Review: Lover's Life by AlTonya Washington

Lover's Life: A Tesano Story by AlTonya Washington
Published by Al Tonya Washington on September 16, 2017
Genres: African American, Contemporary, Love & Romance, Multicultural & Interracial, Romance
Pages: 102
Format: eBook
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five-stars

Marcella Cannon had always felt like a fish out of water-the oddball girl in a family of men. The girl who preferred reading to shopping…for a while anyway. When her address changed to Black Island, the girl she had been changed too.

Brogue Tesano didn’t feel that his life exactly changed upon his move to Black Island. Instead, it had merely shifted into its rightful lane. He wasn’t a nice man-didn’t come from a family of nice people. The island- the horrors he’d witnessed and been a part of had done nothing to discourage the choices he’d made- the choices he’d would’ve continued to make until by chance he met an angel in the midst of hell.

I have never clicked the buy button so fast on Amazon as I did when I saw that AlTonya Washington released Lover’s Life: A Tesano Story. She surely got my $1.85 with a quickness and it was money well spent.

I don’t normally review novellas as longtime readers may be aware but when it comes to my favorite authors (and my FAVORITE series), I simply cannot resist.

Lover’s Life is the prequel of sorts to Brogue Tesano and Marcella Cannon’s love story, which we first got a small glimpse into with A Lover’s Return. For those of you who have never read any of Washington’s Ramsey/Tesano novels, stop right here, go back and start from the beginning of the series. If not, you’ll be confused about what I’m about to say next.

Lover’s Life was really short but it laid the groundwork for these two characters and the next Tesano rollercoaster ride, as more secrets and skullduggery (island word for those not familiar lol) are unraveling. If we thought that this world of corruption was close to an end, we were sorely mistaken.

Lover’s Life had all the signature traits of Washington’s beloved series; it was a sensual and mysterious page-turner. I really liked the character development which I didn’t expect, given how short this was, but we saw glimpses into both Brogue and Marcella’s lives both when they first met each other and after they escaped hell together. When I tell you Brogue and Marcella have a chemistry that simply jumps off the pages, THEY HAVE CHEMISTRY!

Brogue seems to be in the market for some redemption, and with the full-length novel aptly titled A Lover’s Redemption due out in fall of 2018, looks like he will be getting it. I love a good comeback story and if this novella was any indication, I may have to move Brogue from near the bottom of my Tesano list.

I, for one, will be first in line for the book. While I am having a mini-tantrum at the thought of having to wait so long for the follow-up, I know it will definitely be worth the wait.

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Natalya

Natalya is an Account Manager by day and an editor and author's assistant to passionate creatives by night. When she is not adding to her enormous book collection or stationery supply, she is catching up on her favorite television shows.

Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.

You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.