This book wasn't for me and I couldn't get into it or connect with the characters. I did enjoy the writing style and that's the only reason I stuck with the book for as long as I did.

Wonderfully written prequel to Bad Men, Wicked Women, where the characters were so complex and amazingly flawed. that you couldn't help but connect to them on a more cellular level. For anyone who reads this before reading Bad Men, Wicked Women, there will be no drop off to how things flow with the characters, both in their pasts and present.

A tale of attraction and the pain that it can lead to. Before We Were Wicked has colorful characters and a soap-like quality. The story is fun yet Eric Jerome Dickey explores African and African-American relationships and the stereotyping, racism, and cultural differences that can plague them.

Warning book ends on a cliffhanger....

Eric doesn’t disappoint! Very engaging love his classic feel! Reminded me why I feel in love with his writing in the first place!

Eric Jerome Dickey always brings the heat and a unique story that will keep the reader engaged from beginning to end. I highly recommend Before We Were Wicked, and follow it immediately with the sequel.

A little disappointed in this book. What I thought would be a good representation of a black man staying and raising his child quickly turned into a continuation of the idea that black women that choose to be with black men end up unsatisfied and wanting more because black men cannot provide for them.

I am a HUGE Dickey fan and this books just further reminds me why. I like that Dickey creates relatable Black characters and lives for them. Ken Swift is an enforcer but he also goes to college. He is a good example of being born and raised Black in America. Jimi Lee,his wife, is opposite of him. She's a spoiled Ethiopian college student who was raised in the rich white area, Diamond Bar. Her parents have high standards for her future but she doesn't live up to them. She becomes pregnant by Ken but he marries her and raises their daughter, Margaux with her. Jimi Lee quickly becomes unlikable because she pities herself about the life she should have had insyead if appreciating the one she has. Ken does his best by working more to afford more of the lifestyle Jimi Lee is used to. Nothing satifies her for long and she starts cheating on Ken. She also blackmails him with the name of a man he killed. This book was classic Dickey: educated Black folks in a messy situation. I loved it!

Ken Swift is a young college kid, just trying to pay his way through school and life without having enormous debt. His job isn't exactly on the legal side, but it helps him to survive and once he's done with school, this job will be done too. When he is working one night at Club Fetish, reminding the owner that he still owes for his thriving club, he meets Jimi Lee. Jimi Lee is a beautiful Ethiopian woman who he can't keep his eyes off of. She feels the connection too and before long they are at his apartment dancing in other ways. Even though Ken is forbidden fruit in the eyes of Jimi's strick Ethiopian family, she can't stay away from him and soon enough, she'll be joined to him forever.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is Book 2 in the Ken Swift series by Eric Jerome Dickey, but it's a prequel to Book 1, so I think it's fine to read this one before. It's been a while since I've read an EJD book, but I was looking forward to this one. I will soon be reading the first book because I'm very curious to know what is going to happen next.

I learned a lot about Ethiopian culture in this book and talking with those in my community, I can see that what I read is accurate. I also learned about colorism within the black community. This is something I wasn't expecting. I was taught to love all people regardless of the color of their skin.

There were several times in this book where I wanted to jump in and smack Jimi Lee. She was really an evil woman. While Ken's job wasn't the most upstanding, he himself was a very good man and in my opinion he didn't deserve to be treated the way he was treated by Jimi Lee.

I look forward to reading book 1 and any other books in this series.

I loved the 90’s feel of this book., also the gangster vibe!! This book is well written. Easy to read and this is a prequel to bad men wicked women but your fine if you just read this alone. I enjoyed learning some of the Ethiopian culture but I did not like how jimi treated Ken and how he just took it especially since he’s so hard core but hey, guess love and lust makes us crazy.

For fans of Eric Jerome Dickey his latest novel, Before we were wicked is everything you love about him and more. Although I haven't read Dickey in over a decade, I was pleasantly surprised.

Before we were wicked, Dickey reminds us what we love most about his writing and the characters he develops. Ken Swift is a man trying to carve out his piece of the American dream, and like many men, before him, he’s using what he has to make a better life for himself, by being an enforcer and using the money to put himself through school.

Jimi Lee, on the other hand, comes from a well off Ethiopian family who has her under strict lock and key and have placed huge expectations on her.

One night their worlds collide and their chemistry is undeniable. Jimi Lee is looking for someone real, unlike the man she’s currently dating who is boring and predictable. While Ken Swift is attracted to her sheer beauty and her heritage.

They begin a relationship from what began as a one night stand and their world collides when Jimi Lee gets pregnant.

Filled with passion and intrigue, I truly enjoyed this poignant read.

I did not read Eric’s first book “Bad Men and Wicked Women”, but that totally didn’t mean a thing as this was the prequel to that book. What a drama-filled book this is! I think it does a great job at portraying the political and emotional standpoints of these two characters and what they’ve gone through in their life. It’s raw and genuine. A lot of people need this culture shock in their lives. At the same time, I think Jimi was portrayed a little more dramatic than she needed to be. She went through a lot in her life, but her behavior was a little uncalled for in my opinion. Again, hard to judge a person through all of that, but she was just a tad unlikable. Otherwise, a solid read. Thank you Dutton for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

One moment can alter the course of your life. Ken Swift is out hurting people for cash to pay his way through college when he lays eyes on Jimi Lee. He playfully claims to be her boyfriend on the first chance meeting but the intention is a one-night stand. He has college to finish and Jimi Lee is heading for Harvard after a gap year in native land. Neither have time for a committed relationship. But their sexual chemistry is too strong. When Jimi Lee becomes pregnant, their different worlds become forever entwined leading to a cultural clash, passion, infidelity and raw emotion.

This is what a prequel looks like! Before We Were Wicked is a full introduction to Ken Swift. No guesswork; this character is fleshed out well. It begins in the 90s when pagers were a means of communication and internet chat rooms were a thing. It flows right into the first page of Bad Men and Wicked Women which was released exactly one year ago.

Eric Jerome Dickey is known for writing expertly from a woman's point of view. But this prequel is a reminder that the author can write just as well in a male's voice. In fact, it gave me insight into a man's inner thoughts while in a relationship. For that alone, Before We Were Wicked is worth reading.

Bookhearts, you have exactly one week to gather your coins. Reserve a weekend to read this star-crossed love lust novel because you will not put it down.

Happy Early Pub Day, Eric Jerome Dickey! Before We Were Wicked will be available Tuesday, April 16. You're welcome for the love and turkey bacon. 😉

LiteraryMarie

DNF at 40%

*Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!*
To be quite honest, I had such a rough time sticking to this book. Half of the time I was too busy facepalming on every page that I did read to take it seriously. The writing was some of the worst I have ever seen and had an almost juvenile approach to the story overall. I honestly thought that I was reading a middle schooler's writing assignment that they decided to scribble down at the last minute the night before the due date. There were many times where the flow of thought in a paragraph was not consistent at all and was very all over the place. There was also a tendency for the author to be caught up in writing an entire conversation between two characters without specifying who is talking for an entire page and lots of rambles consisting of details that served no purpose in supporting the story or situation at all. As for the characters, they were completely flat and one-dimensional. Jimi Lee had so much potential but the way she was written made her sound like she wanted to throw away all of her accomplishments just for a guy she had a one night stand with. Ken Swift on the other hand was the epitome of everything you want to avoid in a guy, up to the point where he literally doesn't pay any attention to a word Jimi Lee said when he first met her, objectify women to the extreme, and acted like a hormonal teenage boy interacting with a girl for the first time. If executed better, this story could have been way more interesting, but unfortunately the writing style made it fall short.

I absolutely loved this book!
I now need to go back and read the other. So much awesome! I love when you get more story.

I have always loved Mr. Dickey's writing. It is really detailed and so descriptive. I picked the book up to go check Bad Men/Wicked Women and realized that this was better first.

I didn't *adore* Bad Men/Wicked Women. But, this prequel was sensational.

It surpasses BM/WW by a landslide. Nothing short of utterly fascinating. The culture, the education, the relationships, the friendships, THE SEX, the humanity, the inhumanity, the realism, the idealism. I love that the characters challenged one another's world view. I loved that the main characters were so young, yet so aware, so present. I'm 100% shook at how freaking relatable every action and reaction was. How I loathed Jimi Lee, how I sympathized with her, then loathed her again. How Ken Swift was fantastically tread upon but was still a stand up man.

This is a masters class in relationship drama. This isn't hearts and flowers HEA. This is a realistic, dare you to blink, story of lovers who LOVED and freaking LOST. And it was riveting.

BM/WW had a very (too) heavy handed lecture style when it came to the cultural awareness and education explored. On the complete flip side, the cultural influence and discussion happens in a more interesting, conversational and organic manner and it never overtakes the story, never becomes bigger than the characters- but is a vibrant thread that keeps your focus. Bravo man!

I'll probably foam at the mouth even more over this as its release date draws nearer. For now, know these three things.

1. Ken Swift is characterized impeccably. One of my fave EJD heroes, and baby I've read them ALL.
2. You will learn so much about culture from various POV's and might surprise yourself regarding which side you ultimately take if any. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with myself several times over and it was delicious.
3. If you are anything like me and spiral into a petulant depression whenever the next book is announced and it *isn't* Gideon- because COME ON!?!? You will not be disappointed, You will be elated to have experienced these characters and this journey.

Trust me.

I have tried to read this 4 different times before I finally finished it. I have several friends who devour each new Eric Jerome Dickey book that comes out so I thought I would give it a try. I found myself getting annoyed by the fact the main character kept referring to his partner by his full name constantly and I am not a huge fan of the language used throughout the book. I just found the plot of this book to be O.K. because this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

In this prequel we learn how and when Ken Swift meets Jimi Lee and they have a relationship that will forever impact both of their lives. This is both a love story between them and we follow Ken who works as a bill collector/small time enforcer for San Bernandino.

Lately, the books EDJ as his fans call him, are full of sexual content and for me way too much dialogue between the characters that is not moving the story forward. For me, it is boring and only picks up when he is doing his job for San Bernandino. With this said, there are parts of the book I enjoyed, for example when he is dealing with matters of the heart and his interaction with his child Margaux.

I really enjoy the Gideon books and look forward to the day he gets back to writing about that character. In the meantime if your a fan of EDJ as I am, I do recommend you read because I will also pick up the next book he writes.

Oh my god. I loved this book. I have always loved the reappearance of characters, but, I loved the flash back into Jimi Lee’s and Ken Swift’s life. The fact that it stops right where the previous book starts made me pick up Bad Men and Wicked Women all over again. It was a great experience. It gave the previous book a whole new life for me. To anyone who reads this, make it a new experience. Enjoy them, live in them and experience the moments in time. I love me some Eric Jerome Dickey since I worked at the library in high school and he continues to move and shock me.