Friends 2 Lovers

Can a close friendship grow into something deeper - a loving relationship perhaps? In this compelling and emotive story that evokes a gamut of emotions and thoughts, author Jonathan Anthony Burkett portrays how it is possible for best friends to be more than “just friends”. Find out how Claude and Kelly end up from being Friends 2 Lovers as you follow them through their disappointing, confusing, loving, shocking, encouraging, and romantic moments. But can their bond last and withstand all the challenges that cross their way? Experience an overwhelming ebb and flow of emotions when you join them in their journey.

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Neglected but Undefeated is a tear-jerking story about abuse, neglect, and healing!


 

Neglected but Undefeated is a tear-jerking story about abuse, neglect, and healing

A young child wakes up one morning on the laundry room floor in his home. He's completely bruise from head to toe and can't remember how he ended up sleeping there. Awaken by the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen, he eagerly stands up and walks into the other room and greets his mother who's in the middle of cooking his favorite breakfast. Soon what starts out as a simple "Good morning mom" quickly escalates into a verbal tug-of-war. Suddenly the child's mother begins to beat him with the hot frying pan she was previously using to cook the eggs in. After beating him with the pan, she then grabs a high heel shoe to finish the job she already started on his defenseless little body. Afterwards, she unplugs all the phone and walks out of the house, leaving him curdle up in pain on the kitchen floor.

This is just one of the many tragic stories of Jonathan Burkett's childhood growing up with a mother who didn't love him, a step-father who turned a blind eye to the excessixe abuse and neglect, and the sexual molestation by the adult females in his life who he thought he could trust.

As a child, all young Jonathan wanted was his mother's love and attention. But in return, all he received was beatings and death threats. Around the age of fourteen, his mother threw him out of the house and with no place to go, he became homeless. One day, he sat his mother down and asked her if she loved him. His mother replied only sent him further down a spiraling hole of depression and uncontrollable rage. However, as Jonathan tries to piece his young adult life together, he encounter people who attempts to uplift and support him through his troubling times. But will the pain from his childhood destroy any chance for a happy future?

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Friends 2 Lovers V.2

In the beginning all couples hope the best for their relationships. Women believe they’ll have the fairy tale; men believe they’ve ascended to the throne as king. Oftentimes the friendship that led to the relationship is perfect because they can escape reality and not worry about the past.

Claude and Kelly thought they were each other’s refuge and that, because they were friends first, nothing could destroy what they’d built. Especially considering all they’d seen each other go through. They were sure they’d rule life as King and Queen. Little did they know the issues that didn’t cause problems in their friendship could turn a relationship upside down.

In Friends 2 Lovers: Closed Doors Open by Jonathan Anthony Burkett, Claude and Kelly’s relationship is being put the test. Things that were done in the dark are coming to light. Secrets are being revealed. Abuses from the past are shaking them to the core. Then, the accident hits.

Friends 2 Lovers: Closed Doors Open asks the hard questions about relationships that everyone must answer at some point. When the storms of life arise, is friendship enough to keep the connection between the two? Does loving someone mean putting your life – or theirs – on the line? Is there a limit to how much you can suffer before giving up?
Friends 2 Lovers: Closed Doors Open is the perfect continuation of a classic urban American love affair. In it Jonathan Anthony Burkett speaks about the truth of fairy tales and gives us a picture after the honeymoon, when relationships really begin.

Read More online at www.jonathanburkett.com

Monday, June 11, 2012

When Tragedy Hits the Support of a Friend Turns into the Comfort of a Lover

When Tragedy Hits the Support of a Friend Turns into the Comfort of a Lover

Friends 2 Lovers: The Unthinkable (Volume 1) by Jonathan Anthony Burkett

It is said that being friends before lovers is a key to a wonderful relationship. When couples are friends first, even when there is no physical loving, there is still caring and communication. Claude and Kelly are friends. The question is do they have what it takes to successfully transition into lovers while keeping their friendship intact for the long haul.

In Friends 2 Lovers: The Unthinkable, high school senior Claude Daniels faces some of the most horrific tragedies life can throw at a person, and his best friend Kelly helps see him through them all. As they move toward adulthood the pair is exploring the possibilities of their relationship and will soon discover if friendship really is the best foundation or if it does more harm than good.

Autobiographer Jonathan Anthony Burkett is back and determined to keep readers up all night with his first work of fiction Friends 2 Lovers: The Unthinkable. Inspired by his personal experiences, Jonathan has crafted a story of the heart to address several crucial relationships issues of our day.

Does support always equate to love? What has to happen for truth to rule over the emotions of a relationship? Can anything kill a friendship? Find out if Claude and Kelly can answer these and many others questions in Friends 2 Lovers: The Unthinkable.

Order a copy online today at https://www.createspace.com/3781145 or at Amazon.com amzn.to/LDSeDd


Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Friends 2 Lovers Part 2

"A more overwhelming and suspenseful tale of romance awaits readers in this second installment"

In the heartwarming follow-up to Friends 2 Lovers, readers can look forward to childhood friends Claude and Kelly’s new encounters and their ebb and flow of emotions as they begin life together as a couple. Friends 2 Lovers Part 2 gives fans of the first book a new twist to look forward to as closed doors begin to open and unbelievable things happen.

The novel begins as Claude and Kelly bid their goodbyes to old acquaintances and very close friends. After spending a year in New Jersey, they start their journey back down to Miami, Florida to be close to their families. They encounter many new things and strive to keep their bond strong and unbreakable. However, past relationships and misunderstandings catch up with them, threatening the special connection they already have together. In addition, a more haunting past troubles them, risking both their lives and loves.

Blending suspense, murder, revenge, love, lust, Friends 2 Lovers Part 2 is a compelling and emotive read that will still leave readers overwhelmed, hanging, and asking for more.

http://www.facebook.com/friends2lovers
http://www.jonathanburkett.com

Monday, March 28, 2011

All For One

All For One

Nurturing, Providing, and loving you passionately
May that be, my number of responsibilities
As one to the end, forever more
That’s how long I desire, our love to last for
Providing for you many loving and joyful memories
In hours of darkness, as well as brightness
I plan to supply for you
For your love for me and happiness
Is all that matters to me

http://www.facebook.com/Friends2Lovers

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) Book Review for Friends 2 Lovers

Friends 2 Lovers By Jonathan Anthony Burkett

The African American Literature Book Club (AALBC)

Review by Emanuel Carpenter



Who doesn’t remember their first love? And what about the girl next door? Or how about the boy you cared for in school only to end up in the friend zone? In Jonathan Anthony Burkett’s new novel, he attempts to capture that feeling young people get when the bonds of friendship mature into something stronger.



“Friends 2 Lovers” is the story of high school best friends Claude and Kelly that spans over a two and a half year time frame. Though they have been best friends for many years, everyone from their friends, family, and the protagonists themselves know that they are destined to be together. After all, the best romantic relationships start off as friendships anyway, right? Even Kelly’s mother loves Claude like a son. However, it’s the actions that transpire with Claude’s family that could threaten this relationship and even his life.



Claude’s dad Charles has a past that catches up to him at the very worst time for Claude, when his future looks the brightest. That past results in an all-out brawl involving Claude, Charles, Claude’s brother Troy (a 20-year old high school senior), and a father and son pair of thugs named Stanley and Robert. When the unthinkable happens, Claude must muster up the strength to either pick up the pieces and move on, or simply just end it all himself. His solution may surprise you.



Give newcomer author Jonathan Anthony Burkett credit for penning a novel meant for a younger generation and the realities of the world many of them deal with today, such as school violence, friends in love, suicide, and tumultuous family relationships. The author was on the right track with the idea of a story of a patriarch whose past not only catches up with him but affects the lives of those who love him most. Plus the idea of young people who want to be together for the sake of love and not just pleasure is refreshing in this day and age. Perhaps he will find his audience in die hard romance readers, those who enjoy books with somewhat of a Christian theme, and those who can appreciate the PG nature of the language.



Still, there are far too many issues with the book to call it a must read. This includes a predictable ending (the title pretty much sums it up), lazy narration that tells readers what happens instead of showing them, and awkward dialogue, including proper-speaking thugs (“They wanted payback badly, Dad. I guess the kind of payback that they thought would be the best was to get me while I was by myself, Dad…”). And this character is supposed to be hard? Not only that, but many of the characters are underdeveloped and are rarely described physically. And the plot, which gets off to a fairly decent start, meanders into Nytol territory.



The final result is a finished product that reads more like a workable early draft instead of something readers should plop down their hard-earned money to buy. But just because one person doesn’t love it, doesn’t mean another won’t at least like it.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Friends 2 Lovers Book Review by Karynda Lewis


Without warning, Claude’s life is changed forever when his father, brother, and close friend are all shot and killed – and his mother and another friend commit suicide. Were it not for the undying love and support of Kelly, his best friend from childhood, Claude may not have made it through the devastating tragedy intact. Consequently, as time goes on, the bond between Claude and Kelly grows and deepens, eventually transforming into something neither of them ever before imagined: genuine romance. However, when unforeseen challenges soon darken the horizon, can the new lovers maintain their burgeoning passion without losing their lifelong friendship in the process...?



Throughout the pages of Friends 2 Lovers, author Jonathan Anthony Burkett explores the depths of what makes for true, lasting friendship. In Claude and Kelly, Burkett has crafted highly relatable characters whose everyday trials and tribulations readers are sure to find more than familiar. Flawed though they may be, the lifelong friends’ virtues far outweigh their shortcomings, and Burkett does a commendable job of highlighting just how important it is to learn to transcend the petty differences that divide us in favor of our shared common humanity. The road of life is rife with cumbersome obstacles, but if we trust ourselves within the open, supportive arms of our loved ones, we may be surprised to learn just how much easier the journey can often be.



Engaging, heartrending, and deeply emotional, Friends 2 Lovers is a touching tale of learning to give – and receive – real, lasting love. A recommended read.



Reviewd by Karynda Lewis

4 stars