Ebony Angel

by Deatri King-Bey

Ebony Washington is about to finish graduate school and move her child out of the gang infested, drug ridden, west-side Chicago neighborhood they live in. She meets Richard Pacini on the elevated train, and they hit it off they have complementing goals and personalities, they have the same outlook on life, and they have a mutual attraction for each other. Ebony refuses to allow her meddling friends or the father of her child, Trae, to keep her from pursuing a relationship with Richard or leading her life as she sees fit.Richard is speeding along a career path most would envy, but he isn’t happy. He longs to have a loving family. When he meets Ebony on the train, he believes his prayers have been answered. Battling over his decisions with his mother is the norm for Richard. Dealing with people as manipulative as Trae is a whole new story. Richard knows Ebony is his angel, and no one will keep them apart.Trae would die before letting some white guy steal his woman. But he knows Ebony won’t even consider taking him back as long as he is selling drugs. Now he has two break up Ebony and Richard, and become the man Ebony wants.

Genres: Interracial Romance, Romance

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

When Deatri was six years old, her mother was told that because of Deatri's dyslexia, she'd probably never learn how to read. At that time, it was recommended Deatri partake in a specialized reading curriculum. Unbeknownst to Deatri's parents, this additional help their daughter would need, from a teacher, was actually Deatri being taken out of reading class to sit in the hallway with a tape recorder. When Deatri entered the fourth grade at a different school, her parents were terrified to learn their daughter couldn't read. For years, she'd been reciting the bedtime stories to her mother from memory instead of actually reading the written words from the pages.

My have times changed! In 1999, Deatri was a technical writer at a telecommunications company with dreams of joining the publishing world as a content editor and author. Mind made up, she returned to school and soon started as an editorial intern at Third World Press, Inc., one of the oldest independent, African-American owned publishing houses in the world. Shortly thereafter, her skills were recognized, and she became a more permanent fixture at Third World Press, Inc. Though Deatri believes in Third World Press's mission, fiction is her true love, so in 2004 she began focusing her editing skills on fiction.

Dozens of manuscripts later, she still hasn't figured out that she wasn't supposed to learn how to read. February 2006, the second half of Deatri's dream came true with the release of her debut novel Caught Up. In 2008, Deatri won the coveted Emma Award for Best Steamy Romance of the year with her title: Whisper Something Sweet. Currently, she is reading, editing, conducting writing workshops, and writing her next novels.

Reviews

[A.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story filled with passion, suspense, and love between two people from two totally different worlds.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had its good points. This is a genre I am just discovering and, more often than not, the books are interesting. This one had a lot against it. Ebony seemed too innocent for a young woman living in the 'hood' and falling for a man who was too nice, favoring the opinions of a young man who is known to be a drug dealer. The situation between Ebony, her mother and an individual named Dan was kind of confusing. Tae, the drug dealer, had far too much influence over Ebony, even tried to kill her new love because he decided he wanted her after they'd broken up when he cheated on Ebony. I gave this two stars because it had heart and I like exploring different genres.

[Deloris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book I liked how Richard and Ebony met and fell in love . I liked the Ebony's cousin Skeet, and could not stand Trae. This was book that was hard to put down it kept me interested until the end. I got so mad at Trae and Ebony I was talking to the book , I could not understand why she did not walk away from him and why she never saw him for what he truly was evil. I felt bad for Richard he went through so much growing up and even as an adult with his family. This is a good book I would like to read about Skeet finding love.

[SassyMama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say I liked it or disliked it...I just couldn't finish it...some of it is OK...some of it just didn't work for me...it also has too much going on...but that's just MHO.

[L.M. David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had its good points. I am just discovering this genre written for bw/wm relationships and most have been interesting. I wish there were a larger variety of stories written in this genre. Ebony Angel is one of the better IR books. The conflict between Richard and his family seemed over the top, how his mother disowned her son because she didn't want to admit to her Black Italian heritage because she had been bullied about it as a young woman. Richard may have also had hang ups about being Black Italian (and passing as a white man) but wasn't as loud about it as his family. Ebony, on the other hand, was involved with a drug dealer boyfriend she blindly let run all over her. There was a lot of conflicts in this story and most of it is plausible, i.e. living in a harsh neighborhood, dealing drugs and being afraid to go outside. The sticking point with most IR romance books is the constant harping on what these two people are, i.e. one white and one black. Yes that is the theme of these books but overdoing it, IMO, detracts from the connection between them once their ethnicity is established. Nonno, Richard's Black Italian grandfather, is adorable and Richard's father, portrayed as a spineless man who allowed his wife to dominate him, turned out okay in the end. Richard's sisters needed a reality check. As for the situation with Ebony, it was kind of confusing. Her father, according to the story, died yet later it's discovered the man she thought was her father, wasn't. What Don's status with Ebony's mother appeared vague to me. That whole situation with Ebony's father's death, along with what happened to her family, seemed run over too fast except for reminders of her mother's drug addiction. Ebony's problem is she saw too many things through rose colored glasses, was too trusting of Tae, who had torn her heart out by cheating on her and then raising the child another woman had for him, and Ebony having so little faith in Richard's love for her even after he tried to give her the moon. Still, this story had heart and a few well written characters that were endearing.

[PT · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I have to say that I did not enjoy this as much as Beauty and the Beast. Ebony's ex and friends are just a bunch of ghetto thugs. I spent most of the book wondering why she and her daughter didn't just distance themselves from these people. The ex was one manipulative SOB, but I have a say the ex's best friend was lovable. Yes, he was a thug and a drug dealer, but I could see some goodness in him.
Overall, not my cup of tea because I'm not into the whole urban scene.

[Brezzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One to many twists and turns.....

The story started out promising... but as the plot thickened... the twists and turns with the secrecy repeating itself was a bit much. Over all it still was a good story.

[Dalesha R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I injoyed that the book took place in Chicago!!! Big thumbs up on that aspect,
But why was the white guy made to look week?☹️
Also Ebony kind of bugged me,
Why did she have to come off as not a strong woman?
I felt that the book did not rap up nicely.
So I guess it was an okay read

[Kimchi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters in the book did not catch my imagination at all.

[Shayna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hated Ebony. She was a little too ghetto for my tastes.