Holy Rollers

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

From #1 Essence bestseller, ReShonda Tate Billiingsley, a touching and funny story of faith, love, and tenacious friendship.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, African American, Christian Romance

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2010

About the author

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother! and three previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; and I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club.
Her previous Christian teen novels are Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise, both available from Pocket Books.
She is also a contributor to the story anthology Have a Little Faith.

Reviews

[OOSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rolling,

Turning dirty thirty, best friends Audra, Nita and Coco are all growing tired of their aspirations of marrying wealthy. They've been on the paper chase for years. While they've landed some notable catches, they've also had their fair share of misses. Still single, the ladies realize that being a groupie at thirty ain't easy.

Audra, a single mom, is looking for more than a boyfriend. She wants a husband as well as a father for her son. While watching the news, she devises a plan that will possibly help her and her girls find good, God-fearing men, who are rich and also looking for wives.

Nita is single and not quite as desperate as her friends. Though she's in the same situation, Nita has had a little more success with her paper chase. After listening to Audra's plan to go after church men, Nita wants no parts of it. That is until she catches a glimpse of Marshall Wiley, a pastor who is rich, handsome and single.

Coco is recently single. Her ex-boyfriend, a former football player, used her for a tackling dummy on numerous occasions. Coco is just as lonely as her friends, but she doesn't plan to play with God. She goes along with her girls and falls in love with a different man, GOD. Through Him, she finds a way to fall in love with herself and in doing so she's blessed with one of God's servants who has been waiting his whole life for her.

'Holy Rollers' is a well balanced read. I loved the dynamics of the friends. The desperation, drama and fear combined with the potential, love and hope. You can't help but laugh as you meet the hypocrites in the church while tsking at the same time. Love how in the end you see where three women transform, but the end is NOT a total fairytale. There were some editing issues that warrant a conscious eye, but nothing too distracting.

Reviewed by: Crystal

[Heddy Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a page turner for me. I couldn't put this book down.I enjoy her writing style. The chapters are short, this is especially nice. I don't have to stop in the middle of the chapter to do something, instead I can stop at the end of the chapter and resume in the next chapter. Her characters are strong characters that the reader can easily identify with. She has a strong moral theme in her story. Reshonda gives a glimpse of real life situations that everyday people go through. She weaves in faith and Bible scriptures that help her characters through rough times.

[Portia Taylor Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTB books just get gooder and gooder! LOL. Holy Rollers took twist that I did not take...I am a hopeless romantic. As usual, the characters contribute real life lessons that can be gleamed from. Thanks again to my favorite H-town author....Blessings ~

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable and uplifting read. It's a fact, if it's not of God it won't work. Audra & Nita learned the hard way. Coco let go and let God. He met her every need. From not being charged with murder to marrying a godly man and living happily ever after. She was able to forgive her father.

[Yolanda Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!! ReShonda has done it again. To read my full review, click on notes on my page and you can find it there.

[Cheryl Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Rollers was a comical yet rewarding piece of work wrapped in the “word.” The story centers on three friends looking for love and the antics employed to find it. Each lady had scars and backgrounds that have moved them far from the church and their trust in God. They, too, have allowed those issues and circumstances to cause themselves to be used and abused by others. The writing also reflects that when you rush into finding someone it opens you up to the vulnerability of falling for the wrong person.

Nita, Audra and CoCo come to know and realize that they must love themselves enough to release themselves from the activities that are not representative of life-long, forever loving relationships that will draw that special someone near. They, too, come to realize that God has placed significant people in their lives to help them to see better and to even do better. He, too, reminds them that through their walk they can give strength to others.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s work illustrates, more often than not, when you are desperately seeking love, you will be more likely to date any jerk that comes along. She goes on to show that learning that lesson can be costly and damning. Through their tears and inability to manufacture the relationship they desire, they learn that: 1. faith, fate, trust and patience is the key to finding the right person and letting love find you, 2. when you stop looking the right person seems to walk in the door unexpectedly and 3. finding love should not be burdensome, but fun.

[Author Lesley Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

CoCo, Nita, and Audra are all on the prowl looking for the men of their dreams. The only criteria they require is that he's rich. After deciding that they could no longer compete with the groupies when it came to the professional athletes, Audra encourages them to go to a convention where a lot of eligible young ministers would be ripe for the picking.

Holy Rollers is my first book by Mrs Billingsley and I really enjoyed it. Nita is self absorbed and demands to be catered to even if it meant provoking God by trying to coax Marshall, a very rich minister to bed her. Coco found the man that she's been looking for, but will she let her relationship with an abusive ex and her parents diabolical relationship stop her from claiming true happiness with Davis? Audra thought she hit pay dirt when she met Lewis at the minister's convention only to find out that everything is not peachy as she thought it would be. Will she allow her desperation to find a father figure for her child blind what's really standing in front of her? Then you have the Holy Rollers who are a bunch of rowdy old church ladies that loves to keep their noses poked where they don't belong. Then Ms. Bea another unforgettable old lady filled with wisdom and sass what a combination!

I can't wait to see what else Ms Billingsley have on the shelves. I love books that have a lot of drama and bad stuff going on, but it's refreshing to read books that get the point across without all the extra.

[Hanissa Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Rollers was an amazing book. It always kept you at the edge of your seat wanting to read more and find out what happens next. The story begins with three friends talking about one of their friends Coco's abusive boyfriend. Bothe her friends Nita and Audra constantly tell her that she should leave him but Coco refused at first claiming she loved them. However when a couple of mouths passed and sonny her abusive boyfriend hit her again and this time it caused her to loose her baby that she was pregnant with for 2 months, she then decided to leave sonny for good. Next all three friends where tiling and realized that they have gotten to the point in their lives that it was necessary for settling down with a man. Audra really wanted to get a daddy for her sun and Nita wanted someone that would love her. Audra then came up with the idea to go to a church meeting to meet some new ministers so called "men of god". they thought there they could find good men but they come to realized all mean everywhere are just " nasty , lying , cheating dirty dogs". Things didn't work out for Nita and marshal the man of her dreams, because she cheated with him after getting sexually frustrated with him. Audra and Lewis didn't work out because she found out that he had a wife in Atlanta and he was only using her for sexual reasons. However there was one good thing that came out of this plane. Coco met the love of her life David and in the end they where happily married. The end.

[Mahoghani 23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you and your friends decide to attend a religious conference, less in reference to God but to snag a man, we all know that will lead to trouble. Nita, Coco & Audra have been chasing Ballers for years and now that they're in their 30s, they are looking for a man to settle down with. Their next target is snagging a preacher. Audra messes up and sleeps with her preacher on the first day. Coco, just leaving an abusive relationship, meets a man of God (he's not a preacher) but his views of divorce may keep them apart. Nita snags a true man of God only to lose him because she can't keep her legs closed to Neil, a football star whose married. The lessons learned are heartbreaking yet truthful.

[Carmen Blalock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Rollers is a book about three friends looking for love in all the wrong places until they decided to go a Baptist Convention to find Mr. Right. The drama that accompanies these friends in their past comes blazing through the door of their future and they have some tough decisions to make. This book is a page-turner and you will throughly enjoy it! Which one will find love or will all three of them, you have to wait to find out!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. I truly enjoyed this book.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, but I wouldn't expect anything less from ReShonda Tate Billingsley! :)

[Kymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Rollercoaster

Great book! Great pace! Each character carried a bag of their experiences that lead them to their actions and plan. Instead of stepping back and taking care of “home” and the matters of their heart and mind, they chose to change up their targets. They soon found out even men of God fall short. And skeletons of the past can show up and deter you ir change the course of life.

[Kayla James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know how I feel about a supposed Christian author sprinkling profanity throughout a story. True, the characters aren’t Christians and the dialog is accurate, but still…
Anyway, the plot was great and the ending believable. The protagonists were childish, but I guess since I am in my early 30s and single, I have no right to judge. I am uncertain if I will continue with this author, but I love this genre.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reshonda Tate is such a good author. Her books are really well developed and thought out. This was a book that has been on my shelf for years and I decided to read it again. I just loved the friendship the characters had with each other. Their growth and development was so good. I hated for the story to end.

[Z Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow many reviews on a leader of Christ!

[Constance Hannah]

This book was very inspiring and interesting.

[Constance Hannah]

Excellent read

[Dianne Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author ReShonda Tate Billingsley gives the reader a daring look at: the good, the bad, and the ugly of church folks in "Holy Rollers." The story centers around three main characters: Nita, Coco, and Audra who come to realize that their previous plan to land rich husbands among Ball players isn't working. They tire of the Club scene and the younger competition. The ladies devise a scheme to snag husbands by pretending to be God fearing "Holy Rollers." Their scheme is quickly discovered and foiled by real "Holy Rollers" who resort to low-down, dirty, drastic, and sometimes comical measures to protect their pastor.

Nita has issues of trust which are exhibited in her relationships with men and result in animosity towards church folks. Her issues cause hilarious interactions with the "church mothers" and disastrous outcomes with men. Coca suffers physical abuse within her relationship, which results in the end to a vicious cycle, but not without horrible consequences. Audra struggles as a single mother to find the right man to replace her son's deadbeat father, and out of desperation she falls for a charming preacher who turns out to be "a wolf in sheep's clothing."

For Nita, her insecurities and actions ruin her chance at true happiness with a "man after God's own heart." She learns a hard lesson about trust and fidelity. Audra finally breaks free from desperation and realizes that she can wait on the Lord. And at the moment Coca gives up on her "finding" a man, she is "found", by the man of her dreams.

The reader applauds the faithfulness of a Godly woman in Audra's life. Admires and respects the devotion to God of a righteous man. Acknowledges the support of a loving man, and is totally floored by the foolishness of the overbearing, overprotected, church mothers. The "Holy Rollers" behavior is spiteful and inexcusable, but their misguided love for their pastor is undeniable.

Those who have spent any amount of time in an African American church with a pastor who is single can identify with the characters of this novel, including the overly zealous and spiteful "Holy Rollers." The author does a wonderful job of weaving together many storylines, illustrating biblical principles, portraying both negative behaviors, and positive outcomes. "Holy Rollers" is an enjoyable read with simple truths about relationships and clear differences between church attendance and spirituality. By the end, we find our main characters on their way to become genuine women of God.


Dianne Rosena Jones
Author, "Tragic Treasures: Discovering Spoils of War in the Midst of Tragedy"
African American Literature Editor @ BellaOnline

[Misty Grim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down!!
I absolutely loved the storyline.
ReShonda Tate knows how to draw you into her story and keep you reading!
Coco,Nita,and Audra are three ladies you can identify with and feel as if you are right there going through their issues with them.

[Bree]

This was a very interesting read. I loved the relationship the three women had. They always had each others back. The meaning of true friendship. I hate that Coco experienced the same things her mother did first hand. I was glad Coco ended up with a good man. The other two Juanita and Audra got what they deserved because they should have listened to Miss Bea from the beginning. She was only telling them what was right........

[ToniReads_1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Ballers to The Pulpit

A definite page turner. When these ladies realize they are getting to a point in their lives where they cannot compete with the younger ladies trying to get a baller, they change their focus to men of the cloth. What they find out through their journey, a man is a man good or bad.
What I love about Rashonda Tate Billingsly as an author she always touches on real life experiences.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!! ReShonda Tate Billingsley delivers again! This was a page turner and was another one day read for me. The characters were believable and well-developed, along with the story line. I was rooting for all of them at some point in the story but glad that God's will was done in their lives! Check this out if you haven't already!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author. It was pretty good. I don't like how the author always described the attractive people as having light skin like you have to be caramel or butterscotch to be pretty.. but the book was a good read overall. Not much drama or plot twist and sometimes predictable but it was not a bad book.

[Sherrie Alexander]

This book was a very good book. Being single you can find yourself in it. and some of the things the old lady ay, I hear them many of time. And it incouarge you to wait on God. It;s in his own time

[Robbin Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting page-turner that has a happy ending. I wish it was more scandalous since it's about three single ladies/girlfriends who hit the church circuit in search of "The One," but it was still entertaining nevertheless. If you're looking for light, quick reading, grab this!

[Desiree Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about three friends who decided they were going to look for men. They set out to a church convention to try their luck, hoping to pick up some ministers with money. I like Reshonda's books. Read: October 2010. (Kindle)

[Alles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a perfect example of not being still. These women were so desperate to find the perfect man. They put themselves in sticky situations. Nita even found the perfect man but still was not able to be still and control her impulsive behaviors that she lost that man.

[Bernice Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Sometimes I need an easy fast read to calm my nerves and relax. The storyline was interesting, couldn't put the book down! I really liked the characters, the few twist and turns, but really liked the themes that were addressed in the book. I recommend this read!

[BW Diva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good read.....I really liked the storyline. This book kept me entertained, the three women had true friendships. They had each other backs. The women was going about love in all the wrong ways.