TOO MUCH DRAMA - Debra Phillips
St. Martin's Press
March 2005
SYNOPSIS: In this hilarious novel about love, dating, and matchmaking mamas, a smart, beautiful executive from the Diva Four Cosmetics company tries her best to resist the most eligible bachelor in town.
MAINSTREAM FICTION: (3) Debra Ross
REVIEW: In the new book by Debra Phillips, appropriately titled
TOO MUCH DRAMA, we are introduced to the LeBeau family; the matriarch, Adeena, and her
three daughters Donneeka, Mercedes, and Princess. Adeena LeBeau tries to run her daughter’s lives with the same control that has made her
cosmetic company such a success, and tends to take the ‘mother knows best’ theory to the extreme. However, technically her daughters give her
no reason to believe otherwise. They all work at their mother’s company, drive cars bought by their mother, and live in homes owned by – guess
who – their mother! Too Much Drama focuses on the matchmaking tactics of a determined yet misguided mother, the affect this has on her
extremely dependent daughters, and one daughter’s struggle for independence.
Donneeka LeBeau is the matchmaking target, and Braxton Dupree is the willing, eligible bachelor Adeena has decided is perfect for her oldest
daughter. Adeena has a dream about a wedding; so she makes plans for an event that, according to her dream will occur in a few months. After
all she has a hall to rent, caterers to choose, dresses to pick out, and invitations to order – and she does! You must remember that this is
written for comedy so that the outrageous behavior of these characters does not overwhelm you.
Braxton is actually the only voice of reason in the story. He goes along with the matchmaking scheme because he has been attracted to Doneeka
for years, and now wants to act on it. He is successful, confident, honorable, and handsome. He is a truly likable character, and you feel a
little sorry for him for being caught up in the LeBeau’s ‘drama’. However, he is exactly what Doneeka needs to break the formidable hold that
her mother has over her.
TOO MUCH DRAMA takes us on the often times comical journey of Doneeka and Braxton getting to know both themselves and
each other, and handling their inevitable attraction. There are many twist and subplots that give insight to the other two LeBeau sisters and
the domineering Mother LeBeau. TOO MUCH DRAMA definitely lives up to its name and Ms. Phillips has written an entertaining story; but more often than
not, the farce overshadows the romance. There is a thin line between true comedy and slapstick, and I hope that future works by Ms. Phillips
will take this balance into consideration.
debra@romanceincolor.com (5th April 2005)