All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M Morris

Welcome Back, Booklovers! To close out October I decided to read one more thriller. All Her Little Secrets is a debut novel and I wasn't sure what to expect going in. 

Ellice Littlejohn is working as a corporate attorney for Houghton and sleeping with her married white boss. One morning when she goes to meet him at his office early she discovers his dead body and flees the scene as if it never happened. In the wake of Michael's murder the company needs to clean up their image. The next day she is promoted to the executive board which seem to be a good will move as the company is getting backlash for their lack of Black employees with protestors outside their doors chanting. Though Ellice feels uncomfortable among the white boy's club that is the executive board she's earned this promotion.

Then she finds out that her little brother Sam was hired by someone in her company to trail another employee who is now missing and is somehow involved in the murder of her boss. She's also receiving threatening notes.

There are interstitials throughout that flashback to life in Chillicothe, Georgia. Ellice tries hard to keep memories of her old life forgotten.  That life consisted of growing up in a poor rural town with an alcoholic mother and an abusive pedophile for a step-father. Ellice has separated herself from the past so much that even friends don't know she has a brother. She has the woman who raised her living in a nearby assisted living. As she tries to keep her past hidden she discovers more secrets and then all eyes are on her as a suspect for murder. 

All Her Little Secrets did what When No One is Watching, Ace of Spades, and The Other Black Girl failed to do for me. Which is actually be thrilling. If I'm going to read about a character's trauma I want to be engaged in the story. This book isn't filled with pages upon pages of mundane activity. Though there are racist white characters in this story this book never tries to appeal to the white gaze. Ellice admonishes herself for knowing what she knows about how these people operate and repeatedly letting her guard down but she didn't constantly explain what Black people already know about how racists operate. This book also had a clear direction and a twist I didn't see coming that was big enough to surprise me without feeling too unbelievable. 

As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall

 Welcome Back, Booklovers! I feel like October has flown by and it's been such a hectic month. But despite the ups and downs I was still able to get some reading in. There are a lot of thriller releasing and As the Wicked Watch immediately caught my eye when I saw Tamron Hall's name attached. I received an advanced copy from William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

Jordan Manning is a crime reporter with a forensic science background and a criminal investigation certification. Originally from Texas she's been living in Chicago for the past few years. She's reporting on the case of a girl who was found brutally murdered but the police are trying to paint it as if he was a runaway. This case is really sticking with her. The deaths of Black people especially Black girls often go overlooked and unsolved. As Jordan interviews people close to the victim she starts to uncover details unknown to the police and feels the need to take investigating into her own hands. 

It was clear Tamron Hall drew from personal experience as a reporter from Texas who moved to Chicago and has covered criminal investigations. It's hard not to compare her real life to Jordan's. There was never that feeling of urgency to know what would happen next. Which I should since this is the first in a series. Jordan would often ramble about random memories or we'd get mundane details about thing like her attire. Readers also introduced too many new people, some of whom didn't need introduced here because they served no purpose.

There was also a romance in here but I wasn't invested in it and neither was Jordan most of the time. His big declaration of love and Jordan taking him for granted because he was getting in the way of her ambitions just didn't move me.

There were some great things this story touched upon like sexism in the workplace, feeling caught between both sides as a Black person in criminal investigation, how the community often fails Black girls by protecting the wrong people, etc. The problem was were were told these things over and over again even when it could've just been implied and understood. And these things are often told to us in Jordan's thoughts. Jordan also wasn't likeable and I think for a series the main character has to be likeable. She uses people to get a story at all costs and it was hard to believe she actually cared about them or even the victims beyond being able to solve the case.

The audiobook has a great narrator who made it easy to listen to despite the heavy topics being discussed. The story easily stands on it's own, I just can't say I connected with Jordan enough to follow her across a series. 

Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel Reyes

 Welcome Back, Booklovers! I was barely reading cozy mysteries for awhile and then Nicole from Who Picked This Book reignited my love for them. Sometime you just need a book that's warm and inviting and takes you away from the world's problems. But I also still like mystery so getting a mystery without all the gore and trauma is nice.

This cozy was very different from most of the ones I've read. We have a main character Miriam Quiñones-Smith, who isn't a single woman in her 20s. She's a married woman in her 30s with a young child. Miriam and her husband have recently moved to Florida from New York but not to where she grew up in Miami but her husband's small hometown. She's adjusting to the new area and larger living space while reconnecting with an old friend and trying to meet people in the community. While attending a luncheon one of her tablemates passes out and is later confirmed dead and Miriam's friend Alma is being questioned as a suspect. 

She's also Cuban and her culture is present throughout the book in a very believable way. She speaks English and Spanish and will often switch between languages mid conversation which felt very realistic. There were enough context clues that you understand what she's saying. She's also trying to teach her son to speak Spanish despite his dad being a non Spanish speaker. And she has to deal with her racist mother-in-law who feels the need to show up to her house uninvited and call her by middle name.  On top of that her husband is getting cozy with his ex girlfriend and it feels like they're drifting apart.

As a food anthropologist her focus is on Caribbean cooking and she's very knowledgeable about staples from Spanish and English speaking islands. Since South Florida has a very significant Haitian popular it was nice to see that included here as well as she mentions going to Haitian bakeries and markets. She's also given an opportunity to do a cooking segment on a well know Spanish language tv station.

Honestly I wasn't that invested in the mystery but I didn't even mind it because I was just enjoying all the other aspects of the story. I think a lot of mothers may be able to relate to her because her husband is the main supporter of the household and she's at home with her son balancing keeping house but also this unique tv opportunity she's been given.

For All Time by Shanna Miles

Welcome Back, Booklovers! October has been a busy month and time is flying by so quickly. I can't believe the month is almost over. I'm always checking for Black YA romance so For All Time was one that caught my eye from the cover reveal. Like with many of my reads I made this a blended read with the audiobook and a print copy.

The book opens with present day South Carolina where Tamar is dealing with a long term lung illness she has as a side affect of the Covid 19 pandemic. Gone are her plans to attend Spelman after high school. She's in a relationship with Fayard but doesn't want to officially be his girlfriend because she thinks the label comes with too many expectations. She's afraid of dying and having to leave him behind but Fay really loves her and is determined to stop her from boarding a plane to try an experimental procedure so he shows up at the airport with a promise ring and a whole band of people. 

From there we jump across a number of different timelines both past and present. In 1920s Philadelphia Tamar is dealing with a strict father who is intent on marrying her off against her will while Fayard doesn't want to grow up and hold down a steady job. In ancient Mali, Tamar is a slave to a woman Fayard is set to marry. In 2260 both are on a special mission on a lunar base. 

While the jumps in time were a little confusing at first I enjoyed how the story was set up for each time. And the chemistry between Fayard and Tamar never waned regardless of what time period they were in. Plus they actually felt like modern Black teens. It takes some time to set up but once we get the reveal about the nature of their existence the book moves along at a face fast.

The narration for the audiobook was so good. Joniece Abbott-Pratt was one of the narrators and she always nails it. She takes you through each time jump with ease.

What Happens in Miami by Nadine Gonzalez

Welcome Back, Booklovers! So I wanted to read a Latinx story before Latinx Heirtage Month ended and What Happens in Miami had been on my TBR for months. I was already familiar with Nadine Gonzalez and she sold me with the Afro-Cuban American hero and Haitian-American heroine. I never see that pairing in books. Plus the Miami setting promised it would bring the heat. And who knew the art world could be so sexy?

Angeline "Angel" Louis is filling in for a coworker by presenting artwork to a client on behalf of her employer, Gallery Six. It's the start of Art Basel Week in Miami and there's so much going on. Angel is able to secure the sale with famous actor  Alessandro "Sandro" Cardenas. However the painting isn't the only thing Sandro is interested in. He makes it clear that he wants her to spend the night. Despite Angel knowing how highly unprofessional it would be to sleep with a client, she decides to let loose and go all in. 

Though Angel makes a swift escape the next morning Sandro can't get her out of his mind. After meeting up later that evening at an event Sandro convinces her to spend some more time together. He's also curious about her employer and wants to know if she has any information on them. Fake paintings are being sold as works by his grandfather. He just has to gather enough evidence to prove it. This element of mystery not only added some drama but it allowed readers to meet Sandro's family and explore the relationships he has with them.

Angel is getting over a breakup and is at a place in her career where she feels lost and like she's failed. Her strict Haitian family wanted her to be a doctor or a lawyer and don't support her career in the arts. I liked that Sandro made her stop and think about what she wanted in life and not just give up and move back to her hometown.

This was very much escapism that requires you to suspend belief. I didn't understand why but the author choose to have this relationship take place over the course of a week which I found to be unnecessary. I enjoyed how supportive Sandro was and how he wanted to help her pursue her dreams but the way he acted I thought a couple of weeks had passed sooner than the book stated. Even with a happy for now it was a lot. It would've made more sense to have their initial meeting take place during Art Basel Week but have them getting to know each other over the next few weeks. A few rounds of sex doesn't cause such deep feelings. And speaking of sex the build up was so hot and then it went fade to black. Why must some authors tease me like that?

All in all this was a quick with little bits of Haitian and Cuban culture that I enjoyed set across a sexy Miami backdrop.