Skip to main content

Crossroads, Choices & Consequences

Halloween is over but in these three compelling reads each featured character is haunted by their pasts. 

[3 books arranged showing their front covers, from left to right: King of Ashes, Revolve, Good Spirits] 

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 
contemporary mystery suspense thriller with romantic elements 
Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar, June 2025 

Some legacies are deadly and finding answers to questions that have lingered for years makes it almost impossible for Roman and his sister Neveah to save themselves, their surviving family members and the business they've sacrificed to build. Threats abound in this turbulent, layered, genre mashup that mesmerizes with shock and awe as it entertains and illuminates. 

This author offers characters and dilemmas with gorgeous language and brutal reality that deliver on all the book world hype. So good. 


Revolve (Off the Ice #3) by Bal Khabra 
contemporary new adult romance 
Berkeley, October 2025 

Competitive couples figure skating is more than hard enough under the very best circumstances, but mounting a comeback while searching for a new partner after the whole world witnessed her almost deadly traumatic injury that keeps getting replayed online might break Sierra's resolve. Enter suspended hockey player and former couples skater Dylan Donovan, with a partying f-boy reputation. What could go wrong? Just about everything, except maybe so many wrongs turn into exactly the right combination for healing and success. 

Messy family dynamics, college antics, sexy times, and tenderness along with laughs. 


Good Spirits (Ghosted #1) by B.K. Borison 
contemporary speculative fiction with romance 
Avon, October 2025  

Harriet and Nolan collide at the intersection of disbelief and boredom in this clever modern spin on A Christmas Carol that includes funny nods to other riffs on the original holiday classic tale. It's heavy on variations on themes of alienation and grief. Strong integrated world-building, lots of combative verbal foreplay along with charming secondary characters and hints toward setup for book two make this an engaging detour from this author's previous compelling works. Expecting even more mystical satisfaction from book two in this Ghosted series. 


Relatively modest BAC Issues this week (Book Acquisition Compulsion)

[bookstack of 5 books, from top to bottom: The Gist of Bid Whist, Slow Burn Summer, Save the Date; those 3 stacked with their spines outward atop 2 books showing only their bottom edges] 

Simply seeing books and being near them adds joy to my existence. So holding them in my hands, opening them and reading them generates ecstasy. Is it the echo of the spirits of my ancestors who were enslaved and forbidden by law from learning to read or write rejoicing that their descendants are reaping the benefits from their endurance and faith? Maybe. But I most definitely read and savor every word of every book borrowed or purchased in gratitude for their stamina. 

Always wishing you good health, peace of mind & some pleasure every day! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen Delivers All the Feels

Black love. Black joy. Black drama. Humanity in its vast melanin array.   [front cover of a paperback ARC for The Best Man: Unfinished Business; silhouette of three adults] The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen  adult contemporary fiction with romantic elements  Storehouse Voices, July 2025   First, dedicated fans of The Best Man franchise and its beloved characters need not fear how they’re treated in this first of three novels. In fact. One thread of Harper’s storyline seems to reflect the real-life author/screenwriter/director’s battle to protect and maintain the integrity of The Best Man universe. Mission accomplished.  Second, once readers - fans or not - start this novel they won’t want to stop. The compulsion to re/watch The Best Man movies and limited series and maybe even to reread this book while anticipating the release of book two in 2026 will prove difficult to resist.  Who are you?  Who are your people?...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Million Lives Book Festival - An Unfortunate Exception, Not the Event Rule

[2 decorative stickers on lined writing paper from left to right: a round smiley face arranged upside down to look like a frown and a round smiley face arranged right sight up] By now most bookish folk and others have heard about the inaugural A Million Lives Book Festival held at the Baltimore Convention Center last Friday and Saturday. To recap: according to participating authors and attendees many promises were made and almost all of them were broken.  As outreach director and co-organizer for The Write Women Book Fest scheduled to host its 6th event Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20 of this year at the Bowie Comfort Inn & Conference Center in Bowie, Maryland, U.S.A., my reaction to the feedback being shared about A Million Lives is nightmarish. Even though we aren't connected to it in any way or familiar with the event organizer or her company, our completely unrelated event has felt some minor residual effects because people are worried. And that's an understanda...
Post a Comment
Read more

Our Poet Laureate's Memoir + More TWWBF2025 Prep

Educator, poet, short story author, mindfulness guide and now the moniker of memoirist has been added to the long list of creative accomplishments earned by Poet Laureate of The Write Women Book Fest Aressa V. Williams.  She was born and raised in the vibrant community of Washington, D.C.'s Northeast neighborhood of Deanwood. Her Memoir evokes the nostalgia, challenges, victories, heartaches and joys of her life that connect with readers across generations and locations.    [photo credit: H.L. Brooks; image: two paperback ARCs of In Deanwood, A Memoir by Aressa Verdell Williams arranged on a tabletop; cover art of a sepia toned two-story colonial house with four columns - two on each side of the front door]  The ebook is currently available with print copies coming soon! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-deanwood-aressa-verdell-williams/1147594007   Just under 3 weeks before day one of The Write Women Book Fest and we've finished decorating t-shirts for our aw...
Post a Comment
Read more