BCNN1/BCBC National Bestsellers List - Fiction - August 2010
Explore the BCNN1/BCBC National Bestsellers List for Fiction from August 2010, featuring top African-American Christian fiction by Patricia Haley, Victoria Christopher Murray, and more. Discover compelling reads like *Destined*, *Lady Jasmine*, and *Dreams That Won't Let Go* in this curated bestseller roundup.
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Sins of the Mother
by Victoria Christopher Murray
From the bestselling author of The Personal Librarian​ comes a story of a mother whose sins of her past may have finally caught up with her—and her daughter. Have the sins of the mother come upon the daughter? Jasmine Larson Bush is finally living a drama-free life. She’s left her lying, cheating, stealing stripper days behind and is standing by her husband’s side as the first lady of one of the largest churches in New York City. The Bushes have been blessed with the best of everything—including two lovely children. But just when Jasmine has committed her life completely to God, her daughter Jacqueline is kidnapped from a mall the day after Thanksgiving. The police and the church community join in the frantic search to find the four-year-old. As the days pass without any sign of her daughter, Jasmine begins to crack under the strain and turns to Brian Lewis, Jacqueline’s biological father, for solace. Has Jasmine’s past finally caught up to her? Will her daughter be found or will Jasmine pay the ultimate price?
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The Ideal Wife
by Jacquelin Thomas
Newlyweds Jana and Lawrence return from their Caribbean honeymoon to Los Angeles, where Lawrence is a partner in a prestigious Beverly Hills law firm. After Jana moves into Lawrence’s home in Hollywood Hills, she undergoes a complete lifestyle change and now spends her time shopping and doing charity work with the wives of the other partners. Her days as a student at Bible College seem like a distant memory now that she’s a full-time wife.. Soon Jana and Lawrence’s values begin to clash, and the marriage falls apart. After a spat over Lawrence’s sexual appetite, he tells Jana he wants a divorce. Confused and heartbroken by the sudden turn of events, she slowly realizes that it was physical attraction that drew Lawrence to her—it was never about love. She was nothing more than a trophy wife. So when three months later she meets Garrett Ransom, a handsome widower, she vows that this time, she’s going to do things right. . In The Ideal Wife , Thomas has written an engaging and inspirational novel featuring ordinary people facing everyday challenges, as they struggle to achieve personal happiness and success while maintaining their faith-based principles..
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Destined
by Patricia Haley
Brother battles brother for ultimate control of their father’s multimillion-dollar ministry in the captivating second novel from #1 Essence bestselling author Patricia Haley’s provocative new series inspired by the biblical kings David and Solomon. Don Mitchell thought he’d left DMI headquarters behind forever when he fled to South Africa after his dying father chose his younger, inexperienced half-brother, Joel, to run the thriving family business. But after three years of self-imposed exile, he has returned to take over DMI at the gentle urging of beautiful Abigail, who was once his father’s assistant. His brother, Joel, plagued by a slew of illicit affairs and poor judgment, is plunging the business into ruin, and Don’s plans to secretly assume control of the ministry come into question when his estranged sister refuses to help him. Don must decide whether to face down his power-hungry brother to save the ministry his father worked so hard to build—and take a chance on an unrequited love he never dreamed Abigail would reciprocate—or return to South Africa to find refuge in his own thriving company and the budding romance he left behind. After much soul searching, Don comes to realize that his destiny is inescapable. Patricia Haley’s evocative modern day interpretation of these popular biblical tales will keep you riveted until the stunning conclusion.
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Church Folk
by Michele Andrea Bowen
Mississippi, 1963. Essie Lee Lane is a small-town girl who doesn't take "stuff" from nobody. Yet even she isn't ready for the Reverend Theophilus Simmons, one of the South's most fiery and respected young preachers. Down-to-earth, caring, and oh-so-fine, he's everything Essie never thought she'd find in a man, and he realizes she is everything a pastor needs in a wife. But Essie and Theophilus soon discover that dealing with the contentious members of Theophilus's church will be no honeymoon-especially when a couple of First Lady wannabes and a few blasphemous preachers enter the picture. With their parishioners in turmoil and their denomination facing a major scandal, Essie and Theophilus must put their faith and love to the ultimate test as they struggle to lead their congregation to God's sweetest rewards.
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Chasing Faith
by Stephanie Perry Moore
Vowing to make some changes in her life, Secret Service Agent Christian Ware takes on a new assignment--protecting an influential Black minister who is a Democratic presidential candidate--which restores her faith. Reprint.
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Yesterday's Promise
by Vanessa Miller
"When Melinda Johnson's father, the bishop of Omega Christian Church, goes back on his word and appoints her ex-fiancâe, Steven Marks, as his successor instead of her, Melinda must decide whether to pursue her call to preach elsewhere, or to stay at Omega and rekindle a relationship with Steven--even though he opposes female pastors"--Provided by publisher.
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Up at the College
by Michele Andrea Bowen
Yvonne Fountain Copeland is shattered when her husband of 15 years decides to leave her because their marriage was getting "boring." Disheartened and confused, Yvonne returns to her hometown of Durham, North Carolina, convinced that a change of scenery will help her draw closer to God and find inner peace. What she doesn't know is that her journey to peace will lead her straight to sexy, single, and childless basketball coach Curtis Parker. But Yvonne and Curtis soon discover that you can't find true peace and joy without God's help. What begins as a series of "why me's" soon evolves into an extraordinary journey of victory, faith, joy, and love.
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If Memory Serves
by Vanessa Davis Griggs
Memory Patterson has been hiding from her family for much too long. Her instinct has always been to run, and never more so than when a chance meeting with Pastor Landris and his pregnant wife, Johnnie Mae, leads to a shocking revelation about Memory's mother. Meanwhile, when Johnnie Mae has complications with her pregnancy, Pastor Landris learns that he may have to make an impossible choice - one that will amount to spiritual warfare.
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Nothing But Drama
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
The first book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley Their lives are nothing but drama. . . . Camille can't believe her bad luck when she's ordered to join a church youth group after hiding her boyfriend from the police. She'll bide her time if that's what it takes to get everyone off her back, but it's the last place she ever expected to make a new friend. Angel has a secret that's got her running scared, so when she sees a flyer for the group, she heads to the church, hoping to find an answer to her problem. Now Rachel, their group leader, has a task for them that may just end their daily dramas and give them a whole new beginning. They just have to take a leap of faith. . . . Along the way, they meet tough-as-nails Jasmine and society-darling Alexis, forging friendships built on strength, loyalty, and faith. As the girls take up Rachel's challenge to honor their parents, they find that walking a new path isn't always the easiest way to go. But together, Camille, Angel, Jasmine, and Alexis will embark on adventures that only the best of friends can share.
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Lady Jasmine
by Victoria Christopher Murray
The beloved—and hated—Jasmine larson bush returns to battle her own past in a compelling new novel of love, faith, and shame from the Essence bestselling novelist. In Temptation, A Sin and a Shame, and most recently, Too Little, Too Late, Jasmine Larson Bush—a scheming, manipulative, man-stealing diva who was “saved” just in time to become a preacher’s wife—entertained fans with her conniving ways and acts of redemption. In Lady Jasmine, a desperate time from Jasmine’s past threatens the family and the future she worked so hard to build. In order to save her marriage with Reverend Hosea Bush, Jasmine was forced to reveal every secret that remained in her past to him—her real age, her real weight, her real shoe size. She thought she had told Hosea everything. But when Jasmine is blackmailed about a terrible truth from her past that she “forgot” to tell Hosea, more than just her marriage is in jeopardy. Determined to keep the life she fought so hard to save, Jasmine is willing to commit any sin, even murder, to leave her past behind her. No one can know the truth about the First Lady of City of Lights Riverside Church. No one can know that, beneath Jasmine’s veneer of a redeemed Christian wife, there lies a sinner—especially her trusting husband.
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Watercolored Pearls
by Stacy Hawkins Adams
Each at different places in their lives, three women--Serena, a stay-at-home mom; Erika, who is haunted by her abusive past; and Tawana, a lawyer trying not to let her ambitions destroy her life--turn to each other, and to God, to unleash their inner beauty.
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Chosen
by Patricia Haley
Madeline Mitchell sets herself up for a fight when ex-husband Dave appoints his son from a second marriage to run the multimillion-dollar ministry over Don, their son together.
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Truth Be Told
by Victoria Christopher Murray
The author of The Personal Librarian and Essence bestsellers Temptation and Joy returns with a story about one woman's personal and spiritual journey to overcome the consequences of her husband's dark secret. Grace Monroe has the ideal life: a devoted husband, adoring daughters, and a booming career in politics. Newly elected on a Christian platform to the Los Angeles city council, she is determined to put her mistakes behind her and focus on her bright future. But when a secret from her husband's past is revealed, setting off a chain of attacks that threaten to rip her family apart, Grace must face a dilemma that will force her to question her life and her faith.
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Pressing Hard
by Stephanie Perry Moore
When Perry wakes up in a very compromising position after having a few drinks too many, he realizes it's time to stop the crazy partying and turn his attention back to his future. Meanwhile, Perry's best friend Damarius is wasting his time doing too much weed. When tragedy strikes, will Perry's faith be strong enough to help him do what's right?
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A Sin and a Shame
by Victoria Christopher Murray
After breaking up her best friend's marriage by seducing her husband, Jasmine Larson takes up an insincere Christian lifestyle in New York, becomes engaged to a minister, and discovers she is pregnant with another man's child.
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Dreams That Won't Let Go
by Stacy Hawkins Adams
Everything is going well for Indigo Burns as she prepares to marry the man of her dreams, but her life is thrown into chaos when her brother Reuben comes home after many years of absence and seeks reconciliation with his sisters.
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A Lova' Like No Otha'
by Stephanie Perry Moore
When lightning and thunder strike the morning of Zoe Clarke's outdoor wedding, her perfect world turns turbulent from that point on. Not only does Zoe lose her fiancé to a pregnant girlfriend she never knew he had, but all her life's plans seem dramatically over. She had recently received her MBA, but she was planning to ease her way into a career in order to focus on her marriage. She blames God for her raging trouble, which culminates in her wanting to end her life. Fortunately, God sends her an earthly angel in the form of Chase Farr, the best man in the wedding. He reintroduces Zoe to the importance of having God in her life. But when Chase's friendship with Zoe turns romantic he backs away, as he wants to stay a virgin. Through riding a roller coaster of celebration and sorrow, Zoe ultimately learns what it means to truly trust God. But does her clear view come too late to fix things with Chase?
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With Friends Like These
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
The third book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley Only one girl will be chosen.... In the year since Camille, Alexis, Jasmine, and Angel joined Rachel Jackson's church youth group, the four best friends have bonded over boys, pitched in on community projects, and shared their deepest secrets. There's nothing they don't know about each other -- or is there? When a special guest arrives at Rachel's group and announces auditions for a television talk show, the girls will come to know a side of each other they never knew existed. And they may not like what they see. Will the four friends become enemies? The race to find the perfect host for KRCP's Teen Talks is heating up -- the competition is fierce, and so are the lies the girlfriends tell about each other in order to win the coveted spot. But more painful than any lies they can concoct is the cold, hard truth: none of them will reach their ultimate dreams if cutting each other down is how they choose to get ahead. Is winning a place in the spotlight worth losing their friendship? Includes a reader's group guide! Be sure to read the previous novels in ReShonda Tate Billingsley's fresh and fun series that looks at the Ten Commandments in a whole new light: Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise -- now available! ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother! and three previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; and I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club. Her previous Christian teen novels are Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise, both available from Pocket Books. She is also a contributor to the story anthology Have a Little Faith. Visit her website at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com.
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Jezebel
by Jacquelin Thomas
A modern retelling of the biblical story of Jezebel chronicles the exploits of manipulative Georgia beauty Jessie Belle, who, as part of her plans to escape town, weds trusting pastor Traynor Devereaux, who has no idea that his cunning bride is not only planning for a whole new life but is also running from a past that could destroy both of their reputations. Reprint.
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My Brother's Keeper
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
In a captivating debut novel that is both humorous and heartwrenching, ReShonda Tate Billingsley -- winner of the Gold Pen Award for Best New Author -- spins an irresistible story that will touch every reader's heart. Aja James hasn't had it easy. She has kept a close watch over her siblings ever since tragedy robbed them of their parents. Tired of carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, Aja is ready for a change. Her best friend, Roxie, knows just what to do -- she sets Aja up on a date with one of the most sought after bachelors in town, handsome sportscaster Charles Clayton. Charles is everything Aja has ever dreamed of -- sensitive, sexy, and charming. But "happily ever after" isn't that simple. While Aja has rebounded from the loss of her parents, her sister and brother have not. Jada is lost in a world of silence with no way for Aja to reach her, and Eric's uncontrollable rage is wreaking havoc on his life. As Aja sees her brother heading down the same violent path that destroyed their family, she makes it her business to stop the cycle -- even if it means putting her own life, and her own chance at love, on hold. My Brother's Keeper is a poignant novel about a resilient family learning that sometimes you have to forgive in order to find the strength to move on.