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Ken Swift #2
Before We Were Wicked
New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey reveals how one chance meeting can change everything in this engrossing, sexy prequel of star-crossed lust.
They say the love of money is the root of all evil, but for Ken Swift, it's the love of a woman.
Ken is twenty-one, hurting people for cash to try to pay his way through college, when he lays eyes on Jimi Lee, the woman who will change the course of his entire life. What's meant to be a one-night stand with the Harvard-bound beauty turns into an explosion of sexual chemistry that neither can quit. And when Jimi Lee becomes pregnant, their two very different worlds collide in ways they never could have anticipated.
Passion, infidelity, and raw emotion combine in Eric Jerome Dickey's poignant, erotic portrait of a the rise, the fall, and the scars--and desire--that never fade.
They say the love of money is the root of all evil, but for Ken Swift, it's the love of a woman.
Ken is twenty-one, hurting people for cash to try to pay his way through college, when he lays eyes on Jimi Lee, the woman who will change the course of his entire life. What's meant to be a one-night stand with the Harvard-bound beauty turns into an explosion of sexual chemistry that neither can quit. And when Jimi Lee becomes pregnant, their two very different worlds collide in ways they never could have anticipated.
Passion, infidelity, and raw emotion combine in Eric Jerome Dickey's poignant, erotic portrait of a the rise, the fall, and the scars--and desire--that never fade.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2019
330 people are currently reading
3509 people want to read
About the author
Eric Jerome Dickey
60 books3,642 followersEric Jerome Dickey was born in Memphis, Tennessee and attended the University of Memphis (the former Memphis State), where he earned his degree in Computer System Technology. In 1983, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in engineering.
After landing a job in the aerospace industry as a software developer, Eric Jerome Dickey's artistic talents surfaced, inspiring him to become an actor and a stand-up comedian. Yet Eric quickly found out that writing was something he could do and do well. From creative writing classes to avidly consuming the works of his favorite authors, Eric Jerome Dickey began to shape a writing career of his own. Having written several scripts for his personal comedy act, he started writing poetry and short stories. "The film work gave me insight into character development, the acting classes helped me understand motivation...All of it goes hand in hand," Eric explains. He joined the IBWA (International Black Writers and Artists), participated in their development workshops, and became a recipient of the IBWA SEED Scholarship to attend UCLA's Creative Writing classes. In 1994 his first published short story, "Thirteen," appeared in the IBWA's River Crossing: Voices of the Diaspora-An Anthology of the International Black Experience. A second short story, "Days Gone By," was published in the magazine A Place to Enter.
With those successes behind him, Eric Jerome Dickey decided to fine-tune some of his earlier work and developed a screenplay called "Cappuccino." "Cappuccino" was directed and produced by Craig Ross, Jr. and appeared in coffee houses around the Los Angeles area. In February 1998, "Cappuccino" made its local debut during the Pan African Film Festival at the Magic Johnson Theater in Los Angeles.
Short stories, though, didn't seem to fulfill Eric Jerome Dickey's creative yearnings. Eric says, "I'd set out to do a ten-page story and it would go on for three hundred pages." So Eric kept writing and reading and sending out query letters for his novels for almost three years until he finally got an agent. "Then a door opened," Eric says. "And I put my foot in before they could close it." And that door has remained opened, as Eric Jerome Dickey's novels have placed him on the map as one of the best writers of contemporary urban fiction.
Eric Jerome Dickey's book signing tours for Sister, Sister; Friends and Lovers; Milk in My Coffee; Cheaters; and Liar's Game took him from coast to coast and helped propel each of these novels to #1 on the "Blackboard Bestsellers List." Cheaters was named "Blackboard Book of the Year" in 2000. In June 2000, Eric Jerome Dickey celebrated the French publication of Milk in My Coffee (Cafe Noisette) by embarking on a book tour to Paris. Soon after, Milk in My Coffee became a bestseller in France. Eric Jerome Dickey's novels, Chasing Destiny, Liar's Game, Between Lovers, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, Drive Me Crazy, Genevieve, Naughty or Nice, Sleeping with Strangers, Waking with Enemies, and Pleasure have all earned him the success of a spot on The New York Times bestseller list. Liar's Game, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, and Genevieve have also given Dickey the added distinction of being nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. In 2006, he was honored with the awards for Best Contemporary Fiction and Author of the Year (Male) at the 2006 African American Literary Award Show. In 2008, Eric was nominated for Storyteller of the Year at the 1st annual ESSENCE Literary Awards. In January 2001, Eric Jerome Dickey was a contributor to New American Library's anthology Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories, also a Blackboard Bestseller. He also had a story entitled “Fish Sanwich” appear in the anthology Mothers and Sons. In June 2002, Dickey contributed to Black Silk: A Collection of African American Erotica (Warner Books) as well as to Riots Beneath the Baobab (published by Inte
After landing a job in the aerospace industry as a software developer, Eric Jerome Dickey's artistic talents surfaced, inspiring him to become an actor and a stand-up comedian. Yet Eric quickly found out that writing was something he could do and do well. From creative writing classes to avidly consuming the works of his favorite authors, Eric Jerome Dickey began to shape a writing career of his own. Having written several scripts for his personal comedy act, he started writing poetry and short stories. "The film work gave me insight into character development, the acting classes helped me understand motivation...All of it goes hand in hand," Eric explains. He joined the IBWA (International Black Writers and Artists), participated in their development workshops, and became a recipient of the IBWA SEED Scholarship to attend UCLA's Creative Writing classes. In 1994 his first published short story, "Thirteen," appeared in the IBWA's River Crossing: Voices of the Diaspora-An Anthology of the International Black Experience. A second short story, "Days Gone By," was published in the magazine A Place to Enter.
With those successes behind him, Eric Jerome Dickey decided to fine-tune some of his earlier work and developed a screenplay called "Cappuccino." "Cappuccino" was directed and produced by Craig Ross, Jr. and appeared in coffee houses around the Los Angeles area. In February 1998, "Cappuccino" made its local debut during the Pan African Film Festival at the Magic Johnson Theater in Los Angeles.
Short stories, though, didn't seem to fulfill Eric Jerome Dickey's creative yearnings. Eric says, "I'd set out to do a ten-page story and it would go on for three hundred pages." So Eric kept writing and reading and sending out query letters for his novels for almost three years until he finally got an agent. "Then a door opened," Eric says. "And I put my foot in before they could close it." And that door has remained opened, as Eric Jerome Dickey's novels have placed him on the map as one of the best writers of contemporary urban fiction.
Eric Jerome Dickey's book signing tours for Sister, Sister; Friends and Lovers; Milk in My Coffee; Cheaters; and Liar's Game took him from coast to coast and helped propel each of these novels to #1 on the "Blackboard Bestsellers List." Cheaters was named "Blackboard Book of the Year" in 2000. In June 2000, Eric Jerome Dickey celebrated the French publication of Milk in My Coffee (Cafe Noisette) by embarking on a book tour to Paris. Soon after, Milk in My Coffee became a bestseller in France. Eric Jerome Dickey's novels, Chasing Destiny, Liar's Game, Between Lovers, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, Drive Me Crazy, Genevieve, Naughty or Nice, Sleeping with Strangers, Waking with Enemies, and Pleasure have all earned him the success of a spot on The New York Times bestseller list. Liar's Game, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, and Genevieve have also given Dickey the added distinction of being nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. In 2006, he was honored with the awards for Best Contemporary Fiction and Author of the Year (Male) at the 2006 African American Literary Award Show. In 2008, Eric was nominated for Storyteller of the Year at the 1st annual ESSENCE Literary Awards. In January 2001, Eric Jerome Dickey was a contributor to New American Library's anthology Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories, also a Blackboard Bestseller. He also had a story entitled “Fish Sanwich” appear in the anthology Mothers and Sons. In June 2002, Dickey contributed to Black Silk: A Collection of African American Erotica (Warner Books) as well as to Riots Beneath the Baobab (published by Inte
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
March 6, 2019
Now, that’s how you write a back story. Not only did you get some real life relationship drama but some understanding on the difference between being African and African-American. It isn’t my favorite book by EJD but it’s a solid effort!
April 11, 2019
DNF at 40%
*Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!*
To be quite honest, I had such a rough time sticking to this book. Half of the time I was too busy facepalming on every page that I did read to take it seriously. The writing was some of the worst I have ever seen and had an almost juvenile approach to the story overall. I honestly thought that I was reading a middle schooler's writing assignment that they decided to scribble down at the last minute the night before the due date. There were many times where the flow of thought in a paragraph was not consistent at all and was very all over the place. There was also a tendency for the author to be caught up in writing an entire conversation between two characters without specifying who is talking for an entire page and lots of rambles consisting of details that served no purpose in supporting the story or situation at all. As for the characters, they were completely flat and one-dimensional. Jimi Lee had so much potential but the way she was written made her sound like she wanted to throw away all of her accomplishments just for a guy she had a one night stand with. Ken Swift on the other hand was the epitome of everything you want to avoid in a guy, up to the point where he literally doesn't pay any attention to a word Jimi Lee said when he first met her, objectify women to the extreme, and acted like a hormonal teenage boy interacting with a girl for the first time. If executed better, this story could have been way more interesting, but unfortunately the writing style made it fall short.
*Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!*
To be quite honest, I had such a rough time sticking to this book. Half of the time I was too busy facepalming on every page that I did read to take it seriously. The writing was some of the worst I have ever seen and had an almost juvenile approach to the story overall. I honestly thought that I was reading a middle schooler's writing assignment that they decided to scribble down at the last minute the night before the due date. There were many times where the flow of thought in a paragraph was not consistent at all and was very all over the place. There was also a tendency for the author to be caught up in writing an entire conversation between two characters without specifying who is talking for an entire page and lots of rambles consisting of details that served no purpose in supporting the story or situation at all. As for the characters, they were completely flat and one-dimensional. Jimi Lee had so much potential but the way she was written made her sound like she wanted to throw away all of her accomplishments just for a guy she had a one night stand with. Ken Swift on the other hand was the epitome of everything you want to avoid in a guy, up to the point where he literally doesn't pay any attention to a word Jimi Lee said when he first met her, objectify women to the extreme, and acted like a hormonal teenage boy interacting with a girl for the first time. If executed better, this story could have been way more interesting, but unfortunately the writing style made it fall short.
March 17, 2019
There's a solid story about a person's character and how life can take a sudden turn and learning to live with it somewhere inside this book but it lost me with two things:
1. The writing during the sex scenes - particularly the talking between characters - sometimes came out sounding like something ridiculous a sitcom or SNL would come up with to make fun of someone who has no idea what to say during sex. For each their own, but it just made me roll my eyes and lose all hope for the book.
2. Characters that made me want to knock their heads together and just separate them for the good of them and my reading pleasure. On the one hand, I really liked how the main character is represented. Ken Swift reads like a real person and, even with the not exactly legal or innocent job, seems like an incredible standup guy. He's good and takes responsibility and always does his best to provide for his family and respects his wife even when she certainly doesn't deserve it. On the other hand, I could not stand Jimi Lee at all. From the very beginning, she's the spoiled "good girl" who wants to do "bad" things and finds a person to obsess over as her fix and then blames everything on after things obviously go bad. This is an excellent example of a toxic relationship that only gets exacerbated by a clash of cultures and a lack of communication. I kept wanting Ken to just walk away, but the man is too unfortunately honorable. But seriously though, Jimi Lee starts out with few (if any) redeeming qualities and only goes downhill from there.
There are some good moments and talking points interspersed in between all the bad and it made me really think about a couple of things, so I didn't find it a total loss. It's just not something I would go out of my way to recommend.
1. The writing during the sex scenes - particularly the talking between characters - sometimes came out sounding like something ridiculous a sitcom or SNL would come up with to make fun of someone who has no idea what to say during sex. For each their own, but it just made me roll my eyes and lose all hope for the book.
2. Characters that made me want to knock their heads together and just separate them for the good of them and my reading pleasure. On the one hand, I really liked how the main character is represented. Ken Swift reads like a real person and, even with the not exactly legal or innocent job, seems like an incredible standup guy. He's good and takes responsibility and always does his best to provide for his family and respects his wife even when she certainly doesn't deserve it. On the other hand, I could not stand Jimi Lee at all. From the very beginning, she's the spoiled "good girl" who wants to do "bad" things and finds a person to obsess over as her fix and then blames everything on after things obviously go bad. This is an excellent example of a toxic relationship that only gets exacerbated by a clash of cultures and a lack of communication. I kept wanting Ken to just walk away, but the man is too unfortunately honorable. But seriously though, Jimi Lee starts out with few (if any) redeeming qualities and only goes downhill from there.
There are some good moments and talking points interspersed in between all the bad and it made me really think about a couple of things, so I didn't find it a total loss. It's just not something I would go out of my way to recommend.
April 29, 2019
Ken Swift is a young college kid, just trying to pay his way through school and life without having enormous debt. His job isn't exactly on the legal side, but it helps him to survive and once he's done with school, this job will be done too. When he is working one night at Club Fetish, reminding the owner that he still owes for his thriving club, he meets Jimi Lee. Jimi Lee is a beautiful Ethiopian woman who he can't keep his eyes off of. She feels the connection too and before long they are at his apartment dancing in other ways. Even though Ken is forbidden fruit in the eyes of Jimi's strick Ethiopian family, she can't stay away from him and soon enough, she'll be joined to him forever.
Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is Book 2 in the Ken Swift series by Eric Jerome Dickey, but it's a prequel to Book 1, so I think it's fine to read this one before. It's been a while since I've read an EJD book, but I was looking forward to this one. I will soon be reading the first book because I'm very curious to know what is going to happen next.
I learned a lot about Ethiopian culture in this book and talking with those in my community, I can see that what I read is accurate. I also learned about colorism within the black community. This is something I wasn't expecting. I was taught to love all people regardless of the color of their skin.
There were several times in this book where I wanted to jump in and smack Jimi Lee. She was really an evil woman. While Ken's job wasn't the most upstanding, he himself was a very good man and in my opinion he didn't deserve to be treated the way he was treated by Jimi Lee.
I look forward to reading book 1 and any other books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is Book 2 in the Ken Swift series by Eric Jerome Dickey, but it's a prequel to Book 1, so I think it's fine to read this one before. It's been a while since I've read an EJD book, but I was looking forward to this one. I will soon be reading the first book because I'm very curious to know what is going to happen next.
I learned a lot about Ethiopian culture in this book and talking with those in my community, I can see that what I read is accurate. I also learned about colorism within the black community. This is something I wasn't expecting. I was taught to love all people regardless of the color of their skin.
There were several times in this book where I wanted to jump in and smack Jimi Lee. She was really an evil woman. While Ken's job wasn't the most upstanding, he himself was a very good man and in my opinion he didn't deserve to be treated the way he was treated by Jimi Lee.
I look forward to reading book 1 and any other books in this series.
April 17, 2019
breathtaking.
November 4, 2019
This is the story of a one night stand that really should have remained just that. Instead, the two main characters decide to build a relationship from the foundation of an intense sexual connection. Yes, plenty of people have met during what was supposed to be a one night stand and went on to have meaningful connections. Not these two. Their situation quickly went South and if their lack of compatibility weren’t enough they added a child to the equation. There isn’t a huge plot here. This is a prequel to another of Dickey’s stories. I can’t even call it a love story. It’s a story about deep attraction that leads to bad decisions, a painful marriage, violence and a tumultuous divorce. Eric Jerome Dickey is the author so there’s a lot of sex tossed in.
There is an ongoing discussion regarding Black Americans and Ethiopians. Through the lense of the Ethiopian characters African Americans are lazy, loud, willfully ignorant, spend too much time hanging on to slavery...pretty much all of the stereotypes that I’ve heard since learning the definition of the word stereotype in middle school. This group of characters actually prefer white people over black people. Perhaps, I need a history lesson covering the relationship between African Americans and Ethiopians. The criticism didn’t make me angry. I was bored and over it. Sure it’s fiction, but I wondered what was the point of it? Jimi Lee’s character is immature, manipulative and lazy and yet she spews the very criticisms that she encompasses on Black people. Maybe that was the point.
As I mentioned, true to Eric Jerome Dickey’s style there is a lot of sex. As always, the characters are highly intelligent and speak in that fast paced Olivia Pope style. They can rattle off historical and current events without consulting our good friend Google. In fact, this story takes place in the mid-nineties so Google wasn’t the master hub of information that it is now-it probably wasn’t even a thing. I should Google that.
I found the story somewhat interesting, but this definitely isn’t Dickey’s best work. It left me wondering what is Gideon up to these days.
There is an ongoing discussion regarding Black Americans and Ethiopians. Through the lense of the Ethiopian characters African Americans are lazy, loud, willfully ignorant, spend too much time hanging on to slavery...pretty much all of the stereotypes that I’ve heard since learning the definition of the word stereotype in middle school. This group of characters actually prefer white people over black people. Perhaps, I need a history lesson covering the relationship between African Americans and Ethiopians. The criticism didn’t make me angry. I was bored and over it. Sure it’s fiction, but I wondered what was the point of it? Jimi Lee’s character is immature, manipulative and lazy and yet she spews the very criticisms that she encompasses on Black people. Maybe that was the point.
As I mentioned, true to Eric Jerome Dickey’s style there is a lot of sex. As always, the characters are highly intelligent and speak in that fast paced Olivia Pope style. They can rattle off historical and current events without consulting our good friend Google. In fact, this story takes place in the mid-nineties so Google wasn’t the master hub of information that it is now-it probably wasn’t even a thing. I should Google that.
I found the story somewhat interesting, but this definitely isn’t Dickey’s best work. It left me wondering what is Gideon up to these days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2020
I read this before the other book because I love a good background story. This book turned me off. The African vs African American was on every page and ignorance from the Ethiopian lady was sickening. And the the desperation from the AA man was just a crying shame. The stereotypes that filled every other page was just 🤦🏽! I finished the book and thought the story about the child may be great but I can't possibly read another black vs black extortion book. I loved this author when I was younger. Maybe its just this series I don't care for. I felt bad for Ken one moment then thought that's what he got the next. This is truly the book in a nutshell. Read at your own risk.
June 7, 2019
EJD was one of my first favorite authors. I always escape to another world while reading his masterfully crafted stories. This one did not disappoint. Jimmie Lee is one of the main characters. You will either hate or love her. Everything that happens, good and bad in BWWW is because of her. This story is packed with action, love, hate, intense sex scenes and edge of the seat drama. Highly recommend it to EJD fans and for avid readers who want to read a good pageturner!
February 12, 2020
Turning book into a DNF at 28% While I definitely see what Eric was trying to do with this book (bring awareness of the different experiences of blacks and Africans across the diaspora)... this book is just... too much. And not in the way that I don’t mind a good sex scene when the story calls for it, but this book 10% meat and 90% sex. Corny sex at that. LA natives will recognize a lot in this book as well.
December 20, 2023
Overall: ☆☆☆☆☆(4.8)
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot: ☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆☆☆
This year I took a step back from writing detailed reviews, as I took a job that was more strenuous and took more of my time.
But I have to write a couple things about this one!
First of all, this book was everything I needed. The first book, Bad Men and Wicked Women, left me wanting to know more about Jimi Lee and Ken Swift.
And man, did this author deliver! I felt so entrapped by their love affair and the highs and lows. And when it was low, I felt that. I felt Kens pain.
The ending was the perfect place to end for the opening of the first book. I love that the storyline was prior to book one. It gave not as much action as the first, but certainly left you understanding more as to how Ken Swift ended up in the life he did and how hard he worked. How some decisions were made for him and how he loved both his daughter and Jimi Lee fiercely.
This is a book that the characters are so well developed, you feel like they are real people! I absolutely loved this 🥰
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot: ☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆☆☆
This year I took a step back from writing detailed reviews, as I took a job that was more strenuous and took more of my time.
But I have to write a couple things about this one!
First of all, this book was everything I needed. The first book, Bad Men and Wicked Women, left me wanting to know more about Jimi Lee and Ken Swift.
And man, did this author deliver! I felt so entrapped by their love affair and the highs and lows. And when it was low, I felt that. I felt Kens pain.
The ending was the perfect place to end for the opening of the first book. I love that the storyline was prior to book one. It gave not as much action as the first, but certainly left you understanding more as to how Ken Swift ended up in the life he did and how hard he worked. How some decisions were made for him and how he loved both his daughter and Jimi Lee fiercely.
This is a book that the characters are so well developed, you feel like they are real people! I absolutely loved this 🥰
May 1, 2024
I’ll give it an overall rating of 4.5 stars,
I wasn’t really expecting to like it after seeing a few ratings, but went in with an open mind.
I hate people like Jimi Lee, that entire family’s mentality was a mess. The diaspora vs. Africa (and vice versa) troupe is one I don’t want lol but I guess it is a culturally relevant conversation.
Ends in a simple “the apply doesn’t fall far from the tree” type of way, I’d have to say I’d read the next instalment if there was one to see how it ends.
My next read will also be from this author.
RIP
I wasn’t really expecting to like it after seeing a few ratings, but went in with an open mind.
I hate people like Jimi Lee, that entire family’s mentality was a mess. The diaspora vs. Africa (and vice versa) troupe is one I don’t want lol but I guess it is a culturally relevant conversation.
Ends in a simple “the apply doesn’t fall far from the tree” type of way, I’d have to say I’d read the next instalment if there was one to see how it ends.
My next read will also be from this author.
RIP
June 30, 2020
Wonderfully written prequel to Bad Men, Wicked Women, where the characters were so complex and amazingly flawed. that you couldn't help but connect to them on a more cellular level. For anyone who reads this before reading Bad Men, Wicked Women, there will be no drop off to how things flow with the characters, both in their pasts and present.
February 25, 2021
“Money made it easy for a woman to love a bad man.”
BWWW is the prequel and takes us back to the 90s when Ken Swift met his savage love, Jimmi Lee. Sparks flew instantly. Ken gave her the “Soul Stealer” that can make a girl quickly lose her mind. What starts as a lustful passion filled tryst gets real, when Jimmi becomes pregnant. The clash of cultures, families, and beliefs make for a tumultuous road ahead.
The first 100 pages or so was filled with very hot, pornographic, incredibly desirable sex. We definitely see how he earned the name Soul Stealer. The action continued, but I wanted to know more on how Ken & Jake were brought into their “industry”.
I did not like Jimmi Lee from the beginning; she was grimy, and looked down on people outside of her Ethiopian culture. It was interesting to see the dynamic between African/African American lovers. So many twists, so much sex & wickedness!
BWWW is the prequel and takes us back to the 90s when Ken Swift met his savage love, Jimmi Lee. Sparks flew instantly. Ken gave her the “Soul Stealer” that can make a girl quickly lose her mind. What starts as a lustful passion filled tryst gets real, when Jimmi becomes pregnant. The clash of cultures, families, and beliefs make for a tumultuous road ahead.
The first 100 pages or so was filled with very hot, pornographic, incredibly desirable sex. We definitely see how he earned the name Soul Stealer. The action continued, but I wanted to know more on how Ken & Jake were brought into their “industry”.
I did not like Jimmi Lee from the beginning; she was grimy, and looked down on people outside of her Ethiopian culture. It was interesting to see the dynamic between African/African American lovers. So many twists, so much sex & wickedness!
December 18, 2019
Eric Jerome Dickey always brings the heat and a unique story that will keep the reader engaged from beginning to end. I highly recommend Before We Were Wicked, and follow it immediately with the sequel.
May 9, 2020
Birds Born NACage Think FlyN IsA IllNess
May 9, 2020
As often as Not We R HomeSick 4Places WeVe NeverKnown
Read
January 10, 2022THIS BOOK HAS THE POWER TO PREVENT MORE UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES THAN ANY SEX ED BROCHURE
April 17, 2019
I did not read Eric’s first book “Bad Men and Wicked Women”, but that totally didn’t mean a thing as this was the prequel to that book. What a drama-filled book this is! I think it does a great job at portraying the political and emotional standpoints of these two characters and what they’ve gone through in their life. It’s raw and genuine. A lot of people need this culture shock in their lives. At the same time, I think Jimi was portrayed a little more dramatic than she needed to be. She went through a lot in her life, but her behavior was a little uncalled for in my opinion. Again, hard to judge a person through all of that, but she was just a tad unlikable. Otherwise, a solid read. Thank you Dutton for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 10, 2020
This prequel makes the 1st book of this series better. Understanding and getting to know young Ken Swift was refreshing. He truly fell in love with a woman who was only in lust, running away from her problems with her family. This book was filled with relationship dramas that make you sad and angry!
January 12, 2020
I have never hated a character more in my life. It was an amazing book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2023
This book was written by a man and it reads like it was written by a man
Want to read
March 17, 2020Eric doesn’t disappoint! Very engaging love his classic feel! Reminded me why I feel in love with his writing in the first place!
March 30, 2021
I was disappointed in so many ways. But if the author used the same energy and attention to detail to supply any kind of plot, as he did to erotica , I could have offered a better rating.
January 25, 2024
I read this without reading the prequel so maybe that’s to blame on my bad experience.
February 8, 2020
Excellent book, I highly recommend. The sex scenes were HOTT!!.. The story flowed effortlessly while making you flip through the pages with a vengeance. But the ending kind of leaves you in a cliffhanger wanting more and more.
Read
April 21, 2021I felt really bad for Ken Swift & the horrible spot his wife & her family put him in.
April 9, 2019
"Before We Were Wicked" is a prequel novel to "Bad Men and Wicked Women." The plot is based on Jimi Lee, a 19-year-old Ethiopian girl, and Ken Swift, a 22-year-old enforcement man for gangster San Bernardino. Swift is an African American. California native. Dickey does a magnificent job of exploring relationships and divorce. .
Swift and Lee's relationship begins after a night at Club Fetish. Lee had come to the club with another date, when Swift butted in. They slept together the first night of the relationship, and a torrid affair began from that point forward. Their lust began turning to hatred because of family problems, cultural differences, and unrealistic expectations.
I despised Jimi Lee and how she treated Ken throughout the novel. Her parents made her feel, from an early age, that she was superior to African Americans. Lee and her family were as bad as some bigot. She clung to stereotypes about the African American community, and told Ken that her family wouldn't approve of him, because of his race. She (and other Ethiopians) believed they are Caucasoid. Supposedly, Ethiopians received this status of "white" because their country defeated the Italians in a war. Lee and other Ethiopians, however, are darker hued, and would be treated like other Blacks in America. She did not see her commonality with Ken, instead she believed he was beneath her. He was a "fling" while she prepared to go to Ethiopia for six months then to Harvard University.
She was embarrassed to be seen in public with Ken around other Ethiopians and her parents due to the pecking order. Jimi Lee always let Ken know he wasn't good enough for her. Who could survive in a poisonous relationship like that? They nearly break up, but things don't go as planned, and the relationship last longer than either of them anticipated.
I liked learning about Ethiopian culture and the serious discussions of race and class in the novel. I was unhappy with his overuse of sex scenes. I'm not saying they were bad, it just got to be too many. They were titillating at first, then became boring, because there were so many. I've read his other novels in the past, and loved them. I just wished there was some balance with these scenes, because it slowed down the plot's execution. .
I liked Ken and felt sorry for him. He stayed in that relationship and put up with way more than he should have. He was a good man, and Jimi Lee treated him like crap. She constantly berated him and complained incessantly. She was greedy and betrayed Ken constantly. Although she loved him, her parents' opinion of him mattered more.
Jimi Lee wanted to be with a man she didn't love, so she could maintain control of her personal power. I ended up hating her as the book progressed. I wasn't sure why he put up with her madness constantly. I realized she suffered abuse at the hands of her father, but it didn't excuse for how she treated Ken.
Swift and Lee's relationship begins after a night at Club Fetish. Lee had come to the club with another date, when Swift butted in. They slept together the first night of the relationship, and a torrid affair began from that point forward. Their lust began turning to hatred because of family problems, cultural differences, and unrealistic expectations.
I despised Jimi Lee and how she treated Ken throughout the novel. Her parents made her feel, from an early age, that she was superior to African Americans. Lee and her family were as bad as some bigot. She clung to stereotypes about the African American community, and told Ken that her family wouldn't approve of him, because of his race. She (and other Ethiopians) believed they are Caucasoid. Supposedly, Ethiopians received this status of "white" because their country defeated the Italians in a war. Lee and other Ethiopians, however, are darker hued, and would be treated like other Blacks in America. She did not see her commonality with Ken, instead she believed he was beneath her. He was a "fling" while she prepared to go to Ethiopia for six months then to Harvard University.
She was embarrassed to be seen in public with Ken around other Ethiopians and her parents due to the pecking order. Jimi Lee always let Ken know he wasn't good enough for her. Who could survive in a poisonous relationship like that? They nearly break up, but things don't go as planned, and the relationship last longer than either of them anticipated.
I liked learning about Ethiopian culture and the serious discussions of race and class in the novel. I was unhappy with his overuse of sex scenes. I'm not saying they were bad, it just got to be too many. They were titillating at first, then became boring, because there were so many. I've read his other novels in the past, and loved them. I just wished there was some balance with these scenes, because it slowed down the plot's execution. .
I liked Ken and felt sorry for him. He stayed in that relationship and put up with way more than he should have. He was a good man, and Jimi Lee treated him like crap. She constantly berated him and complained incessantly. She was greedy and betrayed Ken constantly. Although she loved him, her parents' opinion of him mattered more.
Jimi Lee wanted to be with a man she didn't love, so she could maintain control of her personal power. I ended up hating her as the book progressed. I wasn't sure why he put up with her madness constantly. I realized she suffered abuse at the hands of her father, but it didn't excuse for how she treated Ken.
July 27, 2019
The book is sex, depression and monologues. There is no character development. Once Jimi gets pregnant, they are destined to be the same people forever. It was dull and repetitive. The conflict between Africans and Blacks could've helped the story but it felt like a history lesson. Every few pages there'd be a pop quiz to see if you remembered reading it five minutes ago. The sex, which dominated the book, was bland. If he was going to be a "Soul Stealer", at least that portion could've been interesting. This was my first time reading this author and it'll be my last.
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December 3, 2019I want to BEAT the BREAKS off Jimi Lee!
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