Complicated Legacies of Culture & Identity...

Along with unfinished business from the past that haunts the present

[5 books; 3 face up and 2 spine up, from left to right: Best Woman, The Gist of Bid Whist, Blind Date with a Werewolf, Crazy Spooky Love, The Year of the Wind]

Read

Best Woman by Rose Dommu

new adult contemporary romance

Penguin Random House, September 2025

Madcap. Tenderhearted. Poignant. Satisfying.

Crazy Spooky Love (Melody Bittersweet #1) by Josie Silver

new adult contemporary romance

Penguin Random House, September 2025

Ornery relatives. Dangerous spirits. Romance gone wrong with potential for it to go right. Intrigue. Mysteries. Laughs.

Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

adult contemporary supernatural romance

Penguin Random House, October 2025

This novel rendered in 5 short stories (3 previously published and 2 new) is all about Asil with cameos of Moira, Tom, and other series favorites. Looking for love in all the most dangerous places delivers all kinds of drama and a satisfying story arc.

Reading

The Gist of Bid Whist: The Culturally Rich Card Game from Black America by Lamont Jones

Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams

Both non-fiction books are less than 300 pages of accessible language and narrative clarity, but the historical contexts and details make me want to take my time reading, absorbing, and processing the information.

TBR

The Year of the Wind by Karina Pacheco Medrano

More BAC Issues (Book Acquisition Compulsion)

[8 stacked books, from top to bottom: The King Must Die, The Baby Dragon Bakery, After Happily Ever, Ladies in Waiting, All the Men I've Loved Again, An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love, Kooky Spooky Love, Circle in the Water]

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Always wishing you good health, peace of mind, safety & joy.

Happy reading & creating!

Comments

Everyday Magic & Genre Mashups

Three outstanding reads by authors who've crafted irresistible tales that defy the confines of the narrow expectations of a single genre. [three books arranged face up, from left to right: Chocolate Chip City, He's To Die For, The Baby Dragon Cafe] Chocolate Chip City by Be Steadwell contemporary speculative fiction with romance Bywater Books, June 2025 In this lyrical, lush composition three sisters, Jasmine, Ella and Layla, embody riffs on power: of the individual, family, community, culture; attraction, repulsion, collaboration. It's anchored in harsh realities while using magical realism and sharp humor to explore the often awkward and discouraging search for purpose, acceptance, and love in the context of life and the socio-economic pyramid scheme of capitalism. Its recurring variations on themes of erasure and reclaiming legacies echo a present-day continuum of The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope and an emotional texture reminiscent of Like ...

Heartthrobs, Zombie Mobs & Hollywood Divas

Laughs, gore and drama galore! [3 trade paperback books from left to right: One Death at a Time, He Falls First, Zom RomCom] One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman contemporary mystery Berkley, April 2025 Sobriety challenges, meetings, an uneasy alliance, a road trip, an assortment of unusual and unlikely allies, betrayals, lots of laugh and profound sentiment make Julia and Natasha's journey an enjoyable ride even as it addresses ageism sexism with organic candor. He Falls First by Jill Shalvis contemporary romance Sourcebooks Casablanca, August 2025 This love story focuses on the joy of support offered by biological and found family even as it references the evolution of recovery from past experiences of domestic violence. Zom RomCom by Olivia Dade contemporary speculative adventure romance Berkley Romance, August 2025 A laugh-aloud spoof of manmade horrors with its own unique quirkiness that delivers so ...

Deja Vu, Recalibrating, Pyramid Schemes & Narcissists

More satisfying romances from an array of talented authors who love love to help offset the real-life ethical and moral horrors shared in a riveting memoir. [3 trade paperback books arranged face-up atop a closed piano, from left to right: Pugs & Kisses, When Javi Dumped Mari, All's Fair in Love and Pickleball] Pugs & Kisses by Farrah Rochon contemporary adult romance Hachette Book Group, July 2025 Evie's juggling a lot personally and professionally. Can the man who ghosted her years ago earn her forgiveness and regain her trust enough to work with her to achieve her personal and professional goals? Revealing those answers offers readers a charming tale of wooing. When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa contemporary adult romance G.P. Putnam's Sons, June 2025 In the decade since they became college besties, Mari and Javi have decisions to make. WIll they jeopardize the shaky stability of the status quo or risk their hearts and the futur...

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