Newly released from jail, Preacher Winters is anxious to
start life anew but he's got to contend with some old
baggage in the persons of the three most important women
in his life: his sister, Loretta; his fiancée, Tanya, and
his ex-girlfriend, Serena.
Loretta, his partner in the drug-dealing enterprise that
got him busted, has kept things humming and even expanded
the business in the two years he's been gone and she
doesn't understand why or believe that Preacher doesn't
want back in.
Tanya, the money-grubbing mother of his two sons, is not
excited about the changes she sees in Preacher, namely his
jailhouse conversion to Christianity and the impact of
that decision on their relationship.
Serena, the wife of his friend and probation sponsor,
wants nothing more than for Preacher to pack up and leave
town. They have history, a history she'd much rather
remain in the past, especially since she hasn't share any
of it with her husband.
In order to move forward with his life, Preacher has to
tangle with each of these women and detangle the threads
that continue to bind him to each one of them.
UP POPS THE DEVIL is a story about second chances,
temptation, and forgiveness. Angela Benson, one of my
all-time favorite Christian fiction authors, captures a
real slice-of-life not unfamiliar in some African-American
neighborhoods and puts a spin on it that causes the reader
to consider the actions of every character, Christian or
not. The characters in this humourous yet touching story,
particularly the three women who just won't let Preacher
live his life the way he wants to live it, jump off the
page. I could easily envision a few more books to extend
the story and delve further into the lives and antics of
these ladies. The ending, which I didn't see coming,
clearly sets the stage for more.
Two hard years in prison have changed Wilford "Preacher"
Winters for the better. He did his time, now he's going to
"do the right thing." But the women in his life have other
ideas.
Tanya, the sleek and sexy mother of his two
kids, is much too comfortable with her pearls-and-Porsche
lifestyle, and she'll do whatever it takes to maintain it...
His sister, Loretta, kept "the business" running smoothly
while Preacher was inside, and she can't believe he'd trade
Easy Street bling for a nickel-and-dime dead-end job...
His one-time girlfriend Serena, now married to his main
man Barnard, is hiding a secret—and if past sins come to
light, they'll ruin several lives and a very new, very
precious friendship between Preacher and Barnard's
beautiful-inside-and-out sister, Natalie.
With his
world about to explode all around him, Preacher's going to
need every ounce of his new-found faith to remain strong.
Because it takes a lot to become a new man, sometimes even a
miracle.