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Love Is Never Painless
Love Is Never Painless
Truer words have never been spoken. This heart-wrenching collection of novellas brings that statement to life in three unique ways, penned by three of the generation's most prolific authors.
In Eileen M. Johnson's "How the Other Half Lives," Jamellah and Fernecia have been friends since forever. Having escaped the poverty of their youth together, they both had made their mark in society. However, men problems threaten to make them literally fall apart. Fernecia is married to a man who was raised to think he is better than everyone -- even his own wife. Jamellah has always used men to get ahead but eventually everything catches up to her. The two friends must ultimately count on each other in a world of havoc and distrust.
In V. Anthony Rivers's "Love Is 2 Blame," Malcolm is devastated after a two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends. He finds it difficult to function because he cannot comprehend why she would want to end such a perfect situation. He was everything she had asked for; he treated her with respect and showered her with love. Yet love was not enough. Trying to move on to someone new will not be as easy as it used to be, but will the lovely Zahara show Malcolm what true love is all about?
In Zane's "Staring Evil in the Face," Robier has everything a man could ever wish a stable and rewarding career, two beautiful children, an elegant home, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows until . . . Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives.
From nervous breakdowns to drug addiction, Love Is Never Painless explores the deeper side of love; the side rarely explored in romance novels. Zane, Johnson, and Rivers have penned a powerful collection of novellas that will not only have readers talking but also examining their own relationships with a new perspective.
Truer words have never been spoken. This heart-wrenching collection of novellas brings that statement to life in three unique ways, penned by three of the generation's most prolific authors.
In Eileen M. Johnson's "How the Other Half Lives," Jamellah and Fernecia have been friends since forever. Having escaped the poverty of their youth together, they both had made their mark in society. However, men problems threaten to make them literally fall apart. Fernecia is married to a man who was raised to think he is better than everyone -- even his own wife. Jamellah has always used men to get ahead but eventually everything catches up to her. The two friends must ultimately count on each other in a world of havoc and distrust.
In V. Anthony Rivers's "Love Is 2 Blame," Malcolm is devastated after a two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends. He finds it difficult to function because he cannot comprehend why she would want to end such a perfect situation. He was everything she had asked for; he treated her with respect and showered her with love. Yet love was not enough. Trying to move on to someone new will not be as easy as it used to be, but will the lovely Zahara show Malcolm what true love is all about?
In Zane's "Staring Evil in the Face," Robier has everything a man could ever wish a stable and rewarding career, two beautiful children, an elegant home, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows until . . . Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives.
From nervous breakdowns to drug addiction, Love Is Never Painless explores the deeper side of love; the side rarely explored in romance novels. Zane, Johnson, and Rivers have penned a powerful collection of novellas that will not only have readers talking but also examining their own relationships with a new perspective.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2006
98 people are currently reading
3802 people want to read
About the author
Zane
89 books3,740 followersZane is the New York Times bestselling author of Afterburn, The Heat Seekers, Dear G-Spot, Gettin’ Buck Wild, The Hot Box, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Nervous, Skyscraper, Love is Never Painless, Shame on It All, and The Sisters of APF; the ebook short stories “I’ll be Home for Christmas” and “Everything Fades Away”; and editor for the Flava anthology series, including Z-Rated and Busy Bodies. Her TV series, Zane’s Sex Chronicles, and The Jump Off are featured on Cinemax, and her bestselling novel Addicted is a major motion picture with Lionsgate Films. She is the publisher of Strebor Books, an imprint of Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. Visit her online at EroticaNoir.com. - See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Z...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
September 22, 2017
The book was alright, but I only liked the last story. The other two stories did nothing for me.
July 26, 2019
This was worth me reading. What a nice trilogy and each of the stories packed a punch. The one story that stood out for me dealt with a family dealing with a love one getting on drugs. I love how they explored how everyday people. Sometimes through no fault of their own, end up in bad, horrible situations. I asked myself. What would I do if my husband had a bad accident and became addicted to drugs. Could I be strong enough, like the character in the story. Keep trying to get him help, or would I just walk away?
August 31, 2025
How The Other Half Lives - I genuinely give this part of the book a 1/5. Holy shit. I was trying to nice and look at its more redeeming qualities and I literally could not. The writing is just awful, just awful. There is no build up to the random events that take place, like what do you mean Fern randomly has a psychotic break and tries to kill herself when there was NO BUILDUP to that. Abortion -> nightmare -> suicide? Like damn we could've at least seen some of how the depression was impacting her. And the way O'Kelly randomly decided to hit Jamellah was just weird. But that I can look past. ANOTHER weird storyline related aspect was how easy it was for Fern to leave the mental hospital? Like this author did absolutely no research on how mental hospitals work, or even how the police works because what do you mean Jamellah was booked and bailed within the same what, 3 hours? Please. So rushed. I also didn't like how the black characters were using black as an insult? "You black bitch, you n*gger" like..... first of all in what world are black people using the n word with a hard R so regularly? Is this author even black? Seriously the only well written parts of this book were the smutty parts, and even those were very mid-low tier scenes. I hated it honestly if I could give it a zero I would. This author should never write again.
Love is 2 Blame - I mean I guess it was better than the last one? Well no, it WAS better than the last one, but only slightly. The characters were written better but don't get me wrong, they weren't written well lol. Malcom is dumb, Shaylissa is dumb, Zahara is dumb, everyone is dumb except MAYBE Cindy and Jamal (who are cute, despite not having many interactions on page), who may simply just be daft. The story was also poorly written, but it didn't feel as rushed as the last one did so I'll give it that. I liked that they're were chapters so the dual point of views weren't confusing (unlike the first story). I also wasn't too bothered by the way the relationships came together, like with Malcom and Zahara were coming together and everything, you could tell Malcom was still battling his feelings for Shaylissa, but was still easing into Zahara, which was nice! Shaylissa was a bitch for trying to get Malcom back after how bad she treated him and how good he treated her (especially since she only tried after finding out he was moving on, fuck her, least fav character), and I LOVED how at the end he realized that letter was just her attempting at manipulating him into ruining him again. But overallllll maybe a 2/5? 2.5/ 5 if I'm being nice.
Staring Evil in the Face - honestly, why is this short story even in the same book as the others? If this was a full length book I would read it. The characters felt REAL, like actual people who had real goals (despite some being more sad than the others). I liked how we started the story towards the end of the timeline and the filling in about past events was the main storyline. Seeing Robier slowly realize his wife has no hope yet watching him CLING to her as if she could be saved? While SIMULTANEOUSLY watching Tiphanie feel helpless as drugs take over her life? Like the way she absolutely refused to give up her body for drugs in the start, no matter what, then her doing it repeatedly as if it was nothing encapsulates how I think a drug addiction would work. AND THE FACT THAT SHE NEVER MANAGES TO SAVE HERSELF JUST ADDS TO THE COMPLEXITY OF HER CHARACTER BECAUSE THE SMALLEST PART OF HER BELIEVED THAT SHE COULD, ugh I can’t, it was genuinely written so well. No part of the story felt rushed or out of place, every character had a purpose, and the ending made sense. As my creative writing professor would say, this “worked” for me and I believe it contains both truth and beauty. I would rate it a 5/5, which (unfairly) will bring up the overall rating of this book, despite the other two stories being ASS.
Book rating: 2/5 (average was actually 1.7, guess that last story didn’t do as much as I thought it would)
Love is 2 Blame - I mean I guess it was better than the last one? Well no, it WAS better than the last one, but only slightly. The characters were written better but don't get me wrong, they weren't written well lol. Malcom is dumb, Shaylissa is dumb, Zahara is dumb, everyone is dumb except MAYBE Cindy and Jamal (who are cute, despite not having many interactions on page), who may simply just be daft. The story was also poorly written, but it didn't feel as rushed as the last one did so I'll give it that. I liked that they're were chapters so the dual point of views weren't confusing (unlike the first story). I also wasn't too bothered by the way the relationships came together, like with Malcom and Zahara were coming together and everything, you could tell Malcom was still battling his feelings for Shaylissa, but was still easing into Zahara, which was nice! Shaylissa was a bitch for trying to get Malcom back after how bad she treated him and how good he treated her (especially since she only tried after finding out he was moving on, fuck her, least fav character), and I LOVED how at the end he realized that letter was just her attempting at manipulating him into ruining him again. But overallllll maybe a 2/5? 2.5/ 5 if I'm being nice.
Staring Evil in the Face - honestly, why is this short story even in the same book as the others? If this was a full length book I would read it. The characters felt REAL, like actual people who had real goals (despite some being more sad than the others). I liked how we started the story towards the end of the timeline and the filling in about past events was the main storyline. Seeing Robier slowly realize his wife has no hope yet watching him CLING to her as if she could be saved? While SIMULTANEOUSLY watching Tiphanie feel helpless as drugs take over her life? Like the way she absolutely refused to give up her body for drugs in the start, no matter what, then her doing it repeatedly as if it was nothing encapsulates how I think a drug addiction would work. AND THE FACT THAT SHE NEVER MANAGES TO SAVE HERSELF JUST ADDS TO THE COMPLEXITY OF HER CHARACTER BECAUSE THE SMALLEST PART OF HER BELIEVED THAT SHE COULD, ugh I can’t, it was genuinely written so well. No part of the story felt rushed or out of place, every character had a purpose, and the ending made sense. As my creative writing professor would say, this “worked” for me and I believe it contains both truth and beauty. I would rate it a 5/5, which (unfairly) will bring up the overall rating of this book, despite the other two stories being ASS.
Book rating: 2/5 (average was actually 1.7, guess that last story didn’t do as much as I thought it would)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2024
Favorite Quote: “It is better to love and have lost than to never have loved at all.”
With any Zane book I know I’m in for a good ride and with her collection series I’m not disappointed.
Starting with “How The Other Half Lives,” Jamellah is a prime example of using. What you’ve got to get what you want and it’s benefiting her greatly…until it doesn’t. Then there is her friend Fernecia who is married pregnant and determined to forget where she came from…well when it benefits her and her husband is a rude piece of work. However we find that she doesn’t feel adequate to his upbringing and won’t let him in, which makes him into the asshole we see, but that doesn’t let him off that easy because he likes his nose down on those from the ghetto and feels like he made her. Both friends are well thought out characters and could have a book dedicated to each one of their stories.
“Love Is 2 Blame” kind of slows the collection down for me. Not truly invested in Malcolm and Shaylisa’s lives and when he starts his relationship with Zahara I’m even more turned off. Their relationship seems to come out of nowhere and she comes off a little creepy to me.
“Staring Evil in the Face” focuses on a marriage affected by drug addiction. Beautifully written and could have been a full book on its on but I expect nothing less from Zane.
With any Zane book I know I’m in for a good ride and with her collection series I’m not disappointed.
Starting with “How The Other Half Lives,” Jamellah is a prime example of using. What you’ve got to get what you want and it’s benefiting her greatly…until it doesn’t. Then there is her friend Fernecia who is married pregnant and determined to forget where she came from…well when it benefits her and her husband is a rude piece of work. However we find that she doesn’t feel adequate to his upbringing and won’t let him in, which makes him into the asshole we see, but that doesn’t let him off that easy because he likes his nose down on those from the ghetto and feels like he made her. Both friends are well thought out characters and could have a book dedicated to each one of their stories.
“Love Is 2 Blame” kind of slows the collection down for me. Not truly invested in Malcolm and Shaylisa’s lives and when he starts his relationship with Zahara I’m even more turned off. Their relationship seems to come out of nowhere and she comes off a little creepy to me.
“Staring Evil in the Face” focuses on a marriage affected by drug addiction. Beautifully written and could have been a full book on its on but I expect nothing less from Zane.
October 6, 2018
The final book by Zane was the one that really stood out the most. It was painfully real and I was really rooting for Tiphanie and Robier. However, I began to see that it wasn't in the cards for them. Sometimes in life even after we have done everything we possible could have it doesn't matter anymore and we have to let go. Their story is one that will stick with me because addiction is so very real and destroys so many lives. The other 2 stories were okay as well and worth checking out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2021
I actually was going to DNF this one with one hundred pages to go....decided to finish it anyway.
The first story felt like it jumped around so much and it all the bad stuff happened out of nowhere, how we got to a man raping his wife I have no idea.
The second story was slightly better but not by much.
I liked Zane's story but again it felt rushed. I wish that one was a full length novel because it was the most interesting.
The first story felt like it jumped around so much and it all the bad stuff happened out of nowhere, how we got to a man raping his wife I have no idea.
The second story was slightly better but not by much.
I liked Zane's story but again it felt rushed. I wish that one was a full length novel because it was the most interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2024
Tear Jerker
This book was recommended by someone special to me. The strings this book pulled from me I didn’t even know were still triggers! Each story was amazing! Highly recommend 10/10!
This book was recommended by someone special to me. The strings this book pulled from me I didn’t even know were still triggers! Each story was amazing! Highly recommend 10/10!
May 26, 2025
I liked all the stories especially the last 2. Zane’s story reminded me of crack addicts you may see outside as you travel and wonder what their stories are and how did they end up in that situation. But I really enjoyed the book. It was easy breezy and real
July 5, 2017
i really enjoyed this book the first story had a very surprising ending ...
October 3, 2017
The really enjoyed the last story!!
July 26, 2022
True to life itself
October 1, 2024
3.25 ⭐️
I read this book several years ago. I only remembered the last story and it is still the BEST story out of the three.
I read this book several years ago. I only remembered the last story and it is still the BEST story out of the three.
August 21, 2015
Don't know why this took me so dang long to read ., the first two short stories weren't all that good . The last one by Zane had me gone omfggg!
Fern & jamellah are best friends who went to college together and they come from the ghetto together and everything. Fern has a relationship w/ Fernando things go south and she ends up in a crazy home with only jamellah being able to save her.
Jamellah on the other hand Is very whorish .. She basically got to where she is at now because of her pussy ... She fucked her way to the top .. And after getting played time after time after time she decides to settle down and that doesn't go to well.... And that puts her in a position to where fern needed to rescue her ... In the end they got each other back and that's all that matters .
Then there was Malcolm . Malcolm Is in his feelings & heartbroken after his 2 year break up .. He ends up meeting another female & learns to love and trust again. But when his ex try's to come back in his life he has to realize what he really wants and what he doesn't want .
Last but not least. Robier. Zane did the damn thing on this short story I can say that.
Robier is the father to his kids & husband to his wife tiphanie. After she gets in an car accident everything goes does hill and she starts getting addicted to prescription drugs .. But it only gets worse from there .. She graduates on to crack/ cocaine and the shit only gets worse from there .. No matter how much robier wanted to save she didn't want to save herself the drugs meant more to her then her family .. And robier realized he had to move on ..
The ending of this story made me straight ball out crying . Tiphanie literally self destructed as you read on and on in the book .
I love Zane's short story and will definitely be looking forwarding to reading some more by this author !
Fern & jamellah are best friends who went to college together and they come from the ghetto together and everything. Fern has a relationship w/ Fernando things go south and she ends up in a crazy home with only jamellah being able to save her.
Jamellah on the other hand Is very whorish .. She basically got to where she is at now because of her pussy ... She fucked her way to the top .. And after getting played time after time after time she decides to settle down and that doesn't go to well.... And that puts her in a position to where fern needed to rescue her ... In the end they got each other back and that's all that matters .
Then there was Malcolm . Malcolm Is in his feelings & heartbroken after his 2 year break up .. He ends up meeting another female & learns to love and trust again. But when his ex try's to come back in his life he has to realize what he really wants and what he doesn't want .
Last but not least. Robier. Zane did the damn thing on this short story I can say that.
Robier is the father to his kids & husband to his wife tiphanie. After she gets in an car accident everything goes does hill and she starts getting addicted to prescription drugs .. But it only gets worse from there .. She graduates on to crack/ cocaine and the shit only gets worse from there .. No matter how much robier wanted to save she didn't want to save herself the drugs meant more to her then her family .. And robier realized he had to move on ..
The ending of this story made me straight ball out crying . Tiphanie literally self destructed as you read on and on in the book .
I love Zane's short story and will definitely be looking forwarding to reading some more by this author !
Currently reading
October 19, 2010WEEKLY PROGRESS: I just started this book saturday night and so far i am on page 29.
TIME: This week i read twice, once on saturday and once on sunday.
GOAL-SETTING: By the end of this week i expect to accomplish reading atleast up to page 100.
META-COGNITIVE REFLECTION: I am totally enjoying my book so far, it started off with a good hook that drew me in and helped me move foward into the reading. I am a very active reader and I read very fast, so i expect to be done with this book in no time, however i would like to take some time and slowly read this book because i feel like it has great personal messages that we could all learn from.
When i read, i usually read in the comfort of my bedroom or on the bus when i am on my way to tutoring, mostly i read whenever i have time. the biggest distractions are when other people are talking to me while i am in th emiddle of reading- i hate that. when i am reading i like to be alone so i can take in everything that is going on without an ounce of distracitions.
As i read, i am aslways asking questions about the scene taking place or the people around during a specific time in the reading. a lot of suspicious things go on so you have to be aware and never rule anyone out cause the person you least expect will be who everyone is looking for.
TIME: This week i read twice, once on saturday and once on sunday.
GOAL-SETTING: By the end of this week i expect to accomplish reading atleast up to page 100.
META-COGNITIVE REFLECTION: I am totally enjoying my book so far, it started off with a good hook that drew me in and helped me move foward into the reading. I am a very active reader and I read very fast, so i expect to be done with this book in no time, however i would like to take some time and slowly read this book because i feel like it has great personal messages that we could all learn from.
When i read, i usually read in the comfort of my bedroom or on the bus when i am on my way to tutoring, mostly i read whenever i have time. the biggest distractions are when other people are talking to me while i am in th emiddle of reading- i hate that. when i am reading i like to be alone so i can take in everything that is going on without an ounce of distracitions.
As i read, i am aslways asking questions about the scene taking place or the people around during a specific time in the reading. a lot of suspicious things go on so you have to be aware and never rule anyone out cause the person you least expect will be who everyone is looking for.
November 8, 2011
(FROM JACKET)
"How The Other Half Lives"-Eileen M. Johnson: Entangled in violent relationships their men, longtime friends Jamellah and Fernecia must rely on each other as the world around them crumbles.
"Love Is 2 Blame"-V. Anthony Rivers: Malcolm is devastated when his girlfriend of two years cheats on him-until beautiful and patient Zahara shows him what true love really feels like.
"Staring Evil In The Face"-Zane: Robier has everything a man could want-a successful career, beautiful children and the woman of his dreams-but after his wife is involved in a terrible car accident, the entire course of his life is in question...including his marriage vows.
"How The Other Half Lives"-Eileen M. Johnson: Entangled in violent relationships their men, longtime friends Jamellah and Fernecia must rely on each other as the world around them crumbles.
"Love Is 2 Blame"-V. Anthony Rivers: Malcolm is devastated when his girlfriend of two years cheats on him-until beautiful and patient Zahara shows him what true love really feels like.
"Staring Evil In The Face"-Zane: Robier has everything a man could want-a successful career, beautiful children and the woman of his dreams-but after his wife is involved in a terrible car accident, the entire course of his life is in question...including his marriage vows.
July 16, 2012
I finished this book a few weeks ago, actually, if not a little longer...overall, I enjoyed the anthology. It took me a little while to actually get through the book, which for me means that it took a while for me to get into. Some of the stories grabbed me more than others, but I could relate to some aspect in each of them.
Would I read this book again? Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe I would get more out of it the second time around, perhaps something I missed during the first read. In the meantime, though, it's going to go into the box with my other completed books and I'll look forward to the next thing Ms. Zane puts out.
Would I read this book again? Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe I would get more out of it the second time around, perhaps something I missed during the first read. In the meantime, though, it's going to go into the box with my other completed books and I'll look forward to the next thing Ms. Zane puts out.
January 22, 2014
this is a book of short stories and novellas. The stories all have a theme of true love and self discovery. The stories are more than the erotic scenes that are present in them. So the book is hot and it is also eye opening. The characters are well developed and they are down to earth and always learning a lesson about themselves. Zane has done it again and I am still a fan. It takes a lot to not only write a book with others and include very spicy scenes, and yet cover many themes, such as abuse, abortion, and the love of self.
August 21, 2017
What I loved most about Zane's 'Love Is Never Painless ' is that it was an out of the ordinary tale about love and just how painful AND painless love should (by many standards) and should not be. This was a great read for me as it gave me some material to ponder. I also enjoyed the fact that the novella introduced me to other authors that I have since became a fan of after reading this book. Zane is an author that doesn't disappoint.
October 22, 2007
I was somewhat dissapointed with this book. With the first novella, I felt the author was inexperienced with writing short stories and tried to hurry to end it, which made it ver abrupt. The second story was pretty boring to me. I just couldn't get into it. Of course, the third story by Zane was the best. I found myself empathizing with both main characters and wanting to see what the outcome of the situation would be. But overall, this book was just ok.
Read
May 24, 2010Just because one story in a book of three novellas is bad is no reason to give up on them entirely, right?
Except that whoever edited this book together picked all three. And if his taste is so freaking bad that he would think the first novella is good, then the other two can't be much better.
Fuck that. I apparently picked this out of the new library list because it's New Orleans-centric. And, as with most things New Orleans-centric, I was sorely disappointed.
Christ.
Except that whoever edited this book together picked all three. And if his taste is so freaking bad that he would think the first novella is good, then the other two can't be much better.
Fuck that. I apparently picked this out of the new library list because it's New Orleans-centric. And, as with most things New Orleans-centric, I was sorely disappointed.
Christ.
December 8, 2011
This book was okay,each story was written by a different author and the first two were not that interesting. Zane wrote the last story and it was better than the first two but overall the book was just okay. Ive definately read better. I did not like how the book contained three short stories but I wanted to try it anyway and I would rather stick to a book with one storyline because you get more detail. I also disliked the ending to two of the three stories.
October 21, 2007
The 1st 2 novellas were just okay. I felt like I was left hanging by the authors. The final novella written by Zane was the best to me. The story was realistic and very detailed which made me feel close to the characters in this story. Not the typical Zane sex story. It was nice to read something not sex related from this author.
November 4, 2014
This book was excellent. As usual Zane, Eileen M Johnson, V. Anthony Rivers did their thing with this book. The stories told were heartbreaking, soul shaking and very emotional. I would suggest this book to anyone who lives in a fairy tale world when it comes to love. Love is great but it can also be painful. I read this book in two days, only cause I was at work. Can't wait for the next book.
October 22, 2007
This book was okay! Not my fav! I was looking forward to a "juicy" sex story and got two pretty boring short stories and a sad but good story. Maybe I will have better luck next time with a Zane read.
Currently reading
October 3, 2007I have only finished the first short story of this book and it leaves you hanging and wondering what every happened to Fernecia's family situation and whether Jamellah was cleared of her charges and was is done with that loser!
January 1, 2012
I felt that it was a very thought-provoking book. I like the fact that it shows that things are not always quite as they seem in relationships, and that people can only put up with so much until they can't take it anymore...
September 4, 2010
The stories were unique and looked at "love" in a different light. We all know love isn't perfect and these stories showed how love can be lost and the power of forgiveness as well as redemption and strength.
Read
August 4, 2012I almost did not read this book because of the negative reviews about the first 2 stories in the book. I must say that all of the stories were good! All the authors did a great job and I think it is a must read!
November 13, 2012
This Book was Great char. devlopment was good with out too much and the pace of the book sets you up for once you start its very hard to stop til you have completed it and leaves you wanting more <3 Zane
January 13, 2015
This was one of those delicious books that I had to savor and slow down on because I never wanted it to end! Wonderful! Wanting more from Eileen M. Johnson, Please! I love Novellas, especially these! Three full, rich stories in one book!!!!! It gets no better! Bravo ladies and gent!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews