Neva Hafta

by Edwardo Jackson

Or so Nick thinks. While friends are getting married all around him, Nick is enjoying the single life—that is, until he learns that his mother is dying and may not live to see the marriage of her only child.
On a plane ride back from a wedding, Nick decides that he wants to get married. Now. Under the pseudonym Anonymous, Nick starts to write a column for the San Diego Reader called “Marriage Minded,” in which he chronicles his hell-bent search for a woman he can propose to in only a year’s time.
Now Nick is out there—and on a mission. The best-kept secret in San Diego, Nick has a barrage of dates that range from the ridiculous to the sublime. Complicating matters, Malloy, Nick’s best friend, intrudes on his life, offering his unique comic take on things. Time starts to dwindle—as do Nick’s romantic prospects, his acting career, and his mother’s health—so he turns to some desperate measures, including exploring distant liaisons, old and new. As San Diego and eventually the nation become captivated by Anonymous’ weekly romantic escapades, Nick encounters a person from the past who could cure all his problems, if only he can overcome his pride and let her.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2002

About the author

Edwardo Jackson is a graduate of Morehouse College and has an MBA from the University of Phoenix. The winner of the 1993 NAACP ACTSO Silver Medal in Playwriting, he is an author, screenwriter, and actor, as well as a President of the entertainment promotional company JCM Entertainment, LLC and co-founder of JCM Books. His other works include Ever After (2001), Neva Hafta (2002), as well as the stories “And Then She Cried,” featured in the anthology Proverbs for the People (Kensington, 2003), “Broken Rules” in the anthology Intimacy (Penguin Plume, 2004), and "Postcards from Hell" in the Truth Be Told anthology (Montage, February 2006). Originally from Seattle, WA, Mr. Jackson resides in Atlanta, GA.

Reviews

[Shannan Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read about a guy trying to get married before his mother passes from cancer. I'm guessing the ending is the way it was because there should be another book after this one.

[Jansen Valenzuela · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is too unfocused. I am sure some guys will like this, but the amount of machismo and useless scenes and information is too overwhelming for me to truly enjoy this book. The author is also fond of introducing characters that would've been better if not introduced at all. There are also moments that are useless and would've suited if it was not included at all. The book is also dragging at some parts and the relationship between the guy and the (un)lucky girl is not fleshed out (for my taste).

The book also lacks deep characterization. Maybe that's why I don't like this book that much. It lacks a hook to truly immerse yourself into its fantasy.

To end my rant, this book reads like a harlequin series, only for men.

[Derreck Pressley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book; clever and funny.

[Malika · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just OK. There are some other authors that capture this genre better.