The Shirt Off His Back
Parry Brown
Villard Books
ISBN: 0739415484
Reviewed by Marlive, TheGRITS.com
Reviewed on Amazon.com
"Many brothers are good . .. Some are even great . . . Only a few will give you . . . The shirt off his back."
The passage above taken from the beginning of Parry "Ebony Satin" Brown's latest novel, THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK, pretty much sums up what readers will come to love and appreciate about the main character, Terrence Winston. Terry is a handsome man with some serious "skills and benefits" that makes him an ideal catch for any sister looking for Mr. Right. Besides being kind and generous to a fault, what adds to his appeal is the fact that he stepped up to the plate and took full responsibility of raising his twin daughters, Ariana and Alisa, as a single parent during his third year in college. No, he wasn't forced to do this, but wanted very much to raise the girls when their mother, Catherine Hawkins, deserted them for a glamorous and lucrative career out of the country. With the help of his mother, his sister and best friend, Roland, Terry has been able to raise his daughters for eleven years in peace without any interference from Catherine. Now that he is about to marry the love of his life, Catherine shows up from Spain demanding custody of the girls and respect for her role as their mother. Refusing to let her take his girls and disrupt their lives, Terry and best friend Roland put their heads together and come up with a plan that will keep Catherine out their lives forever!
THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK is a charming book filled with humor, true friendship, love and feel-good romance. I commend author Parry Brown not only for writing an awesome story about a man who is obviously a good son, a wonderful brother, a true best friend and one hell-of-a-catch; but for writing a story about a black man who is a loving dedicated single parent. This was a fun book to read . . . and one that I would gladly read again and again!
