This is a fun one, because I picked up the book on a whim and had no idea what to expect … well, read on to see what happened!
The Book
28 Shades of Black
The Genre
Humor/Drama/Erotica/Suspense/Thriller/Mystery
The Author
Sahm Ataine King is a poet, aspiring novelist, and graphic designer and has been in love with the written word since his exposure to the Science Fiction/Fantasy and Poetry genres at a young age. He has self-published two poetry collections, “The Grey Muse” and “L’aria Onyx“, along with his first novel, “28 Shades of Black”. He lives on the planet Earth and hopes to one day expand his horizons by travelling the world and learning of cultures beyond the confines of the internet.
The Plot
Dominick Black is a man with a problem: an insatiable sexual appetite coupled with a lack of inhibition.
When Black is informed by his boss that he has to take care of his over-active libido issue or lose his job, he reluctantly agrees to do what he must. What could it hurt?
From the unrelenting and murderous infatuations of a man he thought he knew, and the revelations of a past he thought was long buried, Dominick Black is in for one wild, hot, and disturbing ride.
The Review
This book was … strange. But in a good way! Also in a confusing way. It started out feeling like a parody/humour book, but then, as they say, s**t got real. The shift was totally unexpected, but in a weird way it totally works within the context of the story.
The main character, Dominick Black, is hilarious. It was so refreshing to read about him, because his character is one that I’ve never encountered before. Everything about his life is so different from mine that it was like looking into another world entirely. He’s smart, he’s gutsy … and his very peculiar method of introduction had me giggling every time I read it.
I do wish the book had been a little longer. Dominick’s relationship with his psychologist is sweet, but I felt that it developed a little too rapidly to be entirely plausible. And I would have liked the antagonist to get a bit more screen time, so I could have gotten more of a chance to suss out his motives.
All that being said, I really enjoyed the book, despite it being the total opposite of what I usually read. It baffled me from start to finish, and I had a blast reading it. Well done, Mr. King!
NOTE: This book has a lot of cursing and sexy time (some of the sexy time is disturbing and non-consensual), so read at your own risk.
The Rating
5 out of 5 stars
Unrelated video of the day:
Michelle Proulx - Author 
Michelle, you should be a beta reader or charge to read through books for consistency, story, etc. I think you’d be good at it.
I would love to do that! I feel like there isn’t a whole lot of money in that field, though. Maybe once my writing career takes off and I can quit my day job, I’ll have the extra time to do something fun like that. Fingers crossed 🙂
Ha ha, you’d be surprised! I mean, maybe not billions of dollars, but actually, if you prove to be good at it, there are a lot of writers who would pay for good advice about how to revise. http://www.thegirlwiththegreenpen.com/ That girl is only 19, but she has a calendar full of people throwing money at her to do developmental editing. xD So hey, don’t knock it! Could be an option someday. 🙂
Hmm … very interesting. I shall look into it, once I’m back from my AWESOME VACATION!!!
Which has gone well so far. I survived the plane trip and am now sipping hot chocolate in my hotel lobby. Once my brother awakes, NEW ORLEANS SHALL BE OURS!!!
LOL! xD (Still full of all the jealous) Yeah, as someone who spends more than her fair share of time on planes, that can get kind of old kind of fast. BUT NEW ORLEANS! Oh, I’m so jealous. I wish I was there again. I recommend beignets at Cafe Du Monde, at least one turn about Bourbon St (not sure how big of drinkers y’all are,) and maybe a carriage tour if you want all the major stuff pointed out to you. :))
I’m back, baby!!!
New Orleans was very cool — both in attractions and in weather. We ended up having beignets at Cafe du Beignet, which were pretty tasty. Bourbon Street was BIZARRE. Not at all what I was expecting!! When I pictured New Orleans in my head, it was more like Royal Street, with jazz bands on every corner and everything very chill. I definitely didn’t expect Bourbon Street’s hilarious mix of cafes, bars, strip clubs, and God knows what else. 🙂
…Did Papizilla put you up to this??? No, I’m kidding. Seriously? A 5 out of 5? I reviewed it myself and gave it a -1 out of 5. Not surprisingly, my lady was right that there would be some that would find some…value… and…humor…in this work. Thank you. 🙂
Oh, I was definitely laughing at the beginning. Then it got serious and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to laugh. And then it got weird and slightly disturbing. And then it was happy again! Not my usual cup of tea, but definitely a fascinating insight into the mind of a very strange individual. (The strange individual in question being Dominick Black, not you, good sir. Unless you enjoy being called strange, in which case I was totally referring to you.)
Yeah…that book did take a surprising turn. I didn’t mean for it to get serious and weird… It sorta just happened. At first, it was a parody of Fifty Shades of Grey (romance from the standpoint of a vagrant black man who really didn’t care about what people thought)…then Dominick kinda started taking over and telling his tale. I was shocked. Dominick is strange. He may return, though. In fact, it’s possible I might even rewrite the book. You are one of perhaps five people or so that have told me they wished the book was longer. Personally, I wish it was better written, so I might just do both…one day.
Well, if you do ever change it, send me a copy 😀
Will do, indeed!
I told you it was good. I also thought it could have been longer…… heh heh heh 🙂
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You, My Goddess, and Michelle Proulx, along with a couple of others who reviewed my work on GoodReads… So the masses have spoken, so shall I respond… In time, anyway. I should probably finish my other projects first, though.
Reblogged this on The Arkside of Thought and commented:
HA! Another review of 28 Shades of Black, courtesy of Michelle Proulx. Check it out, peeps! I mean…if you like…
Reblogged this on The Ranting Papizilla.
Great review, Michelle. I might have to check it out 😀
If you do, be prepared for a very strange and slightly disturbing read. Still, if that sounds like your thing, do it!!!