"Ladies Listen Up!" by Stephanie Rockey (***)

September 24, 2009 4:32 p.m. EST

Miami, FL (CNS) - AuthorHouse Publishing

103 Pages

Ladies, author Stephanie Rockey is your friend, if only because she might tell you things your real friends won't in her new book, "Ladies Listen Up!" Described as "straight talk on men, sex, career, family and loving relationships," Rockey hits all the most important topics in her concise 100-page book of what's sure to be hard truths for some.

Rockey is the founder of True Life Partners, a personal introduction and search company in the D.C. area. Think Bravo's "Millionaire Matchmaker" but without the income restriction. In fact, that's one of the topics Rockey touches upon in the book, that a man shouldn't be judged on how much money he makes. Having interviewed over a hundred women and men because of her work, Rockey put together "Ladies Listen Up!" to reach out to as many women as she can about women's misconceptions about men and relationships.

Rockey spends at least four chapters just on men, including the importance of communicating with men and the men to stay away from for the sake of your self-esteem. There's also an entire chapter on expectations, something Rockey admits she finds disconcerting in your conversations with women about what they want and what they think it is that men want. Other short chapters, like sex and another on children, really only scratch the surface. That could either be seen as a flaw or a plus of the book. It's like if the author was given a stop-timer and told, "Tell us everything you know about women, men, and relationships" in an hour and this is the result of her admission.

The best part? Surprisingly, "Ladies Listen Up!" is extremely guy-friendly. "Women- it is not just about you," she says in the first page of the introduction. Rockey puts herself in our Kenneth Cole's when talking about the good and the bad about life, love, sex, and long-term relationships.

Although "Ladies Listen Up!' is a larger-sized book, with a bright red jacket and big, bold white lettering in order to catch eyes, the book would've worked better as a pocket-sized read that women can keep on them at all times. Through her simple yet effective writing, Rockey doesn't find herself pandering to any audience or circling around a topic. Rockey's done the research and with "Ladies Listen Up!," she'll tell you what you possibly haven't figured out on your own but your real friends are too afraid to tell you.