Ties That Tether

By: Jane Igharo

Narrated by: Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Gary Tiedemann

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

One of Betches' 7 Books by Black Authors You Need to Read This Summer

One of Elite Daily’s Books Featuring Interracial Relationships You Should Read in 2020

One of Marie Claire's 2020 Books You Should Add to your Reading List

When a Nigerian woman falls for a man she knows will break her mother's heart, she must choose between love and her family.

At 12 years old, Azere promised her dying father she would marry a Nigerian man and preserve her culture, even after immigrating to Canada. Her mother has been vigilant about helping - well forcing - her to stay within the Nigerian dating pool ever since. But when another match-made-by-mom goes wrong, Azere ends up at a bar, enjoying the company and later sharing the bed of Rafael Castellano, a man who is tall, handsome, and...White.

When their one-night stand unexpectedly evolves into something serious, Azere is caught between her feelings for Rafael and the compulsive need to please her mother. Soon, Azere can't help wondering if loving Rafael makes her any less of a Nigerian. Can she be with him without compromising her identity? The answer will either cause Azere to be audacious and fight for her happiness or continue as the compliant daughter.

©2020 Jane Igharo (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A beautiful, heartfelt story about the power of love, identity, and family. Ties That Tether is a delightful debut that romance lovers won’t want to miss!"
—Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Train To Key West

“Lovingly written and heartfelt. Ties That Tether is a beautiful exploration of culture, family, and romance. Azere’s journey to find her own voice should resonate with anyone who’s ever felt trapped between conflicting worlds and expectations.”
—Helen Hoang, USA Today bestselling author of The Bride Test

“Ties That Tether takes the reader on a rich, emotional journey. A big, bold story about finding ourselves amidst the struggles of family loyalty, honoring one’s culture, and the endless facets of love. Loved every glorious moment of this book!”
—Jennifer Probst, New York Times bestselling author of Love on Beach Avenue

Beautiful multicultural romance

How amazing and insightful was this book! This was a sexy, interracial romance packed with humor. It tells the story of Nigerian born Azere who immigrated to Canada at the age of 12 and her struggles to adapt to a new culture without letting go of her own. As an immigrant, I appreciated this story so much!

Azere has a one night stand with an Italian man, Rafael. This is after another failed date set up by her mother, who is never failing in her persistence for Azere to marry a good Nigerian man. Fast forward a few months and Azere is shocked to see said one night stand is now a fellow co-worker. Their chemistry from their first night picks up right away and turns into so much more. Azere knows her mother would never approve of her being with a white man outside of her culture but she also needs to follow her heart and find her own happiness.

Being proud of where you come and wanting to preserve your cultural identity is every immigrant's struggle. Azere felt forced to limit her dating pool to men of her own culture and falling in love with a man outside of this was not in her plans. I loved the way the author played out this complex love story and I loved learning about the Nigerian culture. At the heart of this there is swoon worthy romance that any romance reader will adore and I highly recommend!

Narrated by Nkeki Obi-Melekwe and Gary Tiedemann who did such an amazing job!

5 Stars
Contemporary Romance
POV: Dual
Heat Level: Moderate
HEA: Yes

I love this book,I love this book.

This book is thought-provoking. Culture is something I usually think about, but this book had me thinking. When you love someone outside of your culture, do you give up something or gain something. Does the people who you love understand that you’re is seeking someone else.

It also shows me how children dim the light so they can comply with their parents wishes. But LOVE finds away if you are brave enough to listen. Love finds a way. Thank you to Jane Igharo and the narrators that brought this wonderful book to life. I have a new author to enjoy, and I’m looking forward to many of your books. And I’ll also look out for the narrators, I so enjoy their storytelling. Until next time may God be with you’ll.

classic

I love a good love story. This one incorporated an interracial couple who had to think after the fact about how to proceed with their cultural differences. I liked learning insights of Nigerian culture through the writing and the actress who read it as such.

I'm in love

I loved everything about this book. The descriptions painted a picture for every scene.

Wonderful Read!!!!

I absolutely loved this book and the narrator. I could not stop listening to it!

Not bad

I got to be honest the narration got on my nerves. This book isn’t the best but it’s pretty decent. I love reading about interracial couples I just hate any book that’s predictable and you know exactly what’s about to happen that’s some boring and almost waste time. However there is a nice twist that I must admit I did not see coming towards the very end. I think this is one book that maybe I would’ve enjoyed more if I had just read the physical book just because like I mentioned before not overly thrilled with the narration maybe it’s just me.

Great Storyline!

Overall this was a wonderful story. I understand Azere wanting to honor her parents wishes by marrying a Nigerian man. And staying true to her African culture. But she was starting to become extremely annoying. Clearly Rafael makes her happy and she wanted to be with him. But I wish she would have stood up to her mother instead of procrastinating the truth. She was playing with everyone's feelings including her own. Also I hated the pauses in her speech. Not blaming the narrator because she did her job delivering. But I hate when Azere kept dragging out what she wanted to say sometimes. Someone will ask her something and shes like "Ummmmmm (long ass pause) follow by the rest of her sentence. But anyway I love the story besides that. It was very good.

Romantic comedy with deep issues

This is a pretty good book that touches on major issues. There were a few laughs but for the most part the issues were deep. The narrators did a good job with characters. I had not heard of the narrators and was pleasantly surprised; will have to discover other books narrated by them.

I LOVED this book!

Love, love, love this book and Nkeki Obi- Melekwe’s performance! Her voice brought Jane Igharo’s well-written words to life! Now I have a new favorite author and am downloading The Sweetest Remedy next!

Here Come the Internationals

"Ties That Tether" by Jane Igharo, told like a love letter, is well narrated and explores love across national lines. National heritage, culture and identity co-exist among cosmopolitan internationals who hold no rigid personal boundaries save for love, individual respect, and human dignity in a global village. How much does one have to sacrifice to be in a relationship across national cultural divides is the question? The answer is in the book.