Product Description

DESCRIPTION: Regina Harris has been through it all, orphaned at 13 and forced to use street wits to survive. Now living in Harlem with her four-year-old daughter, she thinks her life has finally stabilized--but where there's Regina, there's always drama. She runs into a former boyfriend and, against her better judgment and the advice of friends, she resumes their steamy affair. Sparks fly when her U.S. Congressman ex-hubby decides he wants her back and her boyfriend decides he won't let her go. Life is no less dramatic for her three best friends--Yvonne can't tear herself from a lawyer turned violent junkie, Tamika and her family are being targeted by street thugs bent on revenge, and Puddin' still can't resist using any man in her sights to support bad habits.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #943478 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

About the Author
AUTHORBIO: KAREN E. QUINONES MILLER, a Harlem native, lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

You'll Always Be My Satin Doll
Satin Nights features the return of Regina, Yvonne, Tamika and the blasphemous, Puddin' from Karen Quinones Miller's Satin Doll. These four women have known each other since childhood and have run the gamut of men, drugs, abuse and survival. Set in Harlem, where the author provides in vivid detail the landscape, Satin Nights begins several years later where we find Regina, a divorcee with a four-year old daughter, reverting back to some old ways by taking up with her former thug-lover recently released from prison. She soon finds out that he would still do anything for her in his own convoluted way. All the while Regina is maintaining an amicable relationship with her ex-husband who has aspirations of a Senatorial run. After relocating to New York City, Yvonne's former married lover returns to her life with serious drug use issues, which puts those around him in danger. Tamika's son makes a dangerous mistake and as a result, her family becomes the mark of drug dealers. And finally there is Puddin'! Out of the three Puddin' has remained the same in terms of maturity and growth, there is none. Her foul mouth, drug use and the exploitation of men are ever-present and she provides a lot of laugh out loud moments for the reader. The foursome is older now but their lives are just as chaotic as years gone by.

Touted as a sequel, Satin Nights can stand on its own because the author provides enough background information about each character to gain an understanding of their pasts. Another major development was the return of Mama T, Yvonne's West Indian mother, and her brand of wisdom and Brenda and Renee, Regina's once addicted sister and the daughter that Regina raised. Quinones Miller provides a serious storyline around these two characters to make you stand up and take notice.

Satin Nights is an entertaining page-turner with numerous incidents and developments surrounding the friendship of four audacious, courageous, confident and at times, shameless women. The depth of their friendship is truly on display for the entire world to see.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
APOOO BookClub

insightful slice of inner city life
In Harlem, thirtyish Regina Harris thinks she might finally have her act together while raising her four years old daughter Camille. She worries about her best friends as Puddin just killed a grandfather in a car accident, but has no remorse blaming God for the black ice and is using a stolen credit card that Regina wonders if she lifted off the sexagenarian vehicle victim. Yvonne is back with abusive Robert who treated her like dirt five years ago leading to her almost killing herself. Finally drug dealers want Tamika, her twelve years old son and other family members dead.

Meanwhile ex convict and drug dealer Little Joe Blayton wants back in Regina's life. He dumped her when she was his sixteen years old Satin Doll wearing him out fifteen years ago and her ex-spouse Charles also wants back in her life. Even her teenage niece shocks her when she announced she is gay. When did friendships and men become so complicated thinks Gina but responds to herself when she became thankfully one of the four musketeers years ago.

SATIN NIGHTS is a powerful realistic (including street vernacular) look at relationships in Harlem between four "sisters" and the men and family members in their lives. The story line is character driven with Regina as the focus holding the plot together via her interrelationships with the strong ensemble cast. Karen Quinones Miller's provides quite a tour of Harlem as her readers will appreciate this insightful slice of inner city life.

Harriet Klausner

Regina, Regina, Regina!
Oh my God, you'd think she'd have learned her lesson by now! But no, Miss Regina still doesn't know how to let go of her past and simply live in the present.

Regina's doing well and living in New York making a good living, but then she runs into Little Joe, a man from her past. Dig this, he was messing with her when she was 15 and he was like thirty-something, so that tells you right there that he isn't the best choice for her to get back involved with. And then the fact that he's a former drug dealer and just got out of prison after serving 16 years should seal the deal. But no! Regina has carried a crush on him all these years because back in the day he was one of the few guys who treated her right. So of course she starts back up with him again. And then the drama begins, because Little Joe in one dangerous dude.

And of course Regina's friends, Yvonne, Tamika and Pudding all have their drama going on. Tamika's family is being harrasssed by neighborhood dealers, Yvonne is being beat up by her lawyer boyfriend who's now a crack addict, and Pudding is always in trouble cause that's just who she is.

This book is simply great, and I'm glad that Karen finally decided to revisit the characters that she first introduced readers to in Satin Doll. It took five years, but it's worth the wait!