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After going to prison for Duane Faison, her drug-dealing boyfriend, Karima Thomas, a girl from a prominent Philly family vows to go straight by getting a job from her aunt who is an insider in the Philadelphia City Council. Remarkably attractive, Karima, who was called Cream by her wildly good-looking boyfriend, can't help but fall into bed with Duane one last time before she goes out on her own to remake her life. Her aunt Marilyn is the president of the Philadelphia City Council. Remarkably beautiful for her age, Marilyn got her position by doing anything she deemed necessary to get to the top, and that included blackmailing her enemies and sleeping with the mayor. Though she isn't fond of Karima or her mother, Marilyn's gorgeous sister, Marilyn gives Karima a job in the mayor's office. Marilyn sees that the mayor is no longer doing her career any good so she hopes that he will act his usual way and try to seduce her niece so Marilyn can use it against him in some way, to increase her power in the government. Right away Karima gets into trouble when the mayor is killed while alone with her in a room. Then Karima is on the run from the law. Meanwhile, drug dealer Duane finds that his life as a criminal just isn't making him as happy as it once did without his lady Cream by his side. His brother and his best friend, both drug-dealing partners, are unhappy that Duane seems to have lost his edge, so in a murderous try at a takeover, more dead bodies litter the neighborhood and Duane is on the run from the law. Karima calls Duane for help and their meeting solidifies their overpowering love for each other. To make certain that the real culprits for both the killings are found, they hook up and cover the town looking for the truth. C.R.E.A.M. is a romance book set on the harsh streets of South Philly. There might be murder and greed and drug dealing, but the overwhelming theme of this book is love. As is usual in romance books, all the main characters are overwhelmingly attractive and all have that certain something that makes other people fall in love with them, or at least in lust with them, on first sight. The bad guys are over the top bad, the violence and the action is also revved up to a fevered pitch and none of this story rings true at all. The point of view jumps from character to character, with everyone getting a chance to voice their opinions. There is yet another unknown narrator telling us about the characters' histories and side facts about how that character looks great and how they aren't aware of it. Because of all of these voices I didn't feel a bond with any character. By the end of the book I didn't think any of the action sequences made sense and more importantly, I didn't care if the lead characters escaped or were killed. The over-dramatic ending, instead of leaving me filled with angst, left me bored. C.R.E.A.M. is just a second rate romance story billed as a murder mystery. I only wish I knew that before I started it. I would have picked another book to read instead.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, November 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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