Continuum. Danielle Allen. 2021. The Art of Being. 176 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] There’s nothing quite like a youthful, unrequited infatuation. Aisha spent a year tutoring Kwame in college stats, only to graduate without having the opportunity to express her true feelings for him. A chance encounter nearly two decades later, however, gives her a chance to finally act on desires she’d long put behind her. Continuum takes place over only a few days, but it packs a lot in. While Aisha and Kwame reacquaint themselves, they explore how life has impacted them along the way. Everything from career growth, death of loved ones, and failed relationships plays a part in who they’ve grown to be, and it’s compelling to see the two of them navigate trading in the old Aisha and Kwame for who they’ve matured into. No romance would be complete without drama, and Continuum has plenty. Aisha’s an attractive woman on the dating scene, and Kwame’s a catch in his own right. Others don’t necessarily see the two as a match and don’t shy away from making their opinions and intentions known. Things are further complicated by the reality that Aisha and Kwame live halfway across the…

Her Pleasure. Niobia Bryant. 2021. Dafina. 288 pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] In the past I’ve been of the opinion that there’s never too much of well crafted characters, the more of their journey, the better. Book 6 of the mistress series tested this theory. I loved reading about the next phase of Jamie and Graham’s story when I approached the characters as though they were new. However, the continuous references to the past frustrated me because most I simply couldn’t remember this many books later. I was excited that Jessa Bell didn’t have a role in this storyline, and I’m intrigued if Bryant will continue with exploring the minor characters independently. She definitely set this up to be possible with this ending. Overall, her books usually read like a movie in my head, but this one didn’t meet that expectation in some areas. It’d be too wordy or descriptive and I simply failed to conjure the image I believe she wanted. 4 stars but definitely my least favorite in the series to date.

The Unbroken Rose. Christina C. Jones. 2020. Warm Hues Creative. 166 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I’ve been waiting for Dacia’s story. She was introduced in Deuce’s Wild, and the sliver of her experience detailed in that book was shocking and sickening. The Unbroken Rose catches up with her while in the process of adjusting to life outside The Garden. She’s building her relationship with her sister Alicia, and figuring out what will come next for her. What she doesn’t expect is to run into the person she was closest to while she was inside The Garden, who also happens to be someone she might not want to get away from. Dacia is a somewhat complicated character. She’s sometimes perceived as sheltered by her familial connections but also broken by her experiences. While she is certainly healing from trauma, she’s also tougher and more in control than she gets credit for. To that end, some of the relationships she wants to foster are complicated by her need to gain independence and really define life on terms she can be at peace with. The introduction of Isaiah as a former Thorn and acquaintance of Dacia’s provides both sexual tension and conflict with…

All the Things I Meant to Tell You. Tiffany L. Warren. 2021. Dafina. 321 pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] It’s not often that a sequel is better than the original, but this is proof of how amazing it is when it happens. I read book #1 for this series of characters, and wasn’t impressed…in fact I downright didn’t care for Twila’s storyline. However, the sequel was done so well that not only did I find appreciation for her journey but I better understood some of her perspective and storyline for book #1. More independently structured, I felt like Ms. Warren flushed the characters out individually, making them better suited as a group as well. I was invested in each of their individual adventures and then intrigued on how they’d all impact one another. There’s so many more spin-offs (and room for a prequel) possible for these characters and their sidekicks, looking forward to how they will continue to grow. 5 stars.

F*ck Around and Find Out. Nicole Falls. 2021. 126 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Oh, this was a fun read. It’s a lil bit May-December, a lil bit friends-turned-lovers, and all sexy. In the second book of the Friends and Lovers series, Ebonée was dispatched to welcome her younger brother’s friend, Floyd, to the city while he was in town for a year-long stint as a visual artist. What she wasn’t expecting was for the youngin she remembered from nearly 20 years ago to have changed into a grown-ass man who has his sights set on her. Ebonée has nearly a decade on Floyd; she’s loved and lost, is trying to navigate coparenting with a lazy ex-husband, and generally has a lot on her plate. She doesn’t particularly look at Floyd as anything but her brother’s little friend, but he’s not so little anymore and she might f*ck around and find out what that really means. For his part, Floyd is grown, not as inexperienced as Ebonée imagines him to be, and is far more open-minded about their potential connection than she is. I appreciated the structure of the book, which told the story across seasons that document a year in…