
Hey, romance addicts. Check out Blended Families 2 by Kyiris Ashley.
Author * Writer * Stoker of Flames
Hey, romance addicts. Check out Blended Families 2 by Kyiris Ashley.
Original Post – Special Edition: Dress Up/Dress Down with Lyndell Williams [November 8, 2019]
In the urban romance, Sweet Love–Bitter Fruit, Harlem lawyer, Marcus Kent wakes up each morning before the crack of dawn. He kisses his sleeping wife snuggled next to him and slips out of the bed, heading into his walk-in closet. The small room contains a spectrum of clothes reflecting the professional and personal activities filling his busy life. Continue reading “Lyndell Williams Character’s Closet: Marcus Kent #urbanromance”
Original Post: Feeling a Character: Lyndell Williams’ novel Sweet Love, Bitter Fruit 10/5/19 – Just Contemporary Romance
I am thrilled about the release of my new novel, Sweet Love, Bitter Fruit. It is the second book in the Brothers in Law Romance series and the most difficult to write.
The characters in my books face realistic issues that impact their falling and staying in love. In Sweet Love, Bitter Fruit, Toni must deal with the pain of infertility while watching her sister-in-law have baby after baby. She was successful in concealing her anguish the first time, but with a new pregnancy comes renewed pain and desire to be a mother. She needs to decide if she should stay quiet and suffer in silence or try again, something her husband, Marcus doesn’t want.
Marcus loves Toni and works hard to make her happy. Seeing her in any pain tortures him, so he decides that they just shouldn’t try to have a kid anymore. Unfortunately for him, the infertility demon doesn’t play fair. Toni vacillates emotionally; he feels helpless, and their marriage begins to fall apart. Continue reading “Feeling a Character: Why Toni Kent Tore into Me”
Original Post: rlfblog.com
Why did you write this book?
I am a huge proponent of using fiction as social commentary. Novels can reflect and influence society, and many readers seek to connect to realistic characters with problems and issues reflecting the human condition. I wrote Sweet Love, Bitter Fruit to highlight how strong love is not invincible. There are times and situations that will test the strongest bond. Toni and Marcus have it all—fabulous careers, awesome Harlem apartment and the respect of their family and community—but they have to endure the trials of infertility. They are usually simpatico, but when Toni wants to go through more in vitro treatments after agreeing to give up, it threatens their love.
What is your favorite genre to read?
Romance, romance, and more romance. The genre offers the chance for authors to show the ways characters navigate and negotiate a foundational human emotion. Romance can be diverse, influenced by readers and the broader culture. It is truly a misunderstood genre that deserves more respect than it gets in the literary world. Love elements exist across genres, so romance is a foundational part of literature.
Click here for the full interview.
Sweet Love-Bitter Fruit is the second book in the Brothers in Law series. It is a steamy and exciting stand-alone book that tells the story of Marcus and Toni Kent, a successful Black New York couple struggling with infertility.
After multiple in vitro attempts, Marcus decides he can’t take seeing the woman he loves in so much pain, but Toni is still on board with the idea of more treatments. Will a baby-making impasse tear this dream couple apart?
Enjoy a sneak peek at this fantastic duo, who have to fight to keep life from crumbling their rock-solid union.
Available at
Excerpt:
“Hi”—Marcus hovered over the nurse panting—“my wife is very sick,” he said over the
sound of gurneys rushing behind him. He tightened his grip around Toni’s waist, his muscles burning as he strained to keep her from crumpling to the floor. He hefted her up further against his body, her head rolling against his chest. The emergency room sliding doors ground closed, drowning out her soft moan. “It’s gonna be okay, Sweetness.” He barely got the words out of his closed throat. They hadn’t been okay since the morning.
Toni had begun the day getting out of the bed and vomiting. He went for his run and returned to sounds of her retching over the toilet. She assured him it was a passing thing and insisted that he go to work. Her clammy skin and cold hands told him otherwise, but he Continue reading “A Baby-Making Impasse”