The Replacements

The Replacements. Shae Sanders. 2022. 223 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] When Savannah finds out, quite unceremoniously, that her husband of more than a decade is cheating on her, she knows exactly how to respond. She immediately goes into planning mode so she can get a divorce and move on to a replacement.  Using the connections she’s honed as a CEO’s wife, she lands herself as assistant to another CEO, the ever-brusque and grumpy T...

No Comments Lena Read More

Love & War

Love and War. Shae Sanders. 2020. 56 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] This short-and-sweet novella is a blast from the not-so-recent past. Covid-19 just started to wreak havoc on the world, and that includes Jade’s home and work life. Her job is newly remote, her kids have switched to homeschool, and the cherry on top is that her estranged husband wants to move back in so he won’t have to quarantine away from their young sons.  Seeing ...

No Comments Lena Read More

Candidly Yours

Candidly Yours. Reese Ryan. 2020. Sinfully Sweet Publishing.174 pages. [Source: Personal Copy.] Layla St. John is the quintessential example of a woman who lives for others. She gave up her college experience to return home and care for her younger siblings when their father fell into grief after their mother’s untimely death.  The following 20 years have followed the same sacrificial pattern, with Layla frequently rescuing her younger thr...

No Comments Lena Read More

Her Exception

Her Exception. B. Love. 2023. 188 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Shalom and Mecca thought that at 18, they were ready to take on the world and its obstacles together. But when reality dropped into their laps, they ended up on separate paths, each nursing their own confusion and anger at losing the version of forever they’d imagined. Fifteen years later, they’re thrust together when Shalom’s specialized experience is key to Mecca winning...

No Comments Lena Read More

Before I Let Go

Before I Let Go. Kennedy Ryan. 2022. Forever. 400 pages. [Source: Public library.] Before I Let Go isn’t the first book I’ve read by Kennedy Ryan, but it is absolutely the one that’s solidified her among the authors whose releases I’ll run to. This story of a newly divorced couple finding a new normal is an emotive read that pulls back a curtain on grief and healing. Yasmen and Josiah Wade thought they’d be forever, ...

No Comments Lena Read More
0
You Are Ketchup
African American Interest , Autobiography , Education , Health & Wellness , Hip-Hop , Memoir , Music , Non-fiction , Public Library Love , Self-Help/Advice / March 2, 2023

You Are Ketchup: And Other Fly Music Industry Tales. Kokayi. 2022. Backbeat Books. 212 pages. [Source: Public library.] As a longtime DMV* resident and fan of countless musicians originating here, I’m not a stranger to seeing Kokayi’s name, well, everywhere. I wasn’t, however, familiar with the full scope of his career, and when the opportunity came to read his new release, You Are Ketchup, I jumped at the chance.  Y.A.K. is part...

0
The Two Lives of Sara
African American Interest , Fiction , Historical Fiction , Literary Fiction , Women's Fiction / March 1, 2023

The Two Lives of Sara. Catherine Adel West. 2022. Park Row. 320 pages. [Source: Public Library.] The Two Lives of Sara opens with the titular character musing about her new life. Having fled Chicago only months prior, she’s still adjusting to life in Memphis, not only as a newcomer in the community but as a new mother as well. Her son, Lebanon, is a responsibility she’ll take, but bringing herself to connect with and love hi...

0
We Over Me
Advance Reader Copy , African American Interest , New Releases , Non-fiction , Self-Help/Advice / February 27, 2023

We Over Me: The Counterintuitive Approach to Getting Everything You Want from Your Relationship. Devale & Khadeen Ellis. 2023. Rodale Books. 288 pages.  [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] To many in the IG/podcast/Youtube streets, Devale and Khadeen Ellis aren’t new faces; their popularity as a millennial couple has grown over the years as they’ve let the general public i...

0
Promise Boys
Advance Reader Copy , African American Interest , Coming of Age , Education , Fiction , New Releases , Suspense , Thriller , Upcoming Releases , Young Adult / February 2, 2023

Promise Boys. Nick Brooks. 2023. Henry Holt & Co. 279 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] The beloved principal of Urban Promise Prep is dead from a single gunshot to the head. Three suspects — his own students — are in custody. While police work to find a motive for who would murder a man working to save so many at risk boys, the three students are seeing the fu...

0
The Chemistry of Love
Contemporary Romance , Fiction , Kindle First , Kindle Unlimited Finds , Uncategorized / February 2, 2023

The Chemistry of Love. Sariah Wilson. 2023. Montlake. 347 pages. [Source: personal copy.] The Chemistry of Love was a no-brainer for me to check-out. I love a good fake relationship trope, and this one seemed especially messy.  Anna is a mousy cosmetic chemist who feels stuck in a role that doesn’t allow her to explore her innovative ideas for beauty products.  Instead, she’s stuck pining over one of her bosses, hoping heâ...