Love Dont Live Here Anymore

From Publishers Weekly
The husband-and-wife team who penned the successful What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know nonfiction series take their interpersonal skills to a different level in this entertaining first novel. Using a he said/she said approach to chronicle the affectionate dueling of advertising exec Randy Murphy and his wife, Mikki, a successful wedding-dress designer, the writing duo examines a contemporary African-American marriage. The challenge of juggling hot careers with lukewarm personal lives takes center stage when Randy is given the chance of a lifetime to do a three-month business stint in Paris. Mikki, steeped in her own business, keeps the home fires burning, but going it solo while her husband is on the other side of the Atlantic is not her idea of a good marriage. Temptation and frustration inevitably lead to adultery, and though the scenarios are not new Randy has an office affair; Mikki cheats with her husband's best friend the authors' use of alternating viewpoints helps to keep things interesting. The plot is generally weighed down by overwriting, and some scenes such as when Mikki's personal problems become fodder for her readers' group to analyze could have been jettisoned altogether. But apart from some goofy observations (a faithful husband is "like a long-surviving deer"; a relationship unravels "like a ball of catnip-laced yarn at the claws of my nutty, mischievous cats"), the authors offer an insightful look at modern marriage. Agent, Victoria Saunders. (Mar.)Forecast: The sassy jacket should woo readers, particularly those already charmed by the nonfiction successes of Millner and Chiles.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
This husband-and-wife team again tackles the complex issues that couples face, but they broaden their successful theme of exposing the male and female perspective now in a powerful fiction debut. Mekhi Chance and Randy Murphy are struggling with their marriage. They encounter even more challenges when Randy leaves Brooklyn for a three-month job assignment in Paris. Mekhi's disappointment over Randy's decision to relocate causes her to harbor resentment. While she struggles to advance her own bridal shop, she also feels abandoned and unsafe. Randy focuses only on the opportunity and his future financial benefits and career advancement. As much as they love one another, insecurity about the status of their relationship causes them both to make poor choices. Unfortunately, it is not until they are truly alone and challenged by total strangers that they are able to see their relationship from the other's perspective. Mekhi and Randy realize before their relationship is beyond repair that it is worth fighting for. Millner and Chiles' first novel is written with humor, compassion, and honesty. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.