Mixed Match by Mia Heintzelman

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Mixed Match is a book that's been on my TBR for well over a year. So I was determined to finish it in the month of August.  These are characters in their 30s and the cover was giving me rom-com teas. Plus reading more indie-published romance is a goal of mine. 

Sophia Kent is has moved to Portland from Las Vegas into the house she received in her divorce settlement. She's trying to make a fresh start. And a part of her is trying to prove to her mother and cousin that she can make it on her own. She's a a trained chef with dreams of opening her own restaurant. But right now she's stuck in a rut which consists of plenty of ice cream to go along with her moods and horror movie marathons. Cousin Julie insists she needs to find a new man to get under.

Everett Monroe own's a family real estate business. The Monroe family has had a long standing feud with the Harmon family. His grandmother was tricked out of signing over her home before she died and he's ready to get it back. He's surprised when he meets the woman now residing in his home. Between his instant attraction towards her and his urge to discover her intentions he decides to get close to her. And to get close to her he can't have her discover that he's the man who is trying to take away her home. 

It was a little clunky for me at first. Sophia and Everett meet when he's serving her papers at her new home. And they are immediately turned on by each other. Their lust for each other is very much in your face. This story is also dropped Hatfields and McCoys references multiple times and I had already figured out it was that type of story before so I didn't see the need to spell it out again and again. 

I liked reading about them spending time with each other while Sophia got familiarized with Portland like the farmer' market trip and hiking dates . And I liked how Sophia also built a friendship with Everett's sister, Zora. Everett has Zora and his friend Mike to support him and help him understand his growing feelings.

Now where this book shined was in the sex scenes. The first one especially is so hot. They're driving in a car and Sophia decides she's ready to risk it all. It's a race to get to an area they can pull over at before they crash because they can't keep their hands off each other. 

I'm very conflicted about this one because while I started to like Everett and Sophia together; their entire relationship is built on a lie. She doesn't even know his first and last name! But at the same time he loved his grandmother and was fighting to get back what was stolen from her. And he does try and support Sofia when he realizes she's not like the Harmons and help her find a retail space for her restaurant. I just couldn't get completely invested in them. I'll probably read the next book in the series because I really liked Zora.

A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

 

Welcome Back Booklovers,

I've read some really solid fantasy this year by Black authors that really immersed me into the world and made me feel. This was not one of those fantasies.This was one of the driest fantasies if not the driest fantasy I've read all year!

To start in the blurb this was described as inspired by North African culture? Where? No seriously, where? Because I barely saw West African influence and after reading books like A Song of Wraiths and Ruin this year which did a great job blending things from different worlds and showing the inspiration they took from North African culture this one just fell flat. I was expecting rich descriptions of food and festivals and traditions. This was just giving me generic fantasy world vibes throughout. Even the dancing scene early on just felt uninspired and wasn't giving me the tension and the chemistry I expected.

I wanted to care about these characters but I just didn't. The lead Evalina or Eva for short is destined to be queen but first she must fight her sister Isadore to the death per tradition. It sounds interesting doesn't it? We're subject to reminiscing many times about how things used to be better between Eva and her sister before they learned the truth about rival heirs. 

I felt like much of this story was full of info-dump and Eva's whining about not being able to control her magic and being compared to Queen Raina. I know teen princess and privileged means yes at times she's going to be whiny but I didn't find it very balanced. Nothing really stood out about Eva beyond her magick. She was just the good princess afraid of her magic because of the potential she had to ruin lives with it. She was so afraid of history repeating itself through her though she never actually studied the history to avoid those mistakes which is something pointed out to her. 

The most interesting thing was probably the different races that comprise this world which are humans, fey, bloodkin, and khimaer. Of the four only humans, bloodkin, and fey are allowed to live freely in the capital with each having their own sector.

I felt some slight colorism tones in the way they kept emphasizing how light the mother is and how light Isa and their beauty in comparison to Eva. And then the mother favors Isa who resembles her more looks and personality wise. On top of that I wanted more from the sister dynamics. Maybe it would've been better if this story was dual pov and we got to see why Isa treated her sister like trash earlier on.

I think the only reason I got through this instead of DNFing was because I listened to the audiobook alongside it even though the narration was dull.  The narrator was definitely not doing her best to sell this story. The big events just felt glossed over with little impact when I was expecting my world to be rocked. There seemed to be a lot of redundancy with the assassination attempts and then training and preparation for the name day ceremony. To be honest by the end I didn't give a damn about any of these characters. 

Why did she have more chemistry with her teacher Bacca than Aketo? And if you hate insta-love in these stories then watch out for the relationship between Eva and Aketo because one minute they were fighting the next they were in love. This was the worst shoe-horned romance I've come across in a long time. Where did they make the leap? Where was the build up? 

You might like this book if you are a fan of books about fae/fey. I'm actually surprised that Penguin Teen didn't market that aspect of this story more to that crowd. 

If you're looking for an African inspired fantasy that takes you on a magical journey I suggest reading my review of A Song of Wraiths and Ruins instead and pick up that book. Or read the newly released Raybearer. Both take you on a journey that keeps you enthralled.

Mirage Series by Somaiya Daud

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

I decided to make this one a double feature as I that cover for Court of Lions appealed to me so much I just had to request an arc. So I ended up buying a used copy to read the duology in it's entirety. A story set in space in a Morrocan inspired setting sure sounded appealing. I ended up mainly listening to the audiobook version because the narrator was so good. She really made the words flow with ease throughout this very poetic style of storytelling. 

Mirage starts with Amani celebrating her coming of age when she is kidnapped, attacked, forced to undergo facial reconstruction surgery, and forced to impersonate the half Vathek Princess Maram who is well hated by her conquered people. The cruel Princess Maram has Amani trained to take her place at certain events as she fears attacks. Maram and Amani are very much like mirror images of each other coming from opposite backgrounds and having different personalities.

Since Amani is nothing like the cruel Princess she is easily detected by Maram's fiance Idris. And soon the line starts to blur between the role Amani is being forced to play and her actual reality. She starts to sympathize with Maram who she realizes has been cut off from knowing one side of her culture and is just as much a casualty of the long going war as the rest of them. She also observes the controlling people around Maram like Nadine who are power hungry themselves. She also starts to fall for Idris who she describes as both tragic and beautiful. 

It wasn't heavy on the sci-fi elements but that didn't bother me. At times I did forget that it was set on different planets. The author does a great job incorporating Moroccan culture throughout painting vivid pictures of clothes, architect, and food.

I thought it was a very well written introduction to this series and made me excited to read the Court of Lions. And that cover certainly helped draw me in. So when the opportunity to receive an arc from Flatiron books presented itself I leaped.But thought Court of Lions picked up right where Mirage left off the two books were like day and night. And I do wonder if listening to the audiobook would make a difference though I found that Court of Lions didn't have as much poetic flow as Mirage.

A lot of time is spent building a counsel of loyal people around Maram as she prepares for the throne while on the honeymoon tour for her and Idris. Everyone is ready to overthrow the Vath and Amani truly belies Maram is the key  to a new type of kingdom. She has this blind faith in Maram that she'll make this amazing queen that I couldn't quite get behind. Maram disassociates herself from her people and hides in the tower letting Amani impersonate her every time she needs to show her face. And she came across as so much more insecure and weak here. Where was the fiery princess from the previous book? Amani to me is the true leader who is taking charge and handling business. She negotiates with the rebels and helps build a team of people loyal to Miram as opposed to her father Mathias. She just doesn't have the royal blood like Maram. 

There were a lot more characters in this story too however I can't say most of the new additions were particularly interesting enough for me to remember their names. At times it was hard to keep track of the every growing cast of characters alongside the names of new planets and cities.

If you're a fan of the romance between Idris and Amani you will be enjoy those parts as it continues in this story as they are forced into each other's proximity during the honeymoon tour.  And they don't always see eye to eye when it comes to politics which creates some tension. Maram's love interest Aghraas just didn't capture my attention as I just didn't see the intense chemistry between them and the woman was so vague it was hard to see her as anything more than a device to further humanize Maram. 

Overall I'm rating this series a 3.5 for a strong start and an interesting premise that could've just delved in a little further for a truly enchanting fantasy. 

  

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A Brown

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

In case you missed it I've been participating all month in the SeaMaydenathon. I actually dipped into my backlist TBR and read books from it despite my mountainous list of arcs and new releases. May has been a busy month for reading with all these new books being released in June. It's actually a bit of a blessing a because my June arcs were piling up! And with release dates on the same day. Luckily June is a romance book heavy month.

If you missed my interview with Author Roseanne A Brown then you need to click the link and get familiar. 

Finally finished ASOWAR. It usually takes me a little bit of time to get into fantasy while the world is initially being set up. This was no exception but after all the pieces were in place I was fully enthralled and ended up staying up into after 5 am to finish reading. I just couldn't break my reading streak and put it down! 

This is a duology written in dual pov. We follow Malik who is a refugee from Eshra and Karina, the Crown Princess of Ziran. Malik has traveled from from his homeland with his two sisters in search of a better life. But unfortunately upon arrival into the city they run into trouble and Malik's little sister Nadia ends up being kidnapped. And he strikes a deal for his sister's safe return. In order to ensure his sister's safety he must kill Karina! 

Karina is the Crown princess who everyone sees as a failure and an heir unfit to rule. She herself doesn't feel fit to rule and dreams of running far away from her kingdom. But when an ambush leads to her mother's assassination Karina must step up as sultana. But how can someone so unfit for the position lead her people? She can't even command her own court. No, Karina can't possible lead  so when she discovers a ritual to bring the dead back to life she sees an opportunity to revive her mother. The only problem is she only has until the end of the Solstasia festivals and she needs to heart of a king to complete the ritual. 

Fortunately for both Karina and Malik an annual competition provides opportunity for them both. Malik finds his opening to get close enough to the princess and Karina has the opportunity to find herself a husband.

The city of Ziran has a blend of many different sets of people and I loved the little traditions and customs described though out whether it came to the simple things like Karina's meal with Afua's family or the seductive dance between Malik and Katrina. Solstasia also has it's own unique festival traditions and there are live events and challenged throughout that are described vividly. I really felt the mixed of North and West African culture throughout the text.

Malik is no fierce warrior. He's a soft kind-hearted soul and the idea of competition rattles his nerves. But he holds some powerful magic inside of him that he can use to his advantage.

Karina has experienced a lot of loss and hides her sadness behind biting remarks and jokes. She is also very sheltered from the world after an accident claimed the lives of her father and sister.

I thought this novel found the right balance between character writing and giving us information to set up the duology while also giving enough action to stay intrigued. But it didn't rely on cheap tricks like excessive violence and instead had well thought out twists and turns. And while there is romance I thought it was well done. Sometimes in YA romance can overshadow the plot and even building of each character. That doesn't happen here. 

This debut will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you wishing for book 2 immediately. 

A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole

Hello, book lovers!

February is officially over and I feel really good about the progress I made with my reading that month. Despite my list of arcs getting a little bit out of control I was able to get a decent amount of reading done. I read 8.5 books during February and I believe March will be another great reading month.

So I discussed in a recent post how I'm terrible at audiobooks. Well I finally listened to one where I didn't catch myself zoning in and out. I've been wanting to read A Princess in Theory since 2018 and this Audible free trial was the perfect opportunity.

I must admit I was a little nervous because it involves a fictional African prince. Sometimes portrayals of African from non African people can come across a little cringe and mocking. And I'm so worn over Wakanda. The narrator does put on her Africanish voice for the characters from Thesolo at one point did pronounce jollof incorrectly which made me side eye. And an African review did describe this as an African cultural soup that borrowed elements from different cultures. The Prince in this story is from the fictional kingdom of Thesolo (an anagram of Lesotho). Don't go into this book with expectations of an African romance because you will be greatly disappointed. Instead go into this expecting a Black woman in STEM to find her fairytale love story. 

I had some reservations about the relationship starting on a lie. Prince Thabiso poses as a server named Jamal hired to work at the restaurant where Naledi works after paying the young man off. He proceeds to stay in the apartment across the hall across from her after he paid for a getaway to Puerto Rico for her elderly neighbor. He was a little stalkerish at the beginning of the romance and I wondered how that would be turned around. 

I love how Naledi's life as a foster kid was addressed. Because I feel like we constantly hear about adoption being a choice but choose to ignore the innocent children who suffer in the system. Naledi lost her parents in a bad accident and since then has not felt like she had a permanent family. She never found that loving family to adopt her. Part of this story is her getting over her fear of being abandoned. 

This was a modern day Cinderella story with complete with the mice but without the mean stepmother and stepsisters. It was nice to get caught up in the fairytale for a few days.

Daughters of Nri by Reni K Amayo

I finally got around to reading this story even though it's been sitting on my Kindle since the release date back in October. I just couldn't resist picking up this story after seeing such a striking cover. I decided to do something different for once an added Whispersync to my copy so I could switch between listening to the audiobook and reading the words on my Kindle app. The actress, Weruche Opia who narrators the audiobook has a great voice which makes for a smooth listening experience.

The story is set in ancient Nigeria and switches back and forth between Naala and Sinai, twins separated at birth who are unaware of each other's existence. Twins were banned in their kingdom after an Oracle informed the great ruler of the kingdom, The Eze that twins would be born and bring an end to his reign. To save them from death the girls were split and raised in different parts of the kingdom. Naala grew up in a quiet village with her grandmother while Sinai grew up in a palace in the city of Nri believing she was illegitimate royalty. 

Like many YA fantasies there was a lot of backstory and set up since this is the first in the series. It almost felt like two different stories at times as it alternated between Naala and Sinai on their paths of discovery. After her village is left in shambles by an attack she tried to help prevent Naala barely escapes with her life and ends up joining a group of survivors from different villages in a rebellion against the Eze. Sinai survives a deadly fall and is brought to the palace chef who helps her recover and she begins to learn the truth about who she is.

I must admit I wanted a little bit more action. I kept waiting for a climax that never came. The Eze also wasn't a strong or entertaining villain. He was just your standard big bad who believes his way is the right way. He even had a lengthy monologue that just felt like a typical villain speech.

 And the story while beautifully written and having done a great job incorporating Igbo language just didn't really hook me until the second half. I was more invested in the second half when they were putting their plan to overthrow the Eze and avenge their people into action. The magic also needed to be expanded on because the magic system wasn't very clear and the use of magic was a little too convenient.  Overall this story really felt like a set up for book 2. You get the backstory of the characters that will play a significant part in the series.

Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud

Since Meghan and Harry continue to have the world buzzing, I'm revisiting this 2019 YA release which drew much inspiration from that couple and the royal watching craze.  So here's my in depth book review of Truly Madly Royally.

Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud is one of those books you pick up when you're looking for a cute romance you can read it one weekend. I'm sure we've all read books or seen movies where an ordinary girl has the chance of becoming a princess. I remember as a young teen reading the Royally Jacked series by Nikki Burnham and The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot and enjoying them.  But despite the premise being a complete fantasy I could never picture myself in one of those stories.  What is it about European royalty that continues to intrigue us?

Last year when I heard a book was being released just in time for summer reading with a black girl lead the inner teen in me squealed. Even better it was by a writer I was familiar with from my days as a young reader as Debbie Rigaud wrote one of the Simon Romantic comedies(loved them) Perfect Shot and the story Double Act for the Kimani Tru anthology Hallway Diaries.

First I want to discuss that cover. I feel like the girl on the cover looks more racially ambiguous so you can't tell the lead is a black girl right off the bat. She looks like she is biracial and has looks similar to Duchess Meghan. Now we know from watching Meghan's journey for the past few years that racists seethe at a woman with black ancestry finding love with white prince. But at the same time she's also more palatable to some white people because of her lighter complexion and whiter features. The girl on the cover does not look like the girl described in the story and I'd love to see a cover redesign with in unambiguously black girl on the cover because black girls do need to see that representation. I bought a copy of this book for my niece so she could see herself in the story but it would've also been nice if she could see herself in the cover.

This book was very much inspired by the relationship between Meghan and Harry including the inclusion of the royal coupling of the prince's older brother and a biracial woman that felt very Duchess Meghan and Viscountess Emma inspired.  Zora's mom is a royal watcher who has been keeping up with all the news involving that royal family. It's acknowledged in the story that a lot of black women weren't paying attention to the royally family until someone with black ancestry was included.




Zora is an honors student who was accepted into an elite summer program at a prestigious university. In between taking summer classes she's also very active in her community. In her neighborhood she started an after school program for children which also runs a summer program and includes volunteers who walk the young children home from school. And she is learning about grant writing so she can secure grants to keep the program growing. A chance encounter where their cell phones end up being switched puts Zora into Prince Owen of Landerel's orbit.

The strength of this story is Zora as a character. It's easy to relate to her as she navigates feeling out of place between all the privileged kids at the university while she takes the train back and forth each day. I loved how much her community was behind her. We get to see Zora interact with her family and best friend and the positive interactions are very refreshing. It was nice to read a story featuring a black family that is not dysfunctional. And parents are so often MIA in YA while Zora's were very much present while her new friendship with Owen had the paparazzi stalking her street.  It was especially not to not have a narrative not centered around racism. The conflicts in the story are very real without being overly melodramatic or drawn out.

Owen on the other hand is a little generic. He starts off intriguing but everything about him is very surface level and feels almost too perfect. Owen is a sweetheart who plans cute dates and treats Zora well. What you see is what you get with him and I would've liked to see his family dynamic explored a little more. He really doesn't start getting interesting until a little too late towards the end.

The story felt a little rushed towards the end and I would've liked to see more time dedicated to the royal wedding Zora attended. The Queen was throwing her some animosity that needed to be explored more. I would've liked to see more of Zora in Owen's royal world vs just him in her normal one but instead it felt like the story came to an abrupt halt. The romance is sweet and I recommend this book for younger teens. I think Zora is a great character for girl's to be inspired by.