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Inconvenient Attraction, Lurking Danger + More Books

Baking Ice Cubes (Hank Hart #1) by Alexi Venice 
contemporary legal suspense thriller 
2025 

What happens when a potential love connection ends up being a professional conflict of interest? Star-crossed legal eagles attorney Helen "Hank" Hart and Judge Olivia "Livvy" Marshall find out in this courtroom whodunit. A sliding timeline filled with an assortment of dramatic shady characters and justice seekers makes this mystery thriller a fast-paced, entertaining read. Established fans of this author's Monica Spade series will likely experience a bonus enjoyment boost as that one launches this one.  

Alexi Venice is one of 9 authors of sapphic romantic suspense contributing to The Sapphic Suspense Collection. 



[front cover art of trade paperback Baking Ice Cubes, A Legal Thriller by Alexi Venice; a woman dressed in a hooded jacket, sweat pants and running shoes is running away from a Greek structure that's in flames] 

As much joy as reading books adds to my life, reading others' opinions about books provides almost as much fun. QBR the Black Book Review is one source that always delivers engaging bookish content. The March 2026 e-zine arrived a few days ago. A time crunch forced me to do a quick browse in preparation for a complete read later this week. 

[front cover of QBR the Black Book Review, March 2026 issue with It's Never Too Late, A Memoir by Marla Gibbs, and in memorium images of Ms. Alice M. James and Rev. Jesse Jackson] 

Final proofing of a completed manuscript kept me from reading much just for pleasure this past week so my TBR got even longer after a trip to the nearest public library. #sorrynotsorry 

[a bookstack of 7 books, from top to bottom: Hearts on the Fly by Toni Shiloh, The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman, The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow; those 3 books perched atop 4 trade paperback books showing only the bottom edges of their pages] 

These are challenging times for those of us whose intrinsic equal value of our humanity is constantly discounted and dismissed. My constant reminder to myself is that my ancestors accomplished more with fewer resources and opportunities than I inherited from them. Doing one thing to support equality, safety, justice, and opportunities for all while taking good care of myself, my family, friends, and community contributes to creating the loving, ethical, thriving world of my and my ancestors' dreams.  

Always wishing you good health, peace of mind, safety, joy & some pleasure every day  
Happy reading!  
(in whatever formats work for you;-)  



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