Alphonso Jackson: A No Such Thing As... Spin-off novella

by Shelly Fredman

Tall, dark and imperfectly handsome former gang banger, Alphonso Jackson, had two hard and fast rules for hooking up. Never take them back to his place. It made it too hard to walk away when the entertainment portion was over, and, equally important, to avoid messy goodbyes, never spend the night. Little did he know when he met law student-turned cop, Casey Madaki, that he should have added a third. Never, EVER fall in love.

Genres: Romance

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2017

Reviews

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was enjoying this until the big misunderstanding. It did not fit. I was annoyed.

I was very happy to see this written in 3rd person. The author’s previous books were done in 1st person. This story is about Alphonso who is a friend of Brandy Alexander - the heroine in prior books. (You don’t need to read prior books for this story.) Alphonso used to do things with criminals (that part was not clear), but for a while now he has been a law-abiding citizen. He is a kick box instructor at a gym. He meets Casey a cop. They don’t like each other - at first.


I was enjoying this up until the big misunderstanding/miscommunication. I was annoyed with it. All of a sudden he avoids her for several days and doesn’t call her. He also insulted her. He really liked her but his actions didn’t fit. This is not a good plot for me. Then all of a sudden things are wrapped up - way too fast and it’s over. I would have preferred more development after the separation.


DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 115 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but rarely used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2 ½. Setting: current day Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Copyright: 2017. Genre: contemporary romance.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sad to see the end of No Such Thing as A... so when Ms Fredman announced to her fans that she was writing a novella for Alphonso, I was thrilled! Alphonso Jackson met all my expectations and then some. We not only get to spend time with our old favorites, we get to see the new life that Brandy's bodyguard and buddy is creating for himself. Hilarious moments and outstanding characters blend with a tenderness that is foreign to Alphonso's romantic life but fits the man that we have seen through his friendship with Brandy. A thread of suspense flows through this story as his old life continues to insert itself into the one he is trying to build.

While the fact that he falls head over heals for a cop is ironic for this good guy, ex-gang banger, Lothario, it is also natural for the man we have come to know to fall in love with someone he has to respect and woo. Yes, I said "woo". She doesn't make it easy for him and she is not just playing.

I believe that this book would be great whether or not I had read the series even though a quick revisit with old friends makes it even better.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed

The personality and the humor that Alphonso displayed in the Brandy novels just wasn't present. There wasn't any excitement or thrills and there could have been. It almost felt like a different author's writing. Now maybe because this was supposed to be a softer Alphonso it lead to a dilution of his personality but the switching back and forth between what each character was thinking, often in the same paragraph, was confusing. I'm glad it was short as I don't think I could follow a long story through to the end. I was so excited when I saw this novel from Shelley Fredman because the Brandy series is excellent. There is a foundation here for a fantastic series but this wasn't the launching pad. Truly disappointed.

[Kris Zuercher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little concerned since I love Brandy so much, how I would like this book, but I loved it. Ms. Fredman showed that she can write more than just the Brandy character. This book explored one of the people that had been in the Brandy Alexander series. It was not like Brandy, and it shouldn't have been, because Alphonso is not Brandy. I loved seeing the finding out more about Alphonso and seeing his growth.

I will always love Brandy, and would love to have more books about her, but I also like that another character was showcased. I hope she does one about Bobby, cause even though I wanted Brandy to end up with Nick, I LOVE Bobbie.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story!!! Love getting to see more of a side character.its always fun to get more into them. It makes me want to go reread the other books and look for him again

[Pam Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short. Not up to Shelly Fredman's usual wonderful writing.