Selling the Fantasy by Stacey L. Ford

 About the Story:

Selling the Fantasy

Lisa Johnson appears to have it all. She is smart, attractive, has a successful career and could have any man she wants. Life is good for her, right? Wrong! Lisa consistently chooses men who bring heartache and drama to a relationship because of their exceptional good looks and ability to deceive women. Lisa’s personal life undergoes an unexpected change when she meets the man of her dreams, who turns her entire world upside down.

Kenneth Maxwell is a hot new comedian who is suave and debonair, but also a master of manipulation. As Kenneth’s power, fortune and fame continue to flourish, so does his desire to persuade two women to enter into a poly relationship. Kenneth gets his wish by successfully enticing beautiful, executive chef, Cassandra Russell, to commit her entire existence to him and his lifestyle and he sells Lisa the fantasy of a life filled with luxury, wealth and romance if she chooses to make three “small” sacrifices.

Lisa, Kenneth and Cassandra begin their journey together by sharing intimate moments and unspeakable sexual adventures. The thrilling ride comes to a screeching halt when one of Lisa’s friends executes a plan to demolish Kenneth’s career and sabotage their romance.

Selling the Fantasy is an erotic and emotional roller coaster you will definitely want to ride and not get off.

 About the Authors:

Stacey L. Ford

Stacey L. Ford became a novelist by chance.  After numerous talks with her girlfriends about the lack of available, single, quality men, Stacey and her friends jokingly had conversations about their perceived options as single Black women between the ages of thirty-five and forty-five: lesbianism, celibacy or polyamory (multiple partner relationships).  “None of these were viable options for me and my girlfriends, but the idea of man-sharing sure did stimulate a hot topic of discussion,” she says.  The result was a manuscript titled, Selling the Fantasy, Stacey created to start a buzz about another alternative lifestyle starting to surface in African American communities. 

Stacey is a native of Oakland, California.  She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from UCLA and an MBA in marketing from California State University, East Bay.  She currently lives with her son in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and is a member of the National Black MBA Association.  She is presently hard at work on her next novel. 

Author's Website: www.staceylford.com

 Our Review:

Imani Book Club Rating: 3.0

A big fantasy best describes this novel.  One could only dream of having two beautiful, intelligent, self-sufficient sisters giving up their lives to be involved with an arrogant nut job who really doesn’t know what he wants.

Kenneth Maxwell is a hot new comedian whose show is basically an extraction of the life he’d wish to live as a polygamist.  His big break would be to become the next King of Comedy.  His many secrets could ruin that dream.

Cassandra is an executive chef.  She says she can handle the poly lifestyle however the right lady has never come along.  Cassandra wants to be the home wife for Kenny and allow the other women to be his wild, club girl, travel mate.  She’s given up a great deal to be involved with Kenny.  She isn’t allowed to have friends or family around her.  And another man?  No way.  But the same can’t be said for Kenny and his bevy of beauties in every town he plays.

Lisa has everything going for her.  She just can’t find the perfect mate.  When a friend invites her to a comedy show, she meets her favorite comedian, Kenneth Maxwell.  One thing leads to another and after discussing the poly lifestyle, Lisa has to decide if she is willing to be lady #2.

Kenny keeps Lisa a secret from Cassandra until he feels she is the right woman to include in their lifestyle.  Once the two talk, they hit it off and now they must be able to handle the responsibility, respect and implications of living in a polygamist relationship.

Can Kenny survive with his career, his ladies, but most importantly keep the fantasy going?  Is this the fantasy he really wants?  What will happen to Cassandra and Lisa?

The story was well-written, funny and somewhat of a page-turner.  I felt sorry for Cassandra because she gave too much away for someone else’s fantasy.  Lisa was a fool trying to find love in all the wrong places.  Kenny was trying to have his cake and eat it too.  Selling the Fantasy allows one to look at a poly lifestyle and question could you allow yourself to go there?  This lifestyle has a lot of negative aspects for the parties involved but also by society.  The fantasy may look like fun but it really requires a lot of responsibility and sacrifices.

Submitted by Lawanda

4/08  

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 About the Story:

 About the Authors:

 Our Review:

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