Devil's Playground

By Lyrikal Linez

When First Lady Flawless' parents and in-laws simultaneously decide to spend a few days at her matrimonial home, she expects anything but a peaceful coexistence between both parties. While her mother makes it her business to always counter the racist comments from her husband's side of the family, her father, Pastor Al Tunner, is bent on being peaceable, as the Lord requires of him. The two families are startled to learn that Flawless and her husband Prince run a church, and Pastor Al Tunner is appalled by the detestable practices approved by the church. But this means nothing to Pastor Prince--an unethical man who is enslaved by his fleshly desires and would go to the dirtiest lengths to secure the bag. And soon, his whole world crumbles around him as he finds himself in more trouble than he'd bargained for. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beverly Turner
• Release date: Oct 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781727874112

Lyrikal Linez

Beverly Turner is a mother, entrepreneur and an American author of urban fiction and romance from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her first two books, Cinnamon Chronicles: Kiss In The Lace Or Song Of Cinnamon, and Justice Sings The Blues. She's also the author of Schooling Bitches, Mated By A Thug, and Devil's Playground. Beverly Turner is an entertainment journalist from Fayetteville, North Carolina. She hosts a talk show and blog called  " Lyrikal Linez from a Journalistic View: Let's Talk," which focuses on celebrity and pop culture. She holds a Master's Degree in New Media and Journalism from Full Sail University. 

Book preview

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

—James 4:12

CHAPTER ONE

The in-laws

Flawless cocked her head to the side, singing her favorite praise and worship song in an undertone as she minced some colorful vegetables on a chopping board. Her parents had come over to spend a few days and some tasty salad before the main meal seemed like a perfect idea. They'd only arrived an hour ago, and after catching up on some latest gossips about her former neighbors, she'd hurried off into the kitchen, leaving her mother to a fashion magazine she was engrossed in, while her father busied himself with some Christian articles on his tablet.

Her father, Al Tunner, was a staunch Christian—a pastor. With his wife, Thelma, they'd brought up Flawless in the way of the Lord and were proud of her decision to marry a Christian. Had she married Stan, a worldly boy in their neighborhood whom she'd been dating, her parents would not have come over. Perhaps her mother would, but her father would never. He'd made that clear from the start of her relationship with him.

Although it had hurt to break things up with Stan, she found that she was a lot happier with Prince, the man she eventually married. Prince was a pastor, just like her father. And unlike Stan, he had the financial and spiritual strength to raise a family. They lived in a decent home in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

Flawless' blonde hair swept sideways, informing her of a presence that could only be Prince's.

Mmm babe, Prince said behind her, in a husky, downright sensual voice. Lookin' delish.

He snaked his arm around her to grab a severed piece of carrot from the chopping board. Flawless playfully slapped his hand away.

Why so lazy? The fridge is just over there? She pointed to the white fridge humming behind them.

I find that stuff tastes better after my wifey runs her hands all over them. He kneaded her shoulders, planting sloshy kisses into the hollow between her shoulders and

Reviews for Devil's Playground

[tammydewhirst · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“The Devil’s Playground” is quite a dark read. It could be called a romance novel except that it plays more by the rules of suspense than romance. What Olivia is giving us is a good start to a series that promises to appeal to readers who prefer the darker side and protagonists who have been through the fire and have no real promise of ever living outside of it. “Frankie starts the novel as something of a victim of her past. She is harassed by Bianca and seems almost helpless to really put an end to the fixation because she’s not completely sure how she feels about the attention and there’s something comforting about it continuing. When Cookie is attacked Frankie snaps in to something of a take charge character in a way that feels wholly organic. She’s still somewhat weak when it comes to Bianca but she’s focused on doing whatever she has to do to keep her friends safe. The character she becomes is a character that readers knew she could be from the moment we met her. Oliva makes bold choices that may not appeal to all readers but those choices add a unique voice to her story that this reader really enjoyed. Things are not as simple for Frankie as they may be for most characters in her genre. What readers may not like is that this is a story on Viagra. I cannot recount how many sexualized elements there are and the kicker is that they’re not sexualized in an unrealistic way. Frankie is on a path of escaping her past and going forward on her own terms. Johnny’s journey is somewhat less pronounced. We know he’s tortured but for readers of this genre while he’s well developed as a character he’s perhaps more the foil. The eye candy who rides in when needed and when we know that Frankie needs him even if she finds him somewhat inconvenient.All things considered, I really liked “The Devil’s Playground.” These are fascinating characters in a dark world that readers seldom experience. I am very interested to see where Oliva goes with the rest of the series.