Ebony Eyes

by Kei Swanson

Corie Rickman’s parents have always indulged her, but chafing under their protective care, she chooses to marry a man from the wrong side of the tracks. After one too many beatings from her husband, she leaves him and starts her life over. Unfortunately for her, she knows too much about her ex’s illegal activities, and now he’s gunning for her.Undercover cop Laine Tanizaki is out to avenge his partner’s death. He meets Corie while trying to bring down a ring of drug dealers. The attraction is instant, but the deceptions begin almost as quickly. Can they survive both Corie’s murderous ex and the weight of their own lies?

Genres: Interracial Romance, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

It is my hope to share my love for Japan and its warrior class, the Samurai, with you.

I have written many stories with a Japanese hero since I began creating fanfiction for the original STAR TREK series, starring the character Lt. Sulu. This was in high school and as I aged I discovered other avenues to pursue in the world of writing, all involving an Asian hero. Getting them published was another thing.

Struggling to find a publisher, I began a work inspired by Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese National to pitch in the major leagues in 30 years. At the same time, I attended a ROMANTIC TIMES convention in San Antonio and spoke with Will Colom, who had just started his publishing house Genesis Press. He spoke of his desire to publish ethnic romances with an eye to the African-American, Hispanic, and Asian market. Within 18 months I had the work completed and ready for submission.

THE WORDS OF THE PITCHER sold and was on the shelf in 2000. (It’s still available, hint, hint!) The incredible ride of a published author was wonderful. In 2004, I sold my second work, SEABIRD OF SANEMATSU to Zumaya Publications which was released in September 2005. SEABIRD is the first volume of a three volume series set in 15th century Feudal Japan, the second book in the saga, SEASON OF SANEMATSU was released in Spring, 2009.

My goal in writing books with Japanese heroes is to show the erotic side of the samurai. Some say I’ve succeeded with Kentaro Ikuta and Sanematsu Yoshihide. See for yourself!

I also write contemporary romance with the standard non-ethnic hero. Hopefully, they’ll live up to the standards I have set for my Samurai.

Let me know what you think…about anything.

Sayonara,

Kei

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kei Swanson is clearly eavesdropping in on my brain. She truly knows about my love for Asian men. If not, then she must be a serious admirer of Asian men, just like me. Laine Tanizaki was completely, utterly fantastic. Sexy as all get out, but sweet and kind and honorable. I kept picturing Ian Anthony Dale as I read this book, and badly in need of a bib to catch all my drooling. But, I don't want to objectify him. He was a fully-realized character that I fell in love with, just as Corie did. Helping people is in his blood, and being an undercover police officer wasn't something he enjoyed, but it was a way to do what he felt was necessary to keep people safe. He was so loveable, and lickable too (okay, mind out of the gutter). I like that Kei wasn't afraid to have a hero who is Japanese-American, but one who didn't cement or pander to stereotypes. I felt as I read this story that we are of the same mind, ethnicity doesn't control our lives. It's who we are, but just a part of our identities. Laine was an American who happened to be Japanese. He had some of those elements of his ethnicity and heritage, but he also was just like any other American. To be honest with you, I could give this book five stars just because of how much I adored Laine. He was just one of those heroes who claims my heart early on and doesn't let go. I loved how he watched out for, loved, and truly respected and liked Corie. He was a dream man, in my opinion.

I liked Corie, but she's the vulnerable type. If readers don't go for the kind of heroine who is always in need of rescue, Corie won't be your thing. I was okay with her, because I felt that she was the right woman for Laine, and I felt the chemistry between them. Also, she went through a tough experience, and came out of it a survivor, even though she was worse for wear from the experience. And, she gets points for running a bookstore, owning a cat, and seeing what a fine, sexy, hunk of burning love Laine was. I liked that she was also a character who didn't fulfill stereotypes about Black women. She's about as far as you can get away from the uncultured, uncouth, loud, bitter, mean Black woman that seems to be used as the poster child for women of my race. She came from upper class, born into money, but strayed when she fell for a man who turned out to be a straight-up hoodlum and drug-dealer, who beat her so badly, she lost her baby and was in the ICU for two weeks. Now, she lives in fear of him, which was a little frustrating. Although I could understand that fear can control us. I wasn't always happy with the choices she made in regards to dealing with her ex-husband, but I've never been in her shoes, so I didn't hold that against her too much.

This was a well-paced, well-written romance. The chemistry builds deliciously, and you feel the emotional bond between Laine and Corie. Even though they can't open up about who they are, there is a connection between them that drives their interactions. I liked the dialogue and the intimacy in their everyday interactions. When they make love, the fire has stoked to a tingling level of anticipation, and I was not disappointed.

I had a bad experience with the last interracial romance I tried to read. It also had an Asian hero and a Black woman, and that woman was also battered by a man in her life. This execution was so much better. There was nothing tawdry or disturbing about this story, but the abuse that Corie suffered was clear. Laine never came off as an opportunist or a user, but a man truly in love who knew how to care for his woman and to love her. Just what she needed. And, Corie turns out to be right for Laine, giving him a connection and the love of a woman, when he's felt so isolated, with only a dying father in his life, and his job. I am thankful to Kei for her deft handing of this tough subject. I loved how she dealt with the racial and socioeconomic differences, and how lovingly she brought Laine to life. It sounds really bizarre to say so, but I have a heart for Asian people, and I want to see more stories that show Asian Americans as they are everyday, minus the stereotypes that seem to cloud a true vision of a group of people who are diverse and rich in culture and personality. As a Black woman, I feel that on a personal level everyday, and it's not pretty. So, when I read a book that doesn't go in that direction, I feel very happy. I cheered for Laine and Corie to get their happy ending together, because I felt that I truly knew them as lovable, good people. If they were real, I'd definitely want to go to their wedding.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.

[MelissaB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ebony Eyes was an interracial romance featuring an African American heroine and an Asian American hero. I enjoyed some parts of the story but I had a few problems too. My biggest problem was with some of the heroine's actions. She had been abused by her drug dealer ex-husband and was being threatened by his men. Instead of calling the police, she just ignores it and hopes she can just hide from the men and it will go away, which was dumb, dangerous and irrational. She really needed better judgement and needed to stand up for herself better. The hero was a nice guy but I was annoyed at the basic plot setup which required him to lie to her about his life since he was working undercover. I hate when both leads spend a lot of time lying to each other. His lies were necessary but she kept the truth from him for other reasons (fear that he wouldn't like her if he knew the truth). Some parts of the story were hard to believe, like a cop who couldn't manage to find out basic information about someone and a rich heroine who slept in her mall bookstore (that was weird).

I read and enjoyed Words of the Pitcher by this author. She has an interesting writing style that I like but this book couldn't quite overcome a very stubborn heroine who was being very dumb about her personal safety and some plot points that didn't make sense to me. It's not a bad book, it just could have been a bit better.

[SassyMama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Multicural Romantic Suspense

I was quickly drawn into the story from the start. I couldn't put it down until I was finished. Born into an affluent African American family, Corie, had rebelled by going after a `bad boy' and getting more than she bargained for, so much so, that now she's disgusted with herself for being weak and ineffectual in re-claiming her life. Laine an undercover cop had his own issues of having grown up on the other side of the tracks with an alcoholic father and knowing that even if he could reveal his true self, he could never fit in with the upper echelons of the society Corie belonged to. The story evolves so, that the characters are able to overcome their differences. Mostly made possible by Laine's persistence. Through his love and patience, he manages to give Corie back her self-esteem and strength in order to re-claim that part of her life she'd lost. The sizzling sensuality as these two finally give into their overwhelming attraction and passion is nothing short of heavenly. Hard to believe I almost did not purchase this book because of a few reviews I read at a different site, but I decided to give it a chance. So, glad I did. This was a good read!

[Arch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hero: Laine Tanizaki (Asian)
Heroine: Corie Rickman's (black)

This is my first book by Kei Swanson and the first interracial book that I have read about a black woman and Asian man.

I didn't see the chemistry between Laine and Corie. I don't see how Laine had put up with Corie at times, she was annoying.

Let me give a little background about these two:

Corie is rich, an only child and owns her own bookstore in the mall. She was once married, but that marriage was short lived. Her husband was abusive to her. He beat her up and killed their baby.

Laine is not rich. He's a cop, an only child as well. At least that's what I have picked up. He teaches a self defense class. He's undercover at a burger place at the mall called Burger Train. He's one of the managers. He's there to stop a drug ring.

I had to say What! to some of things that occured in this book.

The book opens up with a what! to me. The book opens up with a thug - one of Corie's ex-husband's Ronald's men manhandling her about an envelope that she made a mistake and taken from the house she and Ronald shared, when she left him.

Why a what!?: Because the thug is manhandling Corie outside of her store and no one sees or hear what's going on besides Laine, who is at his job across from her store. He's at the counter and he hears her tell the thug "Let go of me you scumbag!"

Really!

It's not like Laine is the only person in the restaurant. Customers are in there and other employees are in there. Plus, I'm sure Corie and the thug weren't the only people in the mall outside of the restaurant. Surely, other people would have seen and heard Corie and the thug.

Not only was Laine the only person that witnessed what was going on between Corie and the thug, he'd gone over to them and eventually caused the thug to leave. And not as a cop, but as a regular guy that is supposed to be seen as the hero.

That's Laine's theme in this book. The hero. Corie gave him a nickname Galahad. From that day, she seen Laine as her hero; someone that could protect her. But protect her from what? Because, she was so tightlipped about what was wrong. Laine have asked her more than once, but she kept on saying she can handle it.

I don't know what it feels like to be a victim of abuse from a husband or a man period. I don't know how women that have walked in these shoes think, but I found Corie annoying and immature (at times).

Corie has married Ronald, a man from the wrong side of the track. Okay, unless I'm green in this area, but to me the wrong side of the track would mean. It better not have anything to do with money, because less money doesn't make a person the wrong side of the track.

I have reread what Corie told Laine at the end as to why she married Ronald and I have to say that her father is prejudiced and have tried to instill prejudiced into Corie. She told Laine that her father would preach to her about how different they were from the African Americans living in South Central. Some people can't help where they live, but just because a person lives in a certain area it doesn't mean they are bad people or even good people. Some bad people live in rich neighborhoods.

Yes, Ronald turned out to be a bad guy, but it doesn't mean, because he was from South Central that he was bad. How dare her father be that way, because he had money. It's true that a lot of black people are prejuiced against other black people, especially a lot with money.

Corie fell for Ronald, because he was forbidden in her father's eyesight. She rebelled and married the man. Unless, I have missed something, prior to her marrying Ronald it didn't say that he was a bad person or even showed bad signs. His badness seem to occur after they have gotten married. He would beat her. Again, unless I have missed something, it seemed that Ronald had only beat Corie up, when she answered his cell phone and found out about her secret - that he was a drug dealer. He beat her up to the point she had to go to the hosptial and that beating caused their baby to die. Well that's what I have seen about the beating, but when Corie told Laine why she a married Ronald, she also mentioned that he would beat up her prior to putting her in the hospital.

Some women stay with men that beats them up. Love is not that deep. Corie said that she didn't love Ronald.

Okay, getting back to the wrong side of the track issue. Because Ronald was from South Central he had to be bad. So, since this was true in this story, I guess that Corie was really attactive to bad guys. Why? Because one day at the mall, after leaving the gym, she seen Laine in Ronald's shoes, as in a drug dealer. She still didn't know he was a cop or undercover. All she seen him was with some thugs that was giving her a hard time. He tried to speak up for her without blowing his cover, but she gotten upset with him and didn't want to see him again. He bought her flowers and she went destroy them at his job and he had to clean up the mess. That was immature of her. The woman that finished raised her- her mother's friend and her co-worker, Mrs. Edith told her that she was acting like a child and I agree.

Although Corie seen Laine in his thug display, a huge part of her still wanted to be with him. I understand that Laine was really a good guy dressed in bad guys clothing for this mission, but what if he really was a drug dealer that was still into her, would she have given him a chance? She was falling for him. A bad guy.

I hated how Corie would treat Laine. One while she wanted to be with him, then the next she wouldn't. She would get mad at him with the drop of a hat. She kept pushing him away, even though she seen him as her protector. Well, she seen how he was built and to her that mean he could protect.

I understand why Laine couldn't come out and tell Corie the truth about himself. He was undercover and he was given an undercover identity, which I don't know why his real name was used as his undercover name. He's a cop. Surely, he had done a lot of bust and his name would have been recoginzed easily. Law & Order SVU! I'm surprised that Ronald didn't know who Laine was or have seen him before or even how the thugs he was hanging out with didn't know. In the movies, sometimes the undercover cop's cover is blown by someone they are hanging out with. Usually, in the movies, when the new person is brought to the pack, he is checked out.

I've said a lot, but I must get the two other Whats! in.

Another What! to me, is when Corie is visited by a different thug, who came to get the envelope that belonged to Ronald. Corie is not along in the store. Laine is there fixing the cabinet that she asked him to help her with earlier. The thug is destroying her magazines. Corie is helpless and Laine is not the visible hero. I don't see why Corie didn't stop the thug by using a self defense move. Prior to this visit she had taken a self defense class, which she found out later that Laine was the teacher (he had a friend teach the class that night)and gotten upset for a short while. Instead of Corie doing a move to get the thug out of her store or Laine being the hero that Corie wanted him to be, a cop comes to the rescue. Laine was the one that have pressed the silent alarm. I don't see how Laine could have make it behind the register and out of the store without the thug seeing him. And why didn't he be hero with this thug like he was with the other thug. He left Laine. The thug could have hurt her by the time that cop came.

The last What! to me is when Corie and Laine are at her grandmother's house being intimate with one another and her daddy shows up. A little over an hour prior to them coming to her grandmother's house, Corie waited for Laine to come pick up his car from her house. The night before he was her date to this function that her father was having. He bailed the function, because his cop boss was there. It's strange how Corie's father knew the chief of police (I think it was the cheif of police) and he never mentioned to his close friend that his daughter was seeing Laine. He and the chief talked about other things, including a drug ring that suppose to be going on at the mall. His daughter works there and so does Laine. Let me say this, Laine's undercover wasn't the typical one you see on TV or in movies. It's like the polices that attended this function didn't know who Laine was and he was hiding from them.

Moving along. Corie takes Laine up to her bedroom and pushes him in the closet, so she could pack her clothes so they could get away. Her father comes to her room and she tells him that Laine is in the closet and that they are going to her grandmother's house.

Her father knew that they were going there. I don't see why he decided he needed to follow, to be able to spend time with the horses. He arrives when Corie and Laine is in this position. Which I didn't really read. I felt that part wasn't neccessary.

Oh, let me address another issue that I didn't understand and that's why Corie was living in her store. She felt safe around her books. Really! If Ronald wanted to kill her, he could have. It's not like he didn't know where she stayed or at least could have found out where she was staying at. All he had to do was have one of his men or he himself could have waited until she had gotten off work and follwed her. It's not like her vehicle wasn't outside.

Corie immaturely thought that if she held on to Ronald's envelope he wouldn't have harm the people that she loved. He could have had her father killed and even Mrs. Edith. Even her cat Thoreau. He already had the cat put in the condition vent and since the air condition vent wasn't far from the room she was staying in, I'm sure her secret living quarters could have been found out.

I've said so much about Corie and not enough about Laine. He was a good guy, but I wasn't feeling him. I wish he was a dangerous bad boy. I hate how he short changed himself too much. He kept on wondering about him lying to Corie and what it would do to their future relationship, if he had a chance to get that far with her after she found the truth about him. The straight line was he was undercover.

The ending was rushed. It didn't tie up anything.

Please don't go by my opinion on this book to determine if you will give the book a shot or not. Every eyes sees things differently.

[postcrdprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is only the second BW/AM romance I have read, and because of that I was definitely looking forward to the read.

Let me first say that the premise of the story was good. The idea of Corie living in her bookstore; considering the money her family came from, was not something I expected, so I was again intrigued by the idea.

I did think however that Corie’s character seemed to bounce back and forth a little too much for me on being insecure and scared, yet to waiver, between being a little too insecure and then a little to secure, I hope I’m explaining that well enough. In other words, one minute she seemed to need Tanizaki, then on the other hand it seemed she was ready to be Miss I can handle that myself.

Now I definitely liked Tanizaki’s character. He was macho, and strong, and basically seemed like “all that and a bag of chips” (haven’t said that phrase in a while.LOL). He definitely appeared to be the type of guy you want in your corner when things were bad, yet he was able to switch to that sensitive caring guy that still had your back when you were down.

I do wish that the HEA had been spelled out instead of it being communicated by Corie of what she thought would happen next. But, overall, the book was good read. I do think that I enjoyed the book more due to the author’s portrayal of Tanizaki’s character and the storyline itself then I really did the chemistry between Tanizaki and Corie.

I still look forward to reading other books by Kei Swanson.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

i did not enjoy this book. The female lead Corie was horrible. she was some spoiled little rich girl who behaved in a manner of a child. she was annoying, rude, arrogant,stuck up, stupid, and selfish. i truly could not understand how the male lead was so attracted to her.

[De'Siree Fairley · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @190 pages, after the Romeo Must Die reference I couldn’t take it anymore.

[Kesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to give this book 2.5 stars. It could have been a 5 star book with just a little touch ups. I would have like an epilogue to see if Laine stayed a cop, if Corie kept the bookstore, did Laine's dad make a miraculous recovery, and what happened with Melanie (her coked out step mom). Corie came off as extremely naïve. Wonder why Laine never got a message to the Chief of Police to let him know that his friend's wife was a coke addict. The friend being Corie's dad. Whatever happened to Mark, Laine's backup, he just disappeared. My last issue is why did Laine never attempt to look for his mom. He's a police sergeant and he still wonders why she left him at 2. This is a book worth believing but it is definitely fiction.

[Trenice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best interracial romance I have read in a long time. Ms. Swanson takes you on an unforgettable journey, and leaves you wanting more. An excellent read!

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay read. I am not particularly fond of romances that take forever for the H/h to get together.

[Cf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corie was hot and cold majority of the book which was very frustrating. Laine was patient with her. Enjoyable read.

[Dion Rogers]

Love it

Five stars because the story line flowed nicely and how Corie wasn't just a helpless damsel in distress. She built up the courage to trust.

[Dalesha R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the character and the kitty

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good you got a chance to read and see the slow romance build between the characters grow