THE YIN YANG EFFECT by Dana Littlejohn

THE YIN YANG EFFECT
DANA LITTLEJOHN
Contemporary/IR
Ocean's Mist Press
Sensuality Rating: Tidal Wave
ISBN# 1-934057-00-2
117 pages
$5.99
eBook - Available July 2007

Rating: 3 Enchantments

African-American twins Pearl and Opal Jefferson live a blissful life along with their best friend, and Latina chick, Debra Flores. They have a beautiful house, a car, a successful business, pretty faces and nice bodies. Theirs is a ‘simple’ life, rhythmed by parties, outings, and no-strings-attached sex.

Until the day Jake steps into their life. He falls for Pearl, which would be great, but he is Caucasian. Another white guy, Doug, has the hots for Opal, while African-American Rakim falls hard for Debra. There is also Jake’s racist brother, Frank, to contend with in this explosive multi-racial mix.

The girls are not really enthusiastic about the guys. Or so it seems. But things are not as they seem. Pearl crosses the line they had set – it’s no longer just for sex. She is in love with Jake, and wants more. A full relationship, in fact.

Will she be able to stand up for their relationship? Both her sister and Jake’s brother are against their association. And Pearl opens a whole can of worms with her decision – can interracial relationships really work, even in today’s times?

The book starts with a good premise. However, I have to say the main issue got lost somewhere along the way. Too much happening, too many episodes of day-to-day life, too many details - which in the end, prevented the author from really getting into her characters’ heads. The implications the premise raises are lost and barely touched upon. In a way, the story almost reads like chick-lit, but unfortunately, the reader is not drawn enough into the minds of the characters. In many places, the dialogue was also hard to follow, since the author places three or more female characters in a scene and refers to most of them as ‘she’. The identification of the speaker is lost, rendering a chaotic dynamic to the mix.

It still remains a book of acceptable standard, especially if one is looking for a light and time-passing read.

Zee
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2007

SURGE AND RAINE: A MERMAN’S TALE by Dana Littlejohn

SURGE AND RAINE: A MERMAN’S TALE
DANA LITTLEJOHN
Romantic Fantasy
Ocean’s Mist Press
ISBN# 0-9773043-8-8
$3.49
eBook - Available now

Rating: 3 Enchantments

Raine, on the run, never thought to find love again. It figures that she would begin to believe in happiness when her life has to change yet again.

Surge, destined to rule as the son of Riptide and the grandson of Poseidon, has felt a call from the one place no mermaids are allowed to go - the surface. Yeah, you heard me - Surge is a mermaid, or merman, as the males prefer to be called. His innocence of the surface world is charming and though he is willing to risk everything to make Raine his mate, will it be enough?

Slow start, in the beginning, but the pace rapidly picked up. Raine and Surge's tale is a soft-spoken one, no pun intended, of love and destiny. Ms. Littlejohn has a true talent for telling a passionate story that is sensuous and loving.

Dee
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2007

ZORRO WHO? by Dana Littlejohn

ZORRO WHO?
DANA LITTLEJOHN
Contemporary, multicultural romance
Ocean’s Mist Press
ISBN# N/A
$1.79
eBook - Available now

Rating: 3 Enchantments

Ronni and Cathy have a standing date - to meet every so often in a café and tell each other what has happened recently in their lives. This time when they meet, Cathy has a very sensual and pleasure-soaked interlude to relate to her friend. It involves her boyfriend, Derrick.

Cathy has a thing for Zorro. She can watch all his movies all night long. This makes Derrick very jealous, since he’s not on the number one spot in her fantasies. Derrick decides to remedy to this tiny detail on a night when Cathy planned a Zorro-movie marathon.

This story is a short story by author Ms. Littlejohn. She goes for short format after writing a few full-length romance novels.

I liked the girly-talk set-up of the story. The friendship between both women is captured in a light, breezy way. Ms. Littlejohn also writes a very steamy, sexy, and sensual encounter between Cathy and Derrick. My only peeve (if you can call it that) is that the story reads so smoothly and well that it was over before I knew it.

Zee
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
August 2007

THE SANCTIFIED WIFE by Dana Littlejohn

THE SANCTIFIED WIFE
DANA LITTLEJOHN
contemporary romance
Amira Press
ISBN# 978-0-9789935-9-7
$4.00
eBook - Available now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Angela Dean is a pastor’s wife. Her life revolves around her husband and three sons. When her last son leaves home for college, Angela is left with an empty nest. Add to that, her husband is always tired and busy, leaving her very frustrated sexually.

Angela decides to spread her wings and make the most of this new-found freedom after her SAHM retirement, as everyone advises her to do. She joins a book club, and meets with Christophe Tennison, a man much younger than her. As friendship blooms between the two; will Angela allow it to go to the next level like Christophe wants it to?

The author tries her hand at short format writing here, after a few full-length novels. I have to admit this story, apparently dull at first glance, surprised me with its level of tension and realistic characterization. The twists and turns of the plot are also very interesting, and Ms. Littlejohn spins a very good weave. I enjoyed going through it, especially with the last minute denouement.

Zee
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
August 2007