FOREVER BEAUTIFUL - Suzette D. Harrison
Generations: For Love, Liberty & Legacy (Book #1)
On Purpose Publishing
BUY
Brenda Larnell (A+)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
REVIEW: Have you ever read a book that was so exquisitely written that it was more like poetry than prose? Well, I have. FOREVER BEAUTIFUL is that book! Bestselling author, Suzette D. Harrison has written a story that will resonate in your spirit long after you read it. The time setting is 1949, and the place is Colemanville, North Carolina. Without giving away this small town’s history, I will say that its existence is as important to the storyline as the characters.
Speaking of characters, allow me to introduce the great granddaughter of one of the founding fathers of Colemanville, nineteen-year-old Miss Floretta Eve, known by family and friends as Flo. When the story begins, Flo, along with her family, is standing in a cemetery at the site of her forty-year-old mother’s burial. She is beyond heartbroken. As the oldest of three, two younger male siblings, Flo is faced with some hard decisions she must make concerning her future, and the future of her brothers who are only eight and ten years old. Also left to mourn her mother’s death is her father, Dr. Everett Mercer, who stands out among the mourners because of the color of his skin. This, dear readers, is major. Who is Dr. Everett Mercer really? You get no answers here. You must read the story for yourself. The author purposefully lays out a roadmap of the documented times, the camouflaged family secrets, and the “honest” deceptions that this family adopted in order to survive. Believe me, there are not only some jaw-dropping moments, but also some poignant scenes that will bring tears to your eyes in this enthralling story.
The side characters/minor characters are so intricately woven into this story that their roles are far from minor. There’s the Black Seminole, Packer Sims, Flo’s love interest; her cousin and confident, Tippy; and the DOLL’s, Colemanville’s women’s auxiliary. Leading the pack is Flo’s mama, the deceased Iva Rae, a force to be reckoned with, whose legacy lived long after she died.
FOREVER BEAUTIFUL is the first book of the series. The second book in the Generations Series, WANDERING BEAUTY, written by best-selling author, Suzette Riddick, “Twinny Twin” (inside joke) continues the story of the Coleman-Mercer-Sims family saga. There are some very helpful questions for reading groups included that are perfect for book clubs to discuss. It’s a journey that I highly recommend you take. You can thank me later.
13th June 2024 | romcol@gmail.com
Speaking of characters, allow me to introduce the great granddaughter of one of the founding fathers of Colemanville, nineteen-year-old Miss Floretta Eve, known by family and friends as Flo. When the story begins, Flo, along with her family, is standing in a cemetery at the site of her forty-year-old mother’s burial. She is beyond heartbroken. As the oldest of three, two younger male siblings, Flo is faced with some hard decisions she must make concerning her future, and the future of her brothers who are only eight and ten years old. Also left to mourn her mother’s death is her father, Dr. Everett Mercer, who stands out among the mourners because of the color of his skin. This, dear readers, is major. Who is Dr. Everett Mercer really? You get no answers here. You must read the story for yourself. The author purposefully lays out a roadmap of the documented times, the camouflaged family secrets, and the “honest” deceptions that this family adopted in order to survive. Believe me, there are not only some jaw-dropping moments, but also some poignant scenes that will bring tears to your eyes in this enthralling story.
The side characters/minor characters are so intricately woven into this story that their roles are far from minor. There’s the Black Seminole, Packer Sims, Flo’s love interest; her cousin and confident, Tippy; and the DOLL’s, Colemanville’s women’s auxiliary. Leading the pack is Flo’s mama, the deceased Iva Rae, a force to be reckoned with, whose legacy lived long after she died.
FOREVER BEAUTIFUL is the first book of the series. The second book in the Generations Series, WANDERING BEAUTY, written by best-selling author, Suzette Riddick, “Twinny Twin” (inside joke) continues the story of the Coleman-Mercer-Sims family saga. There are some very helpful questions for reading groups included that are perfect for book clubs to discuss. It’s a journey that I highly recommend you take. You can thank me later.
13th June 2024 | romcol@gmail.com
(AWARD OF MERIT)