A Valentine for Christmas by Reese Ryan

Welcome Back, Booklovers! If you've been reading WOC Read for awhile you've probably come across one of my Reese Ryan reviews. She's one of those authors I always keep an eye out for. And if your looking for something for the grown folks she delivers.

Chandra and Julian meet on a plane where Chandra is terrified and we get a very cute moment with him comforting her. Both are headed to the small town of Magnolia Lake to meet up with family members they haven't spent time with in awhile. After a couple of run ins the two decide that while they're both in town they might as well make the most of it.

This series is a spinoff of The Bourbon Brothers series where we followed the Abbott family. It was nice to see them make cameos in this book as we got introduced to their long lost cousins The Valentines. Abbott "Ray" Valentine has purchased and plans to renovate a vineyard originally owned by his family and he's attempting to get his children on board. And because it's our introduction to them we get a fair amount of the Valentine siblings in this story. Chandra is the eldest daughter who had to take on a mother figure role for them so they're all fiercely protective of her. Just like the Abbott family readers will fall in love and love to hate some of them. 

Chandra and Julian were more on the cusp of age gap then actual age gap. He's 30 years old and she's 39 years old. But the way a big deal was made out of it you'd think she was 49 years old. I understand what was attempting to be done with the age gap but they were too close in age. 

I also wanted some holiday spirit. Harlequin had Christmas in the title but Christmas only got a passing mention on page. This truly could've been set during any time of the year.

There was some conflict that came in towards the end where I wasn't really a fan of the execution because it was rushed. I think if it would started a little bit earlier it would've gone over smoother.

Overall Chandra and Julian's chemistry kept me reading. Reese Ryan is very good at writing grown and sexy and sexy characters. And I'm excited for Naya's book and hope it's next!

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Welcome Back, Booklovers! For November I needed a book that was a change from my normal reads and I've been really trying to get into more sci-fi books and the blend of sci-horror along with the shorter length was enough to get me to pick up The Scourge Between Stars. Thanks you to Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc.

After failing to colonize another planet the remnants of that mission have been wandering through space with hopes of returning back to Earth. Starvation seems like their biggest threat until a mysterious alien species infiltrates their ship Calypso, and starts causing death and destruction. First mate Jacklyn must assume captain duties and figure out how to keep the rest of the ship alive.

I was beginning to wonder if I'm just not an SFF novella person because it's been awhile since I read once I enjoyed. However this pulled me in. It felt like a full length novel in the right way. It's an approachable sci-fi read with a set up that felt real. I think the author's background in astrophysics helped. It's a simple concept that's been done before but Ness Brown manages to hit the right levels of emotion while not solely relying on atmosphere to carry the story. And the ending leaves you with a sense of hope while leaving room for much more.

Interview with Author A.J. Locke

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm welcoming back author AJ Locke to WOC Read with some updates on her current and upcoming projects and some helpful writing advice.

Does it get easier writing a series after the first book where the world is set up or do you find it more challenging?

It’s a mix of both, to be honest. I love continuing a series when I’ve already done the heavy lifting establishing my characters and world building. It makes certain things easier because you get to build on things, you can still add new things, and it’s great to get back into the heads of characters you already know well. But it can also be challenging because you want to keep each book in the series fresh and interesting in its own way, you don’t want to repeat storylines, and you want to make sure you’re continuing to develop your characters and the ups and downs of their interpersonal relationships well. I enjoy writing series because it’s a lot of fun to keep expanding your world, deepening your lore, and giving your characters new challenges.

How do you decide if a new story idea is worth pursuing?

A lot of times I get interesting ideas and I might jot them down and make some notes, but the interest doesn’t always last. When something really takes hold to the point where I’m writing scenes in my head, I know it’s something I need to spend some time with. I’ll start figuring out characters and plot, and seeing if there is something there I can create an entire story around. I’m solidly “team plotter” these days, so if I’m able to take an idea all the way to an outline, that seals the deal.

I noticed you put little nods to Caribbean heritage in your stories. Would you ever write a full out Caribbean inspired fantasy?

I would absolutely love to. It’s always in the back of my head to write a fantasy novel set in Trinidad and Tobago. We have a lot of amazing folklore I would like to explore. I know the right idea is going to find me one day.

What can we expect from Magic Legendary, Magic Rogue?

Ooh, what I can say that’s not too spoilery! Well, we are going to see Penn grow into her magical power, which is something I’m excited about. We’ll get to see some of the magical elements from Magic Dark, Magic Divine on the page, as well as some new things. With the way MDMD ends, I think readers should expect the world around Penn to be a bit different, and that was a lot of fun for me to play with. There are also some interesting things going on with Callan, Toji, and Gideon that sets up challenges for them if the series continues. 

Why did you decide to try Kindle Vella?

It just kept coming back to me that I wanted to try it. I was intrigued by the idea of publishing a story in serial format. I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of audience my stories might reach. Can’t know until you try, right? So when I finally got an idea for a story I felt would work on that platform I took it as a sign that it was time to jump in.

When you post stories on Kindle Vella do you write the entire story ahead of time or do you start with some of it and write as you go along?

I write the entire story ahead of time. Even though I outline, my ideas always evolve as I write, so I might establish something in episode one that I change my mind about in episode ten, so if I’ve already published episode one, it would make it a very frustrating process for me. It works much better to complete the story, edit it, fix plot holes, incorporate new ideas, flesh scenes out, etc, before I publish.

Was this your first venture into self-publishing or have you self-published in the past?

This is my first solid venture into self-publishing. Self-publishing can be very daunting so I’m glad for a platform like Vella where you can put your story out there bit by bit.

Would you ever republish your Reanimation Files series?

Yes! There are four books in that series, and I hope to continue it, so I am going to get them back out there. I already had a new cover made for Affairs of the Dead that's really lovely. I was hoping to re-publish Affairs this year, but other projects took precedence, and before I put the books out again I want to give them a refresh. I wrote Affairs of the Dead about ten years ago, so there’s something to be said about reading it today and seeing ways I can bring the manuscript up to my current writing style. But I have realized that it is easier to write a new project than it is to revise an old one! So refreshing Affairs of the Dead has been slow going, but I have been working on it. I want to say I will definitely get it re-published in 2023. Fingers crossed. 

How do you balance working on multiple writing projects at once?

Only recently have I been able to work on multiple things at once without feeling overwhelmed, and that’s because I’ve gotten better with time management. It’s as simple as saying I’ll spend the first two weeks of the month on project A and the last two on project B and stick to that so I can make progress without feeling pulled in too many directions. If I’m on deadline for something it makes me feel as though that’s the project I have to focus on over others, but I’ve been able to work things out in a manageable way. 

Any other projects you want to talk about?

I am really excited about the book I just finished, which is an historical fantasy heavily inspired by Wuthering Heights. Hopefully that will be a project I can share good news about one day. I’m in the final stretch with Legendary/Rogue edits and that’s coming out in April. And I’m also publishing two stories on Vella, The Vanish Witch and Elemental Inferno, and I think I’ll be putting more work out on that platform in the coming months. 

Somebody That I Used to Know by Dana L Davis

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Honestly October was feeling kind of slumpy and I didn't end up reading much. But then I started reading this book on the second to last day of the month that renewed my fervor for reading.

Dylan lives in Iowa but yearns for the day she can leave her small town and move to New York. She knows Julliard is her destiny. It's the only school she applied to and if she practices violin hard enough she can nail that audition. What she doesn't expect is her childhood best friend turned R&B superstar, Legendary to come back into her life after years of ignoring her. Legend has gotten himself into some trouble and was placed under a conservatorship so he makes a deal with Dylan to grant her a place to stay for her Julliard audition if she helps him prove to his mother that he's still the same boy she used to know.

It was refreshing to read a story that felt like it was written for Black teens. While the Black girl was the only Black girl but it wasn't the gist of the entire story and time wasn't spent exploring her being the first or suffering through microaggressions on every page. When race was addressed it felt more for the Black girls who are growing up in very white environments vs trying to teach white readers something about race. Dylan is a transracial adoptee and the struggles with growing up with a family of a different race is so well done here. Her family loves her fiercely and she loves them but sometimes she feels out place when people stare at her when they're out together. Dylan wears colored contacts and extensions to fit in and she's struggling to feel pretty especially compared to the gorgeous Instagram models Legend surrounds himself with.

Dylan loves classical music. But her love of classical music isn't used to set her apart from the other girls. Instead she and Legend use their love of music to collaborate and create a very cool audition piece blending old styles with new. Readers follow along as they rekindle their friendship and discover new things about themselves. The romance in this book is slow- burn but well paced enough to keep you turning the pages. 

Set in Space TBR

Welcome Back, Booklovers! here's something about outer space that's intrigued me ever since I was a child. Growing up I was fascinated by promos for Space Camp, so many 90s and 00s videos being set in space, shows like Lloyd in Space, and of course the Zenon movies. After a visit to The Kennedy Space Center, space is on my mind more than ever. Sci-fi both fascinates and scares me with the sometimes complex language and explanations. So I'm trying to ease into space stories and work my way up rather than diving into confusion. I wanted to make a list of books set in space with Black characters that are on my TBR.

Disney Pixar Lightyear Izzy Hawthorne: Destiny Awaits

This middle grade novel is a sci-fi, space adventure following the events of the film from the unique perspective of one of Buzz's new friends.

Children of Stardust

Zero Adedji dreams of joining one of the Saba guilds―groups of intergalactic travelers who explore space, retrieve lost treasures, and hunt down criminals. Instead, he must scrape by as a guide to travelers stranded on his home planet of Anansi 12. Then he meets Wanderblatch, a strange creature with an even stranger object: a golden pyramid that houses a legendary Kobasticker called the Jupiter. When the Jupiter chooses Zero as its next host, he is recruited by a top Saba guild so he can harness his newfound powers.

But the stakes are rising, and Zero and his friends Camih and Ladi are tasked with recovering an artifact known as the Mask of the Shaman King, which can grant wishes at a terrible price. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt―Space Mafia head Rozan Leombre is desperate to use the Mask to break his family’s curse. The trio must use their wits, courage, and friendship to achieve their quest and protect the galaxy.

Blast Off (Abby in Orbit)

It's the first day of third grade, and Abby Baxter is determined not to make any mistakes. It’s a little trickier than it was last year, though, because Abby is starting school on the OASIS International Space Station, where her parents are scientists. Abby is so focused on getting used to microgravity, watching her little brother, Nico, and meeting her new classmates that she almost messes up Mami’s big experiment. Can she figure out how to make things right, or is she destined to be sent back to Earth?

Where It Rains in Color

Colonized by the descendants of Earth’s West African Dogon Tribe, the planet of Swazembi is a blazing, color-rich utopia and famous vacation center of the galaxy. No one is used to serious trouble in this idyllic, peace-loving world, least of all the Rare Indigo.

But Lileala’s perfect, pampered lifestyle is about to be shattered. The unthinkable happens and her glorious midnight skin becomes infected with a mysterious disease. Where her skin should glisten like diamonds mixed with coal, instead it scabs and scars. On top of that, she starts to hear voices in her head, and everything around her becomes confusing and frightening.

Lileala’s destiny, however, goes far beyond her beauty. While searching for a cure, she stumbles upon something much more valuable. A new power awakens inside her, and she realizes her whole life, and the galaxy with it, is about to change…

The Scourge Between Stars

As acting captain of the starship Calypso, Jacklyn Albright is responsible for keeping the last of humanity alive as they limp back to Earth from their forebears’ failed colony on a distant planet.

Faced with constant threats of starvation and destruction in the treacherous minefield of interstellar space, Jacklyn's crew has reached their breaking point. As unrest begins to spread throughout the ship’s Wards, a new threat emerges, picking off crew members in grim, bloody fashion.

Jacklyn and her team must hunt down the ship’s unknown intruder if they have any hope of making it back to their solar system alive.