Married Men

by Carl Weber

Kyle runs a booming business, but his main job is hiding his wife from the sistahs who would skin him alive for marrying a woman like her . . . Easy-going Allen can please his bossy Mama and his gold-digging fiancée--just not at the same time . . . Big-hearted Wil's got a wife with a mouth so big she should consider a career in broadcasting . . . And smooth and sexy Jay's "the man"--not only for his wife, but for all the other ladies he can't resist.

But these lifelong friends find their lives turned upside-down when each one is shown the door by his furious woman. The result is a rowdy romp through no-tell motels, divorce court, and jail. And as they fend off strippers, trippers, psycho ex-football players, and worse, they know there's one thing they can always count on . . . each other.

Genres: African American, Fiction, Romance, Drama, Urban, Audiobook, Adult Fiction

373 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Carl Weber is a New York Times and #1 Essence® bestselling novelist.

In addition to his writing, Weber is the founder and publisher of Urban Books and in 2005, he was named Blackboard's Publisher of the Year. He is the owner of the Urban Knowledge chain of book stores and a past recipient of Blackboard's Bookseller of the Year award.

Weber graduated from Virginia State University and holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia.

Reviews

[Nardsbaby Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Friendship

Ok I like the fact that these men have been friends for years and still share a major part of their lives with one another! That's real cool because I don't think friendships should end.

Kyle is obviously the leader, he gets married first (white girl) and he owns a successful black business. His whole world changes when he's falsely accused by a racist cop. He can't have sex with his wife; he goes all the way to Africa leaving his family to find himself! Where was he when he was stepping into this relationship?

OKAY Jay, the supposed playa in the group, who married a woman he didn't love because she was having his baby! WHEN WAS THIS WRITTEN? That's why you should use condoms. Jay is foul he has very little respect for himself and falls for anything. He gets turned out by a young girl whose father straight punks him! His wife finally gets a clue and gets her a man on the side and that's when he wants to come home. He wouldn't have lasted that long.

Will's girl is off the chain, she's a big girl with a big attitude and she makes him stand his ground because he seems to be a little soft allowing Jay to manipulate him! Exactly how old are they?

ALLEN is a punk! No one has love for a mama's boy! His broad was as grimy as they come. She used her talk to get this man money; she took his mama's life, had him raising another man's child, and all his boys had her! Really where do these people live? A mama's boy won't allow for anyone to dis mama let alone kill her! She all of a sudden got pregnant dude where was you cause she rationed it out?

MARRIED MEN has some humor, but it's not a realistic depiction in my eyes. Although I know you're always growing, it seems like these characters are always stumbling.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Married Men kept you wanting to read to see what was going to happen next.

[bri Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mann ! I love this book. Carl is a good ass author and this is the longest book I've read and the whole time I read it , it kept me on my feet


Kyle was my favorite character of them all , he was the most successful one ., the leader ! He was the one that got married first . Only thing with his marriage is its interracial .. And he lets what everyone else say get to him and his relationship with his wife . W/ 3 beautiful children he shows what it's like to go through it all in a marriage


Wil: he was the one with the wife that had a BIG ass mouth and it seemed like time and time again he wasn't able to keep anything from her . I loved his love for big girls . And his love for Diane . They went thru it . But made it out .


Allen: he was another one of my favorites .. He was such a nice gentlemen ..
It took him a while to get on track. He was the one that was blinded by love & his mothers wants for a long time. He ended up taking care of a baby that wasn't biologically his & he lost his mother all during the wild round.


Jay: he was the one that made me most insecure when it came to marriage. He was the big player player. He committed the same sin over and over on his wife .. He let everything go down for him slowly dude to his love for pussy .
The pretty boy got whatever he wanted . He had to learn things the hard way & once he seen that Kenya was moving on , he wanted to come back around ..

Carl weber did the damn thing on this book one of the few books I've ever read that kept me on my tipey toes at all times . There was never a dull moment .. & Carl is so classy with it .. I can't wait to read another book by him !!

[Tashira Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading books from a man's point of view. I liked the fact that it gives you an insight on how some men be thinking because even though some women write their stories from a Nan's point of view, can no one tell a story like a man himself. I absolutely love the book. It showed that there are some happy endings to a love story, but when you mess up something....it doesn't mean that it's going to always end in your favor. There's not always a happy ending, but maybe you'll learn from your last mistake and hopefully get one the next go round. That's pretty much how life works, especially in relationships.

[Yana L · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was entertaining

I liked the book a lot. It was an easy read...but the only thing I would say is the writer could have been a little more descriptive when describing people and also the sex scenes

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!!!!
Marriage isn't easy for men or women.

Kyle story was really interesting and it can happen to any black man. I wish his wife would've stood by his side or they talked about stuff like this possibly happening before they got married. I wonder can a man loose interest sexually in his wife if she's white and doesn't have his back that's something I'll ALWAYS think about.

Will was a decent guy but JUST brought his wife into his business too much. Then when he lied to Kyle I really started disliking his ass. If you not gonna help a brother out then leave his personal affairs alone.

I really hated Jay he was so low down and wrong. I hate how he treated women and tried to justify it. He frustrated me so much if I was his wife I probably would've stabbed his dirty ass.

Allen was a good guy a super push over though I hate what he was put through now no man deserves that. He was such a good father despite the circumstances.

What Kyle did with his settlement was admirable. Val ass was crazy I really thought she was going to kill his ass. This was some thin line between love & hate sh*t.

[SassyMama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book Was Off The Hook

Married men was good for four good reasons. They were Kyle, Wil, Allen and Jay. Every woman knows at least one of these characters no matter where they are in life. My favorite character from the book was Allen. I'm glad things worked out for him in the end, he was a very sweet man. I enjoy the way Mr. Weber writes, each character had their own chapter. If you are looking for real page-turner, you must read this book. It's packed with loads of drama and twist and turns that seem so realistic. This is the first book that I read from Carl Weber and it's Da BOMB!

[Diana Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is the male's version of Waiting TO Exhale I guess and the funny thing is, for the most part, the men are still dogs. And the women were very disappointing but I know they were a realistic glimpse into how Black women can act sometimes. I liked the drama in this book, it wasn't too over the top, I just got very bored with Jay and his situation.

[Carl Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Lord' Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book. This one sold me on Mr. Weber. I couldn't put it down. Excellent topic, character development, plot development, and twist. A must read to add to your shelve.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lets me start by saying that this book was published in 2001... and had I read it then I'm sure it would have been a 5 star read, but in 2024... soooo much of this book does not age well.

As a reminder, my ratings are based on my enjoyment of the book, not the writing style or anything like that (usually). So when I put this three star rating, it's to remind myself that this is one of those books that while it will be keep me engaged enough to want to finish it (ie. a good page turner)... there is no guarantee I will feel satisfied at the end.

This book follows 4 men in different stages of commitment/marriage. And thats right, 4 different POVS -- that is until you get to the very end and all of a sudden you have the POVs from all FIVE of the women.

Kyle marries a white woman and then wakes up one day after 7 years and realizes he's married to white woman (yep -- I aint putting my cape on for that)
Jay (who all I could see was Bill Bellamy in How To Be A Player) is a literally a piece of shit
Wil had absolutely no backbone and there is NO WAY I would have even wanted my wife after all the petty shit she pulled
Allen - Being a mommy's boy and letting your mama run your life literally ruined EVERYONE'S life including hers.

Don't even get me started on the women. The way Carl Weber wrote these women... lets just say... I know how he feels about marriage.

Oh, and lets just throw in ASSAULT in the mix and "make it funny"... because that's exactly what it is when you DATE RAPE DRUG A WOMAN and put dicks her on her mouth to prove a point -- and not even saying Diane wasn't absolutely a BITCH... but come on? The solution was stupid. The scneario to begin with was stupid. But I guess the overall point there was "If your wife watches you lie for your shitty ass friends long enough, she gone believe they lying for you"

This book is one of those stories that would have made a GREAT 99s/00 movie... but it would also be one of those movies we all grew up and said "That movie was toxic as fuck... funny... but toxic"

My nerves can literally not handle ever reading this book again everyone was so insufferable -- and that's why I'm giving it a three. So I will know lol

But if you want an entertaining read... this gone get you there.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Could have been titled ‘Tyler Perry’s Fill in the Blank’. an enjoyable and forgettable novel.”

I’m actually just copy-pasting that from the book review I gave this author from a previous title. it still applies here.

Throw in about 4-5 characters and rotate each chapter to their first person POV and you’ve got yourself a novel.

Despite 97% of this novel from the male perspective, the formula to “happiness” remains the same: happiness = coupled. No margin for any variance there.

Despite the cycle of love, marriage, infidelity, violence, divorce, groveling, rekindling ... no one can truly be happy and single. At least not under the Tyler Perry Presents lens.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four friends, four different marital situations, four different sets of CHAOS AND MADNESS. One doesn't know what he wants, one wants everything, one wants what he can't have, and one wants what he has but she doesn't want him!! Carl Weber always spins a great tale, and Married Men doesn't disappoint. This group of four friends supports one another through ups and downs with family, disasterous dating, parties gone awry, and even tragic health circumstances. Their wives, girlfriends, and family members hold up the cast of characters well, bringing their own share of drama.

The good things about this book are the great characters who begin feeling like family by the end, the great detail of the writing which allows the book to read like a television show, and the length. This is a pretty good length of written novel, allowing the audiobook to be long enough for a good ride.

I have no negatives about this. I absolutely enjoyed listening to this recording of Married Men via Audible. It is certainly a book I'd recommend to others.

[Zarinah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a drama filled book! I was totally caught up in Weber's story of 4 black men who were childhood friends and all decide to get married to the women in their lives. Getting married was fairly an easy event for all the different men but it was staying married that proved to difficult.
The wonderful thing about this book was it was on audio book and I was constantly laughing out loud and making shocking sounds as listened to this book.
Another great thing about the book was how easy the book flowed and I did suspect that the drama could go on and on. The men varied from committed lovers, business developer, play boy and push over.
I really enjoyed what Weber did in this book taking in consideration the concerns black males have with police, angry jealous women, white women, divorce women, single women , mistresses, and friendship.
This book was great!

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read a book that centered its plot around male situations and from a man's perspective. This book was a story about four friends who experienced challenging marital situations. There was a lot of drama involved in their relationships with their wives. They loved their children, and for the most part, they were great fathers. I also liked the great relationship these men had with one another. They supported each other through thick and thin. I actually listened to the story in the form of an audiobook as I drove to and from my destinations. I could not wait to get in my car to see what was going to happen next! The language was at times a little more raw than I like, but the story was so well written that I could overlook it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read plenty of Carl Weber's books and this was done in his typical fashion.

He writes from each character's POV and you get so involved in the characters situations/lives, you want to continue on just reading about them.

But you can't skip ahead, you have to follow through with reading the other chapters first.

This book had its moments, of course, but it was cute and a fun read.

I also did like the little bonus chapter where Jay meets a character from Carl Weber's "The Family Business" series.

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 1 in A Man's World series. Four friends, Kyle, William, Alan and Jay navigate life and relationships in this funny and interesting read into the male perspective. Kyle is a black man married with 3 daughters, but a problem in his marriage is tearing his family apart. William and his wife Diane are happily married, but Diane's gossiping is causing problems. Alan is engaged, but she's off her rockers, and so is his mother. Jay is married, but can't seem to keep it in his pants. A very good book and a good start to a series.

[Darnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very diverse, fleshed out group of characters with divergent stories, each one interesting in its own way.

This book was able to run the gamut of emotions; at times it was funny, heartfelt, soapy but always it was a page-turner.

[Tiffany Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Married men was a very good book. Mr. Weber really gave a very insight look into the lives of four very different married men. Though this is a work of fiction you can easily say you have met or have someone like any one of these men in your family or circle of friends.

[Melanie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, great story line and a great ending. I would have given it 5 stars but there was SO much foul language I could gave done without, otherwise great book, I miss the characters already!

[Vernon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book over all with many life lessons covered in it. I especially like that the author covered each character equally but did't lose who the main character was throughout the book.

[Jay Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off real good, but the plot was all over the place! I know this was a fictional book but it was too make believe in a fact that best friends do not commit some of these activities to one another.

[Lashawnda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and the take on relationship, friendships, and family from the man's perspective. Carl Weber did a great job with creating very believable characters. This book definitely touched on real issues that effect our community. A great read over all.

[Mischelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is ok if you like that kind of soap opera type book. I felt like I was reading a script for a day time TV show. My grandmother called them her stories.

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea this was book 2 in a series.

However, the drama starts from the beginning to end.

Most of the married men openly, and even when trying to hide it discreetly, are having adulterous affairs or labeled as such (wrongly accused but photos). The funny thing is most of the couples sound like people I know, or definitely sound like someone I know in their situations. This is what makes the author pretty good, cleverly done. (Prefer to hear on audio).

I do agree with Wil, who wants to fight for his relationship even though he was falsely accused, yet his wife Diane only thinking about alimony and child support. Wil does not believe in divorce, but weakly willing to agree with Diane to see his kids. I will see how this will play out.

Kyle had some issues. He quickly leaves and dates Val from the bar. Running away and sex with another woman doesn't resolve issue(s). Is he willing to work it out with his wife Lisa?

Jay is the worst of the pack. He cannot let go of his high-school-player ways. Kenya needs to let go of this fool in a hurry. I hope she realizes what she has--a low-down dog. Is he really going to work it out with Tracy? Love?

Allen seems like the fool of the pack. He really believes Rose is pregnant with his child (listening mid-way through the novel/audiobook) but marries her anyways regardless of her selfish, money-hungry ways even with the will-deal, and no telling what she is willing to do to secure her money-ish ways. I will see how this plays out. Rose even got Mama Jackson in the deal with the will for this unborn child. She admits who she actually wanted to marry, but just stuck with this friend in the end!?

So much drama, dirt, and men that really need to grow up. I just shake my head, and hope I don't end up with one of these men in my future.

I believe there was one inconsistency about Jay being the only one staying at home... Which I rewound three times, Allen was the only one who stayed at home still with his mom at that section of the novel.

I was glad to hear from the women, but at the ending of the novel.

Adrienna Turner
Author of Mirrors Lie

[Dee Musa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have completely disconnected with these characters it took everything in me not to DNF i just couldn’t with all the foolishness🙄 from both sides too!

First of all I am so sick & tired of how toxic jays boyz were always covering for him he probably would have gotten his shit together had they stopped meddling in his mess


Rose - i didn’t trust you from the beginning you’re for the streets. You deserved life in prison you selfish rat

Lisa- whatever girl

Kenya- you’re a push over. I hate that your didn’t have more self respect

Diane- you’re annoying AF and don’t deserve Will

Will- you can do better king

Alan- you’re a simp bro and bc your stupidity your mom is gone

Jay- community 🐕🐶

Kyle- you cry too much



Boys will be boys 😒

[Mana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. This book was every other page of drama. This did make for a page turner just to see how it all ended. While the character development was on point all the characters were so nearly irredemable i found myself putting down the book at certain times just to take a break from the drama. But have to give it to the author for a compelling interwoven story.

[BooksAndWine🍷📖🤎 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The voices of some of the narrators was a bit distracting (annoying actually lol). But overall, this is a great book. I really enjoyed it and I’d love to know what happened to the characters after the book ended!

[Geldar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can barely handle this type of interpersonal drama. Fortunately, the core friendship of the main characters was comforting (and stultifying, as I realize I currently have no similar friendships --- but that's okay as long as I don't get into the kind of trouble these dudes get into).

[Caneika Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME

I loved this book from beginning to end!!! I can not wait to get into Book 3 thats how good this was and I give it a 10 .