This Life

by Maryann Reid

Reality just got a bit too real for this queen of an empire.... Blake is living a life that most women could only dream about. She's beautiful, brilliant, fierce, and doesn’t know how to quit. She’s built an empire, made millions, and fought her demons. When she’s invited to host The Takeover, a new reality show, she’s quick to take on the challenge. The show is an instant success…and Blake’s life becomes an instant mess.

Blake’s new celebrity status comes with a catch; notoriety. That notoriety uncovers secrets that Blake would have rather kept buried. The worst is her ex-husband Lang, a jealous, obsessed man intent on destroying everything Blake has built for herself.

Blake’s success and money become her weaknesses, leaving her with very few people to trust. This only gets worse living in the public eye. Lang uses Blake’s celebrity and feelings of isolation against her as he enlists the help of people from Blake’s past to ruin her. Unfortunately for Lang, Blake didn’t get where she is by backing down from a fight.

When Brett, Blake’s ex-flame appears, she finds herself hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Their complicated history soon has her life spinning out of control. As Blake struggles with the chaos, and the feeling that she can’t trust anyone, she starts to wonder if the life she has is even worth the fight.

When Lang’s schemes escalate, Blake finds herself on the edge of losing everything…

Sizzling with celebrity fantasy, This Life goes inside an action-packed world of wealth and power, secrets and deceptions, revenge and betrayal—where staying on top could mean paying the ultimate price.

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About Maryann

Award-winning author and tv/radio social commentator Maryann Reid has been featured by countless media outlets including USA Today, Essence, Glamour, The CBS Early Show, and The Wendy Williams Experience.  She is an expert wordsmith and has a plethora of connections with women all over the world from her travels to Europe and The Caribbean, and is a popular guest lecturer at colleges, where she has taught her writing and business skills to groups who want to lead their ideal life on their own terms.
Maryann has been profiled in The New Yorker, Newsweek, Oprah.com, and NBC Nightly News for her innovative approach to life and solving its complex issues, including creating the uber-landmark event Marry Your Baby Daddy Day.  This event originated from her third book, Marry Your Baby Daddy (St Martins Press, 2005) that was optioned by Hollywood actress Holly Robinson-Peete and Dolores Robinson.
As an author and professional speaker, Maryann has gathered a diverse roster of credentials and affiliations:
–Author of several books and short stories by St Martins Press and Penguin Putnam
–Published her first book, Sex and the Single Sister (St Martins Press) at 25 years old in two weeks
–Lecturer at various universities including St John’s University and Fordham University in NYC in Creative Writing and Business Communications
– Philanthropist, referred to as the “Oprah of Brooklyn”, for her work arranging all-expenses paid weddings for loving moms and dads, via her event Marry Your Baby Daddy Day
– Expert and social commentator on top-rated nationally syndicated radio shows like NPR’s Fresh Air, The Michael Baisden Show, Fox News Radio, CBS Radio, The Gayle King Show on Oprah Radio, etc
– Invited by USATODAY to write a novella, Single Black Female, for the acclaimed Open Book section of their website
Since her debut book Sex and the Single Sister, Maryann has been invited to speak to some of the most innovative groups all over the country and has received over 20 million media impressions worldwide via major news outlets like ABC News 20/20, NBC Nightly News and CNN.
Maryann received her BA in Journalism from Fordham and developed her writing and love for news at Random House and CNN.  She later received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami.  She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and steadily working on new products for women.  Maryann welcomes ideas and collaboration.