Book Title: No Condemnation

Genre Christian Inspirational/Fiction

Perfect Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Voice of Inspiration Publishing; First edition (March 13, 2013)

ISBN-10: 0974802026

ISBN-13: 978-0974802022

About The Book

The city of Tobe, a snowball’s throw away from Buffalo NY, is known for its frosty climate…and its drama. Despite the chilling temperatures, love is in bloom for some of its residents while lowering the boom on others. Either way, getting the most out of love and life is largely based on healthy decisions because there are times when, simply put, love isn’t always enough.

Young, enterprising Trené Sloan is successful in business but not so much when it comes to relationships. Recklessly in love with Chaz Thomas, the philandering father of her children, Trené continues to dole out love and forgiveness in the face of his unrelenting quest for short-lived affairs with every woman that crosses his path.
But will she find the courage to make the hard decision to leave the toxic relationship and reclaim her misplaced faith before tragedy occurs?
No Condemnation (from the Just NO Series) is next level inspirational fiction; heartwarming, emotionally-engaging while keeping things real.

About The Author

Dr. Congress is a Best-Selling, Award-Winning Wordsmith, Literary Advisor, Publisher and creator of C.H.O.C. Lit™ Flavored Books (Christians Having Ordinary Challenges).
She holds a BA in Human Relations, Masters in Theology, Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Counseling and is a Certified Christian Life Coach.

Order your copy:

Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Condemnation-Just-Vivi-Monroe-Congress/dp/0974802026/ref=la_B006RXHOPI_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365382635&sr=1-1

Connect with the Author

Email Address: littlelightprod@aol.com

Website www.DrViviMonroeCongress.com

Twitter link twitter.com/DocVMC

Facebook link facebook.com/DocVMC

Tour Schedule http://wnlbooktours.com/dr-vivi-monroe-congress/

Book Excerpt

New Beginning

The women sitting in the pew three rows ahead had glanced over their shoulders several times, whispering and exchanging sly, familiar, yet discreet grins in his direction. Even in church, Chaz Thomas knew what people—women, in particular—were saying about him. Not that he gave a king-sized flying flip one way or the other as long as the conversation gave him the front-and-center attention he craved. In feminine circles, he was hailed as The Perfect Ten. Although he was, in fact, a good-looking brother with strong, chiseled features and a body to match, those attributes weren’t exactly the reasons Chaz had gained the ‘title.’ It was more along the lines of his having fathered at least ten children, aged ten years old and younger, all within a ten-block radius. But, who was keeping count other than those he casually wrote off as trash talking women he’d rejected, full from drinking that bittersweet playa hater’s juice?

If it weren’t for Trené, his current baby mama, begging him to attend Friday’s Watch Night Service with her, he wouldn’t be here now subjecting himself to visual inspection—and temptation. Every man knew church was the place to find a woman engaged in inner warfare, surreptitiously longing to unleash the “other,” less-holier side of herself. Trené was aware of his weakness and should’ve known better than to bring him for that reason alone. Chaz was no different in his thoughts on the subject and like most so-called preachers he knew, he was more than willing to accommodate. Unlike a great many of them, however, Chaz was able to… in ways and for durations that only he and God would ever truly know.

What Others Are Saying

Vivi Monroe Congress writes with a rhythm and flow that prods the reader along for the ride. No Condemnation injects just enough grit and honesty for a dose of realism. Her multi-dimensional characters will have you turning pages with curiosity as she reveals their plight with literary prowess and wit. No Condemnation is a journey of faith that s not for the faint of heart. Essence Bestselling Author of the Brunch Series, Sweet Magnolia and other works –Norma L. Jarrett

The prolific wordsmith, Dr. Congress, entertains and counsels as she infuses inspiration into the chaotic realities of life in her debut novel, No Condemnation. Bestselling author of The Forbidden Secrets of the Goody Box TheGoodyBoxBook.com –Valerie J Lewis Coleman

How to Handle Pressure Under Deadlines (Guest post)

For the longest time, I’d wanted an old-fashioned whistling tea kettle. Whenever I’d see them in the store or in a movie, my response was always, “one day.” Now, a whistling tea kettle is not some fancy, expensive undertaking, not like saving every paycheck for some exotic get-a-way. But, I was lazy … let’s just call it what it was… I was lazy and I just didn’t want it bad enough.

This year I finally got a beautiful silver, loud-as-all-get-out whistling tea kettle; it was given to me by a woman who no longer had any use for it. Like a kid on Christmas morning, I got home filled it with water and vinegar (figured I might as well clean it as I played with it), placed it squarely on a stove eye set to high, and then waited. The peal of that kettle, once it reached boiling point, was exhilarating and worth the wait.

As much as I love the functionality of this kitchen gadget, it also served to prove an invaluable point regarding deadlines and the pressure that come with them; most things aren’t instant. The kettle doesn’t whistle the moment it comes in contact with a heating element; there’s a build to making that baby sound off—there is a process.

Planning, preparing and pacing are our friends, don’t take their value for granted. Make time to chart out a daily PLAN, perhaps 30-60 minutes each sitting, to work on your project and if time allows, go for more. Plan according to your deadline (date) and then balance that plan with your other life obligations.

PREPARE by having the necessary tools at your fingertips and by closing yourself off to distractions to avoid wasting one of life’s most precious commodities, time.  Once it’s gone, it gone forever.

And, be sure to PACE yourself; there may only be 24 hours in a day but that only reminds me of the question, “What’s the best way to eat an elephant?” The answer is simple; “One bite at a time”. Biting off more than you can chew almost never works, plus you run the risk of choking in the end and who needs that, right?

By planning, preparing and pacing, deadline pressure can become a thing of the past. Might be a good idea to invest in a whistling kettle and treat yourself to a lavender/chamomile blended tea—just because.

Dr. Vivi Monroe Congress

Author of “No Condemnation”

www.DrViviMonroeCongress.com

No Condemnation by Dr. Vivi Monroe Congress

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am always pleased when I read inspirational fiction that has an uplifting, Christian-influenced story. When you add a realistic story where bad things happen to good people. Within the confines of this novel, the reader will be able to locate many of these elements. In addition to this, with the motley crew of characters that appear within this story, you can be certain to find a character that will appeal to you. I found that I was able to connect with some of the story, and it was somewhat refreshing to have a massive surprise thrown in towards the end of the story that absolutely changed everything.

Unfortunately, the inspirational/Christian bent was impeded by a couple of things that the author chose to include within the story. When a book is marketed within this genre, I would expect there to be little to no objectionable material. I was somewhat distressed at the amount of profanity throughout the book. Furthermore, the sexual encounters and references within the book seemed completely out of place within the book. The characters continue to talk about praying, going to church, and trying to follow God. Somehow that does not match up with the characters sleeping around nor swearing. Now, don’t get me wrong. I fully understand that if the character is not professing Christianity, it would make sense that their actions and speech would not match up with their faith. But I am greatly bothered when a book takes somewhat of what I would call a double standard. Perhaps the case could be made that the book is inspirational and not Christian, but I just feel that these books should be clean or at least fairly clean. In addition to this, it bothers me that one of the characters gets away with years of delusion by which he profits. While that may be realistic, it makes no difference. This character should have consequences even if he repents. Enough of my mini rant.

In spite of all this, I did find myself swept up into much of the storyline. It is clear that the author has incredible talent for telling realistic stories that even inspire one to live a better, more meaningful life. The tragedy of the story certainly hits home, but I would have even liked to have seen the results and consequences more developed. The last twenty pages of so of the story is truly captivating, and I believe that with relative ease, the pathos and effects of this incident could have been featured within half of the book.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

View all my reviews

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