| Title | : | The Book of Adam and Jo: an Interracial Literary Romance |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 279 |
| Publication | : | First published October 18, 2019 |
Passion. It’s reckless. Doesn’t care who sees or what it costs. It’s good if you have a little. Just enough to aim and shoot. Hit your goal. But it shouldn’t be spilling all over the place. Damn. I knew the danger. The whole time. She seemed a little lonely, but she seemed decent. Moral. Had her head in the right place. I just can’t remember why I thought that would keep me safe. Why would a woman not have the power to consume me, just because she was decent and moral? Since when did pure oxygen become less of a threat to a match?
But then, a wild, stubborn, loudmouth son of a bitch like me definitely shoulda kept her safe. So I don’t know what the hell is goin’ on.
A stern and heartfelt warning from the author:
This book contains the first-person perspective and inner monologue of a former nazi/white supremacist main character named Adam Kerr. He has a swastika tattoo on his arm and lives in a racially segregated town called Bethesda, set fictionally in North Carolina. He is not politically correct. He's not a Republican, but he's sure as hell, not a Democrat. He's never heard the term "cisgender," he has no pronouns and he does not know what "safe spaces" are. He does not keep up with current events on the world stage. He does not have social media because he does not have friends, he only has family. He doesn't mind you reading about him, nor he does care your thoughts and feelings about his thoughts and feelings. He only cares about what one woman thinks about him, and that woman is JoAnn Abrams Kerr.
If this is your first C.L. Donley book, I recommend that you put off buying this one, and start with a different book [my recommendation: Leftovers With Benefits]. If you don't like that one, then you will hate this one. If you do like it, then proceed with Adam and Jo at your own risk. I create all my characters with unflinching realism, empathy, and dimension, so if you have problems feeling positively and/or negatively toward a person that you don't agree with, who is the main focus of the book, then you should move on.
For those of you who've read my work before and appreciate it, check out the sample before downloading the book. This book is unlike the others, in that it straddles the fence between romance and literary/women's fiction. If you know and trust me as an author, I'm hoping you will trust me again. It is incredibly steamy. You will be triggered. You will be challenged. You will cry. You will laugh. You'll cry again. You should probably take off work.
Wanna read a story? Then let's flippin' do this.
C.L.
The Book of Adam and Jo: an Interracial Literary Romance Reviews
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My expectations for this story was not very high based on other reviews. However I must say that I don’t agree with the other reviews. Adam and Jo gave me a realistic view of how it might be if this situation happened in real life. We can’t pick who we love and more often than not we get in our own way in relationships. Jo stayed in her mind thinking and rethinking because of who and what Adam is and was. I completely understand Jo’s character and why she hesitated about Adam like she did. As with Adam, his motives were realistic in the beginning as well. Yes you can also see the author’s imagination at work in parts but thats what writing is about.
Now I didn’t understand the epilogue. I could be because i schemed through it. I would have hoped for a timeline of Adam and Jo’s life. Maybe ill go back and revisit the epilogue to see how it ties to the story.
Overall, I loved the story. I don’t give out four stars regularly but i felt that due to the level of realness this story earned it. I would definitely recommend it to my friends to discuss Adam’s and Jo’s views. -
Lawd a mercy! This book took me through the change of life! I am practically speechless.
Okay, where to start! First I will warn anyone picking this book up. Try not to prejudge the book because of the cover. That Rebel Flag can get under our skin if you let it. There are also some choice words that will have you clutching your pearls. But if you can get past that and see the story for what it is, you will enjoy.
Now let’s talk content and characters. Adam is a straight up White Supremist. Former member of the triple K organization. The man had his beliefs and did not mince his words. If you didn’t like his way of thinking, that’s your problem. Let him tell it, he was not a racist. That was something stupid people who lived their lives with hate did. He was not that person.
He treated people “fairly”. He simply was under the mindset that because Europeans started Western Civilization, they were superior. For a very smart man, he was clueless that his words and way of thinking would offend someone of another race. He used racial slurs and fell into the stereotype trap like it was drinking water. Easy!
So you will excuse me if I was confused as all get out at how I, a strong black woman, could like this man. I realized, as did Jo, the man was irresistible. If you could get past the primal urge to rip his face off and just get to know him, he was very charming. He had the courage of his conviction and never varied from it. He was consistently honest and never once tried to be anyone but himself. Now that is something I can appreciate, even if I wholeheartedly disagree with his mindset. Plus he was often mistaken for Thor! Simply Gorgeous.
Jo was a feisty young black single mother whose son was of mixed race. She worked doing drywall, which was an awesome career for a female character! Love it. She also held down her dream job as a dj on weekends. Her deadbeat baby daddy was in school and too self absorbed to even care that she was struggling raising his son. He chose to work an unpaid internship to boost his career, instead of helping to fund his child’s upbringing. He was a tool. Well, Adam called him something much more vulgar, but I can’t repeat it here. Just know, Adam was right.
This story took race relations in the south to a whole other level. Most books similar to this, give you a racist “hero” who magically changes his mind after falling in love with a heroine of another race. Nope! Not in this book. Not Adam. He was a stubborn alpha male who believed strongly that his race was superior. However, he was kind to people of other races and took them for face value on an individual basis.
It may seem as if I am taking up for him, but that’s just the way the book develops. The author is so talented that she was able to take a character that I know I am supposed to hate, and make him likable. Eventually the conflict comes, but not in the usual race bait type of way. It was much deeper than that.
Jo and Adam get a somewhat happy ending. Then I read the epilogue and was both happy and sad at the same time. Happy because of the time they had together, what they accomplished and the love they had for each other and their children. Sad because just like real life, getting old sucks! I’ll let you discover what I mean so I don’t ruin the story.
I was thoroughly entertained by this book and can’t wait to read more from this author. -
When this book started floating around in my brain, I suppressed it for a long time, as you can imagine. Which is actually good for book ideas. The longer they stew, they tend to come out more powerful. Eventually, it got to the point where I couldn't ignore it. The scenes start to play continually in my mind and sort of drive me crazy a little bit. So then I have to get it all down, even if just as an exercise, especially if I'm trying to work on other projects at the same time.
So I go to write this character down, and I'm all "oh, hi, my name's Adam I'm a racist blah blah blah n***er n***er n***er, this book will never see the light of day *fart noises*
And then I left it alone for about, a month let's say. And there's thing that happens, when I know I've got something good. It's like baking a loaf of bread. A draft is like the dough. You make the dough, let it alone, and then come back to it and hopefully, it's got some volume to it, if everything is right. If you come back and it's exciting to read in its infant state, it's like, "wow this is great!" It's doubled its size already. All you have to do is dress it up, punch it back down, get some more rising going, and it's going to turn out.
Basically, I came back to this asinine dough and it was like... the size of my living room. I was like... "oh nooooooo...." Because now I had something that I had made, that I knew had to be released. I was very thankful when the opening scene came to me, and little Judah came to me, and the epilogue came to me. Because I was like, "people could really love this." I know the epilogue is a whopper, and it did cost me some brownie points, but it literally took my breath away when I thought of it, and thus could not be removed or changed.
The fact that this book is turning out to be my best-reviewed work in the few short months it's been out is IN...sane. And it's taught me a few things. One: as an author, don't be afraid. The more you take a chance, the more rewarding the praise. Two: readers are smarter than pretty much everyone gives them credit for. To the people who gave this a low rating because of the HEA (or lack thereof)-- I flipping love you guys for that shit. LOL!! That gave me the surprise of my writing life. -
This book...hated the ending.
I read this book because of the warning by the author and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I normally read romance novels for happy endings and this was anything but that. It left me wanting in not just the ending, but also the character development.
This book was suppose to be 'real but in the real world how does a man like Adam maintain those beliefs while raising mixed kids and loving a black woman? How does he end up not tainting them with his ideals? He kept repeating that he wasn't racist but he speaks like a racist. He agreed with everything the KKK stood for, for christsake and the only reason he left was because they didn't take any actions when it came to their dogma.
After all the back and forth in the book I expected the ending to give me some balm that things worked out but...it did not. There was no cutesy ending and it left me wanting more because the kids are not all right, Jo is dead(the part about them not finding her dead until hours after the fact was so unnecessary) and Adam is battling sickness. Why would that be how you end their story????
All in all, I've read books with similar plot lines but this is the first that I've been left wholly unsatisfied with in terms of the character development. I'm not sure in which world this book makes sense but several persons seemed to like it which was another factor in me buying it but what a let down.
This is my first book from this author so I'll give her another chance after I put some space between me and this book. -
Interesting storyline starting out, but went downhill. Slow read, little story progression, and very little dynamic with the hero's supposed racism. Best part of the story was the heroine’s son. DNF at 25%.
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Adam, Jo and Judah❤❤❤❤❤
The Book of Adam and Jo had me all twisted up. Adam was brutally honest about life, love, family and his beliefs but most of all his JoJo. Upon their first meeting Jo new there was that magnetic pull between her, Judah and Adam. I loved it. Their love was so obvious. Adam didn't care how other's felt about his old affiliations, as long as Jo knew that he had her back. Jo never had any man's total support and love. Only her son's, Judah. They dealt with racism of the worst kind. My emotions were everywhere. I cried for them. Loved this story and characters. The ending broke my heart but this story is so real! I recommend this book and author. Ty👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 -
Absolutely Amazing
I loved the story and the characters. I would have liked a brief follow up about Corey (Pete), not so much Gus. Done with him. But, totally understand that Jo and Adam were starting a new community. As I read the epilogue, tears were stuck in my throat. Sadness due to Adam's disease and him forgetting that she's gone, but happiness knowing he and Jo had a full life together and he simply can't live without believing she's still there with him. -
After Reading the reviews
I was not expecting a lot but I was pleasantly surprised once I got into the book. I really enjoyed how he wasn’t magically “un-racist” after falling in love with a black woman. A really good book with a lot of thought provoking dialogue. -
I am officially a FAN!
Loved Jose and Adams love journey; loved the epilogue too. This story made my heart smile. I wanted to fight for them
Well done! -
A wonderful story. My emotions are too raw and I'm honestly just too gutted right now to write a review. It wasn't at all what I expected. Absolutely loved this story.
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This was actually a good book. I liked the pace. I had low expectations because of the subject matter but I was sucked in by the first page. I enjoyed that first dialogue. It was random and about an electrical box but the way the story just flowed from there was talent. I think it really set the tone of the book.
Now, Adam and Jojo (lol, cute nickname for her), I liked the way things progressed between them even if sometimes I wanted a better reaction from Jo than just laughing it off when Adam was being Adam. Speaking of Adam, talk about a straight shooter. Forget being politically correct. I enjoyed his character's consistency throughout. His internal monologues really cracked me up more than once.
Judah was hella cute. I wanted more scenes with him. I could have done without that epilogue though. I really could have. I thought it was a downer. Oh, and at some point in the book, Jo was crying non-stop or something, I don't know, I skimmed a bit there.
Overall, this book has depth, complex characters and lovely romance.
Probably will re-read (without the epilogue). I look forward to reading other books from this author. -
3.75 Stars. (BW/WM). a Kindle Unlimited e-book. Forbidden love. The heroine, JoAnn “JoJo” Abrams, is a college dropout due to pregnancy; thus, a single mother who works two jobs: some nights she expertly hangs dry wall other nights she peruses her passion as a DJ. The hero, Adam Kerr, is the gorgeous Thor look-a-like foreman of a family construction company, he is also an unapologetic White Supremacist and former KKK member. The opening interaction between Adam and Jo and her 4-year-old son made Adam a likable character and relegated his white supremacist views to political incorrectness and ignorance of factual history. Adam openly pursued a relationship with a Black woman and her Black mixed race son. I enjoyed the exchanges between Jo and Adam. I hated that the prologue featured the couple’s children and grand children rather than the building of a loving unit between Jo and Adam and his tattooing over the swastika and showing what other changes came as he and his family came to terms with his mixed race family in light of his past.
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Wow!!! I am speechless.
I am so full of emotions after reading Adam & Jo's story. Not only is the dialogue depicted in such a gripping way, but the story literally transported me back in time to the rural Arkansas of my youth.
Growing up during the 1980's until the early 2000's, I came in contact with so many people just like the characters in this story. I'm still crying and smiling because this was such a gripping genuine interracial romance. Simply amazing. -
I did not know how to take this book. By the end, which didn't like, I loved it. I would have rather had more details over the years. The one thing that was clear was they was the loves of each other's life. O would like for this one to go to audio.
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