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(More customer reviews)Nate Kenny, an African-American business entrepreneur, seemingly has it all: success, wealth, intelligence, youth, health and a wonderful marriage to his beautiful wife Monica. The only element missing in Nate's life, is what he has always wanted most - children. When Nate and Monica married, almost four years ago, he wanted to have kids right away. At age 36 he was more than ready to begin a family. His new wife, in her late 20s, was finally able to persuade him to postpone pregnancy for 3 years so they would have time alone together, to savor each other's company before taking on the responsibilities of parenthood. Three years later they learn that Monica cannot conceive. However, the doctors tell the couple, she would have been able to have children if she had attempted to immediately after their marriage.
Monica, who wants a family very much and adores her husband, is devastated. Nate, however, is enraged, and acts as if Monica has purposefully thwarted his life's dream. He blames her for her failure to conceive, totally ignoring her terrible pain and the cruel impact of his rejection. From his point of view, he married Monica, who he loved, because he believed she would make the perfect wife and mother. She has certainly surpassed his expectations as his wife - but she is batting zero as a perspective Mom. And Nate wants what he wants - all of it! He believes the only solution to his problem is a divorce. After consulting his attorney, he discovers that since he began his new and thriving business after his marriage, a divorce settlement would mean splitting $60 million dollars with his spouse. He is not willing to do this. The only allowance in their prenuptial agreement that would release him from such a huge settlement would be if Monica were unfaithful. And that would be impossible. Or would it?
On the other side of town, the nastier side, Lewis Waters is desperately trying to figure out how to bring in enough income to prevent his live-in girlfriend from prostituting herself. He and Serena live in the Ida B. Wells Housing Project with their small daughter, Layla, who Lewis adores. Serena is pregnant again and looks as if she may be using drugs...again. Lewis is not making enough money as a barber to keep his head above water. He is desperate to save his daughter from a life like her mother's.
In a quirk of fate, Nate Kenny and Lewis Waters meet and become diabolically involved in each other's lives. Lewis, with no auto insurance, collides with Kenny's expensive luxury vehicle, totaling it. At his wits end, Lewis finally agrees to accept Nate's proposal - a brainstorm Nate managed to come up with at the auspicious moment of the accident. Nate will let Lewis off the hook for causing the crash, plus he will give Lewis a substantial sum of money, a new wardrobe, loan him a classy vehicle and a beautiful apartment in the best area of town. All Lewis has to do in return is seduce Monica.
I thought at times, during the initial chapters, that the plot was much too contrived, especially the character of Nate Kenny. As I became more involved, however, the entire convoluted, bizarre storyline became totally believable. It all meshed. And the characters turned three-dimensional as the author fleshed them out. There are many minor characters, whom I have not discussed, that play important roles in "The Million Dollar Divorce." RM Johnson brings them to life and really gives them motives and souls. It is not difficult to like or to really hate some of these people. Mr. Johnson also manages to juggle various subplots without distracting from the primary story. There is a dark, edgy feel to this novel, which gives it depth. The author paces his narrative well, building the tension effectively. I had never read anything by Mr. Johnson before and will certainly seek more of his work out now. Highly recommended.
JANA
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The Million Dollar Divorce: A Novel RM Johnson, the Essence bestselling author of Dating Games and The Harris Family, delivers an absorbing and provocative new novel about the lowdown schemes and broken dreams that follow a fractured marriage. Successful business entrepreneur Nate Kenny is thrilled to get married to the beautiful and intelligent Monica, chiefly because it means he can at last fulfill his lifelong dream of having a family. While he isn't happy about it, he agrees with Monica to wait three years before trying for pregnancy. Once those three years are up, the couple discovers that she is unable to bear children. Any love he once felt for Monica is gone, and Nate wants out of the marriage. But he's worried about losing half of his sixty-million-dollar fortune in a divorce settlement. Desperate for an out, he searches for a way to exploit the infidelity clause in the couple's prenuptial agreement. Enter Lewis Waters. With his baby's mother addicted to drugs, Lewis is already seriously down on his luck when he accidentally smashes his car into Nate's Bentley. Without auto insurance or any way to pay for the repairs, Lewis is at the end of his financial rope. But the scheming and conniving Nate sees another way for the attractive young man to repay his debt: as sexual bait for Monica. And so Nate sets up Lewis with all of the accessories he believes Lewis will need to earn Monica's love, or at the very least her lust: a big house, a fancy car, expensive clothes, and a full bank account. But as is often the case when it comes to matters of the heart, things don't unfold according to plan. When Monica falls hard for Lewis, Nate panics -- was protecting his fortune more important than trying to save his marriage? As he finds himself overwhelmed by second thoughts, Nate is willing to do anything to get Monica back. An inspired fusion of realism and romance, The Million Dollar Divorce is an unpredictable caper of lust, betrayal, and family ties.
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