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Somebody's Knocking at My Door: A Novel

Somebody's Knocking at My Door: A Novel

List Price: $13.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love and Heartache
Review: 'Somebody's Knocking at My Door' is the sequel to 'The Turning Point.' The story, set in New Orleans, focuses on Kristen Wakefield, Angelique Fleming, Claudette Thibodeaux, and their relationships.

Kristen is on a mission to get a nineteenth century African-American art exhibit at the museum she works at, but is forced to resign after not giving in to the sexual advances of Maurice, the husband of one of the most respected women in the art and business world. She calls Rafe to come save her and he ends up feeling that he is responsible for Kristen losing her job. As Rafe tries to help Kristen they end up with electrifying chemistry, but Rafe cannot allow himself to get close to anyone. Rafe was severely abused physically and emotionally by his father and now believes he must forever be alone in life.

Angelique, Kristen's best friend, was abandoned by her parents and lived in foster homes her entire life. She is working on her dissertation for her doctorate in Psychology. She worked her way through school as a dancer at The Inferno. She meets Damien, a super handsome lawyer who is the son of Kristen's new boss. He thinks she is simply gorgeous until he finds out about The Inferno and automatically labels her in a not so positive way, but the strong attraction he feels towards her is driving him crazy.

Then there is Claudette who is married to Maurice. Claudette is the owner of a large company and is very rich. Everyone knows that Maurice is just a gold digger and has no love for Claudette, except Claudette. She has her blinders on.

This book was simply wonderful! I cried throughout the book feeling all the pain the characters felt. I argued with the characters when they did wrong things and I laughed when they were happy. This book brought out many emotions and pulls you in alongside the characters. Put this on your must read list.

Tina
R.E.A.L. Reviewers

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: My My My
Review: At first this book started off kind of dry, and then it became an instant page turner. Looks at different families and how they all affect each other's life.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid follow-up to THE TURNING POINT
Review: Francis Ray brings us "Somebody's Knocking at My Door" (the follow-up to "The Turning Point"), a novel that revolves around the lives of three unforgettable women and teaches about forgiveness, love, friendship, and the healing of past pains.

Art historian Kristen Mayfield is out of a job, thanks to Claudette Thibodeaux Laurent's gold-digging, conniving husband, but the elusive Rafe Crawford--who feels responsible for Kristen losing her job--helps her find another, and their rare connection sparks a yearning in Kristen. Though Rafe also shares this yearning, he refuses to make a move on Kristen; instead, he spends his life fighting to forget his abusive childhood and the hate he has for his father. Kristen sets out on a journey to help Rafe overcome his past and perhaps start a new future with her.

Kristen's best friend and next door neighbor, Angelique Fleming, has struggled her whole life to get ahead. Through living in several foster homes and working at a "gentlemen's" club to help pay for college, Angelique is a dissertation away from getting her doctorate in psychology. On a hiatus from men, Angelique finds herself tempted by Damien Broussard, a devastatingly handsome lawyer who finds an instant attraction to Angelique. If he can overcome his jealousy of Angelique having worked at The Inferno and if she can accept love, the two could be a perfect match.

Claudette Thibodeaux Laurent is a wealthy businesswoman who is married to Maurice Laurent, a man with no scruples and no love for Claudette, except for her money. Despite the obvious signs of Maurice's infidelities, Claudette keeps her family's honor and overlooks her husband's indiscretions; that is until they smack her directly between the eyes. As Claudette tries to maintain her hardworking persona while juggling a failing marriage, Jacques Broussard, a friend of Claudette's, anxiously awaits for his chance to express his love for her.

In "Somebody's Knocking at My Door," Ray offers her readers vivid descriptions of New Orleans and her characters. The supporting characters added substantial depth to the story. Ray tackles the subject of childhood abuse in a tender way, and I was very drawn to the character Rafe, who was in so much pain because of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.

I did, however, have two main issues with the story. One is that the story felt too long. Some of the information that pertains to "The Turning Point" storyline dragged my reading and I found myself wanting the resolution of the story to arrive faster. My second issue is that the ending/resolution seemed too quick. The reader spends over 300 pages feeling characters' constraints and wants and desires, particularly Rafe's, and the resolution to his story seemed to end quickly, in spite of the lengthy journey to get to the ending.

Despite these two concerns, overall, I enjoyed "Somebody's Knocking at My Door." High marks go to Ray for character development, creating a strong sense of setting, and of letting the reader feel the characters' pains and revel in their joys. Ray's fans will not be disappointed with this novel, and I would urge newcomers to check it out and pick up "The Turning Point" as well.

Shon Bacon

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shades Of Romance Magazine Review
Review: Francis Ray knocked us down with "I know Who Holds Tomorrow". As soon as we get up, she's back with a counter punch with "Somebody's Knocking At My Door."

This wonderfully romantic story will sweep you away to New Orleans which is one of my favorite places to visit. I found myself reading into the night, enjoying every word.

The story revolves around Kristen Wakefield a administrator, at Haywood Museum in New Orleans. Rafe Crawford, a furniture maker, who had been abused as a child, and still carried the pain and scars. Damiem Broussard, a high power corporate lawyer. Angelique Fleming, a clinical psychologist working on her doctorate. Maurice Laurent a promiscuous husband. Claudette Thibodeax Laurent, owner of a mega corporation and financial backer of the Haywood Museum of New Orleans and Jacques Broussard the owner of St Clair Gallery on Royal St.

This book is a must read. There is so much tension between the couples you will enjoy every minute of it. Francis Ray did an outstanding job causing the couples to come together, break up, only to come together again. They each had very challenging obstacles to conquer before they could unite. Such as dealing with events of their past and overcoming the traumas in their lives.

This book I rate 5***** Stars and I admonish you all to read it soon!

Reviewed by Brenda Turner
Shades Of Romance Magazine
sormag.com

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FLAWLESS
Review: Francis Ray outdid herself in this sequel to THE TURNING POINT. I loved this book! Once I started reading I could not put it down and had to finish in one sitting. This book was an emotional as well as a romantic read.

The storyline revolves around three women and the men in their lives.

First, there is Kristen. When she is sexually harrassed by her employer(Maurice), she calls Rafe who comes to her rescue. Rafe is dealing with demons of his own, having grown up with an abusive father he feels unworthy to be loved. Kristen, after finding a new job, shows Rafe with unconditional love and understanding that he is not the man that his father was.

Then, there is Angelique, Kristen's best friend who thinks all men are dogs until she meets Damien, a corporate attorney, (and the son of Kristen's new employer) that gets under her skin and in her bed. He then shows her that not all men leave.

Last, there is the wealthy Claudette, who throughout most of the book walk around with blinders on concerning her cheating, younger husbad, Maurice and not seeing that longtime friend, Jacques (Damien's father) is in love with her.

This book will make you laugh (especially when Maurice gets his due) cry and believe in love. Like the last line in the book reads, "To new beginnings and love knocking at someone's door." Thank you Ms. Ray for a wonderful book that is a definite keeper.

Other great reads by this author include I KNOW WHO HOLDS TOMORROW, UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, and THE TURNINIG POINT

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pretty Good Love Story
Review: I am not one for romance novels but this one piqued my interest. Kristen and Angelique are two driven young women who are in need of love but both have been hurt and bear the scars of past relationships. Kristen however has opened her heart and is willing to allow love to come in while Angelique has no faith in men. Like most love stories this one ends "happily ever after" and both girls get the guy of their dreams. I must say that I was happy to see Kristen step out on her own and fight for love.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Too Long
Review: I enjoyed reading about the secondary characters more than I did the main characters. I also noticed that the ending in all three books are really really rushed. The relationship Rafe had with his sister should have been explored a lot more the author should have gone into more detail and eliminated a lot of the small talk. Christine wore me OUT with her insecurities she finally got it together.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not very good
Review: I wanted to like this book. I really did...mainly because I paid for it. I hate buying a book that I don't want to keep. However, this book left a lot to be desired. I had just finished reading two books that had me enthralled, so I thought I was on a streak. Read this...streak ended. There was just way too much unexplained stuff going on in the book. For me, the characters had no real depth. Relationships formed (aside from Kristen and Rafe) that just seemed all to convenient.

I also agree with the reviewers who claimed the book was too long. It really was. And I don't even feel like I rushed through the book. Several times, I went back and reread parts just to make sure I got them.

Nice try, Mrs. Ray, but no. I will check out your other books from the library from now on.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good
Review: It is one thing for a woman to walk in someone's home and get fever from the woman's husband, but then to throw yourself on others and get the person's job taken from under them, well that is a bit much here. I really dispised Maurice from the get go, but loved Rafe's character. I only wish he existed. I found the book a good read and was glad to see what ended up happening to Maurice. Claudette married him at a vulnerable time, and was glad to see her regroup. Kristen,the heroine was likeable,but her buddy was something else, but you couldn't help but love her as well. Great reading.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Friendships are enduring
Review: SOMEBODY'S KNOCKING AT MY DOOR is more than a romance. It is a story that examines the complexities of relationships between men and women, children and parents, brothers and sisters and friends. The storytelling of the author, Francis Ray is superb as she has the ability to snare the reader before completing the first page. I was so enthralled with the characters that I had to find out what was going to happen next. Some of the story was predictable and that's fine too. I knew what was going to happen mostly because these are things that we've all experienced on the road to maturity and it was interesting to see how others handled situations similar to mine. You learn a lot from the realistic characters and the masterful craft of telling a story.

Set in mysterious New Orleans, Louisiana you will find Ms. Kristen Wakefield and her best friend and next-door neighbor Angelique Fleming. Both ladies are strong, independent women, who are searching for fulfillment in life and in love. Kristen hails from an upwardly mobile family and she's decided to take wings and gain her independence from family by moving to New Orleans. She has a job in an art museum and is busy soliciting art patrons private collections for a permanent display of nineteenth century African American Art. It is this solicitous activity that finds Kristen in the home of New Orleans premier art patron, Claudette Marie Estelle Thibodeaux Laurent and her much younger, much poorer husband (read gold digger) Maurice. Amid a scandal for which Kristen was totally unprepared she finds herself in the position of having to resign from her museum job to keep scandal from permeating her career further.

Angelique is busy working on her dissertation for her doctorate in Psychology and working as a counselor in a local rehabilitation facility. Her dissertation can best be described as an expose' in the life of a formal exotic dancer and the socially acceptable behavior of a man's presence in such a place versus the preconceived notion that women who work there must be addicted to the wrong type of life. Angelique worked in a club as a dancer her last two years in undergraduate school and takes it personal when she is judged on that alone. At first it seems unlikely that these two women, from different walks of life, and different frames of mind could be friends at all. As the story progresses, their friendship is endearing and everlasting. It's nice to see that friends really don't judge each other on outside merits but rather solely on trust and mutual understanding.

Kristen is frustrated clearly with the turn her life has taken in the Big Easy. She is fortunate enough to have a friend, Rafe' Crawford, who gallantly came to her rescue against the malicious Maurice. And rescue, as a knight in shining armor he did. Their friendship blossomed and Rafe found Kristen a job at a local art store working with Jacques. Rafe himself was a fine crafter of fine wood reproductions. A sweet and tender romance is blossoming between the two but Rafe is purposely holding back his feelings. Angelique comes to visit Kristen at her place of employ and is introduced to Jacques son, Damien. Damien is immediately smitten with the vixen Angelique but they don't hit it off well when Angelique doesn't bother to dispel Damien's thoughts about her method of financing undergraduate school. Two budding relationships teeter on the bar of honesty and implied deceit. Jacques is secretly in love with Claudette and that scoundrel of a husband Maurice is out for love from any young thing and Claudette's fortune.


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