Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1192057 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780802459138
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Anisha Blake, heroine of this African American romance, has enjoyed 78 weekends without a date when Tyson Randall calls. A hard worker and churchgoer, he seems like Mr. Right. But the course of true love doesn't run smooth, and Anisha has a dalliance with Xavier--"Mr. Right Now." Naturally, Tyson is displeased, particularly when Anisha becomes pregnant, so whether he really is Mr. Right is severely tested. Meanwhile, Anisha reflects on how her love life has taken her a long way from serving God, and she leans on her sisters in Christ to find the narrow path again. The plot may be routine, but McCullors' colorful dialogue packs a lot of energy. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Anisha Blake had a love-hate relationship with Fridays. They symbolized the end of a hectic week at work but ushered in yet another dateless weekend. Seventy-eight weekends to be exact -- not that she was counting.

Anisha tossed her briefcase on the bed and her keys on the nightstand. The blinking red light on the phone cradle caught her attention, and she picked up the cordless phone to enter the code and retrieve her voice messages.

"Hello. Sorry we missed you. We have an exciting offer..."

Anisha hit the delete button, stopping the automated voice before it could finish its spiel. Stupid telemarketers. She peeled off her suit jacket, plopped down on the edge of the bed, and kicked off her two-inch heels so she could massage the balls of her feet. She slowly worked her way up her body, kneading the sides of her thighs and twisting her waist, before rolling the knotted tension from her shoulders. She closed her eyes and wished for the luxury of a massage to release the stress from her body and mind.

Out of habit, Anisha picked up the phone to call her best friend, Sherri Dawson. Her fingers found the numbers on the dial pad without having to look.

"Girl, if I'm cooped up in this apartment one more Friday night, I'll die," Anisha said when her friend answered the phone. "Another Friday night in the house, and your girl might keel over."

"Girl, don't say that," Sherri said. "The way things are going for you, you'll be at the pearly gates next Friday begging for Saint Peter to let you in."

"Very funny," Anisha said.

"What's your tally on dateless weekends now?" Sherri asked.

"Wouldn't know," Anisha said, stretching out on her bed.

"Whatever," Sherri said. "You know you can spit it out faster than your checking account balance."

They laughed easily together, and shared more than the same sense of humor. After five years of friendship, they were like salt and pepper. One was rarely seen without the other.

Anisha turned over on her stomach and propped herself up on her pointy elbows. "If your social life was any better than mine, I wouldn't have somebody to talk to every weekend, now would I?"

Anisha knew her quick-witted friend was gearing up for a comeback, so she armed herself with one of her own.

"Hey, if it wasn't for my stint with Orlando -- " Sherri started.

"Live-at-home-with-his-mama-but-still-never-had-any-money Orlando?"

"Well, at least I'm not tied with your record," Sherri teased. "You're the reigning queen, and you can keep the title."

"Oh, I can see you've got jokes tonight. Keep on. I'll remember that." Anisha pushed herself off the bed and dumped her work clothes into her dry cleaning hamper.

"Well, you can always come over here if you want," Sherri offered. "I'm in for the night, so we can order some pizza and watch a couple of movies. You know, the usual stuff."

"That's the problem," Anisha said, pulling a tank top and a pair of gym shorts from her dresser drawer. "It's the usual stuff. No offense, but it's becoming a little too routine. You're my girl and all, but not tonight," she said, pulling the tank over her head. "Anyway, if I was going somewhere, I'd probably be too sleepy to move by the time I got dressed. Dudley and Associates made sure I earned every dime in my check this week."

Anisha pushed her hair back with a headband and scrubbed the remains of the day's makeup from her face while Sherri rattled on about her latest workplace drama. Anisha had never met Sherri's coworkers, but if she ever had the chance, she was sure she'd be able to point each of them out. Given Sherri's weekly updates, her office was a daily soap opera.

Anisha strolled into the living room and looked out the front window to the parking lot. A group of neighborhood kids were huddled together at the curb, their bicycles and scooters entangled in a metal heap beside them. Even their Friday nights were exciting, Anisha thought. She felt even more pathetic.

"Uhhh...hello? Are you even listening to me?" Sherri's voice popped back into Anisha's head. Anisha sensed her friend's annoyance.

"My bad, girl. I was in those little kids' business outside. What did you say?"

"Never mind," Sherri said. "Anyway -- so your mind's made up? You're staying at home tonight?"

"Yep. It's just me and Jesus tonight,"Anisha said, yawning.

"That sounds like a plan, girl. See ya later," Sherri said.

"Okay, see ya."

Anisha shook her head and smiled at the thought of her friend. "That girl, I tell you," she murmured softly. "What would I do without her?"

Anisha's and Sherri's paths first crossed at the church's Singles Ministry picnic when they both took refuge under the same shelter to escape the pelting from a summer storm. Before the storm clouds rolled on, they'd already established a connection like lifelong friends.

Anisha went into the kitchen and scanned the spotless apartment as if a source of excitement would jump out and reveal itself. Though it was barely six o'clock, exhaustion had taken over her body. The thought of going to bed so early on a Friday evening was too depressing, so she grabbed the growing stack of mail threatening to spill from the basket on the kitchen counter. She slid the glass patio door open. The thickness of the humid air met her as soon as she walked outside.

Anisha slid the single chaise lounge closer to the small patio table and sorted through a week's worth of bills, junk mail, and magazines. She sighed as she flipped through each piece. She had grown weary of her mundane routine of life. She slaved all week and was so tired at the end of each day that she could barely function for the rest of the night. Much like tonight. She wasn't living life -- life was living her.

Anisha enjoyed relaxation in the shade over the next hour and a half, watching as the setting sun cast a picturesque backdrop for the children still crowded at the curbside. She thumbed through the last mail-order catalog, then gathered the stacks of mail and went back inside. Like always, she resorted to watching a movie.

"Okay, what's on for tonight?" Anisha asked, searching the rows of movies lined on the shelves of the entertainment center against the wall. She rested her hands on her hips and stared at the massive collection of neatly arranged VHS tapes and DVDs lining the shelves.

You couldn't have forgotten about Me already. I thought it was our night together. You can spend time with Me tonight and experience love no man can duplicate.

Anisha slid a DVD into the player, sank into the plush pillows on the couch, and propped her feet on the glass coffee table. Barely thirty minutes into the movie, her eyelids grew heavy and begged to close.

Quiet time. Intimate time. We need to spend some quality time together so I can show you what your life really holds. You promised Me tonight. I've been anticipating our time together.

The shrill ring of the telephone startled Anisha out of her sleep. She jolted forward, banging the back of her ankle on the edge of the coffee table. "Shoot." Anisha winced from the pain and grabbed her throbbing ankle.

Focusing her blurry vision on the clock situated on the fireplace mantle, she wondered how long she'd been asleep. To her surprise, the clock's hands were nearing eight-thirty. She didn't even remember closing her eyes, and already an hour had crept by.

The phone's ring startled her again, and Anisha fumbled to answer it before it rang for the third time.

"Hel -- " She paused to clear the frog caught in her throat. "Hello?" she said again, forcing herself to sound more alert.

"Did I catch you at a bad time? Were you asleep?" the deep, mellow voice asked.

"No," she lied. "Just watching a movie." Anisha sat up straight on the couch as if she could be seen by the person on the other end. Even in her half-comatose state she knew the voice belonged to Tyson Randall.

Tyson and Anisha had first become acquainted with each other while serving as chaperones for the church youth field trips. Since then, he'd visited her apartment at least twice when she'd had some of the youth ministry leaders over for a board game party night. To Anisha's pleasure, their paths were crossing more frequently lately. And though Tyson had given Anisha the impression that he might have been interested, he'd never pursued anything in the year since they'd met. It wasn't until recently that he finally asked for her number. She gave it to him without hesitation and wondered what had taken him so long to ask in the first place.

"I can't believe you're home on a Friday night," Tyson said. "Most beautiful women have men beating down their doors."

Knows how to pour on the charm, Anisha thought. "I had plans for tonight but decided to chill out." She looked at the television where her so-called plans would soon have credits rolling down the television screen.

"So is it too late for a lady to have company?" Tyson asked.

Anisha glanced at the clock again. Any other time she would have turned down the offer for a man to come to her house on the first date. But then again, this wasn't a date. Was it? She convinced herself further. It's still a decent hour. She needed Sherri's advice and searched for a subtle way of escape but found none. "I think that's my other line. Can you hold for a second?" Anisha asked. Bump it. She didn't have time for subtlety.

"Sure."

Tyson's voice sent chills up her spine, and she could have sworn she felt the feeling travel to the end of her fingertips as she clicked over and called Sherri.

"Hello?" Sherri answered on the first ring.

"It's not a man," Anisha said, laughing. "You could at least let the phone ring a couple of times so a brotha won't think you're desperate."

"Whatever, girl. What's up?"

"Tyson is on the other line and wants to know if he can come over. It's not even nine o'clock yet. What do you think?"

"Looks like somebody's dateless weekends are coming to an end."

"It's not a date, Sherri. Hurry up, girl -- he's on the other line."

"Tyson? I t...

Customer Reviews

Inspiring Christian Fiction
In a "Heart of Devotion", we experience the trials and tribulations of best friends Anisha and Sherri. These two women are dedicated to having a closer walk with Christ and serve as accountability and prayer partners, as well running buddies. Anisha has been dateless a year and a half (78 weeks to be exact). In the meantime, she and Sherri have been preparing themselves for the man God intends for them by actively participating in their church's singles ministry and preparing a list of dating "commandments". Shortly into the novel, a good friend of Anisha's who is also a dedicated church member seems to be turning up the heat on their friendship. Before long, Anisha and Tyson seem well on the path to a solid relationship. Along the way, Anisha's adherence to her "commandments" and her dedication to a closer walk with Christ will be severely tested. Through it all Anisha and Sherri's friendship and her intimate "conversations" with the Holy Spirit are infused into her path.

While watching the advancements in Anisha's life, Sherri's facing some changes of her own. Also waiting for "Mr. Right", Sherri faces some tough choices about her standards for men. She has to question her values for the physical vs. spiritual and is making these tough decisions in front of her roommates, who are childhood friends who have not come to know Christ in the intimate way that she and Anisha have. Sherri will face tough choices as she first and foremost tries to make the right decisions for herself, even as she presents a close, personal witness to her friends.

Anisha and Sherri change drastically throughout the novel, but through it all their friendship never wavers. This is a good, uplifting book for Christian singles and a good inspiring read for all.

I'm eagerly awaiting Ms. Mccollors next novel.

Outstanding
I am an avid reader. Recently my sister has introduced me to the new Christian fiction readers. I have read several of them and Tia McCollors' book is among the best. It is very obvious that she spent alot of time developing her characters and story lines. The situations that she deals with are very real and I love how she deals with them in easy to understand and comprehend way that is also very bible based. Her book does not come across preachy either which is something that I have found lacking in this new genre of books. She does manage to convict the reader, and this is partially because the reader is able to identify with her characters. This is a definite must read for individuals interested in Christian fiction. Bravo to Tia McCollors. I am definitely waiting for her next book.

You Must Read This Book!
I am an avid reader and very skeptical of new writers, but Tia McCollors blew me away! Tia did not compromise her Christianity to write a page-turner that holds the reader's attention. At the same time, one can't help but be challenged to strengthen their own relationship with Christ after reading this book. This book does not sugarcoat the struggles faced by Christian singles on a daily basis, nor does it deny the fact that we are all human. I absolutely love the way Tia shared the urging of the Holy Spirit. This is definitely a must read for all!

Thank you Tia for writing such a wonderful book and I look forward to your next one.