TAGS: Allison Hobbs, Strebor Books, marriage

Bestselling author Allison Hobbs has written seventeen novels filled with juicy tales of relationship ups and downs. Her latest, With This Ring, picks up where Put A Ring On It left off. It follows a group of three friends who struggle along the road to happily ever after.

Harlow has what appears to be a happy marriage and desirable lifestyle, but suffers from loneliness due to her husband’s constant “business” travel, which is eventually revealed as secret life of crime. Vangie is a single mother whose jealousy and short temper has her riding an emotional roller coaster that muddies her closest relationships: her mom, son, and best friend Harlow. Nivea is another single mother, and her child is the result of a fling with her sister’s husband--or so she thought. After learning that she was mistaken about who was the child’s father, she pins her newborn daughter on a doctor she thinks is wealthy.

With This Ring is what you would expect from an author published by popular erotica author Zane. The book includes spicy love scenes, such as the hot-tub sex between Nivea and Malcolm, a random guy at the gym whom she later dates seriously. There are also X-rated encounters between Vangie and her lesbian girlfriend, and kinky episodes with her “special friend” Alphonso for money. The women in the book are a lot like the women on reality TV shows, filled with issues that run deeper than a lack of material goods. Predictably, the women end up coming to terms with themselves and try to straighten up.

Filled with constant hijinks and twisted theories on how to get to the altar, With This Ring is a quick, entertaining read. This book succeeds at divulging the intricate details of each character’s past and their intentions. As an author, Hobbs has managed to strike a balance between fantasy and reality, bouncing one off the other to move the story forward quickly.

Tameka Washingtonis the founder of In the Words Consulting, an editorial & communications service. She has contributed articles and/or communications services to CMA Today, USA Weekend Magazine, Demand Studios, AOL, WikiChicago.com and Walgreens Company, as well as various authors and editors. Her mantra is,“Choose and use your words wisely. Remember, your words are powerful." Her book, Making the Media Work for You: Your Guide to Effective Communication with the Media, is available at Amazon.com. Follow her on Twitter (@IWC_Consulting ) or email her atEditor@inthewordsconsulting.com