Rating: 
Summary: Terrific
Review: "Reunion" by Rochelle Alers. After over two decades of marriage, her husband Dwight left her for a younger much thinner model. Though Dwight is just about the only man she ever seen having dated him in high school, real estate mogul Elaine feels surprisingly free especially after seeing scientist Ruben, home for the high school reunion."Surprise" by Donna Hill. She is fifty. Her husband of thirty years is fifty-five. They raised two children, both adopted. She has a grandchild. So how will the family cope with her being pregnant when she struggles with acceptance of this miracle? "Bare Essentials" by Brenda Jackson. Dominique and the hunk first see one another while both jogged at o'dark in Simon Park. Each is attracted to the other, but he practices law at the court in which she sits on the bench as a judge. "Strictly Business" by Francis Ray. Garret watches Monica dump her cheating boyfriend while wishing she were his. He gets a chance when her father assigns her to work with him on a project, but Monica demands their relationship remain strictly business. All four tales in this delightful collection star strong protagonists who make for an entertaining anthology. Fans of contemporary romances except Twiggy clones will enjoy each contribution in which the road to love is filled with detours especially when the full size female characters fear the hunks will philander with thinner women. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: "Reunion" by Rochelle Alers. After over two decades of marriage, her husband Dwight left her for a younger much thinner model. Though Dwight is just about the only man she ever seen having dated him in high school, real estate mogul Elaine feels surprisingly free especially after seeing scientist Ruben, home for the high school reunion. "Surprise" by Donna Hill. She is fifty. Her husband of thirty years is fifty-five. They raised two children, both adopted. She has a grandchild. So how will the family cope with her being pregnant when she struggles with acceptance of this miracle? "Bare Essentials" by Brenda Jackson. Dominique and the hunk first see one another while both jogged at o'dark in Simon Park. Each is attracted to the other, but he practices law at the court in which she sits on the bench as a judge. "Strictly Business" by Francis Ray. Garret watches Monica dump her cheating boyfriend while wishing she were his. He gets a chance when her father assigns her to work with him on a project, but Monica demands their relationship remain strictly business. All four tales in this delightful collection star strong protagonists who make for an entertaining anthology. Fans of contemporary romances except Twiggy clones will enjoy each contribution in which the road to love is filled with detours especially when the full size female characters fear the hunks will philander with thinner women. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: ...more books like this!
Review: Finally, we have a well written book for sistahs who are NOT a size six. This book is very well put together and has a excellent group of authors. Personally, I would like to see more books like this that are full length novels. Good job ladies :) -JeT
Rating: 
Summary: Quite a range of abilities demonstrated
Review: Francis Ray's "Strictly Business" is the best of the bunch here and the only author to "get" the subject. Ray's heroine is size 22 and does indeed show a few weight problems that affect her life (though we're told that she exercises enough and eats well. Then why the heck is she size 22?). The story is well-plotted, well-paced, and the characters are somewhat believable, though the hero (like all the heroes in the book) is a little too subservient to or worshipful of His Woman. I'd be inclined to try another of Ms. Ray's work if it's of the same caliber as this story. Alers' "Reunion" was full of superficiality. Dialogue was super-stilted, ultra-precise and totally unnatural. Narrative and characters were more concerned with how people dressed and what they drove than with showing us why we should care about the events and people of the story. I certainly didn't; I couldn't finish it. Our heroine was golly gee, a whole size 16. Hill's "Surprise!" would have been a very nice little vignette with no real conflict except that the ultra-sweet hubby shows a shockingly unfeeling reaction to his wife's announcement -- and then we're still supposed to root for him? Are you kidding? The story also demonstrates that a woman isn't a real woman until she gives birth, and drives that point home by having the heroine in essence discarding the importance of her adoptive kids. Oh, she denies doing it but she does it all the same. I shuddered. I also wondered why both parents, if they'd been going to doctors for years way back when about their little problem, didn't know whose body was the one not cooperating. That didn't make sense. Heroine was twenty pounds overweight sans baby, doctor tells her she's just a little overweight, and yet her size is listed as 18. Uh huh. Jackson's "Bare Essentials" had a number of editing problems in addition to a schlock ending that spoiled a promising beginning. The text makes the heroine seem gargantuan. Turns out she's a "full-size 14 figure." Is that listed as "large" in any clothing store besides the Bulemia Fashion Outlet? Sex is treated unnecessarily at length and quite graphically. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the prose and cheapens the story. May I recommend "The Joy of Writing Sex" to the author? Don't change your style just because you're writing a sex scene. Throughout the book the plus-sizes (even when they aren't that plus) are treated as if they aren't the fault of the people involved. All heroines exercise religiously and eat (often they just nibble) sensibly; all heroines blame their size on heredity. I think that if a little more reality were invoked (think Dr. Phil, folks) the characters would flesh out (sorry) better and come more to life on the page. Of course this is fantasy. All heroines in this book are super-rich, bursting with health, and attracting gorgeous men, etc etc. But in addition to that fantasy we could have real, breathing, large-sized people dealing with life and the problems of being a large-sized person -- and then winding up getting a kick out of it all, as well.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 and 3/4 stars
Review: Heroines: statuesque, plump, voluptuous, abundant Four professional women of various ages and sizes try to find ways to fit love into their busy lives. What worked for me: It was a toss-up for me to choose my favorite, particularly between Donna Hill's joyful "Surprise!" and Francis Ray's well-written "Strictly Business", but in the end I give my vote to Donna Hill because the plot twist in her story was most definitely a surprise! Then too, there's the fact that the hero and heroine are a long-married couple. As a wife myself, I just adore stories about long-time twosomes who still have that magic spark! What didn't work for me: Short stories aren't my favorite format to read, mainly because the limited amount of space requires authors to heap background information on the reader in large clumps, which gives them a more contrived feel than that of a full length novel. Overall: Fans of contemporary short stories and African American romances are sure to enjoy this delicious collection about love, lust, and passion. Warning: there are some steamy passages, an occasional coarse word, and one weight-loss scenario in this book. If you liked "Living Large" you might also enjoy the "Tales from the Heart" and "At Long Last, Love!" anthologies.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't live up to the title
Review: I am totally agreeable that larger sized women are sexy and very romantic. So, I was excited to see this book on the library's shelf. Unfortuantly, it didn't live up to my expectations. The short stories were sweet, but not really developed. It's a nice light read, but I it left me wanting to know more about the characters and how other
Rating:
Summary: I'm Fine!
Review: I know I'm a fine black woman! My husband never complains about my size, and I'm very secure in my marriage, therefore I believe him. After reading Living Large, I know there are other men who are in love with plus sized women because we are beautiful too.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS MUST READ
Review: I READ THIS BOOK IN ONE SITTING BUT I NORMALLY READ HER BOOKS IN ONE SITTING.ALL THE STORIES WERE VERY GOOD AND YOU NORMALLY DO NOT HEAR THAT WITH ANTHOLOGIES.RUN AND GET THIS BOOK I HAVE NOT EVEN LOAN MINE OUT.FIVE STARS
Rating:
Summary: If you are in to romance.....
Review: If you are in to strictly romance with no reality this is the book for you. Rochelle Alers, Donna Hill, Brenda Jackson and Francis Ray are all talented and successful authors, but these stories did not really catch me. I rushed through the book just to finish it. Reunion by Rochelle Alers was okay. Friends lose touch and 25 years later they reconnect after one of them gets divorced, I will have to leave you there.... Surprise by Donna Hill.......oh boy. Check this out, over 50 years old and pregnant, need I say more. Bare Essentials by Brenda Jackson.....just a little bit of reality in that one. Strictly Business by Francis Ray....Almost 30 year old female and you're a virgin...ok possible, but you meet a man and 5 weeks later you marry him because you are scared that you are going to lose him to another woman if you go on you're plan trip to Rome............I heard of shotgun weddings but dayum!!!! I really did expect more from these authors. Later.....
Rating: 
Summary: Ego booster for the beautiful plus size women ....
Review: Let me say off the bat, I am not a romance novel reader. For whatever reason, they aren't my type of reading; but, I don't knock those who do. My joy is seeing people read ... period. I picked up LIVING LARGE because of its unique theme that the main female characters in each story were plus size. This book is complied of short stories written by some of the busiest black authors in the romance field. While I won't go and give a descriptive synopsis for each story, I will say that I found something positive in each one. If I had to choose a story as a stand out it would be STRICTLY BUSINESS by Francis Ray. Her writing is crisp, clear, and concise. I related to the main character and found her to be approachable and realistic. Coupled with the fact that to me she was the one, out of all of the main characters in the stories, who most fit the description of a full figure person. Being an avid reader, so often you get a little tired of the main characters being "perfect" in all different ways. So it was refreshing to see the stories written from a different angle. I can only hope that this is the beginning of a trend, where the main characters represent the many different makeup of people .... Pus size, small, corporate, blue collar, etc.
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