Indomitable Women Save the Day

Dukes in Danger

Always Be My Duchess (Taming of the Dukes #1) by Amalie Howard

historical romance

Forever, April 11, 2023

from chapter 3: "Woman's intelligence. The dread of the patriarchy and the scourge of the aristocracy. Provocative at best, deadly at worst."

The Duke Who Ravaged Me (Rebellious Brides #4) by Diana Quincy

historical romance

Loveswept, April 2018

Double trouble becomes a triple threat.

One Duke Down (Rogues to Lovers #2) by Anna Bennett

historical romance

St. Martin's, January 2023

A fisherwoman catches a whole lot more than she expected to find in her net.

A Scandalous Kind of Duke (Longhope Abbey #3) by Mia Vincy

historical romance

Inner Ballad Press, September 2022

Childhood friends-to-lovers situationship leads to crossroads, betrayals, fisticuffs, duels, and declarations.

Duke-adjacent Featured Characters

A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas

historical mystery

Berkley, March 2023

from chapter 27: Charlotte, too, very much enjoyed being alone. But she was fortunate: Those who loved her never saw her inclination toward solitude as something that needed to be overturned to make room for them.

This historical mystery exudes some clever Mission: Impossible vibes along with engaging tenderness and a playful buoyancy despite addressing serious themes handled with deft nuance. Plus, Charlotte and Ash interactions abound.*

*They are my primary reason for reading this most excellent series. The intrigue and all of the other notable elements are lovely perks.

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New Arrivals Giving BRBF Vibes + BAC Issues

Even as my friends and I enjoyed a fantastic community event yesterday in and around the Bowie Branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, there was envy in my heart for all of the attendees and participants at the Black Romance Book Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Reports of issues of crowding just made me happy for the event organizers' success while they posted apologies and corrective strategies for crowd control during the last day. In the meantime, the new arrivals shelves at the closest library in the neighboring county offered a variety of books by BRBF authors. "Where the Melanated Are Celebrated" indeed. [9 books, from left to right: Positive Obsession, Communion, Big Girl Blitz (atop a bookstack), The Started Ex, Fire Sword & Sea, Leave Your Mess at Home, Archangel's Eternity, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, First Sign of Danger] Currently reading Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Mo...

Legacies of Octavia Butler & June BAC Issues

It's so exciting to read about a trailblazer who was ethical, thoughtful, generous, and funny in addition to being diligent and multifaceted. [Positive Obsession atop a bookstack of 7 books - The Last Lady B spine showing, then 6 books showing page edges; Communion propped to the left of the bookstack] Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris non-fiction biography Amistad, 2025 Opening with a quote from Parable of the Sower, this biographer uses every word in the O.E.B. chronology, author's note, introduction, six chapters, epilogue, and acknowledgements to engage readers in an intimate personal study of this extraordinary, talented, driven woman who was vulnerable and complicated in her brilliant humanity. The author's access to the O.E.B. archives adds layers of emotional depth that enrich the context of the details of the author's personal life and creative and professional development. from the Author's Note:...

When What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funny

Need to laugh out loud? To feel inspired? To feel seen? To feel encouraged to pursue your heart's most ambitious desires despite overwhelming odds against succeeding? Read Zarna Garg's memoir, which offers an intimate, compelling coming of age, immigrant's journey, family saga, and keen observations about humans and life as experienced by a hilarious, intrepid individual. [front cover of "Zarna Garg, This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir" showing the Statue of Liberty holding the author in her arms with the New York City skyline in the lower half of the background] This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg non-fiction memoir Ballantine Books, April 2025 Universal themes of family love and family conflict, support and abandonment, grieving as a years' long process with lulls, parenting and being parented (or not), finding your people in friendship, romance, community presented and dissected with the author's sharp wit ...

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