Can’t Get Enough. Kennedy Ryan. 2025. Forever. 448 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an unbiased review, and I was dancing a whole jig at the “invite” to read it after missing the “read now”. I’d only been stalking the author and site for months. Since the beginning of the Skyland series, I’ve been saying “Ken...

The Soulmate Project. Reese Ryan. 2024. Forever. 304 pages. [Source: Public library.] I’m a sucker for a friends to lovers story, so The Soulmate Project was right up my alley. The book starts with a New Year’s Eve love confession by “girl next door” Emerie to her best friend Nicholas. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as planned and he doesn’t return her affections. Instead of ringing in the new year in a new relationship...

Church Girl. Naima Simone. 2024. Afterglow Books. 264 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] Admittedly, the cover of Church Girl drew me in, and the story held my interest. Aaliyah is a runaway bride who left her small Alabama hometown to get out from under the thumb of her bishop father. She convinces her cousin to take her back to Chicago, where she’s planning to reinvent herse...

Stuck Wit’ Chu. Olivia Shaw-Reel. 2020. 149 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Stuck Wit’ Chu is essentially a story about a broken marriage and a couple at a crossroads. Keith and Marlow have been married over a decade, are parents to three young children, and have somehow lost their way. They’re navigating the Covid-19 pandemic while facing their own crisis at home, and the book follows their attempt to figure otu whether to s...

Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known. George M. Johnson. 2024. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 127 pages. [Source: Public library.] The Harlem Renaissance was a remarkable period in American history, but was pivotal within Black America. The “New Negro Movement” launched the careers of countless scholars, photographers, musicians, and dancers and ushered in a rebirth of racial pride and solidarity, in addition to le...

God-Level Knowledge Darts

God-Level Knowledge Darts. Desus Nice & The Kid Mero. 2020. Random House. 210 pages. [Source: Personal copy & public library.] Anyone who is remotely familiar with the unique brand of comedy offered up by Desus and Mero won’t be shocked or disappointed by the knowledge darts they drop in their literary debut. The same irreverence they deliver on their podcast and late night show is presented in God-Level Knowledge Darts, c...

At Dusk

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 ...

Bounce Back

Bounce Back. Nicole Falls. 2020. 229 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I don’t know how I missed the release day for this book, but I was ready to read the fourth installment in the Nymphs & Trojans series. It follows closely on the heels of Alexandra Warren’s On the Rebound, in which Micaiah Kennedy is introduced as younger sister of Trojans’ Zeb Kennedy. More importantly, however, Micaiah is acknowledged as an i...

The Recovery

The Recovery. Nicole Falls. 2020. 197 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I’ve been waiting for Parker’s story for a while. She is easily the most elusive member of the trio of her, Geffri, and Blair. Between The Changeup and The Restart, it’s very clear that she has some major turmoil and the build-up of anticipation was real. As the third book in the New Beginnings series, The Recovery continues its pattern of followi...

Confessions in B Flat

Confessions in B Flat. Donna Hill. 2020. Sideways Books. 306 pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Confessions in B Flat was a particular treat for me. I am, admittedly, not a huge fan of historical fiction. But the lure of its description was too much for me to walk away. Two young Civil Rights activists from differing ideologies find themselves struggling to figure out if a relationship can withstand their polarized vie...