K. R. Raye

The book was given by the author in exchange for an honest review. Very baby spoilers to expand on a pro or con of the book.

I am a fan of the abstract cover concept. However, with this particular cover, the author may have missed the mark slightly. In the first book, The Colors of Friendship, the young lady in the yellow (Melody) is standing in the center. For me, whenever a character is in the center, it represents one being the focal point of the story, which she was for the very 1st show more book. In this cover, Lance looks to be the one in the center; however, the story really does seem a bit more about Imani with Lance sprinkled in here and there. It is slightly misleading.

In addition, the author is still very heavy with starting off sentences with conjunctions, both in narrative and in dialogue. I understand that in dialogue, it may be more natural, yet I do think they should be used within reason.

Supplemental characters were brought into the mix, and some were quite crucial in dictating the lives of the main characters. However, there were a few that were brought in way too soon, and others that were given a name, were in a couple of chapters, and then disappeared. One for example was the very wacky roommate that did the bird calls.

Another thing was the comparison of some of the characters to actors in movies. Yes, I know some of the actors mentioned in The Colors of Love. As a matter of fact, Johnny Depp is one of my favorites. If there are readers who don’t know those actors or who don’t look at movies, they may be loss when the author says that “so-and-so reminds me of the Johnny Depp that was in Pirates of the Caribbean” (for an example).

The Colors of Love touched on a lot of topics, including but not limited to:

1. Handling of tragedy on college campus
2. The difficulty of long distance relationships
3. Pride can keep you from the Love one deserves
4. Pro-black: a matter of choice or another form of discrimination?
5. New York City is NOT New York state

Handling of tragedy on college campuses: The reality is that what happened between Kevin and Melody has fast become the norm as opposed to the exception. Yet, not many people report it. One is because of shame and two, because the college is more concerned with covering things up than dealing with the problem. What would the donors say? How would it affect the college’s reputation? I do wish that how everyone was handling the tragedy was touched on a bit more beyond Imani was handling it fine, while Melody was still struggling and needed more therapy sessions.

The difficulty of long distance relationships: The strong demeanor of Imani was tested due to moments when she had to deal with long distance. Her desire to control everything, in many situations, cost her some key relationships. One that stood out in the beginning was the connection she experienced with Julian aka DJ. They appeared to have a good thing going, but when it got time to go their separate ways, Imani suggested that he “experience what’s out there first” despite him saying that he wanted to be exclusive with her.

For me, Imani lost a whole lot of kudos, and it all started with this incident.

My disdain with her increased because of her Pride, as well as her Pro-black stance.

Let me explain.

Many times, Imani would throw out mixed signals to different guys, as far as her interest. Yet the moment the guys recognized it and responded in kind, Imani would revert to behaving like a scared little girl or ultra defensive. In the first book, it was Trevor she was throwing signals to, yet all the time, rationalizing “he’s not my type”. In this book, it was a little of the same. The thing that angered me the most about the scenario in The Colors of Love was that it was with someone she had always been fully open with before, yet the moment he went out of his comfort zone, rather than both of them having an adult conversation about it, she assumed that she was just like the rest. To her rejection, he believed that everything was a mistake. Because of her pride (fear that she was just one notch in the belt as opposed to special), Imani put a great strain on a friendship that didn’t need to be there. Yet, at the same time, she would act weird, as well as get defensive, whenever someone would ask about him.

The more Imani’s character developed, the less respect I had for her, particularly during her interactions with Melody (the Pro-black issue). At times, Imani seemed to forget Melody’s nationality, and I cheered when Melody finally had her fill and told her off. If a woman wants to stick to her own race, that’s fine, but there’s no need to do it in a way that causes disrespect to someone else. Especially when you are friends with someone who is biracial. Although she somewhat redeems herself at the end, for me, it still wasn’t enough for me to feel as much fondness about her as I did before.

Melody, I would have loved to have tracked her progress, outside of her being hungry for love and just wanted to be in a relationship because other people around her were in relationships as well.

I do like the way the author painted out that the mentality of all New Yorkers isn’t the same. Many people, when they think of New York, they mainly think of New York City as opposed to New York. When, in reality, New York City is liberal, yet other parts, like upstate New York, can be quite conservative as well as discriminatory. There were key scenes that placed spotlight on that fact, and I applaud the author for interweaving that into the storyline as well.

So how did I feel about The Colors of Love? Let me do the overall Pros and Cons breakdown, followed by the verdict.

Pros

Touched on very important points as it pertains to race relations and relationships
Main characters are developing
Supplemental characters pushed the story along
Football segments well written
Lots of conflict
Narrative voice engaging
Like abstract approach to the covers

Cons

Too much conjunction use in narrative and dialogue
Not enough spotlight on Melody’s development
Feel like most of the spotlight should have been on Lance and his vow “to protect” as opposed to the dating life of Imani
Too many new characters introduced towards the start of the book
The way the author started Part Two was slightly misleading (point outlined by Mini Truth)
Looks of the non black characters compared to movie stars
Slightly too much filler information
Danger element towards the end felt rushed (which would have been alleviated if some of the filler had been minimized or eliminated)

Unleashed Verdict: 3.25 out of 5 Stars

Despite the narrative voice and the touching on important topics, The Colors of Love had a bit too much going on with it. The filler chapters slowed down quite a bit of the action, and the resolution seemed thrown together and rushed to make up for it. It was too Imani centered when it should have been Lance centered, and Melody’s coping with her tragedy felt brushed over, making it seem insignificant. Yes, I will proceed with the next installment because there is a great story line here, but in comparison to the first book, The Colors of Love’s reflection is not as strong. show less

This book was a pretty intense, emotional ride. Three young friends in college end up on a scary adventure noone really wants to be on. Lance is sowing his oats. Imani is just trying to decide what she wants and her plan. She doesn't even know that Trevor is in love with her. Melody, naive and believing in romantic fairy tales, is preyed upon by a controlling abusive boyfriend. Her friends are just trying to watch out for her. Who will she believe? This stuff breaks up friendships. Can they show more survive this. You have got to read this book. It's one of the best fiction books I've read this year. This maybe a trigger for some. I could relate to all three, especially Melody, as I've had my share of those relationships in my younger years. This is one of those stories where you feel what they feel all the way to your soul. Melody is basing her view of romance off her parents marriage. Not naive, just not a realistic picture. She puts herself in danger and yet doesn't listen when her friends are pointing out red flags. Imani and Lance are great friends who place themselves right there in dangers way when required. The plot was well-written with twists where needed. I found it to be very realistic but also inspiriting because her friends wouldn't give up. The characters are very well-developed. It was nice to get a look into the families over the summer. Keeping the mystery of Kevin was a nice touch. The detective in me wants to know more about who he is. Great story, I'm looking forward to finishing the series. show less

This is book 2 of this amazing series. The author has done another outstanding job with her writing. Lance, Imani, and Melody are still trying to deal with the aftereffects of the trauma and the choices they make in their life. I found the story to feel truly realistic and original. You can feel your own heart palpitating at some of the action in the book. At some times, you feel the angst or other feelings that they go through. The plot is well-written, with even a few twists thrown in. I show more found the characters relatable. I was engrossed in the story right from the start. I cannot wait to start book 3. Well, done! show less

Note: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. For the full version of this review, please check out The Review Board.

I approached True Colors with a bit of trepidation. I was not sure if the final book of this trilogy could make up for the disappointment I experienced when reading the 2nd book. The conjunction use was slightly diminished in this book, which was a plus. However, I did notice some misspelling, missing words, and missing punctuation. Another good show more look at the work would have cleared those up right away. In addition, there were some formatting challenges here and there with indentation and spacing.

Another plus was that the cover and the content strongly matched and made up for the slight mismatch in the 2nd book, The Colors of Love. On the cover, it appears as if Imani is in the center, and the story is primarily based on Imani, coping with the tragedy that struck her. In addition, there is a reflection on the characters and how their bond goes through ups and downs.

Melody, I’m not quite sure how to feel about in this one. She came across as a bit envious, as well as passive-aggressive in a lot of ways. Also, very messy. Messy in that she would run her mouth off to a person that she knew had issue or beef with the very person she was running her mouth off about. This happened quite a few times, yet it seems she was always quickly forgiven.

Lance, I was highly impressed with, but I had faith in him from the gate. His development felt very smooth and I believe that it was the one that was the most successfully done. (Play on words not intentional) I’m not trying to say that every player can be redeemed. Yet, the way the author painted him out demonstrated that he wasn’t the typical man to dog a female. He just knew the type of guy he was and let women know that from the gate. The moment he found a woman that made him stray from that code (the real deal), he did everything in his power to retire from that life. Sure, it was understandable that there were people who doubted him (Trevor, Melody, even Imani from time to time), but the whole aspect of his growth wouldn’t have rung true if he wasn’t given a hard time.

Imani, Imani, Imani! A thin line between love and hate, I had for her. I pumped my first for her in solitude in The Colors of Friendship and was ready to lay the smack down on her “oh, so smart she’s stupid” tale in The Colors of Love. I almost didn't care what happened to her when starting True Colors but by the time things unfolded, I had a change of heart. In True Colors, I was able to see Imani in a truly vulnerable state. She was less judgmental and more honest with herself in her role of how she did things. I believe that was what I was looking for most of all, and it made my sticking with the trilogy pay off in dividends.

Despite the resolution being a bit "cookie cutter", I award True Colors 4 Stars.

I have read quite a few books that are part of the series. In the past year, more hits than misses. The Colors Trilogy, as a whole, was a refreshing delight. This author has a narrative cadence that make her books easy reading, and I adore her universal touch on several subjects. She is a writer whose work I would not mind reading again. I do recommend this book, as well as the others in The Colors Trilogy. show less