Product Description

Stormy has grown up with the warning that she is cursed. Raised in a family of eight women with twenty-four husbands among them, she has managed to escape the family's legacy thus far. Things begin to change once she is given the details concerning a hex that was cast upon her great grandmother over eighty years ago. Managing the antics of her adulteress young cousin, Riley, exhausts Stormy. Comforting the heartbreak of her older cousin Lourdes, angers her. After a devastating turn of events on par with her birthright, Stormy decides to seek a remedy for the family's plight. She travels to New Orleans determined to find answers. Along the way she faces a quilt of obstacles and a set of choices that challenge her reality. Will she reveal the information or continue playing the hand she was dealt by an angry young woman in the Bayou? Par for the Curse reveals the influence of voodoo and the impact of generational secrets on family, life, and love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1050793 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 260 pages

Review
What a refreshing story. For popular fiction the sentence structure is strong and could easily be literary in nature. The plot is well done and the ending does not disappoint. This is a genre busting display of originality. It's obvious the author conducted extensive research in palm reading to provide the back drop for this story. Even I tried to interpret my own hand while reading the story.

The character development is some of the best in popular fiction. Though the characters are mixed race African-Americans, their plight and appeal are universal. The depth and complexity of the family dynamics are perfectly crafted in a tale of love, support, and typical family tension. The character behavior is consisten throughout the novel and there was never any place that I felt a disconnect between character and behavior.

The plot had several underlying stories, all that were wrapped up by the end of the story. Unlike a lot of popular fiction, this novel develops, nurtures, and closes the plot at all levels of the story. It's funny, thought-provoking, and pure entertainment. I give this story an "A" and Toyi Ward a red carpet into fiction writing. --Journey Reviews, March 2009

Review
As a former book reviewer for Gospelcity.com, I've read a lot of first time authors' work. This is the rare exception. It is not only well-written but it has a compelling storyline centered on the subject of family generational curses. Welcome Toyi Ward into the fold as an emerging talent, one who has many more stories in her being and one who will be around for a long time.

From the Publisher
Not unlike many of us, Stormy Briggs is tired of dealing with family baggage. However, her situation is complex as the drama in her life is caused by a curse put on her great-grandmother years ago. She returns to New Orleans to investigate the origin of the curse which changes her view of herself and her family. Par for the Curse is unpredictable and not easily put into a box. Breaking the rules of genre, the story manages to make us feel like we are entrenched in reality, with drama that you only want to read about in books. This story was written to shed light on how we often hurt our family members with the best of intentions. Family secrets are most often meant to protect loved ones but instead end up being painful baggage carried for generations.

Customer Reviews

AAMBC Book Reviews
Throughout the story, I am reminded of the women being cursed. The secret was let out by their Grandmother Lila before she died. She explained to her mature granddaughters that the scar on her ring finger happened when her best friend, Marie Williams, slicked across it at seventeen years old. She carved two uneven lines, believed this is where the heart line is, and that love will never run its course in her life. How does this curse continue in her genealogical line? Marie also whispered the curse in her ear after cutting the lines on her ring finger, saying, "The men you love will never love you. The men who love you, you will never love." Who wants this type of curse for their own life and their kindred? Wait until the truth is unleashed.

Stormy is aware of the curse, as well as her husband, Brandon, but they still divorce. He wanted children, and Stormy would not provide until after they are divorced. Now, she has to watch Miley come in the picture, who proposed to her husband and pregnant with his child too. She wants to break the curse. Can it be broken?

Riley and Stormy are "double cousins". There mothers are sisters who married twin brothers. Their fathers died at a young age, which they united as "sisters" due to the loss. Stormy keeps Riley adulterous secret with a married man. Sadly to say, Riley does not appreciate the man who loves her, Damon, and falls in love with a married man, Kendall. This character thus far upsets me the most. Do you know how many women would love to have a good man that loves them and to be committed (marriage)? Yet, there are scandalous women out there, only out to get theirs! You will read how many times she has been married too.

Lourdes is tolerating Ray's other children outside of their marriage. Ray may not fathered one or two of his children, but still claim them and Lourdes still accepts them as his. She has even moved in his son, RJ (Ray Jr) and his mother in their home. What!

Toyi Ward brings out some great points of faith, hope, and love...we need to break generational curses. I believe God can break any of these curses (Deuteronomy 28), yet some people that curses only happen if you believe in them. The author also points out religion aspects to see if this is a method used to break curses.

During my read, at first I felt I was rushed into scenes and had to re-read, but mid-way through the book...it took me on a roller-coaster ride of drama and deceit that some of the women put on themselves. Women have intuition and can see the "red flags", but still allow the mess to unfold in their journey of life...worth the read!

Adrienna Turner
AAMBC Reviewer

Excellent read
A friend told me about the book, "Par of the Curse" and I was pretty intrigued about the generational curses portion. I am pretty impressed w/ Toyi Ward's writing because I was able to complete the entire book within 1.5 days...that's with being married and raising 2 little children. The book was quite the page turner...I didn't want to put it down because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. It's something how some women always seem to want what they can't have. It's almost like a game or something to them and the men are no better who entertain these types of behaviors. I think the most I took from this book is that our tongues have the power to speak life and death into a situation. We need to be mindful of that power we are given by God and be selective and mindful of our words. Harmful things we speak over our children and our families can have a negative effect on them for the rest of their lives. It took Stormie, Riley and Lourdes to go thru so much abuse to finally get to the bottom of the matter and dispel the curse. In actuality...we all have the power in Christ to dispel any curse, whether it's supposedly generational or not. We have to exercise our faith to believe that our lives are destined for greatness.

I feel Ms. Ward did a great job giving enough detail on certain matters to keep the intrigue...but not going too overboard to become bored. Each page kept you wanting for more.

Get this book...you will not be disappointed.

Generational Curses
Par for the Curse by Toyi Ward is a funny, yet insightful look at what women pass on from generation to generation. Grandma Lila's saying was "The men you love will never love you and the men who love you, you will never love." That is the legacy she passed down to the women in her family. And they bought in hook, line and sinker. The eight women had 24 husbands among them. However, most of the story was focused on the younger women, Lourdes, Stormy and Riley.

Lourdes was determined to stay married and break the curse, no matter what it cost her and it cost her plenty, mostly her dignity and almost her life. Riley is the good time girl who openly cheats on her husband, but is secretly wishing for love of her own. Stormy, the peaceful one is trying to get her philandering husband back, but she might be missing what is right in her face.

Ms. Ward does a wonderful job of revealing family dysfunction, generational curses and a mix of voodoo and hoodoo. She even explains the difference between voodoo and hoodoo, while providing the reader with some laugh-out-loud moments. I recommend Par for the Curse to all who love a well-told story with a few twists, turns and humor.

Angelia Vernon Menchan
APOOO BookClub