Hey, beloved! September 1st, I’ll be back with a contemporary romance that I am absolutely LOVING, and I hope you will love it too :) Here’s the synopsis and a look at the first chapter, told from Mekhi’s point of view.
Synopsis
Mekhi Kage is every woman’s dream man. He’s suave, alpha, handsome, and wealthy. Mekhi craves control, and he likes everything to go his way. As the founder of For The People multimedia company, Mekhi is determined to put out quality content for his African American culture. So when BaddieBookBabe, an infamously tough book reviewer, gives a one star review to Mekhi’s most popular and highest paid author, he is determined to get her to remove the review… or join his team.
Because it’s best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?
Jacintha Freeman, or the BaddieBookBabe as the literary industry knows her, is tough on books and even tougher on the authors that write them. She’s determined to make sure that Black people are portrayed in the brightest light and highest high in the books that are supposed to represent them. When she is recommended a book by Stone, a male author who stands for the complete opposite of what she believes in, Jacintha refuses to promote him as a noteworthy author – no matter how much Mekhi tries to get her to.
Because it’s best to stand firm on your values than fall for a handsome face, right?
When Mekhi offers Jacintha a job as his Top Critic, she is skeptical to accept, but does so with the intent of making the industry she loves better. As time progresses, enemies become lovers who turn to enemies and lovers all over again. Promises are made, secrets are kept, and reputations are destroyed. It comes as no surprise to anyone when their professional relationship turns personal, but will their love be able to stand when it wasn’t meant for each other to begin with?
Sneak Peek
For the people, or for the pocket?
August 29, 2019 – 7 P.M.
BaddieBookBabe
Sigh. I counted how many times I picked this book up and put it back down. Would you like to know how many? Seventeen. Seventeen times. I started and stopped this book, over the course of one week, seventeen times. Y’all. It was that bad.
“Trapping A Trap God” by Stone has literally become the most horrible book I’ve ever read. Admittedly, Stone’s writing isn’t that bad. He’s actually a really good writer. The way he structures his thoughts is genius. I love the way he writes in almost poetic from. The structure and flow of his books are the only thing that make for smooth reading.
So why was it so hard for me to get through the book?
First, the character development lacked depth. While Stone went to great measures to show the quirks of his characters and a few of the things that made them unique, I didn’t really get a feel for them on a personal level. Their backstories weren’t shared, so it was hard to understand why they were the way they were. I had no earthly idea who the main female character was – even her age and last name, and we didn’t even get a description of what they looked like!
The entire time I was reading I kept wondering who the hell these people really were, and because of that disconnect, it was hard for me to relate to them. To root for them. To want them to get to their HEA.
Second, there was a lot of unnecessary drama and stereotypes. Things that didn’t even have to do with the actual plot seemed to be dropped in just for the sake of this book being considered a “page turner.” This was the order of Stone’s chapters – plot play, sex scene, unnecessary drama. This was literally the outline of the entire book. By the time it ended, I counted the chapters that actually had depth and were relevant to the plot, and there were only seven of them, fam. Seven! This was a novella, at best, not a twenty-one-chapter, 81,000-word street lit romance.
Third, the idea that this was street lit romance JUST because it had a man, woman, and several sex scenes. There was no real connection shown between the main characters other than their physical connection, and obviously that didn’t matter to Andre, the main male, because he cheated three freaking times!
To Stone’s credit, the plot and story flow could have been a damn good classic, street lit novel if the unnecessary drama and excessive sex scenes were taken out. Unless this was supposed to be an erotica, then cool.
And the fourth and most important reason this book doesn’t even deserve the ONE count them ONE star I am giving it is because Stone’s main characters perpetuated everything that is wrong with the urban/street lit genre today! Andre was a womanizing manipulator who basically disrespected and dogged ShaVonda out the entire novel, just for him to have a change of heart in the third to last chapter of the book. Seriously? Third to last? He’s been treating this girl like crap for 97% of the book, and he finally sees her worth after all the crap he’s put her through, and boom! He gets it together?
Of course, ShaVonda forgives him yet again and takes him back, even though he has two outside babies on the way. Stone made ShaVonda weak and spineless in an attempt to make her a rider. A down ass bitch.
Chile.
I just… no. I’m not entirely sure if the founder actually knows his mission and how completely opposite of it Stone’s books are. How detrimental they are. Maybe he knows and doesn’t care. Maybe FTP isn’t for the people… it’s for the founder’s pockets. Granted, Stone has the potential to be an amazing author, if he keeps on putting out toxic and problematic content like this, I will not only put him on my do not read list… but the entire roster of authors over at For The People as well.
Catch you on the next page,
© BBB ©
Mekhi slammed his laptop shut and had to keep from shoving it off his desk as he groaned lowly. He snatched the phone off the receiver and dialed one for his assistant. Camille answered in half a ring, and she agreed just as quickly when Mekhi muttered, “Get me Karin – now.” After slamming the phone down, he scrubbed his hand across his face as he inhaled a deep breath. This was not the kind of review Mekhi wanted to start his day with.
BaddieBookBabe, or Triple B as they called her around For The People, had a monumental following of readers and supporters. She had the ability to make or break a book’s success if she reviewed it. While “Trapping A Trap God” was three months old, her negative review of it could potentially cause support of Stone’s next release to plummet.
A pinched, tension filled expression covered Mekhi’s face. He would need to have her review taken down. Soon. With over nineteen thousand followers on her blog, if even ten percent of them saw that review… Stone would be screwed. Mekhi’s head began to spin at the sound of Karin’s signature knock.
“In,” he ordered, sitting back in his seat. His arms crossed over his chest as Karin closed the door behind her and timidly stepped inside.
There were two chairs across from Mekhi’s at his cherry wood desk. Karin chose to sit in the one that was on the right. Her eyes looked up, above his head, to the family picture that hung behind his desk.
“Have you read Triple B’s review for Trapping?” Mekhi asked, not having the energy to beat around the bush.
Karin lowered her eyes and met his. She gave him one soft nod as she cupped her hands in her lap.
“Yes. I read it before heading to work.”
“You didn’t think to tell me she’d posted it?”
“Well, I knew you would be upset, and I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news.”
Mekhi chuckled as he caressed his beard. He searched her eyes for seconds on end before sitting up in his seat and crossing his arms on top of his desk. “You’re the Top Critic for the literary division of For The People. If anyone gives any of our books a negative review, it should be you. That’s literally what I pay you for, Karin. To read books and give me an analysis on what’s good and what’s bad. What’s solid and what needs to be changed. What readers will love and what they will hate. How it flows and needs to be restructured. None of the things she mentioned on her blog stood out to you when you were reading Trapping?”
Karin sat further in her seat as she nibbled on her bottom lip. “Yes, but I didn’t think it would be perceived as negative things. Stone gave what the urban genre buys.”
“All money is not good money. I would rather Stone’s books be realistic, relatable, gritty, and good than…” Mekhi’s head shook. The words were stuck deep within his throat. He wouldn’t dare say that the books were bad out loud. Lifting his hands in surrender, Mekhi pulled his laptop back to him and opened it. “If you can’t do your job, I will find someone who can do it for you. Dismissed.”
Karin stood quickly, not even bothering to say anything else. It wouldn’t have mattered if she did anyway. When Mekhi was done with a conversation… the conversation was done.
As Karin closed the door behind her, Mekhi opened his current work in progress. It was set to release in two months, and Mekhi was sure that it would be the book that got him his first New York Times Bestseller accolade. When he chose to use a pen name for his career as an author, it was because he never wanted his role as founder of For The People to generate fake love and support. If his books did well, Mekhi wanted it to be because of his writing, not because of the influence and fame that came because of his multimedia company – thus Stone was born.
He’d been writing in recluse for the past five years, even though he’d been writing ever since he was thirteen. There were a few people here and there who complained about the way he told his stories behind the façade of Stone, but none of them hated it as much as BaddieBookBabe did. It never failed – every time one of her followers asked her to review one of his books, she would always give them two or less stars. Only once had Mekhi been able to snag a three star review out of her, and that was closer to the start of his career. He hadn’t gotten as bold and raw with his voice yet, and that was probably why it was easier for her to stomach.
This book was supposed to be the one that took his writing career to the next level, and now, he was doubting every word of it. But Mekhi had never been one to quit, especially when it was something he really wanted. That spot on the New York Times Bestseller list would be his, organically, and now… Triple B’s approval was on his goal list too. First, he’d need to figure out how to please her, because he was sure at this point that her beef with him was personal.
The books that he’d written in the past didn’t have the same complaints as “Trapping A Trap God” did, and she reviewed them negatively just as well. Was it simply Stone that she couldn’t stand? Would his name on a book always warrant a low review from her? Mekhi wasn’t sure… but he would damn sure find out.
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Oooh Chile! I cannot wait for you to read this story! Drop me a comment if you’re ready for more!