I Do Love You Still

by Mary B. Morrison

From New York Times bestselling author Mary B. Morrison comes the scintillating, no-holds-barred novel of a dazzling potential power couple who regretfully take their scandalous love-hurt reunion to an all-time low  . . .  Between their rising careers and insatiable passion for each other, Xena Trinity and Memphis Brown seem to be perfect partners. Sure, they break up constantly, but their love and sexual chemistry is undeniable. Since their ultimate goal is to marry and start a family after Memphis fulfills his dreams, they believe they can one day have it all. Until Xena gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take her fashion brand from Savannah to New York City—just after track star Memphis clinches an Olympic spot . . .   Never conceiving Xena could outshine him, Memphis crosses a new He looks elsewhere to fill the void of her abandonment and betrayal. Fed up with Memphis’s shenanigans, Xena moves on to a new man who supports her dream of building her brand . . . until her heart makes her yearn once more for a life with her soulmate, Memphis. With her career and love life hanging in the balance, Xena is forced to re-evaluate her priorities. Which man can she depend on for happiness? Will she take another chance on Memphis? Or stay with the self-made billionaire offering wisdom and stability? Will turning to her business partner or her best friend for advice give her answers or more complications?   Just when Xena has hope everything will turn out fine, life-altering discoveries put her and Memphis’s careers on pause—breaking more than their hearts. And getting real enough to manage this devastation could cost Xena and Memphis more than they ever imagined . . .

Genres: Love, Adult Fiction

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2019

About the author

Mary B. Morrison, New York Times best-selling author is the up and coming artist with a multiple book-to-film deal. Mary has seventeen published novels including her newest release, If I Can’t Have You.

She writes for Kensington Publishing Corporation as Mary B. Morrison and Grand Central Publishing as HoneyB. In her novels Mary addresses social and sexual issues while empowering her female characters.

“Women Rule,” that’s the way I see it. “Beside every great man there is a powerful woman. The same does not hold true for every successful woman. A lot of us are single because men want to wear the pants, even if they didn’t buy them.”

Jeff Clanagan, CEO of Codeblack Entertainment and filmmaker, Leslie Small, optioned the film rights to Mary B. Morrison’s popular Soulmates Dissipate series (which includes seven novels). Her first book, Soulmates Dissipate, is being developed for feature film in 2013.

Mary is an Executive Producer on her film deal and she was Executive Producer and playwright for her stage play Single Husbands (based on her novel under her pen name HoneyB).

On June 3, 2000, Mary withdrew her retirement to self-publish her debut novel, Soulmates Dissipate. Mary has also sponsored an anthology publishing 33 students entitled Diverse Stories: From the Imaginations of Sixth Graders.

Lift Every Voice and Write is Mary’s non-profit. The organization is established to help increase literacy and support students interested in pursuing writing as a career.

Born in Aurora, Illinois, and reared in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mary is the middle child of seven. She’s a graduate of McDonogh #35 High School in New Orleans and Berkeley Community College in Berkeley, California.

Her wonderful son, Jesse Byrd, Jr. is a 2010 graduate of U.C. Santa Barbara and producer on Mary’s film deal. Jesse has recently completed his first novel and owns a clothing business, OiseauChateau.com.

Mary currently resides in Oakland, California.

Reviews

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Too much was left open. Where's my closure? Who needs enemies when they have friends like Tina-Love? That lady is just out for herself and wants to hurt everyone because she can't get past her hurt. I don't think she ever wanted to see Zena truly settled and happy. She purposefully f'd up Memphis's mind to keep confusion going.

Young and dumb Memphis. I liked that Tina-Love had his card. He is the typical selfish man who does dumb stuff and then ask why is this all happening to him? He never stopped to look at his actions. He just wanted what and who he wanted when he wanted. That snake of a coach was wild! I didn't expect any of his shenanigans. I won't even touch the crazy Natalie chick or the husband and wife blackmailers. I can believe those gossip people do this kind of stuff and it is sad.

Zena is a crash course dummy. Why women never pick the right man? We hang on to potential and let go of the real deal. I never got her relationship with that step mom. She didn't have to talk to her ever again, but did. Zena enjoyed playing victim. She took responsibility for nothing. She's an exhausting individual. I can't deal with people like her and they're definitely out there. She wants everyone else to save her. UGH!

I was provided a ARC of this book from Dafina Books via Netgalley.

[Kelsie Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Do Love You Still
Mary B. Morrison

I Do Love You Still is complicated multicultural fiction from Mary B. Morrison. Ms. Morrison is an author I’m familiar with, so I expected, and got, intense drama.

Men’s clothing designer, Xena Trinity, is still in love with her ex, Memphis Brown, even though she’s in a new relationship. She’s on the brink of realizing her greatest desire, to show at New York Men’s Fashion Week, and wants to be sure she’s with the man best suited for helping her reach her personal and career goals. Xena is an eclectic melting pot, and her life is just as complicated as her genetic makeup.

Memphis Brown is working hard to achieve his goal of qualifying for the Olympics in track and field. Six-feet-two-inches of blackberry skin with lean muscles, he’s a fine male specimen and knows it. He wants his ex, Xena Trinity, badly but can’t resist the appeal of his sexy blonde hair, blue-eyed new friend. He’s trying to juggle his complicated relationships and maintain his sanity while living by his mother’s daily inspirational mantra, “Stay ready”.

Tina-Love Jones is Xena’s promiscuous best friend and Memphis’ #1 fan. She’s a multimillionaire supermodel who travels the world and controls men through sex. Tina-Love’s relationships with Xena and Memphis are becoming more complicated than she wants to deal with. She loves them both and will do anything she can to reconnect the two star-crossed lovers.

I Do Love You Still is way beyond good. The story is told through the alternating viewpoints of Xena, Memphis and Tina-Love. Multiple viewpoints can get confusing, but the author handles this easily with appropriate chapter headers and vivid dialogue. Morrison’s characters are vibrant and interesting. The story is set in Savannah, GA and bits of the city’s historic sites and history are injected throughout the novel. I compliment the author for weaving a wonderfully complex plot without leaving the reader totally lost. The plot twists stole my breath. The ending still has my jaw dropped. I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it readers who enjoy multicultural fiction. The explicit sexual content may be offensive to some readers.

My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

[Never Without a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG! What did I just read! I have never heard of this author, but from what I found she is very popular. Nothing towards the writing or the author but this isn’t the kind of book I would read on the norm. I completely went into this read with an open mind.

I Do Love You Still by Mary B. Morrison was a TRIP! Xena Trinity and Memphis Brown have the best/ worst relationship. Xena has an opportunity to make it big in the fashion industry by relocating her business to New York and Memphis has a chance for the Olympic. These two strong mined people end up going their separate ways to get what they want but end up re-evaluating their choices and the love they have for each other.

Okay, without giving too much away these characters get MESSY.

Would I read something by this author again? No, but I was screaming with laughter, things got so complicated and crazy it just took me out. Morrison fans will absolutely LOVE this novel. The ending had me gasp for air. Get ready for a shock! Okay it wasn’t that shocking because that situation was predictable, but I still want to know what happens.

Thank you, Dafina/Kensington, for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review. 3/5 stars

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars
DNF 22%
I did not care for the characters, and I just disliked so much how it was written. Annoyed, bored and just meh. Nope. Not for me.


I got this eARC from Netgalley

[Debbie’s reviews 🌸📚📚📚🌸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xena and Memphis can’t seem to get things right in their dysfunctional relationship. So what happens when their careers skyrocket? The love is certainly still there but will they be there for each other .. that seems to be the question in this intriguing new novel by Mary B. Morrison.. this book made me really think about the complexities of a relationship. I was very engrossed in the characters and finding out the fate of their relationship. This Author isn’t new to me . I’ve read just about everything that she has written and loved them all. .this book is no exception. It was a great read. I recommend this book especially if you are in a complicated relationship. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy for my honest opinion. #netgalley

[Lynette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was sooo frustrating! The 3 main characters made me sooo mad at times that I wanted to smack them on the heads. So much selfish behavior, so much immaturity, so much plain old stupidity in each of the characters actions. I’m not certain if that was an intentional thing done in part by the author but it was nuts. I only kept reading to see how much worse the characters could become...trust me they really showed their butts in the last few chapters. There also was a great deal of unresolved and unanswered plots in this book. I really like the author, but ughhh this book just made me wanna scream.

[Myla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book....smh....Oh my goodness. I love Mary B., but her writing has changed over the years. All of the characters were ridiculous and immature and got on my last nerves. Especially Xena. Girl if you dont get a job! Three proposals from 3 different men? Seriously? This girl must have been on point! Smh stop it.
It was all just too much of nothing for me and I was over it halfway through the book, but pressed through till the end.

[Kels · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first thing I said after I finished this was “this book was stupid”. It was like a bad soap opera. This wasn’t the first book of hers I’ve read but it certainly is the worst.

Just...don’t waste your time.

[Mazie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I need my time back. I couldn't even finish it because it was so disjointed and confusing.

[Kanese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Speechless.

The characters worked my nerves the entire book. I almost added this to my DNF file. The character that really aggravated me was Xena. She was so flighty. She never took accountability, and she always played the victim. I also did not like the fact that she withheld information and did not share vital information when it was essential. Tina-Love was probably the one that I liked the most. She was her authentic self and was not ashamed to be who she was. However, her relationship with Memphis was a little odd to me.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! Attention snatching storyline, that will have you thinking just how far will people go for love. How do hurt people actually heal before they continue to hurt others. Character development well written. I enjoyed and recommend this five star read. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been EPIC but it fell flat at the end. I have no absolutely no closure! I need closure dangit lol Also, Tina Love SUCKS! She's not a good friend at all!

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Trust No One." Wow, talk about DRAMA! These are some jacked up individuals that left me with more pending questions as to: who was the mastermind to the baby scheme, who is Xena living with now, who is Memphis screwing, and the status of Tina-Love and Ricardo?

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very disappointed at Mary B. for this one.

[Brookelyn Mosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

These characters, lawd these characters! It has been a longtime since I’ve been frustrated with characters the way I was frustrated with these three. Characters real enough to annoy me is a good thing ☺️. The first few pages hooked me and was my reason for grabbing a copy of this book. Xena has a lot of growing to do. She never stood on her own in this book and I was honestly waiting for that necessary growth but it seems she just remained the same throughout my 300+ pages just with the different men in her life. Memphis is a young jerk. At moments when I thought he had grown he just was the same ol’ Memphis - selfish, shallow, self-centered, and just simply working my very last nerve. Yes, I am judging bruh hard! Tina-Love was a character I understood the most, however, even her ways were too much to tolerate. Was she really Xena’s friend? A lot of the drama Xena was faced with was at the hands or I should say the mouth of Tina-Love. Sis just couldn’t keep anything to herself down to the last page! At times, I was thinking she was trying to sabotage Xena but then turn around and say she was helping her, huh? Then there’s Tina-Love and Memphis’s relationship. What the hell was that? They were definitely not just friends the way it was portrayed in the book. I couldn’t quite place their relationship which made it confusing for me. Memphis was clearly attracted and in love with Tina-Love. Their connection seemed to be very emotionally binding. Some of the things Memphis would say or that Tina-Love would say about him was all the proof that their friendship was definitely toeing the line of friends-with-benefits. I didn’t get the soulmate vibe from Xena and Memphis in this story. It just seemed they were romanticizing a past that wasn’t really romantic or full of this love they claimed to have for each other. I will definitely not forget any of these characters and hopefully in the continuation of their stories, if they continue, they evolve in some way, in any way.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Do Love You Still is a great read. Sometimes when a story is told through alternating viewpoints, it can be somewhat confusing. However, the author handles this very well, and it is no problem to follow the story as told by Memphis, Tina-Love and Xena. I found myself getting a bit irritated with Xena for some of her actions, but no complaints here. I love to be invested in a story, and you will definitely find yourself taking sides in this one. That heart wants what the heart wants, and each of the main characters wants something different out of a relationship. Although there are a multitude of twists and turns found in this story, Morrison leads you through them easily enough. You will enjoy this read to the very end. Note: Some explicit sexual content is included.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. #IDoLoveYouStill #NetGalley

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Do Love You Still is a great read. Sometimes when a story is told through alternating viewpoints, it can be somewhat confusing. However, the author handles this very well, and it is no problem to follow the story as told by Memphis, Tina-Love and Xena. I found myself getting a bit irritated with Xena for some of her actions, but no complaints here. I love to be invested in a story, and you will definitely find yourself taking sides in this one. That heart wants what the heart wants, and each of the main characters wants something different out of a relationship. Although there are a multitude of twists and turns found in this story, Morrison leads you through them easily enough. You will enjoy this read to the very end. Note: Some explicit sexual content is included.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. #IDoLoveYouStill #NetGalley

[Alto D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I use to absolutely love this author, but the last 2 books have been horrible. I'm not sure what the actual purpose of this book was, but it's definitely not about real friendship.










Memphis claimed he loved Xena, but he never treated her as anything more than a personal property that he wanted to have control over.

Trinity wasn't a friend to anyone but Memphis! She constantly betrayed Xena by telling all of her business. She was selfish and seemed to be in love with Memphis, in my opinion. Not to mention, they slept together and have a very inappropriate relationship. Both are toxic and need to be together.

And why was Bailey brought into the book to die! Like seriously, what was his purpose.

Adonis was crazy and obsessive. No real growth to his character.

What happened to this amazing author? Her books are becoming trash as if she has a deadline of books to push out. I would not recommend this book

[Kendra Broomfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the characters were toxic as hell! I felt like there was more to be told in this story, everything kind of seemed unresolved.

Memphis was a narcissistic F boy who lacked accountability. Tina-Love was a hyper sexual, controlling low-key hater to her bestie, and said bestie Xena was a naive woman who had everything to be successful at her disposal and still made dumb decisions.

Adonis was crazy and always popping up somewhere, I know he would either have to be killed or put in jail for life to leave Xena. Did Bailey change his will before he died and she get all of his billions? Is Topaz shady or does she really have Xena’s best interest at heart? Is Natalie the mastermind behind the scandals or is it the radio couple?

So many unanswered questions and the book was long enough to address them all!

[Michelle Lindo-Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xena and Memphis have a dysfunctional love relationship. They are both about to explode in their careers but they can't seem to get things right in their on-off-on-off? relationship. Their love for each other is evident and the passion is intense but will this couple survive all the drama going on their lives? Will they have it all? Mary B. Morrison keeps you reading until you find out.
Memorable Quote: "The only power a man has over you is the control you give him." That is soooo true.
Thank you #NetGalley

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Try this one if you're looking for a romance between two hot people who just can't quite get on the same plane at the same time. Xena wants to move her fashion brand forward and Memphis wants to go to the Olympics. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. There's a lot of drama here - and when they split, even more drama. It takes working their ways through others who are really not right for them (so not right) to make them see what they need to do. I'd not read Morrison before but I understand why she has a lot of fans. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast entertaining read!

[Helen Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xena Trinity is trying to make her mark in the fashion world and Memphis Brown is track star hoping to conquer gold at the Olympics. They have a drama filled relationship that goes back and forth where there are others pulled into their dramas. Their ultimate goal is to eventually be together and create a family. But things do not go as they plan. And because of all their drama and toxic relationship someone good and caring that wants to give Xena everything she ever dreamed of will be irreversibly hurt.

[ShayBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Do Love You Still was a very good read, I was little skeptical at first because her last book fell short on my expectations, I can actually say she is right back up there and I was very pleased.

Xena Trinity and Memphis Brown seem to be the ultimate couple on the outside but I feel like it is was just strong sexual chemistry, Memphis is trying hard to focus qualify for the olympics but he just cannot stay focused and out of the drama. Xena is going through a lot and really needs to grow up and become the women she is destined to be. I am really hope there is a follow up book.

[Deborah Arrington]

Interesting

Xena. Seems to have it all, a career she loves friends and the controlling !an to boot. Adonis, how she put up with his whiny, mama's boy butt I couldn't, then there Memphis, who really (I think does love her or her body) needs to stop thinking fro. His lower body, and next is Bailey, not sure other than he did not want to leave anything to his children. And her business partner and Bestie were at least consistent in their behavior. Good rrad

[Kandise Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have rated this a 5 because I really liked the way the story was going, but I hated the way it ended. I still have tons of unanswered questions to most of the scenarios. So much happened in this book yet we don't have the answers as to who did what and why. I'm hoping that it will be a part 2 to this book. Overall it was a good action packed, drama filled, sad, a little bit of this and that different kind of story.

[Elaine Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about two people who couldn't get their act together. Xena and Memphis have the type of relationship that some would love and some would hate. Their story is told by different points of views and I loved it. they both want different things and their love and passion for each are shown throughout the book. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Elaine Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about two people who couldn't get their act together. Xena and Memphis have the type of relationship that some would love and some would hate. Their story is told by different points of views and I loved it. they both want different things and their love and passion for each are shown throughout the book. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Isabel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm struggling with writing a review for this book. A lot of people have commented that Xena and Memphis had a complicated relationship. I didn't see it that way. I thought Memphis was immature and his focus was physical. Xena (I thought) was holding on to "what could be". And I'm still trying to process Tina-Love's character and her angle.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Read

I really enjoyed this book. It's not your typical Mary B Morrison book though. I believe that is the reason so many people didn't like it. I loved it though; it put me in the mind of the Soul Mates Dissipate book. The only reason it didn't get that 5th star from me is because of the ending. Other than that I enjoyed this book.

[Cam Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew chile, this book was a RIDE. Although there were a few grammatical errors that threw me (picture vs. pitcher), this book gave me all the rachetness I was looking for. Not too high on erotica but the drama is everything and I definitely ended the book like “ok, now what?!” I consumed this book in a day and I dunno how it took me this long. I’ll be picking up Ms. Morrison’s next book for sure!