Inheritance. Katrina Jackson. 2018. 155 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I already knew I was in for a treat with Inheritance, because From Scratch set the bar high. Jackson’s series featuring a lazy southern town looking to inject some new energy into its population. The newest arrival is a librarian, Lorraine, who will be at the helm of a newly reconstructed library. At nearly thirty, Jonah is Sea Port’s prodigal son. After his father’s sudden death, he reluctantly returned to town to settle his father’s affairs; but instead of just handling business and returning to his life in Atlanta, Jonah decided to stay and take over the construction company his father intended to run with his son. Lorraine and Jonah have an immediate and potent sexual chemistry, with a side of exhibitionism (it’s actually ridiculous and humorous how little restraint they show). They fit right in with other newcomers to Sea Port, in that regard. I thought their emotional connections were interesting. Jonah was raised to deal with his emotions head on, while Lorraine clearly is still working through abandonment issues caused by her mother. Usually, you see the woman coaching a man to confront his emotional baggage and communicate better,…

From Scratch. Katrina Jackson. 2017. 160 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] What’s a frustrated academic to do when the tenure they’ve worked so tirelessly for is denied? Find a new recipe for success, obviously. In From Scratch, Mary Woods has landed herself in the middle of Sea Port. It’s small town living at its finest, and she’s the new baker in town. Aside from the pressure of launching a business, she’s also trying to find her place in a town where relationships and secrets run deep. Along the way, she meets the town’s new fire chief and police officer, Knox and Santos, respectively. Both are newcomers to town and are using the new setting as a reset on life just as much as she is. They’re also fine as hell, and clearly attracted to her. From Scratch is a mix of new and familiar to me. I love a good small-town, easy going romance. A little sexual angst and town drama is all it takes for me. But what is new for me was that the love triangle that one often reads about isn’t just with Mary at the center. She, Knox, and Santos are all enamored with each other, and…

f*ck and fall in love. Nicole Falls. 2019. 71 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Ugh! I loved everything about this novella, except that I’m not still reading about Jane and Nigel. Jane has the (un)fortunate task of serving as a local marketing rep to her parent company’s quarterly meeting. While there, she has the lucky fortune of meeting Nigel, a bouncer at a rooftop bar. Throwing most of her caution to the wind as a result of some highly impressive cocktails, they have a quick fling before she hops a plane home. But then she has to fly back to New York. Again, and again. This is a short and mostly sweet story about some out of town d*ck, essentially. But it’s cute, funny, and enticing all in one. I very intentionally did not read anything about the f*ck and fall in love before it, so I could avoid projecting my own expectations and assumptions on it. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was not disappointed. Frankly, with a title like f*ck and fall in love, I was sure I’d be treated to some sexy scenes. And while it definitely has the characteristics of a romance, it also offers…

Trust Issues. Danielle James. 2019. 266 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I’m in a lot of reading communities online, and Danielle James’ Trust Issues came up so much that I had to check it out. I’m happy to say that it lived up to the hype, and threw me for a few loops in the process. Trust Issues follows the love-hate friendship of Kyla Bradshaw and Maxwell Parker. He’s a financial whiz, and she’s a powerhouse attorney. They’re neighbors who love to fight just as much as they love to enjoy a night of movies and 90s TV show marathons. I have to be honest that as it became apparent that this book is inspired by a ’90s black sitcom, I started to get turned off. I’m not generally into fanfics, and I was worried that’s what Trust Issues would turn into. I kept on, and I’m glad I did. Although the book is inspired by a show, it stands on its own merit. The characters, while inspired by the show’s characters, have enough nuance to show that the inspiration is simply that. James took the basics and put her own spin on them to develop them all as unique and…

I Think I Might Need You. Christina C. Jones. 2019. 135 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] The Love sisters are back, and this time Joia is front and center, literally and figuratively. She’s a social media influencer whose focus on a fit and nutritious lifestyle has garnered her a significant following of folks invested in her knowledge and life. That increases when she gets a bombshell on a livestream that throws her life into a tailspin. Joia is living her best life, unencumbered by things that don’t serve her well; that includes dating. She’s done with men who aren’t capable of giving her the respect she deserves, and is working on building her own empire. The last thing she needs is her ex, Teddy — as fine as he may be — popping up trying to get that old thing back after 8 years. So while he tries to assert himself back into her life, she’s trying to figure out how to adjust to her new normal and all the uncertainty that comes with it. The story itself is messy, which makes it all the more entertaining. Joia has to grapple with a major life change that she’ll live out publicly….