The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Romantic Agenda is a romance I received awhile back from Berkley. It's an romance with an ace main character which itself is pretty rare for traditional publishing and it got a lot of attention when it first released. 

Joy is in love with her best friend Malcolm. They've been friends for ten years and work together. She's been there by his side through every heartbreak and is waiting for the day Malcolm declares his love for her. When he invites her on a vacation she thinks he will finally do that until he introduces her to his latest girlfriend, Summer. Joy has a history of getting between him and his girlfriends who feel like she undermines their relationships. Summer in turn has invited her friend and former boyfriend Fox. During the weekend getaway Summer and Fox learn more about asexuality and observe the relationship between Joy and Malcolm. While Joy and Malcolm finally have the hard conversations they've been avoiding about their feelings for each other. 

The Romantic Agenda tries to craft a triangle or more a quad of sorts. While Claire Kann does a great job explaining the nuance and misconceptions surrounding asexuality the romance here falls short. So much of the book is dedicated to Joy and Malcolm communicating their feelings towards each other. That relationship juxtaposed against her new forming one with Fox just made the romance fall flat. It's hard to believe she's built a connection with someone new over the course of a few days. Especially since she keeps mentioning it takes her a long time to build up trust. Summer is a very bubbly almost childlike woman who really feels like the third wheel in a relationship between two people with communication issues and a codependent relationship. One of their favorite things to do is retell the story of how they met which gets repetitive. The book tries to tell two different stories and there's only room for one to thrive. She tried to do something different here while incorporating beloved tropes and though messy and entertaining at points when it comes to the romance it didn't quite hit the mark. 

Savvy Sheldon Feels Good As Hell by Taj McCoy

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Sometimes you preorder a book, are super excited to read it then it ends up on your shelf not being read for a few years. Such was the case with Savvy Sheldon Feels As Hell. But with the excitement surrounding the upcoming movie I decided to finally open my copy.

Savvanah "Savvy" Sheldon works a high-stress job and has a high-maintenance boyfriend. She also helps contribute to her grandmother's former home that her uncle currently lives in. While Savvy is trying to balance it all her boyfriend decides she's too fat for him and doesn't represent his perfect trophy wife. Her breaks up with her and it's the push she needs to finally make a change. She wants to show him much better off she is without him starting with achieving her revenge body by making some lifestyle changes. She starts taking tennis again, a sport she loved in her younger years. She cuts her hair off despite her mother's objections, gets a new wardrobe, and vows to eat healthier. 

While she's working on a new Savvy, her home is in need of some renovations and she discovers the cute guy she's seen around the neighborhood is actually a contractor. As Savvy starts to bond with Spencer she starts to see what a relationship looks like with a man who loves her "flaws" and all. Over time as she rebuilds her confidence she becomes less concerned with revenge bodies and getting back at her ex and more excepting of herself.

Savvy has a great set of girlfriends who are supportive and ready to kick someone's ass for her when necessary. Her love of food shines on page as she shares recipes and special meals with friends and family. It's one of many hobbies she spent less time on trying to achieve her career goals and decided to reembrace. 

Some of the more repetitive scenes could've been cut down like the play by plays of the fitness classes Savvy was taking. Initial scenes provided some comic relief but some scenes could've been condensed. The foodies will love that Savvy's love language is food and there's food mentions in here to rival a food magazine. 

At it's core this is a story about a woman's self-love journey with some romance splashed in. And it's a light read that will make for a breezy adaptation. 

Until I Met You by Amber Rose Gill

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Hope you're staying hot during this heatwave! I started reading from my vacation books TBR this month and Until I Met You has been sitting on my shelves for some time so after my own little Caribbean vacation it was the perfect time to pick up this vacation romance.

Until I Met You follows Samantha who is in Tobago performing bridesmaid's duties for her childhood best friend after a breakup. It's tough being the only single one in the group and after a rough first meeting she ends up hooking up with one of the groom's friends named Roman. Roman is living in Tobago helping his grandparents with their shop after leaving a lucrative career on Wall Street.

This was a cute read but it did take a little time for me to really get invested because at the start you're placed right into this situation and all these names are getting thrown at you and the breakup has already happened off page. Then after an initial clash Samantha and Roman get together quickly. But when they  found their groove they were very cute. However when I thought the book was hitting it's peak that's when the drama really amped up. So secrets were being spilled and people came to the island to shake things up and it made it hard to see how things were going to wrap up. Especially since Roman refuses to share anything about himself and Sam is basically pulling teeth to find out why he up and decided to move to Tobago with no clear plans. It got frustrating when she asked him for the umpteenth time and he was still trying to be vague. I think if the drama was spread out a little bit more instead of jammed packed into the last few days of the trip it would've flowed better.

The depictions of Tobago were pretty spot on. They went there as a vacation destination as do many people including people from Trinidad and they did the touristy things like visit the beaches and the Nylon Pool.

Samantha ultimate learns a lot about herself like the fact that she and her friends are growing up and growing apart and  they don't share as much with each other as they should. She's also learning to figure out what she wants to do in life. She starts a travel blog to document the trip but ultimately it ends up becoming a more personalized account of everything going on between her and her friends. 

The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read my first book by India Hill Brown last year but I always wanted to get back around to reading one of her MG books. And I decided The Girl in the Lake is a good one to start with because it's spooky but also a good length at a time when children are wanting and needing shorter books. So while I'm late to the party it's better late than never! Check out my thoughts below.

Celeste and her brother Owen have recently wrapped swimming lesson and Celeste is sure she failed hers. So imagine her uneasiness when her parents tell her they'll be sending her to spend some weeks with her grandparents who live by a lake. When they arrive alongside their cousins the first thing they notice is how the old house creeks and sometimes they hear noises coming from empty rooms.

Celeste's grandparents are strong believers in learning how to swim especially with the statistics surrounding Black people and swimming in this country and are determined to teach her. She ends up learning that her aunt whom she shares a resemblance with drowned when she was around her age. And they  

The strange noises continue and soon her brother and cousins are claiming Celeste is playing cruel pranks on them even though she swears she's not around when they're happening. The cousins are going to have to team up to rid themselves of the ghost that's haunting the house.

I will say this was less spooky than the cover implies especially when you uncover the truth nature of the ghost. So I'm not sure how middle grade readers looking for something truly horrific would react to this. But it is a great story about family and conquering your fears. It's well paced which made it very compulsively readable. And incorporating Celeste's family history made all the talk about the importance of swimming and historical events flow better.

The Last Minute First Lady by Tinia Montford

Welcome Back, Booklovers! It's February and love is in the air! It's also Black History Month here in the US. So I decided this month was a great month to get in some Black books that have been on my TBR for awhile. And I've wanted to read The Last Minute First for awhile now but with this being a new to me author I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy the book when I have a Kindle full of romance books. Then I noticed that Hoopla had it when it came up in my recommendations and that was all the push I needed.

Cassian Anders is the perfect candidate for Governor of Illinois. He's a lawyer who runs his own firm, he also helped fund a community outreach center he's very active with, and he has great ideas on how to improve things in Chicago. His only problem is that he 's single and people prefer their politicians to be married and have families of their own. Cassian has to win the election. Not only so he can help out the community but also to have his revenge on the man who hurt his family. Jolie is journalist that works for a local news station. She's been grinding for years and after a setback needs a big story that will warrant her a promotion. While she's scouting news and doing coverage on Cassian she records a video of him lying about having a fiancée. Rather than exposing him they come to an agreement where she'll marry him to benefit both of their careers.

I enjoyed Jolie and Cassian having to team up to help his campaign and the throughout work the author put into showcasing both of their careers. I felt that there was enough drama there that the additional drama with Jolie's family was unnecessary especially with the unsatisfactory resolution to it. That part to me felt like drama for a different book that wasn't fully fleshed out. At first I thought we would get a good commentary about mothers who are jealous of their daughters but the mother was almost cartoonishly evil and I felt Jolie's best friend was pushing her to forgive her brother when he didn't earn it. All the drama took away from the couple themselves as some of the more intimate moments between them happened off page and were relayed to readers later. Part of the fun of marriage of convivence is to see those little moments where they start to realize they're falling in love with each other.

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Monsters We Defy is a fantasy that came on my radar once I heard it was serving up Harlem Renaissance vibes. I really enjoy historical fantasy and the way they make the past fantastical while also showing readers the human side of these people we read about in history books.

In The Monsters We Defy we follow Clara, a young woman cursed with the ability to communicate with spirits. People often seek out the spirit's assistance in their every day lives and she acts as their go between helping broker the deals. The problem is when you accept help from a spirit there's always a twist to it that never works the way you want it to. 

Clara has the opportunity to break this curse upon here by stealing away an enchanted ring from Madame Josephine. However stealing the ring won't be easy and Clara puts together a band of people who need to be released from bad deals with enigmas to help her. At the same time young people are going missing in her neighborhood and she's trying to investigate the cause. Clara is told by The Empress that securing the ring will bring back those who are missing so that's additional motivation for pulling off this heist. 

DC provides a unique backdrop with personality of it's own while still giving the vibes expected from the art scene of that era. Even if I wasn't familiar with DC from a recent visit, Leslye Penelope paints a clear image of the city. While it is more of a slow burn type of fantasy there's enough here to keep readers engaged. The cast of characters are each entertaining in their own right. One of my favorites being Clara's feisty roommate Zelda. And I suggest reading through the author's note if you're interested in hearing about what parts of this story were inspired by real life people besides the celebrities you hear name dropped on page. So much attention to detail when into this story including the addition of Clara working at The Journal of Negro History. Fans of historical fantasy will enjoy this one but it's worth checking out if you're looking for a different kind of fantasy in general. 

Thankful for the Maverick by Rochelle Alers

Welcome Back, Booklovers. And Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Small town romance is good for any time of the year but especially when it starts to get cold in the fall. There's something about cranking up the heat, brewing a cup of tea, wrapping up in a blanket, and sitting down for a quick read.

Thankful for the Maverick is a part of the Montana Mavericks: Brothers & Broncos series which is an overarching series about people who live in small town Montana. Both main characters Brynn and Garrett have previously been mentioned in other books though they weren't featured heavily so you don't need to read the rest of the series to read this one.

Brynn Hawkins is apart of the famed Hawkins Sisters, a group of sister that have been garnering attention of the rodeo circuit. Garrett Abernathy runs his family's ranch and is content with his life in Bronco after his marriage fell apart once he and his wife moved to New York. While his wife was an aspiring socialite, he was a homebody. Garrett tries to convince himself he's too old for Brynn because she's 30 and he's in his early 40s. But really he's just reluctant to change and opening himself up to the possibility of love again. Meanwhile Brynn has messed with some rodeo dudes in the past and that has turned her off from love. Especially after she discovered her last ex was two timing her and had multiple baby mamas.

This is a sweet small town romance set around Thanksgiving time. There's just enough conflict to keep readers interested with a little bit of family mixed in.

Curses & Faith by Whitney Hill

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I finally decided to continue with the Otherside Heat series after raving so much about Secrets and Truth. I often recommend that one to people who are looking for a paranormal romance that feels nostalgic but modern at the same time and doesn't take itself too seriously.

In the second book in the series, Lya and Cade have been living in bliss in their cozy St. Augustine hideaway when Cade is approached by someone from his past and Callista is ready to collect on the debt Lya owes her. This has them venturing back to the triangle where they're up against a new set of enemies.

Curses & Faith expands on the lore introduced in the first book giving more insight to not only the world of elves and vampires but also introducing sirens. Callista has Lya on a dangerous hunt for a forbidden treasure. 

While I felt Secrets and Truth didn't take itself too seriously and allowed the romance to carry it rather than the plot I found Curses & Faith was more plot heavy. It felt more urban fantasy than paranormal romance with the romantic moments taking a backseat to Lya's task of finding the treasure. So while it gripped me in the first half I started loosing some interest in the second half even though it wasn't that long in reading length. There is still plenty of angst but sometimes it felt like we were being told about Lya and Cade's relationship rather than experiencing it.

Overall it's still a really solid story that does leave you curious about where book three will take them.

The Five-day Reunion by Mona Shroff

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I had seen this book around and then after watching an interview with the author on Aaron's Reading Room I decide to add it to my TBR and purchased a copy for my cousin too. So now I've finally getting around to reading it and it definitely won't be my last Mona Shroff book.

Nikhil returns home for his sister's wedding is surprised to see his ex wife, Anita at the pre-wedding festivities. His mother reveals she never told his grandfather the two divorced and due to his health condition and the stigma surrounding divorce in their community she convinces them to go along with her ruse. The ex-couple must spend the next five days keeping up the farce while old feelings resurface.

This was well-paced and balanced the right amount of romance while also touching on familial relationships and career goals. Nikhil and Anita are both very driven people and their lack of communication and support for one another within their careers helped break down their marriage. So it was nice to see it addressed. Nikhil felt pressure from his family being an author and he's trying to prove to them that he can be successful. Anita's career in law threatened him because it's the career path his family would've liked to see him on. 

Family has such a big role in this story but they don't overshadow our main characters but instead add more depth. Anita and Nikhil's sister also have to address their own relationship status as the two were close friends prior to the divorce. Nikhil and his mother both feel pressure to measure up to their siblings. While with Anita she lost both her parents and while she still has her brother she also wants to fill that void. And then there's side drama with a jealous ex of Nikhil's and his brother preparing for fatherhood.

Overall this is a great second chance romance with some genuinely funny moments and the backdrop of the wedding is perfection. 

An Offer From Mr. Wrong by Niobia Bryant

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read the previous book in the Cress Brother's series The Rebel Heir where we got our first wind of Lincoln. The Cress family drama gripped me the last time so I needed to know  how things would go down.

Lincoln is in New York to connect with the father and younger brothers he's recently learned about. One of the first things he does is track down the PI who blew his world apart to tell her off, but when his newfound family feels overwhelming he asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend.

The time jumps in this book kept breaking up the momentum for me. It felt like a lot of the drama was happening off page and then on page would be spoken about on page and then there would be a time jump of a few days then a few weeks then a few months. We don't get to see Bobbie and Lincoln spend but one scene together because we skip a few days and are told they've since become fast friends. And I feel like the scene in which we were told that should've been a scene used to show how they were becoming friends and letting their guards down. Not just declaring it had already happened so now we're going to fast-forward to the part where they're comfortable with each other.

As much as I enjoyed the steamy moments between Lincoln and Bobbie, I could've done with one less scene if it meant fleshing out some of the other aspects better. Lincoln keeps avoiding actually building a relationship with the family he's supposed to be in the states getting to know. It was also confusing that his last name was Cress and everyone in his hometown knew his famous father was his father but his father didn't actually know. We're to believe this family is full of very popular celebrity chefs yet somehow that was kept a secret.

Too many obstacles were thrown in during a short amount of time and the one that broke them up mostly played out off page and in between months passing so it was hard to find it believable. There were also too many tropes being used here from secret heir, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, surprise death, and secret illnesses. It was a lot to try and execute and the book ended up completely falling off for me at the end. 

Zo and the Forest of Secrets by Alake Pilgrim

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I can't even remember how I heard about this book. I know it was via Twitter where I follow quite a few Black British authors who write young adult and middle grade. Alake Pilgrim and I ended up connecting and she offered me a copy of her book which made me ecstatic! I had never read a Trinidadian set fantasy before. I have read and adored The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste which is inspired by Trinidadian folklore so it's nice to see more stories out there.

Zo is a young Trinidadian girl who has recently moved from Port of Spain to Samaan Bay with her mother, stepfather, and baby brother. She misses the big city and more importantly she misses when her parents were together. So she decides to run away as a part of a ploy to have her dad who is away on business return to the island to search for her. Her hope is that her parents reunite. But as Zo gets deeper into the forest she discovers things aren't as they appear. She meets a lost boy named Adri and they find themselves on the run from strange creatures.

This story reminded me a little bit of Hatchet mostly because of the surviving the forest alone aspect and having divorced parents. Though unlike in Hachet, Zo already has the survival skills she needs because of her Da. Using information she learned previously about the landscape, Zo alongside Adri attempts to find her way out of the forest. The forest is a character of itself, with vivid descriptions.

Alake Pilgrim's love language must be food like mine and all of it made my mouth water. While she touches on popular local dishes, she also teaches readers about the vegetation within the forest. And she has an important discussion on human impact on the forest with the looming enemies from "The Zoo" present throughout. 

This story also addresses the issue of blending families with ease. Zo has experience a lot of change that she's struggling to cope with but she starts to understand that her mother's happiness also matters. And she slowly comes to realize her stepfather does want what's best for her.

Zo and the Forest of Secrets uniquely blends science, fantasy, and Caribbean mythology for an action packed adventure tale that will have you anticipating book 2.

Two Rivals, One Bed by Zuri Day

Welcome Back, Booklovers! We've been getting some colder weather as we get down to the last days of winter. And there's just something about cozying up with a big blanket, warm cup of tea, and a romance book. Between the title and the cover I was ready for some light corporate rivalry.

Maeve Eddington is defending her family's corporation against a major lawsuit by one of their former clients who is accusing them of stealing funds from their accounts. She's surprised when she discovers their lawyer is her former Harvard classmate Victor Cortez. They had mutual friends but didn't exactly run in the same circles. The sexy Costa Rican is getting under Maeve's skin and she's finding it hard to resist fraternizing with the enemy. 

While it took a little bit of time to get to the snowed in and one bed part, Maeve and Victor had great chemistry. I loved the fun banter between them and that push/pull of it being wrong to get involved together. I also like my wealthy characters to feel wealthy and readers get that her. The Eddington's have a huge family estate with multiple properties on it in Chicago and they throw fancy dinners and events. But Victor is also wealthy and invites Maeve to his mansion in the mountains in Costa Rica. 

One of the nice things about these category romances is that the family is always usually present. Here Maeve's siblings making an appearance. While each of her siblings has their own book within this series I'm most intrigued by younger sister Reign.

Someone Had to Do It by Amber and Danielle Brown

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I've took a break from reading thrillers for awhile because I was feeling like they were all reading the same. It seemed like every Black thriller was a story about a Black person dealing with a secret society of racists plotting against them. So when HarperCollins offered me this one months ago it was refreshing to see one that was a little bit different.

Brandi is working at prestigious fashion house Simon Van Doren as a intern and is hoping to get an assistant position that includes the trip of a lifetime to accompany CEO and his team in Milan. Her boyfriend Nate used to go to school with the CEO's daughter Taylor and calls in a favor and get's them into one of his charity galas. At the party Brandi overhears Taylor and her friend's plotting to kill Simon Van Doren so she can inherit his fortune.

The authors Amber and Danielle Brown have both worked in fashion and you could tell from the scenes at the fashion house to the mentions of designer duds that they were knowledgeable. There was a period in the 2000s where NY Fashion set stories were very popular and we seem to be cycling back to that with a few upcoming titles. 

It took a little while for me to get into the story because there were way to many sex scenes. And I love a sex scene but these felt so unnecessary and didn't actually push the plot forward. I wouldn't cut all but maybe one of them and used that space to tighten up the mystery a little more and get to the action faster. Plus when they weren't having sex too many convos still turned sexual which was weird. 

While Brandi did annoy me with her naivety and stupid decisions I was still on the edge of my seat turning the pages to hope everything worked out for her. I thought it was ridiculous she caved to Taylor's 10k hush money bribe when that amount just barely covered her tuition with some money left over. Taylor was planning on coming into billions and she took such a small amount plus a couple of dresses and purses from Taylor's friends who she knew not to trust. And Nate was already offering to pay her tuition. And then she was shocked Taylor would actually follow through with the murder after paying her hush money. 

The plot was predictable and a little convenient. But it made for a quick read. Overall I do think Amber and Danielle have promise. If they were to write a sexy fashion set amateur sleuth mystery I would definitely read that. 

Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I wanted to squeeze in one more Christmas romance before December ended and Love in Winter Wonderland looked so cute because we rarely get Black YA romance set at Christmas. Two years ago when I decided to restart this blog I started by covering Love Secret Santa by SA Domingo(also known as Sareeta Domingo) which is also a UK YA. There's definitely a big gap that needs filling here so I was glad to see another entry.

Trey's family owns a bookshop called Wonderland. Sales have been down and his mother is strongly considering selling the shop. A disaster plan to earn money lands them further in debt with Trey scrambling for ideas to save the shop. Ariel is an artist who goes to his college and she needs a seasonal job to make some extra money for a special course. The two of them come up with ways to get the shop more attention and even catch the eye of celebrities like Rihanna. They start vibing but Trey has a longtime girlfriend Blair still in the picture.

Usually when I read books by Black British authors set in the UK the writing style is a little different and there's vernacular they use that I have to get used to. There were words sprinkled in here but it really felt no different than a US YA. Which was interesting because this was published strictly in the UK for a Black British audience. We didn't get any unique to their families or cultural traditions for Christmas. Which I would've liked to see. Most likely the characters have African or Caribbean roots but we never got a mention of that.

I did enjoy that each chapter started with a song from a playlist of Christmas songs by Black artists. And the setting was perfect with Christmas spirit in the air and plenty of mulled wine to go around.

The book starts off very cute and I enjoyed plot of them working together to save the book shop. Though this book was advertised as enemies to lovers they were never enemies or even rivals. They vaguely know each other from school and Trey is in his feeling about the shop and unnecessarily takes out his frustrations on Ariel. That's quickly cleared up!

I  thought that Trey and Ariel had nice chemistry and I would've liked to see them spend some more time together without his girlfriend being the elephant in the room. I could've done with Trey having a girlfriend for the first a few chapters or the first half at most but we were less than 100 pages until the end of the book when he finally broke up with Blair which broke up the momentum on the book.

His emotional cheating lessened the cuter moments in the book and cheapened when they eventually get together because as his parents told him he shouldn't be jumping from girl to girl. I feel like Bello tries to justify Trey's emotional cheating because his girlfriend is a bitch but that says more about him and why he was with her for so long. And he does things like forget his girlfriend's birthday, dance with other girl's at a party for her, and keep secrets from her.

At one point it felt like the drama was dragging out the ending even though there was so much going on with the bookshop, Ariel wanting to get into the art course, Trey getting over his fear of public singing, and Ariel dealing with the mean girls at school and her issues with her weight. More could've been focused on that versus the drama with Blair. Especially since Trey doesn't break up with her until she does something especially heinous.

Cute story overall I just found that the romance was overshadowed because Bello felt Trey needed a  girlfriend for drama and angst.

Never Cross a Highlander by Lisa Rayne

Welcome Back, Booklovers! While I'm not normally a historical romance reader when I saw a Black man on the cover I just couldn't resist. I've had this one on my tbr for over a year and I received an arc from Entangled Publishing.

Ailsa Connery is a freeborn biracial woman who was captured and enslaved at Sterling Castle. She's hoping to make her escape to reconnect with her clan during a tournament but her plans get thwarted when she's captured. Her capture is handsome highlander Kallum MacNeill who runs an Underground Railroad of sorts freeing enslaved people. While freeing servants in the palace he grabs her too so she doesn't ruin their plans for freedom. She decides to convince him to help her make her way back to her clan.

This is a slow burn romance and it did take a little time in the beginning for me to really get into the story. It felt like there was a lot of set up at first. It was also very wordy at some parts and lengthy for a romance. It did get better when I stuck with it. Kallum and Ailsa do have great chemistry that kept me engaged.

Ailsa did grate my nerves at times though. While I admired her independent spirit, her need to be a contrarian all the time also got them into trouble. Sometimes I needed her to just shut up and follow Kallum especially when it resulted in her life being in danger. I liked Kallum but I did want to know a little more about him. We did get some insight towards the end from his adopted family of sorts.

This isn't based off any real figures so Lisa Rayne images what life could've been like during that time for a Black highlander in an all white community. Fans of historical romance will appreciate all the familiar tropes sprinkled throughout. 

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!

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. 

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I've been enjoying cozy mystery series this fall and I was excited to continue the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Series. I am here for the mouthwatering food and the drama.

One of the things I like about this series is how it highlights how Caribbean culture is so interconnected through food. Whether the island speaks Spanish, English, or Kreyol they have so many staple vegetables that are the same throughout. Miriam being a food anthropologist is fascinated by the similar dishes and is quick to share the origins of some of them. Some recipes are included at the end but there are a few dishes I looked up to try and recreate as well.

I really enjoyed the girl squad she had surrounding herself that consisted of cousins, friends, and her sister-in-law. Especially now that's she's settled in since the move. Her son is in daycare, her relationship with Robert is stable again and her cooking series have really taken off. Her mother-in-law is still a pain especially when she puts her in charge of the woman's group gala. But she also has other family members around to keep her grounded. And I liked her Tia and the Santeria rituals as well as Miriam exploring other religions outside of Christianity. 

There were some parts where we got a little too much explanation on issues within the community such as colorism and anti-Blackness.

The mystery felt a little more complicated with so many power players involved. I definitely did not figure out everything. And I was a little scared for Miriam since the Russian mafia was entangled in this. She was moving extra reckless at some points. But this book did something different in that the inciting incident isn't out outright murder but an attempted murder.

While I would usually say you can read a cozy mystery series out of order this is one of the few times I insist you read book 1 first as it references events from that book including who the murderer was and their are parts that tie in.

Overall it was a good read. I cheered for Miriam standing her ground when it came to her awful mother-in-law, chastised her when she made stupid moves, but still rooted for the gala to go well.

Frizzy by Claribel Ortega and Rose Bousamra

Welcome Back, Booklovers! So Frizzy was put on my radar by Kiara Valdez over at First Second who edited this graphic novel.(In case you missed it I previously did an interview with her. Which you can check out here.)  I've been trying to read more graphic novels and comics because one of my favorite childhood series is a comic. And there's so many unique stories you can tell through this medium. So thanks to First Second/Macmillan for this finished copy.

Frizzy is the story of Marlene, a young Dominican girl with big curly hair. Her mother drags her to the salon every Sunday to "tame" her curls by blowing them out. But Marlene secrets hates the salon days and she hates how her family always compares her to her perfect cousin. She dreams of the day she can let her curls be free and forms and plan to copy a hairstyle from Youtube.

The artwork truly does the heavy lifting here. It immediately sets the tone. Having grown up in a very Catholic Caribbean household the pictures of Jesus on the walls in the house reminded me so much of my mother's house growing up. I especially got a laugh out of Judging Jesus.

A lot of us have gone through this experience. I remember my mother insisting my hair needed relaxers because I didn't know how to take care of it. It was supposed to make it easier to manage. I remember Dominicans girls from the cosmetology class offering to give me a blow out. The days I fried it with the flat iron only to try and make curls with the curling iron to give my flat lifeless curls some body. That cousin with the "good" hair who made you feel bad about yours.

I liked that the text pointed out that the anti-Blackness and push for straight hair as acceptable was something passed through generations. And I loved the full circle moment at the end which reminded me so much of my own natural hair journey. I only wish I had an auntie as cool as Tia Ruby to help me through the trial and error of finding products that work.

Interview with Author S.K. Ali

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I am back with another author interview! Today's interview is with the lovely S.K. Ali who's new book Love From Mecca to Medina releases October 18th, 2022.

What inspired you to start writing? And what is your favorite part of the process?

Falling in love with stories at an early age inspired me to try my hand at writing my own when I was in my tweens. My favorite part of the writing process is when all the pieces I envision for a story click into place. That’s when the craft of writing turns into the art of storytelling.   

In Love from Mecca to Medina we follow established characters Adam and Zayneb. Do you like getting to revisit characters and continue their love story? 

Yes, definitely! They are so distinct from each other that writing them allows me to feel like I’m writing two stories (which is something exciting for a writer who is always ready to move on to a fresh new project, even in the midst of finishing a book). And with Adam and Zayneb, I wanted to make sure that readers got closure on their love story. The first book, Love from A to Z, didn’t elaborate on this part and this was an opportunity for me to write the ever-after. 

Were you inspired by your own pilgrimage story?

Choosing to set this story in Mecca and Medina meant revisiting my own memories of visits to these cities, and the emotional experiences of my pilgrimages when I was young. It also meant researching, via YouTube and TikTok, what it’s like for young Muslims today to do the pilgrimage. And I found that the awe hasn’t changed. Like arriving in Mecca, and the feeling of first sighting the Kaaba, the site two billion of us around the globe turn toward when we pray, is mystical and feels otherworldly, and I tried my best to capture that through my words. 

Do you get nervous about the perception when writing a book so interconnected with your faith and culture?

It’s easy to feel self-conscious about this due to prevalent Islamophobia, which casts suspicion on someone writing positively about being Muslim, when the norm is to write the opposite. But I don’t succumb to this feeling because I recall reading so many books where faith, mainly the Christian one, was intrinsic to a character’s journey, whether it’s Little Women or Anne of Green Gables (and these stories are, to this day, adapted again and again for screen) and so many more, and no one bats an eyelash. And I love these books and others where characters got to be free with sharing their religious identities. Why should I get worried about perceptions when I’m doing the same thing these beloved authors did to be authentic to their characters? 

What genre do you love reading the most vs genre you love writing the most?

From when I was young, I’ve always loved reading (and watching!) mysteries and thrillers but I’ve yet to try to write one. I don’t know why it comes easier for me to write romance when I hardly read any. (I do watch rom-coms from time to time, though!)

Is there any type of author panel you’d love to be invited to speak on?

A panel on writing or other “authory” stuff! The sad truth is that marginalized authors rarely get to speak about the writing process or the craft of story building or anything else that communicates we’re professionals in this industry. We’re often asked to speak about our pain or identity issues or why we’re “grateful to be published”. And, to this I say, just let me be a plain ol’ author sometimes? And also believe that I didn’t “just” get published because of “diversity”? (I think I also know a thing or two about storytelling.)

What’s the best thing you’ve heard a reader say about any of your books?

This is a hard one to answer because I feel like they’re all the best things I’ve heard. I’m often moved to tears when I read notes from young people grateful to see themselves in stories. I cry because it’s such a simple act — to be witnessed to be human too — that they’re grateful for, and I wish there were more instances of such affirmations for all who feel othered. Yesterday, a high school sophomore shared with me that every time they need a bit of comfort in their day, they pick up Love from A to Z, and they immediately find it in the pages. Of course I teared up on hearing that. 

What advice would you give to upcoming writers?

Continuously learn the different writing processes of published authors (they’re captured in interviews all over the internet) and try different ones out; you’ll never know what works best for you until you try. And then, when you find a great one, don’t be afraid to try yet another one. Each will add to your repertoire of skills as a writer. 

Are there any upcoming writing projects you’re able to talk about?

I’m changing gears and working on a speculative fiction project next. That and an adult rom-com! 

You can follow S.K. Ali on Twitter @SajidahWrites, Instagram @skalibooks, Tik Tok @skalibooks.