White Like Her. Gail Lukasik. 2017. Skyhorse Publishing. 316 pages. [Source: personal copy.] We all think we know who we are. We all believe what our parents tell us about our families. Sometimes what they don’t tell us is the real story. On its surface, White Like Her is one woman’s dogged journey* to learn about her family’s history. What sets it apart is that Gail Lukasik’s journey is predicated on sifting through the secrecy that shrouded much of her mother’s life, ultimately disrupting the narrative of Lukasik and her family’s whiteness.  You see, Alvera Frederic passed as white for most of her adult life, but spent her formative years in a black family. Born in New Orleans, she straddled the line of “blackness,” until she reinvented herself in Ohio, marrying a white man and starting a family, while leaving her own behind. Much of this book follows, step by step, Lukasik’s uncovering of her mother’s true racial identity, pieced together as a result of a census record and an appearance on PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow.  What I like most about this book is that it serves as a primer, of sorts, for those unfamiliar with key tools of the genealogy…

Coveted. Christina C. Jones. 2019. 107 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I am so pleased that Christina C. Jones is back with the second installment in the “Eternally Tethered” series, Coveted. With this book, she focuses on younger sister Ancelin and further explorers the ties between her and Nasir that were introduced in 2015’s Haunted. Ancelin is known as a bit of a wild child; her reputation for hedonism is well-known. She, like Khalida in Haunted, is loath to commit to one person for fear of getting hurt or making the wrong choice in partner. However, when a series of odd and forboding coincidences keep occurring in relation to Ancelin, she’s forced to accept Nasir as a bodyguard. As Aram’s right-hand man, Nasir is unquestionably loyal to Ancelin and will guard her life at all costs. The reasons run deeper for him, but Ancelin takes a while to get to a point of truly understanding his motivations. Along the way, though, the two have a deliciously tense chemistry that has Ancelin doing all she can to tempt Nasir. I enjoyed Coveted even more than Haunted, which I was a bit shocked to realize. I’m still not into paranormal, so these two…

My Sister, the Serial Killer. Oyinkan Braithwaite. 2018. Doubleday. 240 pages. [Source: public library.] Older siblings are often like surrogate parents to their younger brothers and sisters. They leverage their wisdom and experience to help the younger ones navigate life. Or get away with murder. In My Sister, the Serial Killer, Korede has the misfortune of being the only person her younger sister Ayoola calls when one of her boyfriends has the misfortune of encountering her late father’s prized knife. I suppose the third time is a charm, because that’s what turned her into the textbook serial killer. Korede, with her meticulous attention to detail, has proven herself a worthy accomplice, shielding Ayoola from the consequences of her actions. Ayoola is, by all accounts, the more beautiful and beguiling sister. I read her as flighty and self-centered, and prone to ignoring the perceptions about her behavior, especially as she “mourns” her missing boyfriend. Ayoola, for all her naivete, is also cunning. She uses her charisma to endear herself to people, but her ability to manipulate everyone around her to protect her demonstrates that she’s not the beautiful fool she seems. I found myself very early on not trusting her, straddling a very thin line…

Displacement. Alexandra Warren. 2019. 105 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] For her third installment in the Building 402 series, Alexandra Warren puts the spotlight on Nicole and Montgomery. The two were introduced in the previous installments of this series, and I’ve been wondering what their deal was for a while. I definitely enjoyed getting up close and personal with them in this book. Best friends since middle school, the two find themselves in uncharted territory as they grapple with a shift in their feelings toward each other. These feelings couldn’t come at a more precarious time for Nic. She’s reeling from an accidental apartment fire that turned nearly all of her belongings into ash. Now, she’s an extended visitor on her best friend’s sofa while she regroups. They already have an uncomfortable tension from them because Nic’s jealousy reared its head. Being under one another puts their friendship to the test, mainly because neither is comfortable in making the first step. I’m a sucker for a good “can they escape the friendzone” romance, and Displacement doesn’t disappoint. Nic and Monte have a playful rapport that you can see is rooted in years of having each others’ back. Their chemistry mostly made me wonder how they managed to front…

Wonder. Christina C. Jones. 2019. Warm Hues Creative. 283 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I’ve grown to look forward to the new book that comes on the heels of any Christina C. Jones announcement that she’s trying something out of her comfort zone. From experience, I know that book will test boundaries, explore new ideas, and make me check my assumptions about my own worldview. Wonder is no different. It is a post-apocalyptic reimagining of a classic fairy tale that felt so right that it stands on its own. Wonder focuses on Aly, a 25 year old living more than a century after modern-day climate change has reared its ugly head, leaving Earth a collapsed shell of itself. A talented hair stylist who works in the privileged Apex, Aly lives in the less affluent Mids. Her ability to straddle both worlds is based on a keen ability to navigate relationships, social class, and the dangerous streets of her home. With only her grandmother and sister, Nadiah, in her life, Aly lives her life nose to the grindstone, until her sister goes missing. The rest of the book follows Aly as she ventures outside her city limits to find out who took her sister and determine how to get her back. In…