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Wild Wild West Series #2
The Blacker The Berry
Tamara Holifield would never guess a little favor would change her entire world. When her best friend's husband Ty asks her to come out to visit to cheer up the homebound pregnant woman, she readily agrees. The only problem with Ty's plan is Tamara's lack of a car. Luckily for her, he has a solution, in the form of his best friend and lawyer, Russell Crichton.
Russell would have never thought doing a favor for Ty would alter his perception of beauty or disrupt his entire life, but it does. Tired of a job filled with money hungry thankless drones, Russell decides to ditch it all and follow his childhood dream, running his own ranch. Starting up a new venture is going to take time and focus and the last thing he needs is the distraction of his sexy carpooler.
Russell never believed he would be attracted to a plus size woman, nor did city slicker Tamara think she would ever have anything in common with a cowboy, but time spent together soon changes both their minds. If they can look past their obvious differences they might just find out that the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.
Reprint from a previously released ebook of the same title.
Russell would have never thought doing a favor for Ty would alter his perception of beauty or disrupt his entire life, but it does. Tired of a job filled with money hungry thankless drones, Russell decides to ditch it all and follow his childhood dream, running his own ranch. Starting up a new venture is going to take time and focus and the last thing he needs is the distraction of his sexy carpooler.
Russell never believed he would be attracted to a plus size woman, nor did city slicker Tamara think she would ever have anything in common with a cowboy, but time spent together soon changes both their minds. If they can look past their obvious differences they might just find out that the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.
Reprint from a previously released ebook of the same title.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2008
63 people are currently reading
1726 people want to read
About the author
Lena Matthews
66 books410 followersLena Matthews spends her days dreaming about handsome heroes and her nights with her own personal hero. Married to her college sweetheart, she is the proud mother of two children, three evil dogs, and a mess of ants that she can't seem to get rid of.
When not writing she can be found reading, watching movies, lifting up the cushions on the couch to look for batteries for the remote control and plotting different ways to bring Buffy back on the air.
When not writing she can be found reading, watching movies, lifting up the cushions on the couch to look for batteries for the remote control and plotting different ways to bring Buffy back on the air.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
September 20, 2013
I liked it. I liked Tamara as the heroine. She was plus sized and owned it. The entire story wasn't spent on her feeling insecure about her size, and Russell needing to make her feel better. Although I enjoyed the story overall, I felt like Russell's possessiveness was a bit too much too soon. He reminded me of one of those the alpha heroes you read about in a werewolf/ shifter novel with him thinking "mine" all the time. Where did that come from after just meeting each other through mutual friends? At one point, while making love, he even bites Tamara, huh? Some parts were a bit much for me, and had me rolling my eyes, but not so much that I wouldn't read more novels by this author. This was the first novel I've read by Lena Matthews, and I plan on reading more soon.
September 11, 2011
I loved the heroine, Tamara, right from page one. You see, all-the-authors-that-can't-produce-a-half-decent-herione-if-their-life-depended-on-it, this is how it's done! Woot woot!
“No, later.” Tamara lowered her voice to a mock whisper. “When the stinky boys aren’t around.”
“Oh, that’s easy.” Charlotte glanced up at her husband and batted her eyes. “Honey, poof. Be gone.” Heeeheee! Hee. ._.
I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said I rolled on the bed with laughter while reading. You should've seen me, I was acting like a looney.
I liked the idea that it wasn't all just about getting laid, that the hero wanted something more than a "roll in the hay". Valerie and Russel both grew on me and I was glad to see they got their happily ever after. I was even ok with the fact that nobody died. I can usually appreciate a good death. Or two. :P
Decent 4**** cause I'm in a really good mood this evening.
And to bring a little cheesiness into your life:
“I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect for you, and the sooner you realize it, the better we both will be.” Russel is quite a guy, huh? I'd sure as heck have him. Especially since he likes bigger girls, who the last time I cheched, I still was one... xD
“No, later.” Tamara lowered her voice to a mock whisper. “When the stinky boys aren’t around.”
“Oh, that’s easy.” Charlotte glanced up at her husband and batted her eyes. “Honey, poof. Be gone.” Heeeheee! Hee. ._.
I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said I rolled on the bed with laughter while reading. You should've seen me, I was acting like a looney.
I liked the idea that it wasn't all just about getting laid, that the hero wanted something more than a "roll in the hay". Valerie and Russel both grew on me and I was glad to see they got their happily ever after. I was even ok with the fact that nobody died. I can usually appreciate a good death. Or two. :P
Decent 4**** cause I'm in a really good mood this evening.
And to bring a little cheesiness into your life:
“I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect for you, and the sooner you realize it, the better we both will be.” Russel is quite a guy, huh? I'd sure as heck have him. Especially since he likes bigger girls, who the last time I cheched, I still was one... xD
October 26, 2009
I enjoyed this book because it had a plus sized heroine and the book kept the characters "real" without being completely urban. Somewhat rushed, especially towards the end, but a good story none the less. I am in the middle of a vampire series and this is a very good break from that.
December 24, 2009
This was very much a by the numbers romance -- guy and girl meet, they have a moment of conflict, they are attracted blah blah blah. I actually did not feel the build up of romance and connection that takes a story from being an "ok, fine" romance to a "sigh, that was great" romance.
January 9, 2009
I'll have to agree with the other reviewer, “The Blacker the Berry” is definitely a HIGHLY erotic, yet emotionally charged romantic treat. Tamara and Russell are a PERFECT combination and their antics throughout kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The witty dialogue and sexually charged banter makes the story lively and at times LOL funny. There was NEVER a dull moment. Looking forward to reading more of Mrs. Matthews work.
August 23, 2011
Holy hilarity cliched sexy goodness! I don't know how or why I picked up this book, but once I saw the title, I couldn't NOT read it. It delivered the goods - boy meets girl, they have sexy time and somewhere in between that's not clearly marked, they fall in love.
He's a cowboy and she's a brat. And of course, there's a little blond woman in the wings trying to complicate things. LMFAO.
I wouldn't exactly recommend this book, but I enjoyed it.
He's a cowboy and she's a brat. And of course, there's a little blond woman in the wings trying to complicate things. LMFAO.
I wouldn't exactly recommend this book, but I enjoyed it.
August 1, 2012
Whenever I read an Interracial Romance book, I'm always saddled with this question: "Is this writer as good or as competent as other writers in different genres?"
Although I thought that this book was cute, for me, it wasn't fantastic. Perhaps I'm too much of a persnickety reader, but I'd rather spend 5 bucks on a book that's a 5 star read, instead of one that almost makes it to 3 1/2 stars.
This book had so much promise, but in the end it wasn't written as well as it could have been. It was good, but it wasn't awesome.
Don't get me wrong, I love Lena Matthews' books, but I'm just bold enough to believe that she (along with some other IRR genre writers) can produce a 5 star read.
If Savannah Frierson, Latrivia Nelson, and Sienna Mynx can do it, why can't Ms. Matthews?
Although I thought that this book was cute, for me, it wasn't fantastic. Perhaps I'm too much of a persnickety reader, but I'd rather spend 5 bucks on a book that's a 5 star read, instead of one that almost makes it to 3 1/2 stars.
This book had so much promise, but in the end it wasn't written as well as it could have been. It was good, but it wasn't awesome.
Don't get me wrong, I love Lena Matthews' books, but I'm just bold enough to believe that she (along with some other IRR genre writers) can produce a 5 star read.
If Savannah Frierson, Latrivia Nelson, and Sienna Mynx can do it, why can't Ms. Matthews?
March 31, 2009
Very funny and the chemistry between Tamara and Russell was hot!!
December 30, 2013
I loved it great read.
Read
March 11, 2010I didn’t let my mind settled before I was opening up this follow up book to FOR LOVE SAKE ONLY and from page one I was immersed. The two main characters in THE BLACKER THE BERRY really stepped up to the plate and make me see them as individuals rather than extensions of Ty and Charlotte.
Tamara Holifield is struggling on all fronts, she’s in a temp job that is barely paying the bills, she misses her best friend – who has upped and gotten married and moved to the middle of beyond and to top it off she is still needing a decent model for her upcoming photographic show.
When Ty practically begs her to come and keep Charlotte’s company as she was not doing so well with her pregnancy, She accepts to visit on weekends with some stipulation on her part. One thing that Ty did however put his foot down on was finding her a ride to get her to his ranch safely.
The ride is none other than Ty’s best friend and lawyer, Russell Crichton. Tamara had met Russell two years earlier at Charlotte and Ty’s wedding and that was the extend of their acquaintance, although each had like the others style very much they have never run into each other not once during all that time.
Russell is changing the whole course of his life from Lawyer to rancher and doesn’t expect someone like Tamara, but one car journey and few sassy words and he was hooked.
Their path to HEA is froth with misunderstanding and lots of unsaid words and pain in the ass attitude. Despite that however they find time to make beautiful magic on every available surface and in every secluded corner that they can find.
Something had to give however and when Russell makes up his mind that Tamara was it for him and she was worth it all – Tamara is still yet to resolve her own issues and this ends up with Russell wondering if any of it is even worth after all..
This was a great follow up book to FOR LOVE’S SAKE ONLY – A longer book, so more smut – but also more time for trivial matters that the book could have done without. Once again Ms. Matthews filled this book with comic relief and I genuinely loved Tamara sense of fun- she had me smiling with every scene she pops up in.
The characters were solid, and their only faults was that they talked but neither listened to what the other was saying and this led to some heated argument – but great as a precursor for make up sex….
Of course Ms. Matthews touched on the race issue and in both books the matter was nipped in the bud right away and dealt with quite well I thought…
The usual suspect was evident in THE BLACKER THE BERRY in the guise of the woman wronged and the other man, but they all were there to open the eyes of the main players and because of that I didn't mind them so much…
If you have never tried Lena Matthews before – pick up something of hers now, she is an author that will make you laugh out loud..
Tamara Holifield is struggling on all fronts, she’s in a temp job that is barely paying the bills, she misses her best friend – who has upped and gotten married and moved to the middle of beyond and to top it off she is still needing a decent model for her upcoming photographic show.
When Ty practically begs her to come and keep Charlotte’s company as she was not doing so well with her pregnancy, She accepts to visit on weekends with some stipulation on her part. One thing that Ty did however put his foot down on was finding her a ride to get her to his ranch safely.
The ride is none other than Ty’s best friend and lawyer, Russell Crichton. Tamara had met Russell two years earlier at Charlotte and Ty’s wedding and that was the extend of their acquaintance, although each had like the others style very much they have never run into each other not once during all that time.
Russell is changing the whole course of his life from Lawyer to rancher and doesn’t expect someone like Tamara, but one car journey and few sassy words and he was hooked.
Their path to HEA is froth with misunderstanding and lots of unsaid words and pain in the ass attitude. Despite that however they find time to make beautiful magic on every available surface and in every secluded corner that they can find.
Something had to give however and when Russell makes up his mind that Tamara was it for him and she was worth it all – Tamara is still yet to resolve her own issues and this ends up with Russell wondering if any of it is even worth after all..
This was a great follow up book to FOR LOVE’S SAKE ONLY – A longer book, so more smut – but also more time for trivial matters that the book could have done without. Once again Ms. Matthews filled this book with comic relief and I genuinely loved Tamara sense of fun- she had me smiling with every scene she pops up in.
The characters were solid, and their only faults was that they talked but neither listened to what the other was saying and this led to some heated argument – but great as a precursor for make up sex….
Of course Ms. Matthews touched on the race issue and in both books the matter was nipped in the bud right away and dealt with quite well I thought…
The usual suspect was evident in THE BLACKER THE BERRY in the guise of the woman wronged and the other man, but they all were there to open the eyes of the main players and because of that I didn't mind them so much…
If you have never tried Lena Matthews before – pick up something of hers now, she is an author that will make you laugh out loud..
March 22, 2014
First, what gave this E-book a problem was the format I had to download it in. I bought this from All Romance and it was ONLY available in a PDF type format, which I was unaware of until AFTER I bought it.
Second, the writing was juvenile and read more like a YA situation instead of an adult type. Too many shallow thoughts on the part of the hero, and not because of the heroine's weight! He just had little depth.
Lastly, I was intrigued by this city guy heading for ranching. Sorry, but nothing losses me to a story more than an author not knowing anything about the culture she/he is writing about! Corny references to small town ranch life? Really?
Total waste of money for how this is written.
Did not finish this one and will not be looking at trying this author again for a LONG, LONG, while.
Second, the writing was juvenile and read more like a YA situation instead of an adult type. Too many shallow thoughts on the part of the hero, and not because of the heroine's weight! He just had little depth.
Lastly, I was intrigued by this city guy heading for ranching. Sorry, but nothing losses me to a story more than an author not knowing anything about the culture she/he is writing about! Corny references to small town ranch life? Really?
Total waste of money for how this is written.
Did not finish this one and will not be looking at trying this author again for a LONG, LONG, while.
October 30, 2009
I LOVED this book! Fabulous! And too funny. I highly recommend this book if you like two stubborn people who fight it the whole way, interracial romance and cowboy lawyers, then this is the story for you!
I'm a bit miffed to find that my ebook didn't have the other story in it. Now I definitely gotta download that one too! Looking forward to it.
I'm a bit miffed to find that my ebook didn't have the other story in it. Now I definitely gotta download that one too! Looking forward to it.
October 1, 2017
Re-read 10//17. Six years later and I still absolutely love this book, and the characters. Some of the one-liners have been stuck in my head ever since.
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I LOVED THIS BOOK. Hot alpha, strong black woman, chemistry, passion, witty banter. This book had it all. This is definitely a book I'll read again.
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I LOVED THIS BOOK. Hot alpha, strong black woman, chemistry, passion, witty banter. This book had it all. This is definitely a book I'll read again.
June 13, 2012
This is a story of a cowboy falling for a true sista..well and it was done very tasteful. I thought they fell into bed rather quickly but the relationship grew to say the least. When they went into the anal sex type description thing was really jaw dropping to me but you could tell how much they was feeling each other. Loved it.
June 15, 2013
Decent story. Cowboy falls for plus sized sistah. I love how they played off of each other and how he made it clear that he wasn't a push over. Favorite scene was Sandra coming to the house. That was complete devastation to the nation lol. Oh and the book had hot interracial lovin.
May 8, 2016
I love this book.
I loved Tamara and Russell and their word play. Tamara was sarcastic and witty which made the book fun. There were some steamy love scenes...the story progressed at a good pace...never a dull moment. I was routing for this couple.
I loved Tamara and Russell and their word play. Tamara was sarcastic and witty which made the book fun. There were some steamy love scenes...the story progressed at a good pace...never a dull moment. I was routing for this couple.
October 13, 2016
Quickie. Heroine was forthright but not much depth/backstory was included for the characters' lives. I skimmed a lot so there's no way I feel like I should've paid money for this.
Memorable quote: "The power of the black vagina strikes again."
Sex = hot.
Fin.
Memorable quote: "The power of the black vagina strikes again."
Sex = hot.
Fin.
August 8, 2009
I didn't really like this book that much, the characters seemed underdeveloped and the plot in both stories (especially the second one rushed).
September 25, 2022
I am not a fan of romance novels in the first place. I have found them to be either mushy and or predictable. I love sci-fi, dystopias, fantasies, thrillers, mysteries. Now I will read a romance from time to time when recommended. And I have liked some of those I read. However, I have heard so much about erotic romance and wanted to check out the genre and since this book was recommended, I tried it. I learned the ER genre is not for me.
I did not care for this book because I did not find any romance. Oh how the erotic was there, just no romance. It was just LUST disguised as romance. There was no depth in the relationships, the couples had nothing between them except how good they were in bed together and oh so in love with each other because the sex was so good. The story seemed rushed. It just seemed like soft porn with a hasty story wrapped around it to justify the sex.
I also did not care for the way these two men talked to (bullied) these women like a (master & slave) and the way these women loved being talked to that way and basically loved being a sex slave.
I don’t like dogging out someone’s creativity, so even though this was not my thing, I highly recommend it to those who love this kind of thing.
I will give the story 2 stars because at least there was some attempt at defining the Tamara character even though I found her to be cliche and a stereotypical trope that was annoyingly played out throughout the whole story. Maybe I missed something about these characters since the book was listed as # 2 in a series, even though it was advertised as could standalone.
I did not care for this book because I did not find any romance. Oh how the erotic was there, just no romance. It was just LUST disguised as romance. There was no depth in the relationships, the couples had nothing between them except how good they were in bed together and oh so in love with each other because the sex was so good. The story seemed rushed. It just seemed like soft porn with a hasty story wrapped around it to justify the sex.
I also did not care for the way these two men talked to (bullied) these women like a (master & slave) and the way these women loved being talked to that way and basically loved being a sex slave.
I don’t like dogging out someone’s creativity, so even though this was not my thing, I highly recommend it to those who love this kind of thing.
I will give the story 2 stars because at least there was some attempt at defining the Tamara character even though I found her to be cliche and a stereotypical trope that was annoyingly played out throughout the whole story. Maybe I missed something about these characters since the book was listed as # 2 in a series, even though it was advertised as could standalone.
June 9, 2017
Of the greatest of these is love!
And I just loved this rom com story. I loved the way the author wrote this light hearted story with lots of humor. Tamara Holifield and Russell Crichton were so cute together. Tamara was very resistant and so was Russell at first. Neither one could understand the pull they had for each other. It was not until each one thought that the other was interested in someone else that they dropped the pretenses anf gave each other a chance. Theirs was a hot and erotic romance. Tamara had such a flip mouth with all kinds of urbanology that Russell never heard before. It was so cute with her explaining what she was saying to him. In the end, she showed him what the power of the black va-jay jay is all about.
I just knew that Sandra was not going to leave Russell and Tamara alone. Tamara showed her in a very mature self confident way that Sandra was not going to run her off, just because she (Sandra) felt more entitled to Russell solely on the color of her skin. After all, Tamara did tell Russell that "once you go black, you can't go back"
And I just loved this rom com story. I loved the way the author wrote this light hearted story with lots of humor. Tamara Holifield and Russell Crichton were so cute together. Tamara was very resistant and so was Russell at first. Neither one could understand the pull they had for each other. It was not until each one thought that the other was interested in someone else that they dropped the pretenses anf gave each other a chance. Theirs was a hot and erotic romance. Tamara had such a flip mouth with all kinds of urbanology that Russell never heard before. It was so cute with her explaining what she was saying to him. In the end, she showed him what the power of the black va-jay jay is all about.
I just knew that Sandra was not going to leave Russell and Tamara alone. Tamara showed her in a very mature self confident way that Sandra was not going to run her off, just because she (Sandra) felt more entitled to Russell solely on the color of her skin. After all, Tamara did tell Russell that "once you go black, you can't go back"
August 21, 2018
This book literally had me laughing out loud! The dialogue and interaction between Tamara and Russell was at times humorous and hot or sexy and sweet. I loved this book! Nice to see a story about an average size woman and a hot, sexy, alpha man. It was a great follow-up to For Love's Sake. I am always amazed an author's ability to create characters who are so different in a series. Tamara is a breath of fresh air as is Russell. This love story is about grown folks, doing grown folks things like trying to follow a dream but recognizing the sacrifice necessary to make that dream a reality. They work, the manage long-distance relationships, they disagree, etc. Great, great story and I am eternally grateful to a FB reading group for directing me to this series. Love Ms. Matthews writing. She has joined a short-list of one-click authors.
November 17, 2021
Seems like i’m the only one who finds it weird how the female lead talk to a guy she met 1 at a wedding ( no real interaction) 2 to share a car ride ( nothing deep) 3 random meaningless encounters, about how “ the black vagina will keep you wanting more” . Dear author Is you for real rn?! And the way she kept those pick up lines coming as well as the sexual references left and right was very un comfy to me because it was giving very much sexual harassement . And lastly since i didn’t finish the book. A character can be confident without being too much. As a medium bordering plus sized black woman i really was hoping for something better. I was disappointed and some of them scenarios don’t even be making no sense at all.
December 4, 2025
The characters in this book is about two people that find love with each other different because of their race and backgrounds. Russell was not expecting to fall for a woman like Tamara their friends however had different ideas, especially Russell's friend Tyson he try to do something nice for his wife. He invites Tamara down to see her best friend and that means she sees Russell Tyson's best friend at first they try to fight their attraction to each other. Well Tamara does anyway but they end up together in the end, it is just funny reading how they get there. Must Get The Next Book!!
February 17, 2021
I loved how the two got on Russell and Tamara. The hot scenes...oh my. They fuelled each other. Tamara with her trust issues and Russell all alpha ready to dominate. Eventually he calmed down and had a real talk which settled things. The sex drought helped speed things along. Looking forward to May Lena books
December 3, 2022
I read this book years ago. It stuck with me given its sexiness and passion. The dialogue was beautiful. There was an innocence between the couple that drew me in every time. They talked about race, which makes me happy in BWWM romances.
December 31, 2017
Too cute
Loved ittt!!! Think I’m more in love with the first book in the series but this one was still all good.
Loved ittt!!! Think I’m more in love with the first book in the series but this one was still all good.
December 24, 2019
Omg!!! I loved it. I literally finished reading it in one day, I just couldn't put it down!
I just became a fan of this author😍😍😍😘😘
I just became a fan of this author😍😍😍😘😘
January 26, 2021
Cracking up
This book roped me in with its humor. I love the banter between the two. The drama with the ex-booty call was not necessary. But everything else I liked.
This book roped me in with its humor. I love the banter between the two. The drama with the ex-booty call was not necessary. But everything else I liked.
January 6, 2022
This extra spicy! It is on 🔥 🔥 ; if you are looking for a spicy book and plot, this is it!
November 21, 2022
Spicy read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews