Review: Until Ray: Book 1 of the Until Ray Trilogy – Cheryl Robinson

Two people in the same city but worlds apart.

Until Ray is an unconventional love story of how two young people transitioning into adulthood find each other and develop a bond that will be tested through three decades.

HE IS LOST…

Ray lives in northwest Detroit in a four-family flat with his mother. When he’s not at home, Ray’s either at the mall selling women’s shoes or in the club. In both places, he's focused on one thing—picking up women. Dissatisfied, dysfunctional, and leagues behind his peers, Ray's ready for a change but isn’t sure how to make it happen.

THEN SHE ARRIVES…

At twenty-four, Sarita has an MBA, is a CPA, and works in upper-level management at GM. But all that success comes at a cost: she’s lonely and craves the one thing she’s never had—attention from men. Until now. Dr. Graham Emerson wants to marry Sarita, and her parents expect her to, but Sarita isn’t convinced he’s the one for her. On a blind date, she meets Ray Saint and is immediately drawn in by his good looks and sense of humor. But his reputation for being a ladies’ man raises several red flags. Ray swears he’s changed. Is giving up a sure thing for a maybe worth the risk?

Set in the mid-eighties, Until Ray explores life and love through the lenses of colorism, classism, and family dysfunction.

Raymond Saint works in sales at the mall as a shoe salesman. When his stalker walks upon him – this is when the intensity starts in this drama-filled book. Also, we get a view of Ray’s search for love. The problem for him is he is looking in all the wrong places. His friend Boone knows about a woman who is friends with his wife but he is not sure he wants to introduce the friend to Ray because he knows how Ray rolls.

Sarita Deering is going to be married. That is the plan of her mother for Sarita and she has even set up the first meeting with THE Dr. Graham Emerson. For Sarita, marriage equals love and she is not feeling this arranged marriage idea but she will see what the good Dr is offering and who knows what could happen.

There are a couple of other storylines that for me did not move the story forward but because it is a trilogy – maybe that was intentional. I also had a problem with a grown man being friends with a seven-year-old and asking the child for relationship help. In addition to that, there are dysfunctional parents, no connection with the characters and the flow was very slow.

This is a trilogy and so with that said, for those who love a book that has drama, you will want to read this. The book does leave you wondering what Ray will do in the next installment. I want to read that as well.

Reviewed by: Linda C.

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