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…

Love Scammed. Rilzy Adams. 2021. 141 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Blind dates are usually a recipe for disaster — you show up somewhere, hoping the other person doesn’t look like an ogre, isn’t a sociopath, and if you’re lucky, you’ll make a love connection. Imagine, then, planning for a tropical getaway with your best friend, only to show up to the airport and see the would-be blind date you’ve been dodging for months. This unexpected — and quite unwelcome — intro sets the tone for Love Scammed. Monae and Hudson are duped, but there really isn’t much else they can do but enjoy a free trip to Turks & Caicos on their friends’ dime to make up for the scamming. The trip, then, turns into an opportunity — albeit forced — for Monae to see if Hudson lives up to the hype she’s been fed for months. She’s definitely is reluctant to risk her heart again, but their time together gives her a glimpse of Hudson that has her rethinking her plan to swear off men for a bit. The characters themselves were likeable and relatable. Monae’s a workaholic who has had misfortunes in her love life. She’s cautious, almost…

At Dusk. AshleyNicole. 2020. 209 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] In her latest release, AshleyNicole features Harlan, a seasoned FBI investigator whose career was sparked by a personal tragedy when he was a teen. Now, he finds himself reliving the tragedy when the case is reopened with him as a key investigator. In the process of hunting down a serial killer, he meets Torrah, a woman whose family has also been impacted. The two have a rocky introduction; that they’d turn into romantic interests was definitely not a foregone conclusion, which makes their connection more interesting to follow. If there are two genres I read voraciously, they’re definitely romance and mystery/suspense. I’m at a point where I can usually suss out the culprit before it’s revealed in the story. While that was the case here, it wasn’t obvious. I enjoyed the author’s approach, which made the investigation feel much like a puzzle being put together. There were several pivots that were unexpected and an eventual revelation that was satisfying. This is absolutely a story that you have to pay attention to — the devil is in the details, literally. AshleyNicole has been on a release spree recently. Many of the previous…