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…

The Outside Child. Tiffany L. Warren. 2018. Dafina Books. 306 pages. [ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] The Outside Child follows the courtship and marriage of make-up artist Chenille and NFL star Brayden Carpenter. Chenille is “once bitten, twice shy” when it comes to dating, but Brayden is convinced nearly from the start that he’s destined to spend his life with her. Their relationships has normal ups and downs, but is rocked by trauma that would rattle the foundation of any relationship. I can say that I enjoyed The Outside Child as a book; it was filled with drama, usually as a result of their inability to find a compromise that allowed Brayden to pursue his career in a way that allowed Chenille the stability to do the same. But the title was a misnomer, if only because of how the plot actually played out. The driving tension that’s presented does not come into play until a point where most books would be leading to a resolution, not introducing a key conflict. As a result, the ending felt rushed and unrealistic given how things took place throughout the rest of the book. What I do commend is Warren’s ability to write…

Nothing to See Here. Kevin Wilson. 2019. Ecco. 254 pages. [Source: Public Library.] Nothing to See Here starts off innocuously enough. Lillian and Madison were roommates in boarding school — Lillian because of an academic scholarship and Madison because it’s what’s expected for a girl from a wealthy family. Their time as roommates is short-lived, but the friendship continues more than decade later. Lillian’s not doing much in her life, and Madison’s the wife of a prominent politician, Jasper. Things go left when Madison asks her dear old friend to serve as a governess of sorts for her stepchildren, Bessie and Roland. Did I mention they spontaneously combust? I read about 4 pages into this book before I asked myself “what the hell am I reading?” I asked that several more times throughout the book. That’s not a critique; it’s just illustrative that this book was never quite what I expected. I waited for sordid family secrets and cover-ups as one might expect from a politician who’s on the fast track to a federal appointment. Instead, I saw the fear of a family reckoning with what happens when things don’t fit expectations and how to make sense of it. Lillian…

Yellow Wife. Sadeqa Johnson. 2021. Simon & Schuster. 287 pages. [Source: Public Library.] Yellow Wife is nothing short of captivating, with its look into the life of Pheby Delores Brown, a young enslaved girl on the cusp of womanhood who has been told her entire life that she’d see more than the plantation. Instead of the freedom she’d been promised, she finds herself heartbroken, sold to one of the most infamous slave jails in Virginia, and then unwilling subject of the owner’s desire. As with any book with an antebellum setting, slavery is a central part of this story. The plot, however, steps beyond that by highlighting how the institution of slavery manifests in nearly every facet of life. The rape that a slave endured at the hands of her enslaver. The duality of Pheby’s father’s special treatment of her while she remained his property and under the thumb of his abusive wife. The colorism that granted Pheby access to affluence and an element of relative physical and economic safety. Despite Pheby being the central character, Johnson does a solid job of using peripheral characters to highlight these issues. I expected Pheby to be more of a “tragic mulatto” character….

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…