Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I've been talking about reading Blood Slaves for months now. I often see people online say we have enough slave stories or don't recommend me any stories with slavery in them or back in the day the only Black books were slavery stories. But if we pause for a moment how many book titles can be name that we read that have been about slavery? I've spoken about it before but I too used to be one of those people who would see a mention of slavery and run in the opposite direction. Until I finally sat down and read some historical fiction and dealt with why. Blood Slaves takes that slave narrative and interjects some fantasy and horror answering the question, "What would the slaves do if they had the power to free themselves?" I received a copy for review from Kensington Books Publishing.

In 1710 Carolina the enslaved people are suffering on the Barrow plantation. Every day is like hell on earth with no end in sight. Though they try to steal moments of joy here and there, there's always someone waiting to snuff it out. After a failed escape, and brutal assaults on both him and his love Gertie, he finally reaches his breaking point. This is when he meets Rafazi, a survivor of the Ramanga tribe, an African vampire tribe. He convinces Willie to take back his power and together they build an army to rise against the plantation owner and his overseers.

Blood Slaves does not shy away from the true horrors of slavery which does make this a heavier read. The novel opens to every day life in slave village. There's gruesome violence against men, women, and children. The cinematic writing style helps paint a vivid image of the life of these people. While Willie is the main character readers also get outside povs from a variety of characters and seeing the male perspective contrasted against more than one woman's perspective allows for some interesting discussions. 

This book explores who gets to decide what is good and bad and how we make those decisions. Gertie for much of the book is against the idea of vampirism and taking revenge into their own hands believing it will make them the same as the monsters they're rising up against. She clings to the few happy moments she and Willie have had together having hope that one day their suffering will be over. While Irene is a mixed-race house slave that doesn't quite fit in anywhere, having the blood that makes her closer to the white people may elevate her over those in the field but there's horrors working in the house she must deal with. And when she and a few of the other women take vengeance into their own hands it is satisfying. 

Even-paced with a cinematic like writing style Blood Slaves will keep readers wanting more. The same way Sinners was more than a movie about vampires this is more than a book about vampires.

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. 

Babel by R F Kuang

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Babel is one of the most talked about books of the year and I was able to secure an arc from Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. It's not my usual type of story but literary stories often surprise me so I went in with an open mind. So keep reading if you're interested in how I felt about this book.

Babel truly could've been a great read but unfortunately R. F. Kuang spends almost 60% of the book following the same mundane formula to remind readers of the themes. She heavily relies on telling rather than showing and the plot suffers because of it.  

Was this book her dissertation? Because it certainly felt like that. Paragraphs upon paragraphs in every chapter are wasted on the most mundane parts of school life. I've never read a novel before that gave you the play by play of lectures. And it didn't even do so in a way that moved along the plot. To be honest it's hard to explain the plot because it never had a clear direction. 

These characters never felt like fleshed out characters and there were so many missed opportunities for this story to have impact through them. Robin Swift is taken away to England as a boy by a white man he discovers is his father, Professor Lovell. Robin soon becomes acustomed to the British way of life and begins studying classical languages before he eventually goes on to study at Oxford. Professor Lovell and Robin had an interesting dynamic however when she finally shifted her attention back to their relationship it was far too late. Robin meets a group of friends but rather than seeing their dynamic together the focus is more on what they're learning in classes and they never feel fleshed out beyond their one main trait. We're told they're becoming close as a group but never witnessing it despite enough page space.

Then there were the footnotes that made this story feel like a textbook. So many footnotes were essentially just so your aware this racist thing happened in history. Or a paragraph explaining who a historical figure was that was mentioned. Or a paragraph telling us that something a character doesn't know and will never find out.

She does hit two of my bookish pet peeves. The first one is using words that don't match the time period in a historical fiction is one of them. Several times when the story did manage to engage me I found myself being pulled out of the text because the dialogue sounded too modern or they used a word I definitely knew originated after 1828. For a book so heavily focused on language it's an unforgiveable offense. The second one is featuring non English language words and giving us the meaning     right after instead of having readers use their context clues to figure it out. The book literally would give out the textbook definition after mentioning a word. And if felt like unnecessary filler.  

This book did not need 500+ pages to tell us what we already known which is that the British Empire was/is racist, biracial people struggle finding where they fit into society with both their white and non white counterparts, racism plays a major role in academy, it's easy to become caught up in fitting into white society despite knowing it's racist because you just want a space to fit in. I get it. She really loves etymology and she really loves Oxford despite it's misgivings. But I needed her to actually explore the themes in a more interesting way.  If a book is going to have very little plot than the character work needs to be on point to give an emotional connection.

The fantasy aspect was mentioned but never really explored in a way that made this actually feel like a fantasy story. Somehow this book even manages to make secret societies and planning a revolution boring.

The audiobook at least makes the book more digestible and tolerable but great narration can't make up for it's misgivings. The actual focus on the story and plot came far too late for me to fully invest and feel satisfied by the outcome.

The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Bones of Ruin was another book that I went in knowing little about because the cover completely sold me. Also hearing it is a historical fantasy definitely peaked my interest because historical fantasies have been some of my favorite books lately. And while lengthy fantasy stories intimidate me this one has short chapters.

Iris has no memories and she's not really trying to discover the truth. She's working as a tightrope walker in a traveling circus to make a living. Her grace and agility help her through these dangerous stunts but she also has a secret. She cannot truly die. It's something she's kept hidden for 10 years now. One day while performing in the streets before a big show in London, she sees a man she recognizes but she's not sure where she knows him from. This causes her slip and fall to what should be her death. The crowd saw her neck snap! But instead she's able to wake up and walk away seemingly unharmed. 

After boss discovers her secret and attempts to exploit her to pay off her debts she escapes from the circus and tracks down the man who made her fall. The man Adam knows her past but insists he must discover the truth on her own little by little. But he also wants her to help him find his father before the rest of the secret committee he's involved in realizes that his father is still alive.

Her ability to allude death makes her a target for everyone. She was getting kidnapped every few chapters it seemed. And while Iris is safe from death, the people around her are not. So in her quest to discover her past she has to reckon with how her team is putting their lives at risk to help her.

The Fantastic Freaks are like mutants with special powers who all have a connection to an explosion at a fair in South Kensington. Most of these freaks are also anomalies because of their race and ethnicity compared to the people of London. This allowed the opportunity to introduce characters that hailed from far corners of the world. It's not the main focus but the book does still show some of the discrimination Iris receives as a Black woman during that time period without naming the slurs she's called on page.

The harem didn't work for me. Iris has three men in love with her and in this story it just felt unnecessary. I understood Jinn had a connection with her as her partner in the circus so there was an unrequited love story going on there. But Adam was just in love with the idea of her. And Max I'm not sure what drew him to love her at first sight at all. I didn't feel the chemistry was even there between them to warrant his pining. It teetered into not like other girls territory. Also I would've loved for this story to dive deeper into the men's backgrounds so I could have a better connection to them.

People who are very visual when they read fantasies and are able to picture the setting in their heads like a movie will really enjoy the atmosphere that's built up in this. 

It was engaging and I was invested in the mystery but it moves at such a slow and steady pace that it's very easy to put this book down and not feel the immediate urgency to pick it back up. At some points in part 2 I felt like the story was coasting along and then something big would happen and I was engaged again. Once more about Iris' past was revealed I needed to know the outcome. Part 3 was where it all came together for me. I was actually able to enjoy the team dynamic and the humor in some moments despite the seriousness of the events taking place. I was hooked and started racing towards the end.  If you want a fantasy set in a different world than the norm that you can slow read then check this one out.

A Blues Singer to Redeem Him by Elle Jackson

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! So this book has a lot of tropes I usually avoid in romance but still I was intrigued. The usual archetypes in historical romance just don't really appeal to me. And with IR historical I'm extra weary of them dancing around slavery and racism while I'm supposed to root for this woman of color fighting for a place in a society that doesn't accept her all for a man who historically wouldn't have accepted her and whose family would've been involved in the oppression of her people. I also steer clear of any type of mafia, gang, and cartel romance. But I decided to give Elle Jackson's Harlequin Historical a chance as the 20th century setting and the synopsis intrigued me. I read the synopsis and wondered how the hell the author planned to make this work without Lorenzo coming off as too much a white savior.  And after reading the early chapters wondered how a happy ending would come about in the midst of such violence. 

Evelyn is living in the hidden town of West Eden after being displaced from her home of Greenwood during the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. It's been a few years and to the general public it's as if the event never happened but she still bears physical and emotional scars from that horrific night. She's living with her grandmother in this thriving all Black town but needs a way to make some money to help with her healthcare expenses.

Lorenzo comes from a major crime family in Kansas City. Though he left the family business his father continues to try and pull him back in. But just because he left the mob doesn't mean he's completely legit. Lorenzo runs a popular 24 hr club called Blues Moon and an illegal distillery. And when Evelyn first walks into his club ready to audition for the role of his lead singer he's so smitten he's ready to give her the gig without even hearing her sing. 

After he rescues her from an assault by local KKK members, he sets her up with a swanky apartment above his club. Evelyn is navigating being on her own without the watchful eye of her grandmother and brother and experiencing her first real relationship. She and Lorenzo are attracted to each other but their families don't want them together. Evelyn knows she should not be feeling these feelings for a man who looks just like the men who took her family away from her. And Lorenzo is still grappling with losing an ex-girlfriend because of his violent family connections. Aside from that there's the looming threat of the KKK who are obsessed with them.

Despite the title this isn't the story of Lorenzo's redemption alone. Lorenzo and Evelyn have chemistry but where the book shines the most is in it's ability to approach a difficult history. This book does not shy away from the violence of the KKK and white rioters. The author specifically set out to tell an untold story of Black history despite how ugly the truth is. The prologue is set during the events of  the massacre when Evelyn and her family are packing to flee Greenwood. And my heart was pounding for them. I thought she did a great job unpacking Evelyn's trauma while still allowing her to have moments of levity, discover her sexuality, and become a confident and fearless woman.

There was just a tad too much, "I love you! But I must push you away because my life is so dangerous!" drama coming from Lorenzo. I understand he was trying to prove himself as the good one who is unlike his father. The mobster's son who refuses to kill and steers clear of violence as much as possible. But his emotions gave me whiplash and were a little exhausting towards the end. And then Evelyn just started acting stupid the further in love she fell. She of all people already knew how relentless the KKK are, yet she figured made some actions towards the end that just irritated me because she felt too smart for that. I hate when writers feel the need to dumb characters down to get them in the mix of conflict.

That being said this was still a solid read. This year marks 100 years since the Tulsa Massacre. There's something to be said about the way fictional stories like this can help people connect to the past in a way non fiction may deter them. Maybe someone will pick up this story and be inspired to discover more about the history behind it.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

 

Welcome Back, booklovers! This book was one of the releases I had my eye on all year so I was very happy to get a copy of the audiobook courtesy of Libro FM. If you're interested you can get it here. 

Libertie is written in a very lyrically style that immediately sucks you into the story. I loved her voice and thought the narrator did a great job capturing it. Despite it's Reconstruction era setting it's not very graphic in violence against Black people so if that usually deters you from picking up books set within that time period it's not a problem here.

This story starts with Libertie as a young girl living with her mother who is one of the few Black women physicians.  Her mother has big dreams of her following in her footsteps and teaches her from a young age to care for people. It was quite fascinating listening to the tales of her mother adding formally enslaved people within their community. One thing this book touched on was the ramifications slavery had on the mental state of those people. How they could be free but their mind is still enslaved. 

The discussions of colorism were also well done. Libertie's mother is a light skinned close to white woman and that afforded her the opportunity to move through spaces most Black people could not. It also caused the white women to be more trusting to her. When Libertie's mother opens a clinic originally for the freed people it slowly becomes a space for white women to seek care. Libertie and her mother end up at odds over this as the patients often recoil in her presence and her mother lets them treat her terribly instead of standing up for her. This complicated mother-daughter relationship takes place throughout the book with Libertie often vying for her mother's attentions in ways that don't just pertain to following in her footsteps.

Once she comes of age, Libertie is poised to attend medical school but while away realizes the dream isn't exactly for her.  Falling in love with a man named Emmanuel who is interning for her mother she decides to quickly marry. He sells her promises of a dream life in Haiti where they can create their own nation. This section touched upon the same anti-Haitianism that we still see present to this day. During this time Libertie must come to understand what it turly means to be a free woman.

This book was so addicting that at times I didn't want to stop listening. And it was surprisingly very easy to follow along while doing household tasks which is something I sometimes struggle with when it comes to audiobooks. I was cooking in the kitchen but fully engaged to this at the same time. This one is a very character driven story that is sure to keep you enthralled.

My Worst Books of 2020

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I wasn't going to do a worst books of 2020  but then the negative book reviews discourse came up on Twitter and I changed my mind. The thing about negative reviews is that me not liking a book doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Someone might see me rant about a book and then decide to go out and purchase it. 

Trouble the Saints was pitched as a bad ass Black Woman assassin story set in Old Harlem and I was so here for it. And then I got an advanced copy and almost DNFd because it was about some white passing woman(though is she really when everyone calls her octoroon all the time?) who gave up killing and is trying to forge a normal life with her British/Indian lover. If you're looking for something heavy on the fantasy elements this isn't what you want. If you want something that reflects on life and the hands that we're dealt than this may be for you. It was one of those books that was purposely written to be confusing and I hate those. You can check out my full review here.

Cinderella is Dead is one of those stories where the concept sounds interesting but the execution was not. And though there were twists sprinkled throughout they were told too easily to use instead of the characters discovering them on their own. It should've been a quick read I raced through but instead it lagged. Full review here.

A River of Royal Blood could've been an interesting African fantasy but it was giving me more European than North African like it advertised. And the pacing was horrible! I switched between reading it myself and audiobook and I couldn't tell you what happened the majority of time. And the narration was dull too. No enthusiasm whatsoever. You can check my full review here

The initial hype around So We Can Glow had me expecting something that clearly wasn't what the book was about so part of the disappointment is my own fault.  For one not everything in this anthology was a short story. Some were just a few sentences. Two I was expecting a powerful collection about Black women and instead one of the first stories is about a white one. 

I was intrigued by A Duke, the Lady and a Baby especially since it had a West Indian heroine but this historical romance failed to maintain my attention. I just couldn't get fully into the plot.

The Goddess Twins sounded interesting but the execution was messy.  I don't give indie published books free passes. Not every book is published by The Big 5 and at minimum I expect solid writing. This was clunky at best. It had a very dated feel and the British stuff was clearly unresearched. On top of that there was more exposition than action. Full review here. 

My Summer of Love and Misfortune was the worst book I read all year. Never has a main character irritated me like Iris Wang. She did nothing but whine and overspend while claiming her lazy ass deserved all the riches in the world. She took the SATs hung over without studying and thought she was getting into an ivy league college. Emotional development in the book was non existent. Full review here.

Festive Mayhem

Welcome Back Booklovers!

I'm back with a quickie review of an anthology I recently read. Anthologies are a good way to discover different authors. I usually don't go in with high expectations anymore though because I know especially if it's a mixture of authors that some stories will be hit and miss. And such was the case for Festive Mayhem where there were stories I enjoyed and stories I barely go through despite them being short. This collection is different because it includes mysteries by authors of color in a collection unlike one I've seen before. While these stories are set around the holidays most aren't heavily rooted in the holidays so if Thanksgiving and Christmas aren't your thing then you don't have to worry about being inundated with mentions. I'm not going to harp on the stories I didn't enjoy and instead focus on my favorite stories from this collection.

I had heard of most of these authors going into this collection so I had specific ones I was looking forward to reading. My favorite stories were The New Year's Hex by Carolyn Marie Wilkins, What Lies Inside by Kia Dennis, The Holiday Murder Mélange by Myra Jolivet, and These Holiday Blues by Jennifer J. Chow.  Two are cozy mysteries, one is chilling mystery, and one is cold mystery. 

Carolyn Marie Wilkins takes you back in time to the 1920s with her historical cozy about a psychic conjure woman.  Myra Jolivet's is set during Thanksgiving time with the heroine who runs a private detective agency striving to impress her Creole mother and cook the perfect dinner. Kia Dennis gives us a chilling tale about a professor whose obsession with love goes too far. And Jennifer J. Chow provides a very tragic tale about loss when a woman decides to reconnect with an ex.

All in all I think this is a good anthology to discover some new to you writers and maybe explore some types of mysteries you don't usually read. Since a few of these characters are featured in full length series I recommend checking out the other works of the authors whos stories you end up enjoying.

My Most Anticipated 2021 Reads

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Fall is in full swing and the holidays are just around the corner which means 2021 will be upon us soon. And I was just thinking about how they are so many books I'm interested in reading next year. Some of them I've been able to secure arcs of which means you'll definitely be seeing me talk about them here. And of course as always Black authors especially Black women are always at the forefront of my reading lists. The way books dates have been changing crazy due to the pandemic I won't post the release dates but all books at the time of posting are scheduled for a 2021 release. 

A Glimmer of Death

In the first of a thrilling new series, one woman's extraordinary psychic gift plunges her already-troubled present into chaos--and puts her future in someone's deadly sights...

Until now, Odessa Jones' inherited ability to read emotions and foretell danger has protected her. But second sight didn't warn her she would soon be a widow--and about to lose her home and the catering business she's worked so hard to build. The only things keeping Dessa going are her love for baking and her sometimes-mellow cat, Juniper. Unfortunately, putting her life back together means taking a gig at an all-kinds-of-shady real estate firm run by volatile owner Charlie Risko...

Until Charlie is brutally killed--and Dessa's bullied co-worker is arrested for murder. Dessa can't be sure who's guilty. But it doesn't take a psychic to discover that everyone from Charlie's much-abused staff to his long-suffering younger wife had multiple reasons to want him dead. And as Dessa follows a trail of lies through blackmail, dead-end clues, and corruption, she needs to see the truth fast--or a killer will bury her deep down with it.

Wild Women and the Blues: A Novel

1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper's daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he's right--if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he's expecting...

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It's a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it's a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it's too late. No matter the cost...

The Conductors (A Murder & Magic Novel)

As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Hetty Rhodes helped usher dozens of people north with her wits and magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, have settled in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. When they find one of their friends slain in an alley, Hetty and Benjy bury the body and set off to find answers. But the secrets and intricate lies of the elites of Black Philadelphia only serve to dredge up more questions. To solve this mystery, they will have to face ugly truths all around them, including the ones about each other.

A Master of Djinn: a novel

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world fifty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

Bacchanal 

Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It’s a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she’s a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she’s a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza’s ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.

Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she’s met her match in Eliza, who’s only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.

Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.

Sweethand

After a public meltdown over her breakup from her cheating musician boyfriend, Cherisse swore off guys in the music industry, and dating in general for a while, preferring to focus on growing her pastry chef business.

When Cherisse’s younger sister reveals she’s getting married in a few months, Cherisse hopes that will distract her mother enough to quit harassing her about finding a guy, settling down and having kids. But her mother’s matchmaking keeps intensifying.

Cherisse tries to humour her mother, hoping if she feigns interest in the eligible bachelors she keeps tossing her way, she’ll be off the hook, but things don’t quite go as planned. Turns out for the first time in ages, she and Keiran King, the most annoying man ever, are on the island at the same time. Avoiding him is impossible, especially when Keiran’s close friend is the one marrying her sister, and he’s the best man to her maid of honour.

Keiran doesn’t know what to make of Cherisse now. They’ve always butted heads. To him she’s always been a stuck-up brat who seeks attention, even while he secretly harbored a crush on her. Now with Cherisse’s sister marrying one of his good friends he can’t escape her as the wedding activities keep throwing them together.

When things turn heated after a rainy night of bedroom fun, they both have to figure out if they can survive the countdown to wedding day, without this turning into a recipe for disaster.

Where the Rhythm Takes You

Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at her family’s gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago, the Plumeria. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It’s been two years since Reyna’s mother passed away, two years since Aiden – her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything – left the island to pursue his music dreams. Reyna’s friends are all planning their futures and heading abroad. Even Daddy seems to want to move on, leaving her to try to keep the Plumeria running.

And that's when Aiden comes roaring back into her life – as a VIP guest at the resort.

Aiden is now one-third of DJ Bacchanal – the latest, hottest music group on the scene. While Reyna has stayed exactly where he left her, Aiden has returned to Tobago with his Grammy-nominated band and two gorgeous LA socialites. And he may (or may not be) dating one of them…

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, Where the Rhythm Takes You is a romantic, mesmerizing novel of first love and second chances.

Amari and the Night Brothers

Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.

So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.

Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

Witches Steeped in Gold

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.

Josephine Against the Sea

Eleven-year-old Josephine knows that no one is good enough for her daddy. That's why she makes a habit of scaring his new girlfriends away. She's desperate to make it onto her school's cricket team because she'll get to play her favorite sport AND use the cricket matches to distract Daddy from dating.

But when Coach Broomes announces that girls can't try out for the team, the frustrated Josephine cuts into a powerful silk cotton tree and accidentally summons a bigger problem into her life . . .

The next day, Daddy brings home a new catch, a beautiful woman named Mariss. And unlike the other girlfriends, this one doesn't scare easily. Josephine knows there's something fishy about Mariss but she never expected her to be a vengeful sea creature eager to take her place as her father's first love! Can Josephine convince her friends to help her and use her cricket skills to save Daddy from Mariss's clutches before it's too late?