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...

A Little Bit of Karma

A Little Bit of Karma. ReShona Tate Billingsley. 2020. Gallery Books. 288 pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.] Even with the suspense and “whodunit” plot, Reshonda Tate Billingsley stayed true to her redemptive characters. If you’ve read her previous works, you know she always takes the characters through an evolution – Jay and Dr. Shannon were no different. This was a stray from her usual writing style and n...

Warmth

Warmth. D. Rose. 2020. 64 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Workplace romances are always a bit messy. The way to get around that? Don’t make it a romance. That’s Tessa’s plan when she decides to finally act on her attraction to her colleague, Raj. They’re based in different cities, so it should be a no-brainer for them to hook up once to satisfy her curiosity. That’s rarely how things work out, though, an...

Honey + Sweeter Than Honey

Honey; Sweeter Than Honey. Maya Mahree. 2019/2020. B. Love Publications. [Soure: Kindle Unlimited.] This review actually covers both books in this series, Honey and its sequel, Sweeter Than Honey. I started reading the sequel, not realizing it was part of a series. Naturally, I had to go back to find book 1. I’ll start here by saying that I likely wouldn’t have known I was reading a sequel if not for my spidey senses because...

In His Corner

In His Corner. Alexandra Warren. 2017. 283 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] This book is actually a reread for me. I picked it up when it was released; I obviously was side-tracked before posting a review. I chose to revisit it this week when the author, Alexandra Warren, announced it would be leaving the Kindle Unlimited library. In His Corner features Bella Stevenson, a staff writer for the online magazine Fullest Disclosure. Her at...

The Reinvention of the Rose

The Reinvention of the Rose. Christina C. Jones. 2020. Warm Hues Creative. 200 pages. [Source: Personal copy] In Deuces Wild, The Garden fell, leaving its Roses and Thorns with newfound autonomy over their lives. Some integrated seamlessly into new lifestyles, while others had a stormier experience. Such is Tempest. She’s settled into what she has crafted as a quiet, anonymous, unassuming existence in The Heights. She’s slow...