Full disclosure FYI: My reading self has been a fan of these two authors for years, making each of their works auto-reads for me with high expectations ingrained. Leslye Penelope and Maria Vale have also generously accepted invitations to the 5th annual The Write Women Book Fest as featured guest panelists at the authors expo/readers day on Saturday, October 14th at the Bowie Comfort Inn in Bowie, Maryland. thewritewomenbookfest.org   The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope  speculative 20th-c. historical fiction  Redhook, August 2022  Influenced by a real-life event in 1919 and opening with the Claude McKay poem that includes the title and a Marcus Garvey quote that likely inspired En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind” anthem, The Monsters We Defy offers a blend of magical realism, emotional gravity, and layers of historical context and complexity. Plus, it’s often fun and funny in subtle, slap-stick, and morbid ways. Clara, Zelda, and their band of unlikely allies engineer a...

  Celebrate every kind of healthy love life offers: affectionate, familial, parental, soror, fraternal, platonic, romantic, and the unconditional love of fur babies (except maybe for cats, who seem to have fearsome non-negotiable demands).  Focus on the spirit of St. Valentine's Day. (NOT getting beaten or beheaded, then martyred!) Give, receive, and appreciate love. Enjoy    Token by Beverley Kendall  contemporary romance  Graydon House, January 2023  workplace drama, second chances, shenanigans  Her Lessons in Persuasion (School for Scoundrels #1) by Megan Frampton  historical romance  Avon, January 2023  family drama, fake courtship, unapologetic non-conformists  You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan  contemporary fiction with romance Sourcebooks Casablanca, January 2023  employment crossroads, revenge, extreme mayhem 

  It's a super hectic time for me so this month's posts will feature lists of outstanding recent and past reads that examine and celebrate the complexity of humanity as experienced embodied in Blackness.    Fiction   Someday Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli  Graydon House, November 2022  [note: themes of grief and loss of a loved one as a result of death by suicide]  "Women Who Dare" series by (Ms.) Beverly Jenkins  historical fiction, romance  Rebel  Avon, May 2019  Wild Rain  Avon, February 2021  To Catch a Raven  Avon, August 2022  "Higher Education" series by Jayce Ellis  contemporary romance Learned Behavior  Carina Press, November 2020   Learned Reactions  Carina Press, March, 2021  Non-Fiction  - recent & older releases  Buy Black: How Black Women Transformed U.S. Pop Culture by Aria S. Halliday  University of Illinois Press, April 2022  From Chapter One:  ...

The Color Line by Igiaba Scego  literary fiction  Other Press, October 2022  Rebels, infidels, invaders, patriots, anarchists, immigrants, migrants are all considered suspicious "others" by their various adversaries. Two women, Lafanu in the late 1800s and Leila in 1992 through 2019, wrestle with labels of otherness imposed upon them by societies and cultures that evolve, atrophy, and regress on issues of freedom and autonomy and inherent safety for people who are Black, Brown, female and/or otherwise considered less worthy of having their humanity and its complexity recognized and respected. The Color Line examines and celebrates people who refuse to internalize racism, sexism, misogyny and other biases to step forward into dangerous, unknown, forbidden places and spaces.  Lush emotive prose in this English translation from its original Italian transports the reader. At the end, the author's note followed by pictures of actual significant landmarks mentioned in both...

  [In above image b & w picture of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights advocates is from the endpapers for Let Freedom Ring, Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the March on Washington by Kitty Kelley.]    Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne  contemporary literature, romantic  Berkley, November 2022  Liza and Dorsey's story is a love letter to the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia region (the original DMV) that acknowledges the range of its complexities and contradictions. Effective grassroots community engagement struggles against political and corporate interests that prioritize profit over people. Exploring family nuances and legacies in behavior patterns and expectations in addition to genetics and finances add richness to an already dynamic reimagining of a literary classic. It's often humorous, especially the clever summaries of oppressive annoyances (my label for them).   Lady Hawthorne (San Francisco Mystery Seri...

  Anthologies  - fantastical worlds, multifaceted characters, engaging themes, adventurous journeys    Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction  edited by Sheree Renee Thomas, Oghenechovwe Ekpeki, Zelda Knight  Tordotcom, November 2022   We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021  edited by L.D. Lewis, Charles Payseur  Neon Hemlock Press, October 2022  All Kinds of Love   Witchful Thinking (Elemental Love #1) by Celestine Martin  contemporary speculative romance  Forever, September 2022  To avoid spoilers, my general feeling is that the author of this delightfully layered and whimsical love story about finding one's purpose, place, and people is probably a fan of some early Tom Hanks movies. Lucinda and Alex's connection exudes #relationshipgoals.  Blackmail and Bibingka (Tita Rosie #3) by Mia P. Manansala  contemporary mystery  Berkley, October 2022  Ah, family... Can't work wi...

  Happy New Year!  This year is scheduled to be my most hectic professionally with multiple writing projects, the expansion of The Write Women Book Fest from one day to two along with additional partnerships, and other  commitments and goals outside of my bookish endeavors. So fewer and much shorter reviews this year even though I'll probably (try to) read as much as usual.  Seduced by Passion (Billionaire Island Brides #1) by Ana E. Ross  contemporary romance, December 26, 2022  Xiomara and Raph's love story is a sweeping family saga filled with secrets, conflict, temptation, themes of cultural historical context, in addition to an emotionally layered development of their relationship. Plus, blazing chemistry.  No More Sidelines (Solomon Pro Athletes #1) by Leslie North  contemporary romance, December 22, 2022  What starts as a series of adversarial encounters leads to a cease-fire that evolves into friendship then love for Claire and Marcus...