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Unexpected Interruptions
Trice Hickman is definitely ready to take the literary industry by storm. --Urban Reviews
Smart, sexy Victoria Small has come to the end of her year off--from men, that is. She's enjoyed her hiatus, the peace, quiet--and no unexpected interruptions. But now she's ready to have someone to come home to. And her timing is perfect, as not one, but two, handsome possibilities enter her life. . .
Ted, a powerful, blue-eyed CEO sends a thrill of excitement through her that shocks Victoria out of her comfort zone. Meanwhile, Parker, a talented surgeon, melts her defenses with his warmth and ebony good looks. The men are as different as can be--inside and out--but they have one thing in they both want Victoria. And as she struggles to decide what--and who--she really wants, Victoria will have to face her deepest fears, secrets, and desires--and decide if she's brave enough for true love, no matter what color it comes in. Her answer just may surprise everyone, including herself. . .
"Hickman hits all the high notes in this charming modern romance where love and loyalty trump race." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review
"Readers will love the heroine's integrity, love for her friends and desire to succeed using her wits instead of her body." -- Romantic Times
"I can't wait to see what Trice Hickman does next!" --Mary Monroe
Smart, sexy Victoria Small has come to the end of her year off--from men, that is. She's enjoyed her hiatus, the peace, quiet--and no unexpected interruptions. But now she's ready to have someone to come home to. And her timing is perfect, as not one, but two, handsome possibilities enter her life. . .
Ted, a powerful, blue-eyed CEO sends a thrill of excitement through her that shocks Victoria out of her comfort zone. Meanwhile, Parker, a talented surgeon, melts her defenses with his warmth and ebony good looks. The men are as different as can be--inside and out--but they have one thing in they both want Victoria. And as she struggles to decide what--and who--she really wants, Victoria will have to face her deepest fears, secrets, and desires--and decide if she's brave enough for true love, no matter what color it comes in. Her answer just may surprise everyone, including herself. . .
"Hickman hits all the high notes in this charming modern romance where love and loyalty trump race." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review
"Readers will love the heroine's integrity, love for her friends and desire to succeed using her wits instead of her body." -- Romantic Times
"I can't wait to see what Trice Hickman does next!" --Mary Monroe
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
53 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Trice Hickman
13 books184 followersPrior to writing, Trice Hickman's diverse professional career included work in both corporate and non-profit organizations. Currently, she is putting the finishing touches on her second novel, and a third book is already underway. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband. "
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 8, 2008
Victoria Small is a sophisticated, modern woman who wants a good man. Her last romance with her fiance ended horribly when she walked in on him being unfaithful. But until Mr. Right comes along, Victoria is content to work toward opening her own catering and party planning business.
Unbeknownst to her, her boss Ted Thornton has a thing for Victoria. He engineers it so that she is put on a big project with him at their company so they can spend time together. Victoria is very attracted to the handsome, charismatic Ted, but he is married (albeit unhappily) and her boss so he is automatically off limits. Sensing that his failure to take control of his increasingly unhappy personal life is costing him the possibility of a relationship with a woman like Victoria, Ted decides to put his house in order before pursuing Victoria in earnest.
In the meantime, Victoria meets Parker Brightman. The man of her dreams. He's single, handsome, and a Doctor. And although she is warned by friends that he is commitment phobic, they start to date and begin to fall in love.
As her relationship with Parker deepens, Victoria feels that her life should be great. She has everything she's asked for, a loving family, great friends and a fabulous man who loves her. Except, her relationship with Parker is fraught with problems --- her trust issues, his family, their different philosophies. And then there are her growing feelings for Ted.
In the end, Victoria must take long hard look at her assumptions of love and the type of man that really speaks to her heart.
I was a little bit wary of reading this book, even with the glowing reviews it has received on Amazon. I've bought books based on glowing reviews on Amazon and have been bitterly disappointed. There were several reasons for my wariness: 1) This is a first time author with a 2) small publisher. My experience with this one-two combo is that the writing tends to be rough and the editing horrible.
This was not the case with this book. The writing was brisk and polished and the editing was pretty darned tight (with one or two exceptions which I'll get to in a minute).
Hickman does a great job with this first novel. Like I said above, the writing is very polished with a great narrative flow. I really enjoyed the supporting characters, from Victoria's parents to her best friend Tyler to her very vocal secretary. I am a big proponent of secondary characters who are not just window dressing but who are fully three dimensional characterizations themselves.
Since Ted is white and Victoria and Parker are black, this story not only features a love triangle but a potential interracial love match as well. One thing that an author who writes IR romances must decide is how they plan to address the IR piece of it --- do they make it an issue or do they ignore it. I really like what Hickman did in her story. She made the issue lot more nuanced. She actually looks at race separately from skin color in a provocative way.
Victoria is very attracted to Ted but doesn't really consider him a viable mate because he's not only married and her boss but he's also white. And even after the married/boss thing goes away, she still puts him in the "off-limits" category because dating a white man just isn't anything she'd ever considered. There is also Parker. The perfect black man. Except, Parker and his family are all caught up in issues of color. They are the very pinnacle of the black bourgeoisie and are all very light complexioned. There is a subtle intra-racial racialism in her interactions with the Brightmans. And believe it or not, Victoria has bigger problems with skin color vis a vis her relationship with Parker than she does with race in her relationship with Ted.
Also Parker muddies the waters with her relationship with Ted. One is forced to ask the question, if Parker hadn't been there would Victoria had been forced to confront her feelings for Ted earlier than she did? As it was, Parker was the easier, more acceptable choice. He is the one that she is supposed to want. But is he the one that she really wants? Her relationship with Parker is very volatile and as the story progresses it begins to unravel with Parker doing his heroic best to keep it from going south. AS this is a romance novel, Victoria does eventually end up with one guy and gets married (i won't say which one). And to my mind, it was the correct choice, but not for the reasons I think the author wanted.
Therein lies my biggest dissatisfaction with the book. Toward the end, the author very neatly clears the way for one guy at the expense of the other. I thought it was a bit of a cop out. I wished Victoria would have been able to come to the realization of where her feelings truly lay without the big mis-step on the part of the ousted suitor. I think the book would have been stronger for it.
My only other quibble is that there were one or two spots where a good editor or copy editor could have caught some weird word choices that made no sense. And then there was the Unexpected Interruptions typesetting annoyance. Every time the phrase Unexpected Interruptions was used as a phrase in the course of the story (and it was used a few times) it was always in italics. It had the weirdest effect of making me want to give it a musical fan-fare "duhn-duhn DUHN!!!" every time I saw it. So bizarre. And not at all necessary. I know it was the title of the book, but really, italics?
But other than that, this was a really good read and well worth the little extra is cost for the trade size.
I recommend.
Unbeknownst to her, her boss Ted Thornton has a thing for Victoria. He engineers it so that she is put on a big project with him at their company so they can spend time together. Victoria is very attracted to the handsome, charismatic Ted, but he is married (albeit unhappily) and her boss so he is automatically off limits. Sensing that his failure to take control of his increasingly unhappy personal life is costing him the possibility of a relationship with a woman like Victoria, Ted decides to put his house in order before pursuing Victoria in earnest.
In the meantime, Victoria meets Parker Brightman. The man of her dreams. He's single, handsome, and a Doctor. And although she is warned by friends that he is commitment phobic, they start to date and begin to fall in love.
As her relationship with Parker deepens, Victoria feels that her life should be great. She has everything she's asked for, a loving family, great friends and a fabulous man who loves her. Except, her relationship with Parker is fraught with problems --- her trust issues, his family, their different philosophies. And then there are her growing feelings for Ted.
In the end, Victoria must take long hard look at her assumptions of love and the type of man that really speaks to her heart.
I was a little bit wary of reading this book, even with the glowing reviews it has received on Amazon. I've bought books based on glowing reviews on Amazon and have been bitterly disappointed. There were several reasons for my wariness: 1) This is a first time author with a 2) small publisher. My experience with this one-two combo is that the writing tends to be rough and the editing horrible.
This was not the case with this book. The writing was brisk and polished and the editing was pretty darned tight (with one or two exceptions which I'll get to in a minute).
Hickman does a great job with this first novel. Like I said above, the writing is very polished with a great narrative flow. I really enjoyed the supporting characters, from Victoria's parents to her best friend Tyler to her very vocal secretary. I am a big proponent of secondary characters who are not just window dressing but who are fully three dimensional characterizations themselves.
Since Ted is white and Victoria and Parker are black, this story not only features a love triangle but a potential interracial love match as well. One thing that an author who writes IR romances must decide is how they plan to address the IR piece of it --- do they make it an issue or do they ignore it. I really like what Hickman did in her story. She made the issue lot more nuanced. She actually looks at race separately from skin color in a provocative way.
Victoria is very attracted to Ted but doesn't really consider him a viable mate because he's not only married and her boss but he's also white. And even after the married/boss thing goes away, she still puts him in the "off-limits" category because dating a white man just isn't anything she'd ever considered. There is also Parker. The perfect black man. Except, Parker and his family are all caught up in issues of color. They are the very pinnacle of the black bourgeoisie and are all very light complexioned. There is a subtle intra-racial racialism in her interactions with the Brightmans. And believe it or not, Victoria has bigger problems with skin color vis a vis her relationship with Parker than she does with race in her relationship with Ted.
Also Parker muddies the waters with her relationship with Ted. One is forced to ask the question, if Parker hadn't been there would Victoria had been forced to confront her feelings for Ted earlier than she did? As it was, Parker was the easier, more acceptable choice. He is the one that she is supposed to want. But is he the one that she really wants? Her relationship with Parker is very volatile and as the story progresses it begins to unravel with Parker doing his heroic best to keep it from going south. AS this is a romance novel, Victoria does eventually end up with one guy and gets married (i won't say which one). And to my mind, it was the correct choice, but not for the reasons I think the author wanted.
Therein lies my biggest dissatisfaction with the book. Toward the end, the author very neatly clears the way for one guy at the expense of the other. I thought it was a bit of a cop out. I wished Victoria would have been able to come to the realization of where her feelings truly lay without the big mis-step on the part of the ousted suitor. I think the book would have been stronger for it.
My only other quibble is that there were one or two spots where a good editor or copy editor could have caught some weird word choices that made no sense. And then there was the Unexpected Interruptions typesetting annoyance. Every time the phrase Unexpected Interruptions was used as a phrase in the course of the story (and it was used a few times) it was always in italics. It had the weirdest effect of making me want to give it a musical fan-fare "duhn-duhn DUHN!!!" every time I saw it. So bizarre. And not at all necessary. I know it was the title of the book, but really, italics?
But other than that, this was a really good read and well worth the little extra is cost for the trade size.
I recommend.
August 27, 2020
Excellent Read!! Looking forward to reading the sequals.
February 15, 2008
It's hard to believe this was Ms Hickman's debut. She did a great job. This was one book that touched a lot of issues present in the AA community. It was nice to read a book that was able to touch on all these areas and still stay focused on Victoria. You must be careful for what you ask for because you will get just that. I am glad she went with her heart. Choosing Parker would have proven disastrous on down the line. Ted loved her for who she was and allowed her to be true to herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2012
I truly enjoyed this book. It was more than just a good romance, it also dealt with the prejudices within the African American community in general.
Victoria Small hasn't dated since a bad break up with her former boyfriend. Her friends want her to start dating again and she prays for GOD to send her a good man.
Ted Thornton is the new acting CEO of the company she works for and he finds himself attracted to Victoria when he first meets her. He has a couple of road blocks though. Ted has been in a loveless marriage for twenty years and he's white. He realizes that he needs to clean up the mess in his own life before he is truly free to pursue Victoria. He settles for being her friend in hopes that they will be more, once they get to know each other.
Parker Brightwood is a successful surgeon and a ladies man. He is every woman's ideal man and he just happens to be African American. He notices Victoria while on a date with another woman. As fate would have it he gets the opportunity to meet Victoria, when he sees her at a restaurant.
Victoria and Parker's relationship blossoms and they fall in love. The problem is that Victoria also realizes she is falling in love with Ted. She doesn't believe that she and Ted are anything more than friends, even though her friends try to convince her that Ted is crazy about her.
Victoria has always unconsciously had issues with the fact that she, although she is beautiful, is too dark. She questions Parker about the fact that he has never dated anyone as dark as she and he convinces her that her darkness is not an issue. Things are okay until she meets his family. His mother is blatantly rude, his brother is a real piece of work and his cousin Samantha was a welcome stress reliever.
Parker goes away for six month to Africa and while he is gone Victoria and Ted grow closer. Ted confesses his feelings for Victoria, but agrees not to pressure her. When Parker comes back, she intends to tell him the truth about her feelings for Ted, but they end up getting in to an argument. (Parker and Victoria argue a lot in this story.) Parker's ego is bruised, so he does something stupid. Of course, I saw it coming when they went to the Halloween Party. I thought Parker was a bit selfish and inconsiderate throughout the story.
Ted always tried to show interest and support in Victoria's goal of running her own event planning business. He even became involved with her friend's charity. Parker complained constantly about her business and couldn't find the time in his schedule to support her friend's charity. When the argument broke out at the Brightwood dinner table, Parker didn't recognize his mother's rude behavior. Ted had already talked to his mother about Victoria. He let his mother know he was in love with Victoria. Basically, he didn't give his mother a choice but to accept Victoria. When Ted's mother made the reference to "Colored" people, I understood her comment wasn't meant to be malicious. She was a victim of her era, but I liked the fact that Ted addressed it with Victoria. Parker may have been the obvious choice, but that didn't make him the better choice.
The message I got from this book is you don't really look for love, it finds you. The heart wants what the heart wants and the color of a person's skin or cultural background have nothing to do with it (Unconsciously). Consciously we allow theses things to dictate who we should love.
I definitely recommend this book and not because its a good romance. It will make you rethink some of your viewpoints.
Victoria Small hasn't dated since a bad break up with her former boyfriend. Her friends want her to start dating again and she prays for GOD to send her a good man.
Ted Thornton is the new acting CEO of the company she works for and he finds himself attracted to Victoria when he first meets her. He has a couple of road blocks though. Ted has been in a loveless marriage for twenty years and he's white. He realizes that he needs to clean up the mess in his own life before he is truly free to pursue Victoria. He settles for being her friend in hopes that they will be more, once they get to know each other.
Parker Brightwood is a successful surgeon and a ladies man. He is every woman's ideal man and he just happens to be African American. He notices Victoria while on a date with another woman. As fate would have it he gets the opportunity to meet Victoria, when he sees her at a restaurant.
Victoria and Parker's relationship blossoms and they fall in love. The problem is that Victoria also realizes she is falling in love with Ted. She doesn't believe that she and Ted are anything more than friends, even though her friends try to convince her that Ted is crazy about her.
Victoria has always unconsciously had issues with the fact that she, although she is beautiful, is too dark. She questions Parker about the fact that he has never dated anyone as dark as she and he convinces her that her darkness is not an issue. Things are okay until she meets his family. His mother is blatantly rude, his brother is a real piece of work and his cousin Samantha was a welcome stress reliever.
Parker goes away for six month to Africa and while he is gone Victoria and Ted grow closer. Ted confesses his feelings for Victoria, but agrees not to pressure her. When Parker comes back, she intends to tell him the truth about her feelings for Ted, but they end up getting in to an argument. (Parker and Victoria argue a lot in this story.) Parker's ego is bruised, so he does something stupid. Of course, I saw it coming when they went to the Halloween Party. I thought Parker was a bit selfish and inconsiderate throughout the story.
Ted always tried to show interest and support in Victoria's goal of running her own event planning business. He even became involved with her friend's charity. Parker complained constantly about her business and couldn't find the time in his schedule to support her friend's charity. When the argument broke out at the Brightwood dinner table, Parker didn't recognize his mother's rude behavior. Ted had already talked to his mother about Victoria. He let his mother know he was in love with Victoria. Basically, he didn't give his mother a choice but to accept Victoria. When Ted's mother made the reference to "Colored" people, I understood her comment wasn't meant to be malicious. She was a victim of her era, but I liked the fact that Ted addressed it with Victoria. Parker may have been the obvious choice, but that didn't make him the better choice.
The message I got from this book is you don't really look for love, it finds you. The heart wants what the heart wants and the color of a person's skin or cultural background have nothing to do with it (Unconsciously). Consciously we allow theses things to dictate who we should love.
I definitely recommend this book and not because its a good romance. It will make you rethink some of your viewpoints.
December 14, 2008
Ask and You Shall Receive
Victoria Small is a beautiful, confident, thirty-something-year-old female on the fast track to success. She's a Senior Director in HR, has her dream home, a loving family and wonderful friends. The icing on the cake would be the love of a good man. After a one-year man hiatus, Victoria is ready to get her feet wet again.
One night she lay in bed and said a prayer. "God, please send me a good man...please send him fast! Amen."
Another night she lay in bed and said a prayer. "Lord, if it's not too much to ask again, can you send me a good man...and send him fast?"
I guess both prayers were heard, literally, because Victoria quickly finds herself with not one, but two men vying for her affection.
Candidate number one...Parker Brightwood, aka Mr. Gorgeous, is a surgeon. He's just what Victoria asked for - kind, gentle, handsome, educated and knows how to treat a lady.
And then there's candidate number two...Ted Thornton is the very handsome (outrageously so) CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He's just what Victoria asked for - patient, understanding, respectful to others, honest and loves her despite her flaws.
Decision, decisions, decisions! What's a girl to do? How do you choose? Did I mention one of the eligible bachelors is white? Does it matter? Well, it may matter a little more than Victoria would like to think.
Trice Hickman's debut, "Unexpected Interruptions," is entertaining, engaging and enjoyable throughout. This novel not only deals with the drama, pains and joys of love, but also touches on dark underlying issues of race. Trice Hickman is a refreshing new voice and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Reviewed by: Toni
4.5 stars
Victoria Small is a beautiful, confident, thirty-something-year-old female on the fast track to success. She's a Senior Director in HR, has her dream home, a loving family and wonderful friends. The icing on the cake would be the love of a good man. After a one-year man hiatus, Victoria is ready to get her feet wet again.
One night she lay in bed and said a prayer. "God, please send me a good man...please send him fast! Amen."
Another night she lay in bed and said a prayer. "Lord, if it's not too much to ask again, can you send me a good man...and send him fast?"
I guess both prayers were heard, literally, because Victoria quickly finds herself with not one, but two men vying for her affection.
Candidate number one...Parker Brightwood, aka Mr. Gorgeous, is a surgeon. He's just what Victoria asked for - kind, gentle, handsome, educated and knows how to treat a lady.
And then there's candidate number two...Ted Thornton is the very handsome (outrageously so) CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He's just what Victoria asked for - patient, understanding, respectful to others, honest and loves her despite her flaws.
Decision, decisions, decisions! What's a girl to do? How do you choose? Did I mention one of the eligible bachelors is white? Does it matter? Well, it may matter a little more than Victoria would like to think.
Trice Hickman's debut, "Unexpected Interruptions," is entertaining, engaging and enjoyable throughout. This novel not only deals with the drama, pains and joys of love, but also touches on dark underlying issues of race. Trice Hickman is a refreshing new voice and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Reviewed by: Toni
4.5 stars
November 19, 2012
I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. Ted Thornton, who is white, was, in my opinion, a very likable character and his patience with Victoria went way beyond what a man in his situation would have tolerated. As a rich man, head of a large corporation, he seemed a bit wimpy with respect to how he handled his situation with Victoria and Parker, especially after he, too, had been burnt by a gold digging ex-wife. As for Victoria, she was everything the writer wanted, neurotic, quick tempered, suspicious and unforgiving but that comes from being scarred in relationships. The writer, at the end of the book, asked if it is truly possible to love two men at the same time. I say yes. But the question Victoria needed to answer was not whether she loved both, but if she was "in love" with one or the other. There is a difference. And in this case, that turned out to be ...
July 23, 2011
Fantastic read. Loved the romance on both sides and loved the outcome. The story really made me think, but entertained me as well with great characters, snappy dialgoue and solid description. I highly recommend for readers of contemporary fiction and romance.
July 12, 2008
I don't understand all the rave reviews for this book. It recieved amazing reviews on Amazon and on Goodreads as well. I was highly disappointed. It deserves 1 1/2 to 2 stars.
December 22, 2008
this book was awesome Victoria was a wonderful character
June 14, 2018
Refreshingly good
I'm always a little unsure about how I'll receive a book that deals with interracial dating (my husband and I are of difference races).
I liked the honesty of the main female character and the truth of her concerns. It's easy to say, just do you and live your happy, but we live in the world, everyone in it has their opinions, and whether you try to or not, we hear what they're saying. I'm glad this heroine found her happy, though I wonder what her choice would've been if Parker didn't make things so obvious.
I'm always a little unsure about how I'll receive a book that deals with interracial dating (my husband and I are of difference races).
I liked the honesty of the main female character and the truth of her concerns. It's easy to say, just do you and live your happy, but we live in the world, everyone in it has their opinions, and whether you try to or not, we hear what they're saying. I'm glad this heroine found her happy, though I wonder what her choice would've been if Parker didn't make things so obvious.
June 27, 2018
I enjoyed this debut novel immensely. This book was a roller-coaster of feelings and emotions. It touched on issues of race, color and fidelity that were skillfully handled. Victoria was torn between two men, one a white CEO, the other a successful black surgeon whose family was "color struck." I found myself rooting for each man at different times in the story. Very sensual and extremely well done.
July 10, 2017
This book was pleasantly surprising. I first had to get used to the writing style. Hickman changes point of view from one paragraph to the next. Once I got used to it, I couldn't put this book down. The characters were developed well, but I felt the book was fairly surface. Even with that, it was an enjoyable read.
May 18, 2020
Excellent read
This was the well written love triangle and her relationship with both men had some ups and downs. It just shows you that when you love someone you love all of them even the flaws.it just depends how you determine what is too much.
This was the well written love triangle and her relationship with both men had some ups and downs. It just shows you that when you love someone you love all of them even the flaws.it just depends how you determine what is too much.
August 5, 2021
As an avid reader of fiction romance I loved this book. This was a page turner. It makes you think critically about who you decide to love and why. Victoria went through it. I love the way Hickman writes and how she makes the reader feel all the things the characters are going through.
October 12, 2023
Good read all the way thru
Good plot and storyline. Definitely kept you interested. I kind of figured out the ending but you didn't find out until the very last sentence. I liked that.
Good plot and storyline. Definitely kept you interested. I kind of figured out the ending but you didn't find out until the very last sentence. I liked that.
April 2, 2025
Kept me wondering throughout
I didn't love the story but I was interested enough to stick around and see what happened. The racial parts were pretty heavy handed, but at least it was talked about. The end was sudden but it was an OK read overall.
I didn't love the story but I was interested enough to stick around and see what happened. The racial parts were pretty heavy handed, but at least it was talked about. The end was sudden but it was an OK read overall.
July 5, 2017
Good book it just took too long to get to the point. I feel like the story dragged for a long time but it finally picked up near the end.
May 17, 2020
Awesome ending to a drama filled book!! I was totally surprised at the ending!! Will definitely read more from this author.
December 28, 2020
Nice urban book that displays the love life of a successful black woman. Wonderful pace and very intriguing. Finished within a matter of days.
July 9, 2024
This book was suspenseful at times and it looks closely at race, class, skin color, trust, and relationship issues with family as well as love interests.
October 16, 2011
By now most serious readers know the name of Trice Hickman, author of Unexpected Interruptions. Knowing her, and knowing her ability to captivate you page after page may cause you to move your collection of novels and make room for all of her upcoming novels. If you're using a kindle.....this is an author's work that you'd want on your shelf.
It's not often that a book causes me to look at myself in a different light. You know, get into the characters, make their issues your own.......and put your twist and turns in before turning the page. Unexpected Interruptions touches the topic of interracial relationships; with the tag line be careful what you ask for...You just might get it. At the end of this 279 page ride, the relationship between Victoria Small, Ted Thornton and Parker Brightwood I found myself questioning could I? Could I date, fall in love and find myself in an emotional turmoil between a successful black male and a successful white male?
Victoria found herself torn, making excuses, denying reality and simply fighting the truth. This struggle as shown in this sophisticated writing demonstrates when emotions run wild.....there is no color barrier. As she puts up barriers, her see through reasons not to love Ted Thornton she finds her walls of support were weak while dating Parker Brightwood. I loved the author's humor, honesty and thought provoking conversations posed between the main characters. Victoria's teetering between two men, the views from her family and friends, and the jealousy of others gives the book life. Any woman who has dated outside of their race has been Victoria. Any woman who has fallen in love and carried pain is Victoria. Any woman who has been swept off her feet is Victoria.......and if love is often confusion between your libido, emotions, and common sense.....you could be Victoria. I was pleased to find that Trice painted love without a color line. Ted Thornton and Parker Brightwood were men, educated, employed and totally in love with Victoria Small. Love has no limits, no barriers, no color.........but in this novel love comes with Unexpected Interruptions.
Nanette M. Buchanan
Author
Visit Amazon for more books by the author, Trice Hickman
It's not often that a book causes me to look at myself in a different light. You know, get into the characters, make their issues your own.......and put your twist and turns in before turning the page. Unexpected Interruptions touches the topic of interracial relationships; with the tag line be careful what you ask for...You just might get it. At the end of this 279 page ride, the relationship between Victoria Small, Ted Thornton and Parker Brightwood I found myself questioning could I? Could I date, fall in love and find myself in an emotional turmoil between a successful black male and a successful white male?
Victoria found herself torn, making excuses, denying reality and simply fighting the truth. This struggle as shown in this sophisticated writing demonstrates when emotions run wild.....there is no color barrier. As she puts up barriers, her see through reasons not to love Ted Thornton she finds her walls of support were weak while dating Parker Brightwood. I loved the author's humor, honesty and thought provoking conversations posed between the main characters. Victoria's teetering between two men, the views from her family and friends, and the jealousy of others gives the book life. Any woman who has dated outside of their race has been Victoria. Any woman who has fallen in love and carried pain is Victoria. Any woman who has been swept off her feet is Victoria.......and if love is often confusion between your libido, emotions, and common sense.....you could be Victoria. I was pleased to find that Trice painted love without a color line. Ted Thornton and Parker Brightwood were men, educated, employed and totally in love with Victoria Small. Love has no limits, no barriers, no color.........but in this novel love comes with Unexpected Interruptions.
Nanette M. Buchanan
Author
Visit Amazon for more books by the author, Trice Hickman
November 21, 2024
This was an unexpectedly good read. This story is of a successful HR executive named Victoria who is finally getting over a terrible breakup and back into the dating scene. She is pro-black and doesn't believe in dating outside of her race. The CEO of the company , Ted has taken an interest in Victoria but takes things slowly as he is still a married man even though he and his wife have been separated for years. Victoria has an interesting interlude with a stranger at the Cheesecake Factory and he rules her dreams until she meets him at a library on a college campus. Parker turns out to be a notable surgeon and they hit it off so well. I had expectations that the black male in the book would be a dirtbag but he was a good guy and Victoria had difficult choices to make as Ted is working himself inside her heart but Parker is everything that she dreamed of. Who does she choose?
I like Victoria because she had grit. She was hard, yet soft. Lovable, yet annoying in her stubborness. She is a slew of contradictions which makes her a strong, yet complex character and I loved that! Every woman could see a bit if not all of herself in this character. Ted loves him some Victoria and he does what needs to be done to be with her and is just an all around gentleman, while Parker is confident and Victoria has changed him to make him a better partner. It was a very good storyline and didn't have contrived issues as the issues came naturally and wasn't settled in cookie cutter fashion. I was a little leery of the story when I read the introduction and I thought it was going to be overly religious but it was realistic in its portrayal of how most relationships are these days. Victoria is very decisive and makes her decision based upon the man that can protect her heart since it was devastated by her ex. I liked or I should say, really liked it from the star rating. :D
I like Victoria because she had grit. She was hard, yet soft. Lovable, yet annoying in her stubborness. She is a slew of contradictions which makes her a strong, yet complex character and I loved that! Every woman could see a bit if not all of herself in this character. Ted loves him some Victoria and he does what needs to be done to be with her and is just an all around gentleman, while Parker is confident and Victoria has changed him to make him a better partner. It was a very good storyline and didn't have contrived issues as the issues came naturally and wasn't settled in cookie cutter fashion. I was a little leery of the story when I read the introduction and I thought it was going to be overly religious but it was realistic in its portrayal of how most relationships are these days. Victoria is very decisive and makes her decision based upon the man that can protect her heart since it was devastated by her ex. I liked or I should say, really liked it from the star rating. :D
December 1, 2010
Victoria is described as a tall African American woman. She is the senior director at Via Tech. Her boss Ted seems like a really great guy and her friends thinks he wants her, but he is white. She has never dated a white man before. She is lonely and just wants a man.
Victoria went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory alone and sees "Mr. Gorgeous", but he isn't alone. Victoria falls and "Mr. Gorgeous" helps her and seems to have some interest in her. She hopes she gets to see him around again.
Victoria then goes to pray that god sends her a man and sends him fast, but she says it twice.
She ends up bumping into "Mr. Gorgeous" again and finds out he is a surgeon. His name is Parker. She has quite the decision to make. Does she hold on to Parker, the African American surgeon, or does she go for Ted who is also her boss and a white man?
What I liked about this book:
1. This is the second book that I have read by Trice Hickman and I love her writing!
2. Victoria just seemed like such a nice lady and deserves a great man.
3. I just felt so comfortable while reading this book like I really could picture the story unfolding.
4. This book was not at all slow or boring to me like books can sometimes get. I never found
myself drifting off at all while reading this book.
5. I received this book from the author, and she autographed it! (That in no way influences
my review). Trice just seems like such a sweet lady. She is my friend on Facebook and I
would really love to meet her in person some day!
What I didn't like:
There was nothing about this book that I didn't like. I liked every bit of it!
Victoria went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory alone and sees "Mr. Gorgeous", but he isn't alone. Victoria falls and "Mr. Gorgeous" helps her and seems to have some interest in her. She hopes she gets to see him around again.
Victoria then goes to pray that god sends her a man and sends him fast, but she says it twice.
She ends up bumping into "Mr. Gorgeous" again and finds out he is a surgeon. His name is Parker. She has quite the decision to make. Does she hold on to Parker, the African American surgeon, or does she go for Ted who is also her boss and a white man?
What I liked about this book:
1. This is the second book that I have read by Trice Hickman and I love her writing!
2. Victoria just seemed like such a nice lady and deserves a great man.
3. I just felt so comfortable while reading this book like I really could picture the story unfolding.
4. This book was not at all slow or boring to me like books can sometimes get. I never found
myself drifting off at all while reading this book.
5. I received this book from the author, and she autographed it! (That in no way influences
my review). Trice just seems like such a sweet lady. She is my friend on Facebook and I
would really love to meet her in person some day!
What I didn't like:
There was nothing about this book that I didn't like. I liked every bit of it!
October 8, 2015
Unexpected Interruptions is African-American chick-lit with a touch of erotica and mystery.
The narrative strongly emphasizes luxury and upscale brand names, approaching the point of overkill. I thought the erotic scenes were formulaic and rote, seemingly constructed from a spreadsheet of erogenous zones, orifices, and positions.
Author Trice Hickman’s dialogue is hit or miss. On one hand she writes a good representation of AAVE (African American Vernacular English) and you can almost “hear” the characters speaking. However at other times she has them speak in oddly stilted ways, uttering things people likely wouldn’t say out loud.
Hickman evidences a talent for penning relatively bizarre similes and metaphors, witness an example:
That said, I started reading Unexpected Interruptions expecting to dislike it. I’m not a fan of the chick-lit genre and am fairly new to this particular niche. But, by the end I found the novel had well exceeded my expectations. Hickman does a great job of maintaining a certain romantic suspense and resolving it without insulting the reader.
The narrative strongly emphasizes luxury and upscale brand names, approaching the point of overkill. I thought the erotic scenes were formulaic and rote, seemingly constructed from a spreadsheet of erogenous zones, orifices, and positions.
Author Trice Hickman’s dialogue is hit or miss. On one hand she writes a good representation of AAVE (African American Vernacular English) and you can almost “hear” the characters speaking. However at other times she has them speak in oddly stilted ways, uttering things people likely wouldn’t say out loud.
Hickman evidences a talent for penning relatively bizarre similes and metaphors, witness an example:
"...she could feel herself begin to dissolve and fizz like Alka-Seltzer in a glass of water"I also believe the story stumbles on the brief anti-abortion message. Though the stance may be important to the writer it doesn’t add anything to the plot--in my opinion.
That said, I started reading Unexpected Interruptions expecting to dislike it. I’m not a fan of the chick-lit genre and am fairly new to this particular niche. But, by the end I found the novel had well exceeded my expectations. Hickman does a great job of maintaining a certain romantic suspense and resolving it without insulting the reader.
June 4, 2013
This was my first Trice Hickman book and I'm glad I read it. I think this book was a little more realistic than a lot of interracial romances out there when it came to fears couples experience when they are from different ethnic backgrounds. At times, I wanted to yell "get over it!" to Victoria because she was so stuck on Ted being white, but she had valid reasons for her worries. I also enjoyed this book because in most love triangles, there is one man who is a complete jackass, so you immediately route for the other guy, but I went back and forth between Ted and Parker. They were both educated, handsome and just all around good guys who both loved Victoria. Parker had his moments where Victoria had to put him in his place, but he was still a good man until I wanted to choke him out in the end. At times I felt there was a little too much description when it came to clothing and other products the characters used. I also would have liked to see a little more interaction between Victoria and Ted because I felt the story basically revolved around Victoria and Parker. but this was a good book with relatable characters and very little typos, which is more than I can say for a lot of ebooks I encounter.
June 6, 2008
Unexpected Interruptions by Trice Hickman is a book that will definitely make you think twice about redefining the boundaries that some people set for themselves in the name of love.
I thought the relationship between Victoria and Ted was told wonderfully and thought Trice allowed the reader to see their relationship progress throughout the book.
I thought the beginning of the book read a little bit slow but definitely picked up during the middle and the end of the book. There were a few grammatical errors towards the middle and throughout the end of the book but didn't take away from the story. It would had also been nice to be able to hear more of Parker's side of his story instead of finding out things only through the interactions of Victoria and himself. Also the progression of the relationship between the two felt a little bit rushed.
Overall, I think Ms. Hickman is off to a great start in her journey to becoming a great author!
TaNisha Webb
KC Girlfriends Book Club President
KC Girlfriends Book Club Radio Show Host
I thought the relationship between Victoria and Ted was told wonderfully and thought Trice allowed the reader to see their relationship progress throughout the book.
I thought the beginning of the book read a little bit slow but definitely picked up during the middle and the end of the book. There were a few grammatical errors towards the middle and throughout the end of the book but didn't take away from the story. It would had also been nice to be able to hear more of Parker's side of his story instead of finding out things only through the interactions of Victoria and himself. Also the progression of the relationship between the two felt a little bit rushed.
Overall, I think Ms. Hickman is off to a great start in her journey to becoming a great author!
TaNisha Webb
KC Girlfriends Book Club President
KC Girlfriends Book Club Radio Show Host
March 16, 2012
Overall, this was pretty entertaining. I was a bit put off by the label whoring. No one could just wear a sundress or a watch. It had to be this name brand watch or that name brand dress or these name brand shoes. Good Lord. Was all that really necessary? I get it - they're rich! Also, if I saw one more person say "brothuh" or "listen, girlfriend," my eyes were going to roll so far back in my head that they got stuck. There were some really stupid excuses for silly behavior - why did it take Ted two decades to divorce his scheming wife? Why was Victoria - a seemingly bright woman in all other areas of her life - not able to see past the bullshit of all of the scheming men around her? Especially since she had so many good friends around her who were telling her she was an idiot from the get go. But then again, that's life. More often than not, we see what we want to see until we're forced to see the truth. All in all, I enjoyed it and I'd be tempted to pick up another Hickman novel. Or at the very least, the sequel to this one just to see where Victoria goes from here.
April 23, 2024
Spicy! Sassy! Suspenseful!
I was in the middle of KEEPING SECRETS & TELLING LIES, and just had too many questions. Then I realized it was book # 2. So I stopped reading and switched to this one. Now it makes sense!
Victoria has huge trust issues from Stephen, her ex-boyfriend's, betrayal.
Ted, her new CEO is super attracted to her, but Victoria is African-American and Ted is...not. Inter racial relationships are super complicated and difficult, on top of all the other racial crap black people have to deal with. So Victoria decides to avoid it.
Then she meets Parker, a super wealthy, super fine, African-American heart surgeon. But I just got the impression this wasn't love for Parker, but a power acquisition. And of course, it wasn't long before his arrogant a$$ blows it and Ted makes his move.
On to book # 2.
August 17, 2009
Unexpected Interruptions was an unexpected pleasure to read. As the cover suggests, it involves a love triangle between Victoria, Parker, and Ted. Parker is a successful black surgeon and Ted is a successful white CEO. Both men fall in love with Victoria for all the right reasons, the question becomes--who is the right man for Victoria? Decisions, decisions.
I read this book in two days and was very impressed with how well-written the story is. The author has a great voice and the story is compelling, funny (at times), and throught-provoking, particularly with regard to issues of race and skin color within the AA community.
I did notice a few grammatical errors throughout the middle and end of the story but, for me, it did not detract from the story. I think this is a noteworthy, entertaining debut work by Trice Hickman and I look forward to reading more.
I read this book in two days and was very impressed with how well-written the story is. The author has a great voice and the story is compelling, funny (at times), and throught-provoking, particularly with regard to issues of race and skin color within the AA community.
I did notice a few grammatical errors throughout the middle and end of the story but, for me, it did not detract from the story. I think this is a noteworthy, entertaining debut work by Trice Hickman and I look forward to reading more.
August 27, 2012
Great story touching on interracial dating as well as complexion discrimination within the Black community. Victoria must choose to first accept her feelings for two men & then choose between them. Ted is her boss temporarily while Parker seems like a dream come true. Tyler is Victoria's best friend who wont choose sides because as he puts it he's on her side. Will she choose with her heart or her head?
In some ways her choice is obvious and in other ways it seems like a dilemma. The supporting characters in this tale exist for a reason and aren't there just to fluff out the story. I appreciate that.
I could have possibly given this book 4 1/2 stars but felt like the author cheated a little bit by having one of Victoria's choices do the unforgivable which put him out of contention. Otherwise, this was a great read without lulls.
In some ways her choice is obvious and in other ways it seems like a dilemma. The supporting characters in this tale exist for a reason and aren't there just to fluff out the story. I appreciate that.
I could have possibly given this book 4 1/2 stars but felt like the author cheated a little bit by having one of Victoria's choices do the unforgivable which put him out of contention. Otherwise, this was a great read without lulls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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