Reviewed by Wen Lung for Readers' Favorite

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that relationships today are miles away from what they were decades ago. "Sex Lies & Alibis" is a rather off-putting title for what would otherwise be a brilliant book. Dwain Boswell very accurately puts down into words over 10 years of uncensored observations of where typical relationships are heading, and trust me, things aren’t looking too optimistic. The book sheds insights into the relationship games that majority of us intentionally or unintentionally play, but if we were able to denounce, discern and dodge the game, half the battle is won. After all, if you picked up this book, what you are really interested in is a relationship for the long haul, not some ‘quickie with a sickie’. Dwain Boswell then teaches us a thing or two about setting the records straight right from the start with his A.F.I.E.M. approach. "Sex Lies & Alibis" is heavily seasoned with apt biblical references to further endorse the beautiful journey from acquaintances to marriage.

This is the kind of book that is painfully honest, excruciatingly difficult to achieve (especially dependent on how accepting our society is), but oh-so-good for your mind, body and soul. I enjoyed the sincere approach this book took in addressing the truth in modern relationships. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize that some decisions aren’t lying in the grey area; it is either right or wrong. But society has made it so acceptable that these decisions become the standard. I believe that this book will make women stronger, men more virtuous, and society more discerning of the truth.

Reviewed by Samantha Rivera for Readers' Favorite

Understanding the relationship between a husband and wife is key for anyone who hopes to enter into this covenant. But it takes more to have a good relationship between the two than just loving each other. You have to be able to balance different aspects of your personalities and to not only teach him but learn yourself as well. There is a lot to learn about men and not only what they need, but how to get what you need from them. Wife for Life by Ramona Zabriskie is definitely a great guide to becoming a happy and efficient wife.

If you’re not sure about entering into marriage or what it’s going to be like, then this book is very helpful. As a soon-to-be-wife myself, I was a little nervous about how things were going to go. Reading this book gave me a bit more information about how to understand a man. They really are a whole different species and sometimes it can be hard to get them to tell you what they want or need. So that’s why this book is such a great help. For any woman out there who wants to be a good wife and have a long and happy marriage, this book will tell you why and it will tell you how at the same time. I think I’ll be better prepared for my own marriage just by understanding the man I'm about to marry a little better. Wife for Life is definitely a helping hand.

Reviewed by Suzanne Cowles for Readers' Favorite

Partners in Passion: A Guide to Great Sex, Emotional Intimacy and Long-term Love by Mark A. Michaels and Patricia Johnson is an in-depth exploration into the complex world of intimate relationships. Married for fourteen years, the couple lays out a practical guide to keep love alive using their own professional knowledge and experience in the field. We all want to sustain the infatuated feeling of a new relationship, and this book discusses exactly how to maintain connected chemistry while growing into a deeper union. A holistic approach is used to redefine roles, dispel gender myths, explain the anatomy of exploration, and dissect the Tantric energy flow at the heart of intimacy. Michaels and Johnson uncover the mysteries to falling in love again and sustaining a courtship throughout life. All types of unions are defined that run the gamut between kink and sexual dysfunction. This non-judgmental self-help book brings about a fresh understanding of relationships where pleasure is achieved by a focus of service.

Mark A. Michaels and Patricia Johnson use their creative genius to mesmerize the reader in Partners in Passion: A Guide to Great Sex, Emotional Intimacy and Long-term Love by fostering an adult conversation where trust and adventure converge into a vibrant sexual union. Packed into thirteen informative chapters, there is something for everyone’s personal tastes, along with illustrations, tips, and a reference list of other books, websites and events. Honest and frank suggestions in a non-clinical setting abound throughout a powerful read into the secrets of a lasting and fulfilled relationship.

Reviewed by Terri Tumlin for Readers' Favorite

"My Cat Won’t Bark!" is an interesting book with a charmingly whimsical title. The subtitle "A Relationship Epiphany" refers to the author’s perspective from which he produced the book and may or may not apply to the reader’s experience. However, even if you don’t experience an epiphany, there is much you can get from this interesting and well-written short volume. The cat in the title that refuses to bark refers to the people who populate our intimate lives and do not change just because we want them to. Be it husband, boy or girl friend, date, or bed mate, Kevin Darné points out the futility of trying to improve our own lives by ‘improving’ others. His take, well presented, is to spend the effort instead on looking inward and discovering what it is that we really want before we start looking. That way we end up in relationships that enhance our lives rather than being in ones that are endless battles that we can never ultimately win.

The book is smoothly written and interesting and while it seems to apply more to people before or between relationships, there are insights that apply to those who are married and have been for years. Although at times the author seems somewhat repetitive, the alternate ways of presenting the information spark different things to think about in your own relationships, short term or long term. All in all, I would say it is an enjoyable light read that may give you some new directions in your life.

Reviewed by Gloria Antypowich for Readers' Favorite

I totally enjoyed this book, reading voraciously, not wanting to put it down and reluctant to find it come to the end. It is a memoir, the diary of Adrienne Allison Jones, a nude dancer in a strip club. It is a glimpse into the world of exotic dancers. While the women work for money, the men are seeking comfort and understanding away from home. It is a glimpse into relationships and marriage, and what people will do to satisfy their needs: money, attention, a sympathetic ear, human companionship, a few moments with someone to cure the loneliness. Adrienne Allison Jones: three aspects of one woman. ADRIENNE is the fierce side of her that has a keen sense of survival instinct and the skill to manage any life situation. She is fearless, courageous, driven and filled with passion and fire. Adrienne is a strong woman, who could rise to the occasion and fight when she needs to. ALLISON represents the inexperienced and innocent side. Allison is the one who has lead her into painful relationships with men, leaving her feeling that she would never find true love. JONES, the athletic, exotic nude dancer in a strip club, finds something that has been missing in her life for a while: POWER, the power to seduce and mesmerize men with her sensual moves, the power to revel her true sexual nature. She is a mufti-talented woman: a housekeeper, a massage therapist, a well-respected Yoga teacher, a Pilates instructor and a pole dancing instructor, marketer of a high end skin care line, the proprietor of her own business as an animal behaviorist and trainer and an author. Her husband, Jim, has a good position at a Hollywood studio. In spite of all their efforts, there never is enough money, and their life is drab and stressed. After 11 years of marriage, she wonders if they will ever experience freedom, fun or passion. They are busy running from one job to the next to stay afloat. She and her husband discuss the idea of her dancing in a strip club to generate the income to help resolve their problems and gain financial freedom. After checking the TILT out, they decide she will dance there. When she starts dancing at the club, she is faced with unimaginable financial freedom; she starts to see her husband (for whom she never seems to bring home enough money) and her marriage in a different light. She is faced with temptation and go to men who want more than she is prepared to give. Where will those relationships go? Will her marriage last?

I am fascinated by human relationships and interactions; that is what prompted me to review this book. The topic was not one that I had experience in. I was not disappointed, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a memoir that is not typical. It will surely give you a glimpse of the harsh realities of life in a strip club.

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

"Hopping Roller Coasters" starts with Rachel being diagnosed with cancer, but the story goes back in time, where a bipolar Rachel falls in love with her daughter, Marina, a small bundle of pink weighing three pounds. "Hopping Roller Coasters" takes readers on a journey from the beginning of Marina’s life through the times of Rachel being diagnosed with cancer, and their years after. Though Rachel failed many times as a mom, she was also there for Marina all during her life, standing up to teachers, doctors, hospitals, institutions, and any others along the way. For me, this book was sometimes very difficult to read, because of the situations Rachel and Marina found themselves in. It was sometimes very heartbreaking and touching.

I appreciate the author's bravery and honesty in telling her story. It might have taken a lot of courage and just plain guts on her part to be so real in the situations that took place. Readers can clearly see the love and determination between this mother and daughter. I feel Rachel Pappas will help readers so much because her story is real and honest, lived by her, and readers in the same situation will identify with her and believe her. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel and Marina’s story. The strength and support that Marina shows to her mom was heartwarming and moving. Rachel clearly shows that the struggles, difficulties, illnesses, heartbreaks and heartaches, didn’t tear them down, but gave them a strength and courage and a love for each other that they probably wouldn’t have known otherwise. I highly recommend Rachel Pappas’s “Hopping Roller Coasters” to anyone. This is a book that can be of help and benefit to anyone who reads it. And I hope to read more from this wonderful family.

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

"The One Year Marriage: A Formula For Enduring Love" by G. Stephen Renfrey, Ph.D., covers exams, love, romance, marriage and relationships. In the Preface Renfrey addresses a major problem with marriage. We too often go into it with idyllic notions of what a marriage should be like. However, relationships tend to fall short of our unrealistic expectations. After reading the title of this book I was surprised to discover the author does believe in soul mates, commitment, marriage and love. The author has dedicated two chapters to exploring individual’s expectations of marriage. Among the expectations are sex, companionship and security, someone you can depend on, children, love and acceptance. It is unfortunate that once married we become wrapped up in our careers and stop taking time for our spouse and the much-needed romance, love, companionship and sex. Chapter two discusses a rethinking of marriage, 'The One Year Marriage.' The author is proposing “that couples consciously approach their relationship commitments as mutually negotiated one year agreements that, if not renewed at the anniversary, automatically dissolve according to agreed on terms.” When I first read this statement I was shocked and then I continued reading. There is not room in this review to explain the author’s idea. However, after reading farther I had a different comprehension of what he was proposing.

The examples in this book add much to the text. The reader needs to go into this book with an open mind. When your first thought is to disagree, continue reading and be open to what the author is proposing. Renfrey has both organized and researched his book. He has carefully thought out the topic. One of the best parts of the book comes at the end where he offers the opportunity to explore your relationship. There are five steps to assist you in your exploration. He has also included quotes scattered throughout the text. They are well-chosen and again lend depth to the script. I highly recommend this book to all couples considering marriage and to married couples.

Reviewed by Lori M for Readers' Favorite

Once I started reading “Lost Edens” by Jamie Patterson, I couldn’t put it down because I kept hoping I’d turn the page to read that she’d figured out that Ben was a dirty rotten scoundrel and punch him in his cheating face. After all, the cover page indicates that this is a true story and what a terrible reality it is to finally come to terms with the fact that your husband is a lying jerk who has all-but-ruined your life. Jamie was so in love with Ben and wanting to have a real marriage that she disregarded the advice of friends and family and once again set herself up for disappointment when she thought Ben is going to leave his mistress and return to her.

This was a very real and candid personal experience of the author that she writes about and I am sure it took some courage for her to bare her most embarrassing moments. I can’t imagine driving around somewhere looking for your estranged husband’s black Jeep and trying to find out where he was living and with whom. What really spoke to me was how her dog Huey never liked her husband. They say that animals are the best judges of character, so people definitely need to pay attention when a dog doesn’t like someone. It took a while for Jamie to realize the truth and the finality of her relationship with Ben, but I am glad that she finally did and was able to find a good counselor and move on with life.

Reviewed by Lori M for Readers' Favorite

Men and women can really mess up relationships, can’t they? Sometimes it is an inability to understand the opposite gender and sometimes it is unrealistic expectations. Whatever the cause, authors Roy and Nazira Barry answer the question about whether finding Mr. or Mrs. Right is possible or whether they are an endangered species, in their book of the same name. The Barrys are eminently qualified to discuss this subject both because they have advanced degrees in sociology and psychology and because they’ve been married to each other for 13 years. Before my husband and I married five years ago, we took a class on marriage that covered the topics similar to those in this book and I think that it has made us much more successful.

There is a wealth of information provided in “Mr./Mrs. Right: An Endangered Species?” including communication, “sex”pectations, spirituality, and stress. One line that jumps out from the book is this: “To attract the ‘right’ person, one must often begin with being the ‘right’ person.” The list on how to interpret nonverbal behavior is very useful when dealing with quiet people because their body language speaks volumes. I highly recommend this book to both new couples as well as those who have been together for a while as a relationship booster. Even though I read it all the way through, I want to go back again and take the quizzes that have been included in this book. The quizzes and exercises are a good means to assess a relationship. In the back of the book, there is also a list of internet sites that might be worth visiting for more information.

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

"How To Find The Right Man And Become His Center of Attention: Anyone can find a man . . . Let me show you how to keep him" by Debra Clifton Mitchell is a book all women should read BEFORE they marry. Most women want to marry and have a family so why is the divorce rate between 50 -60%? “A traditional family with a husband and wife with their natural children is now the exception instead of the rule.” Many married couples that are still together spend their time arguing.

Ms Mitchell points out that most young couples do not have role models; they have witnessed few if any healthy marriages. She offers several very wise suggestions for single women. “Not everyone is ready to be in a relationship.” Don’t jump in . . . exchange phone numbers and wait a week. During that week don’t set around waiting for him to call you. Go on with your life and interests. “A man cannot complete you.” If you expect a man to complete your life the relationship is doomed. A woman needs to look to her own well being. Love yourself, discover who you are and be that person. NEVER date a married man. Abuse comes in many forms and ladies, you do not have to live with it. “Ladies he is not your boo, he is your boo-boo. Cut your losses and get out.” Don’t have a child to attempt to strengthen the marriage. It won’t work and a child deserves a strong loving family.

This tiny book is filled with wonderful advice. It would make a great gift to a granddaughter or even a daughter. Debra Clifton Mitchell is a very wise woman. Her advice is invaluable. Ms Mitchell has been married for twenty three years. I’ll throw in a small piece of advice: Never take your relationship for granted. This book is well worth the price and time to read.