Kimberla Lawson Roby

Life is close to perfect for the Reverend Curtis Black and his wife, Charlotte--except their son Matthew and his girlfriend, Racquel, are about to become parents at the tender age of eighteen. Even though Curtis and Charlotte wish Matthew could focus on Harvard instead of fatherhood, they are determined to welcome their new grandson with open arms. But for Charlotte, welcoming her future in-laws is another story. Try as she might, Charlotte can't stand Racquel's mother, Vanessa--and the show more feeling appears to be mutual.

When the tension between Charlotte and Vanessa finally erupts, the stress sends an already-fragile Racquel into early labor. Everyone is quick to blame Charlotte, including Matthew and Curtis. That her own husband would side with someone else infuriates Charlotte and strains the relationship they've only recently been able to repair. Her one ally is Racquel's father, but that brings problems of its own.

While Charlotte schemes against Vanessa, Curtis is consumed with his own concerns about Deliverance Outreach. A mysterious figure from his past has been sending Curtis cryptic messages threatening to take away Curtis's coveted position as senior pastor and destroy everything he has worked so hard for. But who could hate Curtis that much? And how can he fight an enemy he can't even name?

OMG…Charlotte is unbelievable! I wanted to jump in the book and shout out her misgivings. This book is #10 out of 15 in the Reverend Curtis Black series, and I still find it entertaining.
I listened to the audiobook. The chapters are short and it makes for a quick read. I read a novel in the series in between my serious and committed reads for publishers reviews, and book club discussions. A nice filler. The drama is like watching a television soap opera. Charlotte replaced the bad, devious and ruthless antics of Curtis Black, whose past is catching up to him. and left the ending open for the next book in the series.

On to The Prodical Son, book #11 in the series. show less

After dropping out of Harvard to be with his girlfriend Racquel and their new baby, Matthew Black discovers that fatherhood isn't what he expected. His relationship with Racquel has become strained, and while he wants to be a good husband, he soon finds himself attracted to another woman. Meanwhile, Curtis and Charlotte are having their own problems. Curtis's long-lost-son Dillon has settled into their household and Charlotte feels he's trying to take Matthew's place in Curtis's heart. She show more is determined to get Dillon out of the house, but doing so won't be as easy as she thinks. Dillon quickly figures out what Charlotte is up to and launches his own plan to turn Curtis against her"--

The Prodigal Son follows the lives of Matthew and Dillion, The Black's and all of their drama and its dysfunctional family dynamics is high drama from beginning to the end. The saga of the Curtis Black family continues with Racquel, and Matthew and Dillon, the eldest son of Pastor Curtis Black. Dillon, reunited with his father, intends to insert himself into the Black family. The book touches on mental illness, domestic abuse, violence, and blackmail.

The story has excellent character development with drama, revenge, twists and turns. Roby recaps the previous novels in each book in the series so readers who aren’t privy to the previous books in the series can still indulge in the story. Roby grabbed my attention and kept it! I loved the ending. show less

The infamous Reverend Curtis Black's sordid past is no secret. But when Curtis and Charlotte are forced to raise his illegitimate two-year-old, Curtina together the reminder of her husband's infidelity infuriates Charlotte. Despite her best efforts to keep her feelings hidden, Charlotte resents Curtina, taking her emotions out on the young girl. When confronted about her behavior Charlotte starts spending time away from home, all the while getting closer to her ex-boyfriend. Curtis appears show more to devote himself to his parish and the new church they're building, but is he really focusing his attention on the female parishioners trying to lure him into bed? Not even Curtis' seven-figure salary can prevent what is about to happen.

This novel is #8 in the Reverend Curtis Black series. I wondered how Curtina (what an unflattering name) would figure into the marriage between Charlotte and Curtis. I wanted to shake Charlotte for her hatred toward Curtina, who was a product of Curtis’ affair with another woman. Charlotte did the very same thing, but her child died (previous book). The suspense of how this novel would end was enthralling. I’m moving on to #9 in the Reverend Curtis Black series, The Reverend’s Wife (2012). show less

If you've ever read a Kimberla Lawson Roby book, you know that she's not only a gifted storyteller, she's also a teacher. There is always a message in her books, and this one didn't disappoint. I always learn something reading her novels, and the lesson that I learned is to reinforce my faith, especially when things get tough. This is a short, easy, yet powerful read; I polished it off in a couple hours. The characters are easy to relate to, and I quickly identified with Celine, the wife, show more and her best friend, Lauren. I will go on the record and say that I'd like to kick Celine's husband, Keith, square in the seat of his pants, with a steel-toed boot. One thing, the book ended rather abruptly, and I'm hoping that there will be more to come so that we can find out what happens to Celine and Keith going forward.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of drama, suspense, and books that have an on-time message. show less