NO STRINGS ATTACHED by Nancey Flowers

Flowers in Bloom Publishing, August 2005
ISBN: 0970819137
Genre:  Fiction
 
No strings...

Nancey Flowers is finally back on the literary scene after her 2002 release Shattered Vessels. In her new book, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, we meet friends Felice and Sylvah.  Felice has been hurt not once, but twice, by men and refuses to be a fool to love again. After the heart-ache, she bounces back and it's all about her. She doesn't mind being the other woman, with many men to accommodate her sexual preferences, because her pledge is to living her life as she chooses, and with no strings attached. She's all about Felice, regardless of the situation, predicament, or consequence of her actions. Sylvah is learning to love herself again after her husband asks for a divorce. Though she loves and despises him, the realization that her marriage is over still isn't an easy adjustment, but what Sylvah needs is a dose of self-esteem. After losing a bit of weight and spending some time with herself, she just might notice the opportunities before her.

Through interactions with the men in their lives, their other two girlfriends (who have their own set of issues), and the unbelievable situations in which the characters place themselves, NO STRINGS ATTACHED boldly flaunts infidelity, betrayal, lies, and secrets.  When starting this novel, I felt myself thinking the book would be another one of the "my man left me, I'ma get him back" or "my man left me, I don't need a man," type books, but not long after starting the book, I could see that Flowers had a few surprises in store for readers. She weaves in a few twists to the storyline, introduces characters I hope to see again, and made me stand and applaud their actions a few times. I won't go into the drama, but yep, that's thrown into the mix too and the end result is a book with three-dimensional characters who will make you question why they are the way they are. In the midst of shouting "you go girl, " you may stop to reflect on yourself or those you associate with from day to day.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED is a fast-moving tale painting a realistic view of the complexities of life and how one lives it. Flowers writes lyrically and breathes life into her characters. What I really connected to was how she blends humor throughout the dialogue and rounds the story out with a valuable lesson on taking responsibility for actions, past and present. While I really enjoyed NO STRINGS ATTACHED, I wasn't overly happy with the ending as I didn't feel everything was wrapped up, all questions answered. I do, however, look forward to the continuation as I'm sure some of the characters will be back to finish their stories. Flowers left just enough open to keep her fans waiting until the next release.
 
Reviewed by Tee C. Royal of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers