Crimson Footprints I and II by Shewanda Pugh: Book Reviews

[Order Crimson Footprints today at Amazon!]

When an insecure woman begins a cloak-and-dagger love affair with a Japanese American man, she is intent on keeping her bigoted family in the dark albeit with devastating consequences. On the night of her brother's murder, Deena Hammond stumbles upon Takumi Tanaka, lost and on the wrong end of a .32. After rescuing him from the certain fate driving through the hood in a Porsche will bring, a sweet kind of friendship begins. A balm for her grief. Maybe, Deena likes to think, it happened the day her white mother killed her black father. Or maybe, it was always a part of them, like DNA gone bad. Whatever the case, Deena knows that her family would never approve, hell, never acknowledge her fast-growing love for Takumi. And had he never made love to her that way, in that unraveling, soul-searching sort of way, she could've done the same. But loves a devil that way. So, their game begins. One where they hide what they are from everyone. Anyone. And Tak understands this for now. After all, Deena's career hinges on the favor of her mentor and boss, his hard-ass of a father. And the Hammond family is already stretched thin with grief. Yet, each step Deena takes toward family and career brings her closer to an acceptance shes never had. And away from him.

CLG Review of Crimson Footprints

5 (out of 5) lattes

A Romance with Literary Bite

Shewanda Pugh's Crimson Footprints is a beautiful story of angst, family, and love. From the very first sentence or two, I was brought into Pugh's strong storytelling skills, her way of writing just the right words for the story, words that sound and feel right when read aloud, too. Character is often the big component of a story that keeps me reading. If there is a wonderful character, I want to see what happens to him or her. Pugh's development of characters is wonderful. The main character, Deena... wow. Pugh deftly weaves a unique, deep, and intriguing character with Deena, using a complex host of characters to not only flesh out the overall story but to also develop Deena's character. The delicate hand that Pugh uses to paint this story is one not often seen in a debut novel. It's obvious that Pugh considered language, the sound and movement of it. Considered the complexities of life and how one tries to find happiness in the midst of sadness, grief, and heartache. Considered that even in happiness, there are still glimpses of sadness, grief, and heartache. She made me feel for her characters, made me become an active reader in the experience of seeing this story unfold. Can't wait to jump into Part 2.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Order Crimson Footprints II: New Beginnings today at Amazon!]

An eleven-year-old boy hitchhikes 1500 miles from Bismarck to Miami; a prostitute yearns for escape from a prison of her own making, and the horrible secrets of a long-ago murder are unraveled in the shadows of one woman's dreams. Lizzie Hammond is an ill-fated whore that believes in little, save her own ultimate demise. Kenji Tanaka is a pseudo-architect, content to hide in the shadows of his family's overwhelming success. Neither can stand the other. But the appearance of a boy only rumored to be true helps them discover that two unlikely halves can fit together as the perfect whole. For Lizzie Hammond and Kenji Tanaka, redemption is found in the most unlikely of places: each other, even as the world around them disintegrates.

CLG Review of Crimson Footprints II: New Beginnings

4.5 (out of 5) lattes

Pugh Brings Another Great Story

You never know what to expect in life... and in books it appears. In Crimson Footprints II: New Beginnings, author Shewanda Pugh illustrates this very well. Many of the themes in this novel echo what I found in the first book: overcoming the past, dealing with family drama, building love in the family, developing self-worth. We get to see the further development and growth of characters we learned to love in book one, and we get to see this current story unfold on a character that probably left many readers cold in the first book: Lizzie. I have to admit, she was not my favorite character in the first book, and wasn't in this book either, but Pugh's ability to construct a character's identity so that we see a living, breathing person full of flaws and dreams and desires makes you want to see a change come for that character. I had that for Lizzie... and for Kenji, another major player in the story. This is a strong story, a great follow-up to Part 1. I still favor Part 1; that first paragraph hooked me so in that book! Having finished Part 2, I'm left wondering what treats Pugh will bring to readers in her next work.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Passion for Writing Series: Author Shewanda Pugh

Shewanda Pugh is a native of Boston’s inner city, though she now lives in sunny Miami, Florida. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Alabama A&M University and a Master’s in Writing from Nova Southeastern University. Fueled from a young age, her passion for crossing societal boundaries like race, class and culture, is the inspiration for both her cluttered bookshelf and her writing. When she’s not busy obsessing over fiction, she can be found traveling, nursing her social networking addiction or enjoying the company of loved ones.

Learn more about Shewanda at/on: [Her website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Her blog]


The Passion for Writing - From Shewanda's Pen
Where does your passion for writing come from?
From within. It's innate and fed by a constant need to read, communicate, and create.

If your passion for writing was a color, what color would it be and why?
Red. Red's the color of passion and fury; it's the color that draws the eye.

How do you keep the passion burning in your relationship with storytelling?
I write everyday, 365 days a year, no matter how I feel, no matter what else is going on in the world.


[Buy your copy of Crimson Footprints at Amazon]
When an insecure, bi-racial woman begins a cloak-and-dagger love affair with a Japanese American man, she is intent on keeping her bigoted family in the dark—albeit with devastating consequences. On the night of her brother’s murder, Deena Hammond stumbles upon Takumi Tanaka, lost and on the wrong end of a .32. After rescuing him from the certain fate driving through the hood in a Porsche will bring, a sweet kind of friendship begins. A balm for her grief. Maybe, Deena likes to think, it happened the day her white mother killed her black father. Or maybe, it was always a part of them, like DNA gone bad. Whatever the case, Deena knows that her family would never approve, hell, never acknowledge her fast-growing love for Takumi. And had he never made love to her that way, in that unraveling, soul-searching sort of way, she could’ve done the same. But love’s a devil that way. So, their game begins. One where they hide what they are from everyone. Anyone. And Tak understands this—for now. After all, Deena’s career hinges on the favor of her mentor and boss, his hard-ass of a father. And the Hammond family is already stretched thin with grief. Yet, each step Deena takes toward family and career brings her closer to an acceptance she’s never had. And away from him.

Excerpt from Crimson Footprints

“I wish that I didn’t want my family’s love so bad. I wish I could be one of those people who wore leather jackets and didn’t give a damned.”

Tak shot her a look. “You’d be musty if you wore a leather jacket in this heat.”

Deena grinned. “You know what I mean.”

He shrugged. “Who doesn’t want a decent family, Dee? It’s not much to ask for.”

Tak paused to pluck a seashell from the sand. Chipped and polished by time, it shone under the glint of a fast setting sun. “I don’t know the answers,” he said. “But they seem to be in things like this,” he held up the shell.

She frowned. “I don’t follow.”

He shrugged. “Well think about it. What’s a shell? It’s just a—a hard, protective outer layer.” He hurled it in the ocean. “The same is true with family. They’re an outer layer, a protection from the world. At least that’s what they’re supposed to be.” He paused. “Think about what happens when you screw with an animal that has one of those hard shells. What does he do?”

“He goes into it.”

“Right. He retreats.” He thumbed the shell thoughtfully. “Now imagine if you were to rip the shell off a turtle and expose him. What do you think you’d find?”

Deena cringed. “Something soft and hurting.

“And dead, if not close to it. So, our hypothetical turtle, who’s able to stand our shell transplant, needs another shell, another form of protection. And so do you.” Tak handed the grooved and sand-polished subject to Deena. She looked down at it.

“So, how’ve I been surviving all this time? What’s my shell?”

Tak grinned. “Tell you what. I’ll let you know when I crack it.”

Copyright by Shewanda Pugh