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FOUR GUYS AND TROUBLE Marcus Major Dutton March 2001 (4+) Shirion Shropshire |
Mainstream Fiction |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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Romance lovers you will truly enjoy this one. When I read the jacket on this book, I had mixed feelings. I mean, 4 guys were looking after their deceased friends sister, what in the world are they doing having “not so sisterly” feelings for her. I just couldn’t imagine one of them watching her grow up, then becoming intimately involved with her. The images I created were somewhat perverse. I had this picture of 4 horny old men, and an 18-year-old girl (I figured, she had to be legal)! Well, I was really tripping. I had read GOOD PEOPLES, a previous release by this author, and enjoyed it. I should have known that, Marcus Major was better than that. I dove in and I’m telling you, I didn’t put this one down until I was finished. This was a wonderful story. Marcus Major is excellent at weaving tales that I, as an African American female, can relate to. He puts so much into the attitudes, opinions, and feelings of the black male and helps me understand their strengths and vulnerabilities. I related so well to some of the situations and the characteristics of the people in the story. It was hard to believe it was all fiction. What I loved the most about this book was the romantic nature of the story and the way entertaining and fun way it all unfolded. I have to say that I was way off base about the age thing. There is nothing perverse about this story. These four young men were honorable, committed and demonstrated a deep love for the women in their lives. Now, sometimes they had a warped sense of how to express that love and, on occasion, could be a bit disrespectful. But believe me, none of this goes unchecked. This story went a long way to provide insight into the African American male and gave a fairly accurate depiction of some modern relationships. The book was about four 4 strong men, Ibn, Dexter, Colin, and Mike. Each one of these guys has their own issues and sensibilities. With all of their differences, they are thick as thieves. When reading about these guys I thought about my brother, and his group of friends from high school and college. It was really strange, but this book helped to shed light on how they can be so different but so close. Even though some of their moral views differ, they seem to understand each other in ways that I could never relate and they always “have each others back”. These guys are handsome, successful, lovable, sexy, and loyal. But still there were times when I wanted to slap some sense into them, and I mean literally. The four guys have made a commitment to their buddy, Trev (deceased) to look after his kid sister. With this commitment, you find that they spoil this “kid sister” to no end; they help pay for her education, provide an apartment, buy her clothes, and get her a car for her college graduation. She wants for nothing. Each of them is committed to her both financially and emotionally. This part of the story is very touching and demonstrates a level of loyalty that is surprising considering some of the attitudes the guys have about life and relationships. Then there’s Bunches, a.k.a. Erika. She and her relationships with each of the guys is the main ingredient for this well developed story. Her dream is to become a doctor; the guys are committed to helping her fulfill that dream. She cannot be taken lightly. Her relationship with each of the guys is unique and special and for the most part “sisterly”. Their relationships with her help to define who they are and how they relate to the other women in their lives. Because of their closeness she is able to be real with them about different situations. She has so much value in the lives of these men and she has been blessed with four heroes. In this story she realizes she has romantic feelings for one of the guys. Initially she doesn’t know that the feelings go both ways. But there is always evidence, secret eye contact, touching the make the heart skip a beat… Why is it that Bunches doesn’t like any of the women he dates? Why is it that he’s always sabotaging her dates? How long can these secret feelings be ignored? Who’s going to make the first move? How are the other guys going to react? Waiting for the final moment, the moment they give into this long suppressed hunger, is so much fun. Romance readers you will be thrilled with the lighthearted, romantic nature of this story. We enjoy a happy ending and you will not be disappointed. Marcus Major is so good at adding just enough “side story” to add character to the main subjects. Each character had a uniqueness that only added to the storyline. I didn’t feel that there was any “fluff”. I was able to stay focused on the romance without feeling distracted. The general fiction lover will appreciate the plot and the development of the relationships between all of the characters. I can truly say that I felt good after reading 4 Guys and Trouble. This book was romantic, funny, and most of all “real”. I am looking forward to more from this very talented author. |
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1st March 2001 |
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