic has power, but love has always been evasive. After ordering the hit that mistakenly killed the love of his life, Ethic is haunted with guilt and refuses to love again. Focused on being a better man and keeping his family safe, he is raising three children, one of which is a defiant teenage girl, Morgan. No matter how hard he tries to keep Morgan away from the streets, she is determined to defy him. When Morgan finds herself in a vulnerable position, Ethic is pulled back into the deadly game where he was once king.
The year is 1978. The Duncan brothers and their tough-as-nails women have vanquished their rivals and taken their place as the leaders of Waycross, Georgia's criminal enterprises. However, their rise to power has not gone unnoticed, and the family is rocked when their mother, Miss Bettie, is kidnapped and her body is found in a swamp. No one knows who the killers are, but instead of drawing closer, the family is split when their grief-stricken leader, LC, is offered membership in the South's most powerful black organization, the Council.
Freelance writer Jacqueline Tate arrives in Los Angeles and soon meets brilliant, award-winning scientist Randall Atwater, the man she's come to cover at a conference on trends and technology. He is everything she's read about - brainy, witty, handsome, and cool. And after a week spent with the most fascinating man she's ever known, there's no way she can give him up. There's just one problem: Randall's wife of 20 years. No matter - men like Randall are few and far between.
He's successful, kind, and sensitive - the type of man every woman wants. And truck driver Calvin Ramsey just loves women - especially the lonely, unappreciated ones he meets online, like Lola Poole. His deceitful ex-wife taught him that women really appreciate someone who cares about their deepest feelings and problems.
In the wake of a major loss, five sisters agree to meet on the regular to keep it real. But secrets they never saw coming will challenge them and everything they counted on. Savvy and decisive, Burgundy Reeves feels blessed with a good husband and a successful career. She is the sister everyone envies. Since her beloved mother's death, she's given troubled youngest sister, Elyse, a stable home when she needs it most. And she's taken it on herself to keep her contentious siblings together.
The world will never be the same! Get ready for something new, bold, sexy, and highly addictive! Stephen C. Jefferson and the first lady are prepared to pull you right into the mix. This is a new era, and things in the United States are not what they used to be. The man who now holds the keys to the Oval Office was born and raised in the rough streets of St. Louis, where he discovered how to silence his enemies by wielding knowledge and power.
The port of Miami brings in millions of dollars worth of cocaine every year, and the Cartel controls 80 percent of it. The Diamond family is a force to be reckoned with, but all hell breaks loose when they lose their leader. The most ruthless gangster Miami has ever seen, Carter Diamond, leaves behind a wife, twin sons, a daughter, and a secret - his illegitimate son, Carter Jones. When young Carter learns of his father’s death, he comes to town and is introduced to the legacy of the Cartel.
Kayla thought that her best friends, Evelyn and Trina, were supposed to always have her back, but when she discovers that Evelyn has been creeping with her husband, Cedric, and Trina has known about the ongoing affair for quite some time, Kayla is ready to cut ties and leave her so-called friends behind. Their actions have shown how scheming they truly are. Meanwhile Cedric lies in a hospital bed, clinging to life. He may not be able to utilize his joystick for a while, but his millions are still in play, and Evelyn wants them.
Greer Patterson always felt like an outsider. Loathed by her step mother and half siblings for being the green eyed, fair skinned product of her black father's affair with a white woman, she's never truly felt loved by anyone except her father and husband Michael. When Greer's life as she knows it comes crashing down after discovering her husband's torrid affair, she decides to take matters into her own bloody hands. Soon, after sending Michael to his untimely death and framing his mistress, she begins feeling something she's never felt before...powerful.
After a reunion with an old friend goes wrong in a Long Island nightclub, Kasheef Williams is forced to protect himself by any means necessary. The only problem is that prying eyes see everything. Those eyes belong to Alija Bell. She runs, but Kasheef sees her face, and he tells her that it's best for her to get temporary amnesia. Afraid for her life and the safety of her daughter, she keeps her mouth shut, but when a tape of the murder surfaces, the only face that is visible is Alija's. Now the police are looking for their eyewitness.
Reesa's a savvy financial planner with one goal - to have a baby before 35. But to do that, she's got to do one of two things: dump her current man, Simon, and find another man more suitable to be husband and father, or settle with Simon and work overtime trying to train him for the starring role. At 33, getting rid of Simon to find Mr. Right is a chance Reesa's not willing to take. But when she's had enough of Simon's antics and kicks him to the curb, will her goal change?
Kayla, Evelyn, and Trina have been on-and-off-again girlfriends for many years, but the lines of true friendship will be crossed, the knives that go into another friend's back will cut deep, trust will not apply, and no one will share their dirty little secrets. With enough backstabbing, finger-pointing, and disrespect to go around, this trio sticks to their motto of "What she can do, I can do better; and whatever she has, I want a piece of it too." Much competition is thrown in the mix, and jealousy is so thick that there will be no place for anyone to run when the mess hits the fan.
Debut author Lisa Renee Johnson delivers an edgy, sexy novel about a man who has it all - until one night changes everything. Dubbed the "Sex Doctor" on his local radio show, psychologist Donathan James advises callers on their sexual issues. With his gorgeous and brilliant neurosurgeon wife, Sydney, at home and women flirting with the hot doctor everywhere he goes, Donathan is living the high life. But when he wakes up naked and drugged in a hotel room, with no memory of the evening before, the doctor suddenly has problems of his own.
Disaya finally has it all. The man she fought for is hers at last. Her name is Mrs. Indie Perkins, and their daughter is safe. Leah is gone. Life is supposed to be good. So why isn't she satisfied? Why does life suddenly seem so bitter? YaYa's Prada Plan had worked, but with the riches comes pain. She and Indie have grown apart, and with Parker now a permanent fixture in their lives, Indie is pressured to juggle it all. But YaYa's patience is running thin. Indie is loving her wrong. Her life isn't what she wants.
With a drug addict mother and a drug lord father, Aphtan learns how to fend for herself at an early age. Being the princess of an empire has its perks - until her father gets arrested. From stealing clothes and food to committing fraud, Aphtan does what she has to do to take care of her mother and herself. But when her schemes prove problematic, she turns to a new hustle: dancing at Pearl Tongue, the most notorious strip club in Texas.
Lutishia Lovely delivers plenty of delicious drama in her novels chronicling one family’s soul food empire.
In Taking Care of Business, the Livingstons are enjoying plenty of success - Toussaint is a Food Network star, Malcolm’s BBQ Soul Smoker is the toast of QVC, and Bianca’s Taste of Soul Tapas Style restaurant is a hit. In fact, only Jefferson has yet to make a name for himself - a problem he blames on his cousin, Toussaint. But when a stranger threatens the Livingstons’ legacy, Jefferson must put his damaged ego aside and help his family fight to stay in business.
narrotors good story slow with no action............like author will try something else by this author.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I could not get past the horrible narrator. He made all the characters seem like they were senior citizens. I did not complete the book. It was that bad for me! Despite the narrator distraction I could not get into the book. Bad listen all around.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
What happened, Corey Allen? You usually narrate stories so well. Twice I've tried listening to this book and twice I simply couldn't get past the first few chapters. I attribute much of this to the narrator. As I said in my description, if the narrator doesn't cut it, then I simply can't listen to the story. That's too bad because there are many good stories that pique my interest but lose me on their choice of narrator. Oh well...I should have asked for my chip back.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Lutishia Lovely and/or Corey Allen?
Probably not. I had a hard time getting into her book Mind Your Own Business and an even harder time trying to get into this book, I probably will not finish this book.
Would you ever listen to anything by Lutishia Lovely again?
Maybe but not too soon.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Corey Allen speaks in a monotone voice which makes it hard to listen to him. Actually his reading is one of the reasons that the book was so boring.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
None that I can see.
Any additional comments?
There are way to many key characters (Adam, Ace, Judge, Kiesha, Sterling, Diane, Quintin, Candance, Abernathy, Joyce, Zavier, Bianaca, Bobby, Chardonay her two kids, Shala, Malcom, Cooper, Jeff, Tousan, Marcus, Marietta, Booker, Zoe, Evelyn) just to name a few. It was too hard trying to keep up with all of the different characters.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This family is a blast! Strong family values and morals and a legacy adds to the charm. I was glad to see that Jefferson finally came to grip with his "demon". The question now is whether they will let Que get away with his deceit? I don't think so as their motto is "mess with 1 Livingston--mess with them all! I was brought to tears when one of them past--the scene was teared filled and heart-breaking but now what happens... Bianca's TOS was burned down and someone has to pay the piper--the Livingston's. Good listen but be sure to read the others first to capture the charm of the Taste of Soul family. Still a good stand alone read.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I loved this series. a very strong family bond who all supports each other no matter what they.
What did you love best about Taking Care of Business?
I liked how the author assumes that readers are familiar with the characters in this book. I really liked how the family stuck together in the face of adversity.
What other book might you compare Taking Care of Business to and why?
Not sure....
What does Corey Allen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The narrator was able to portray the womens' voices with clarity and realism.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No extreme reaction, some of the storylines were predictable yet fun.
Any additional comments?
This is a great author. I highly recommend this series!
Would you listen to Taking Care of Business again? Why?
Absolutely Corey Allen did an excellent job of voice switch over w/out confusing the reader.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Taking Care of Business?
The gift Jefferson gave Senator Abernathy
Which character – as performed by Corey Allen – was your favorite?
Jefferson had such a tenderness to him and I liked that.
If you could take any character from Taking Care of Business out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Obadiah I would like to understand why he left Mama Max and lived with another
Any additional comments?
An exciting read..and I WANT more