Inner Circle by Evelyn Lozada with Courtney Parker / 304 pages / Read in 23 days

The Inner Circle is an intense, drama-filled novel. This book was definitely different from what everyone expected. Instead of a “tell-all” book, Ms. Evelyn Lozada produced the first of a juicy series. This books starts off with a woman (who happens to be name Eve Inez) dating a guy named Chase who also plays for the Los Angeles Leopards. Chase proposed to Eve asking her to give up her full-time job and life in Miami. Eve was dead set against leaving her family and her high profiled life style she worked so hard for but she loved Chase more. Eve Inez finds herself dealing with the hardships that come with being a star athlete’s wife. The book starts five years after Eve and Chase are married. They currently reside in LA and Eve now travels back and forth to Miami still holding on to the same job. This book had so many twists and turns, it was so hard to predict what was going to happen next. In the beginning, Eve and a few others high profiled athlete’s wives (Amber, Jackie, Callie, and Jai) founded the “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” which was created to empower the idea that no athlete, regardless of how rich, pampered, or underhanded he may be, will not get the opportunity to play you and make you feel worthless. The “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” started with the idea of building a brand that speaks “no-non sense accepted here” for the prestige players who enjoys getting over on their wives just because he is a star athlete’s. If a husband cheated, the “Inner Circle: The Wives Association was built to take them down and their jump off’s who would be waiting in the background to get their hands on the money. The “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” also provided financial protection for any of the wives that felt their relationship was going down the drain because of their cheating husbands. Do not get it twisted, the members of the “Inner Circle: The Wives Association” had more drama than a little bit. Amber (Eve’s best friend from way back) husband (Sean) cheated on her with the cook Sa’Myra who happened to be good friends with the Los Angeles Leopards Wives’ Association president Paula Andrews. Paula is also known in this book for sleeping with one of the other Wives Association members, named Jackie. Jackie has plenty tricks up her sleeve and will kick but if she has to just to make herself still relevant as a celebrity entertainment journalist. Ms. Jackie is also sleeping with a spokes model for Tresses Hair Care, named Carmen Garza, who happens to also be sleeping with another member’s (Callie) husband. Carmen gets attacked in her home by an intruder who shaves her head bald, everyone believes it could be Callie but finds out later on that it was done by another woman. Eve who thinks she is saved from all this drama with the perfect marriage to Chase, but soon finds herself caught up in a web of lies too. In the end, Eve discovers that her God’s daughter Olivia (Amber’s daughter) could actually be her step-daughter. Although this book had horrible reviews, it was one that was worth putting on the shelf! Great job Evelyn Lozada, definitely looking forward to this series!