Not-so-pious family returns in ‘Love, Honor and Betray’

Grab your hankies and prepare yourself for a few “Amens!” and more than a few “Lord, have mercies!” as best-selling author Kimberla Lawson Roby brings readers another installment in the lives of the Rev. Curtis Black and his dysfunctional family in “Love, Honor and Betray.”

This time around, the attention is focused squarely on the good reverend. The Rev. Black's somewhat disreputable past is no secret to his family or his congregation. But he crosses the line with his current wife, Charlotte, when he brings home his illegitimate 2-year-old daughter, Curtina, after the child’s mother (and the reverend’s longtime mistress) dies an untimely death. That will upset a household!

While Curtis is thrilled to have his entire family under one roof, Charlotte is not so pleased at the prospect of having to raise another woman’s child, and she makes no bones about her unhappiness. In a fit of jealousy, Charlotte turns to her former boyfriend for comfort, a decision that just might change her comfortable life for good, especially if the Rev. Black’s congregation finds out about her shenanigans.

Meanwhile, the reverend isn’t being quite an angel either. Immersed in raising funds for a new church building, he finds his attention being distracted not only by the female population of the congregation, but by a conniving chief financial officer named Raven. No matter how hard he tries, the reverend’s money and charm might not be enough to keep him and his family out of trouble.

In the eighth novel in her “Reverend Curtis Black” series, Roby brings her readers up to date on the foolishness and mayhem that surround this less-than-pious Illinois family. (If you haven’t read the previous novels, Roby supplies enough background to make the premise understandable.)

Lively, action packed and full of sassy sensuality, Roby once again has created a story that grabs the reader’s attention and holds it until the very end.