Power (An Urban Fairytale Series, #2) by Bella Jay Aladdin Meets The Streets

Power (An Urban Fairytale Series, #2) by Bella Jay
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What if Aladdin was an above average thief in the hood, Princess Jasmine was the daughter of a crime boss, and Jafar was still the snake he always was? Welcome to Power.

For The Sultan Empire (TSE) nothing is more important than being and staying on top. The business and family come first.

Jolee Cullen was instilled this all her life and though she accepted it, all she wanted at her age was a chance at a regular life. But as the daughter of crime boss - Samuel Cullen -, and the heir to his throne, a regular life is never something she'd have. She was born with all the power she could want... but she wanted freedom. And once she meets Amare, she'll have to decide between him and her empire.

Amare Thomas, a skilled thief, has spent the better part of his life trying to stay afloat for himself and his younger brother. When the consequences of a bad decision lands him on TSE's payroll, he has no idea of the turn his life will take. Or that he'll fall for his boss' off limits daughter. For Amare having power is the furthest thing from his mind until he gets a taste.

Jareem Blackwood, the current right-hand man to Samuel, wants what he believes he deserves, and that's to be Samuel's successor. Jareem already has it all, but he doesn't think he has enough. His pockets are deep but sometimes it's not about the money, loyalty, or respect. It's about the power. To him, you can never have enough and nothing or no one was going to stop him from getting the throne.

The Urban Fairytale Series is a series of standalone fairytale retellings and each book can be read as its own entity. Power, the second book in the series, is inspired by the classic fairytale, Aladdin. 

Review 
4 out of 5 stars

Bella Jay, let me get up out my seat and applaud you, sis, because you did that.

Y’all know I’m like a broken record when it comes to my complaints about urban fiction, but I’m nothing if consistent.

Urban fiction just doesn’t do it for me anymore but when Ms. Jay approached me with her urban fiction retelling of Aladdin, I couldn’t help but say yes, and I’m glad I did.

Amare is all rags and no riches. His life is a mess but he’s holding all together, by being a thieving “street rat.” Taking care of himself and his brother hasn’t been easy and it’s not about to get easier.

Jolee is in training to take over her father’s empire someday, and though she doesn’t want it, she wants her freedom even more. Her father basically has her locked in the proverbial castle like a disgruntled princess waiting for her Prince Charming—though no one will ever be good enough for her.

Jareem is our Jafar, calculated and salivating for the throne.

All of their lives will intertwine, lies will be told, lives will be threatened, love will blossom—and the reader will experience a whole new world, in this street fancy Aladdin influenced novel.

This book was clever. I am impressed. While this book is not Aladdin to a tee, the references were perfectly weaved throughout the story in such a way that I smiled every time I picked up on it,

In an ingenious way, Jay re-wrote Aladdin in a street relatable manner. Though it’s core is the Urban Fiction I’ve grown used to, it is glaringly unique and fun in a way I didn’t anticipate.

I actually stayed up well into the night (I’m writing this review after 2:30 am) because I didn’t want to stop reading and this is a rarity.

Without giving too much of the actual story away, this novel is well-written, perfectly paced, and does justice to the movie it was influenced by.

The characters were solid and fleshed out, the novel’s length was appropriate and fitting. No parts were dull or lagging and I thoroughly had a good time with this one.

It was sexy and funny in places I wasn’t expecting and I actually squealed a bit in some parts and that’s usually reserved for strictly romance titles.

A solid novel with its stuff together.

I look forward to more from this author—sooner rather than later.

Inventing Victoria by Tonya Bolden

Inventing Victoria by Tonya Bolden
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In a searing historical novel, Tonya Bolden illuminates post-Reconstruction America in an intimate portrait of a determined young woman who dares to seize the opportunity of a lifetime.

As a young black woman in 1880s Savannah, Essie's dreams are very much at odds with her reality. Ashamed of her beginnings, but unwilling to accept the path currently available to her, Essie is trapped between the life she has and the life she wants.

Until she meets a lady named Dorcas Vashon, the richest and most cultured black woman she's ever encountered. When Dorcas makes Essie an offer she can't refuse, she becomes Victoria. Transformed by a fine wardrobe, a classic education, and the rules of etiquette, Victoria is soon welcomed in the upper echelons of black society in Washington, D. C. But when the life she desires is finally within her grasp, Victoria must decide how much of herself she is truly willing to surrender.

Review 
3 out of 5 stars

I wanted to love this one, I really truly did. It gave me upper-class post-slavery, moving on up vibes--while it delivered that, in a languid pace--it left me wanting.

I'm just going to start right off when the things I didn't like. The story itself seemed on a path to something that by the end it didn't quite meet. It was aimless and plot-less if I can say so.

The writing itself is magnificent--engaging and truly believable for the time it was set in. From the dress and the language, it read like a Langston Hughes--Harlem Renaissance era novel. But as far as the intentions and the direction, it was a little muddled.

What I did enjoy however was the rags-to-riches side of the story. The main character did not allow a less than stellar upbringing deter her from creating the life she felt she deserved--and I am all for a heroine pulling herself up by the bootstraps and going for it.

I also rather enjoyed the look into post-slavery. It felt very realistic--and was easy to follow. The colorism and the ever-present distaste for black people, in general, was fitting for the time it was written in and was all too real for right now.

This author clearly has something. Her writing is on point but the story itself though again beautifully written was lacking a certain something to take it over. I'm definitely open to more--but there's more to be said here. 

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America by Ibi Zoboi

Black Enough by Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson
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Black Enough is a star-studded anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi that will delve into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across the country. From a spectrum of backgrounds—urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—Black Enough showcases diversity within diversity.

Whether it’s New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds writing about #blackboyjoy or Newbery Honor-winning author Renee Watson talking about black girls at camp in Portland, or emerging author Jay Coles’s story about two cowboys kissing in the south—Black Enough is an essential collection full of captivating coming-of-age stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America.

Review 
4 out of 5 stars

I've been black the entirety of my life. I knew I was inherently different just by walking down the streets and doing quick visual comparisons of my skin next to someone's much lighter skin. Or the fact that my hair needed to be straightened to cooperate in the way I needed it to--while everyone else seemed to possess the hair I had to fight for. Or, how I couldn't walk into a store without "covertly" being asked if I needed help--or blatantly followed by security guards that were darker than me. But, I digress. Blackness is apart of who I am, and who I'll always be.

Black Enough reminds me of this blackness. It's a reminder of the okayness of being black. It's a road map and a flashing sign for black people, it's a bruh man head nod of understanding.

I'm not a huge anthology fan so I'll be honest I picked up this title strictly because it featured a group of Black young adult author's I've grown to admire.

Each story takes on the task of telling a story from some section of the black experience--even touching base on things in the simplest of ways, police brutality and, racism as a whole.

Each story was unique and put together in a way that made the most sense for what the novel set out to accomplish.

I felt seen and heard in a way I wish the world could see and hear all black people. It's not so much that we're different but that we're the same in the ways that relate us--and in ways that matter.

I'm not going to review each story because there's quite a few of them and it would take far more time than I believe is fair.

As far as negatives, or things I didn't like, there was this underlying hate towards religion or the belief of God--however you choose to define it, that I didn't like. There appeared to be in my honest opinion an undertone of distaste for what's considered Europen religion, Christianity specifically. I'm assuming it was used to further or make a point but it came off a little hateful. Don't @ me.

This was a minute thing in the grand scheme of things--as my opinion is mostly positive. As I I said, this is blackness personified, at least from the teen perspective, HOWEVER, any adult could relate to these stories. I mean, we all were once teenagers at some point, right? Not to mention all of the things, okay some has happened to one of us at some point.

My favorite of the stories was The Ingredients by Jason Reynolds which brought me home to NYC and brought with it the jovial happiness associated with youth--and how unimportant all else seems.

Girl Stop Playing by Liara Tamani--I am having a girl crush on Liara Tamani's amazing writing. The girl is good. And her story featuring the "I'm rough and tough with my afro puffs,' young black queen dealing with a boyfriend who doesn't fully understand and appreciate her. It was like a page ripped out of my teenage years--or at least it made me feel like a teen again.

Whoa by Rita Williams--Garcia--stumped me initially with its approach. It's an interesting take on meeting a slave in a bucket of steaming water--but it was actually pretty genius, intriguing and well-written.

Hackathon Summers by Coe Booth should've been a full-length YA contemp', just saying. Two African-American hackers competing in NYU competitions--and falling for one another in a world not designed to contain their budding romance. It was good and I need more.

If I had to conclude or summarize this book in any way it'd be that this was a black book prime for a time where it appears blacks are on the rise in all areas, positively. I hope it touches someone. I hope many black teens across the globe see themselves in any number of these stories--and I hope it reminds them of their experiences and most importantly reminds them that they aren't alone.

Pinstriped and Sweet Stripes by Marie Long Whitetide Streak Series: A Parnormal Dating Agency Addition Dual Review

Pinstriped (Whitetide Streak#1)

Blurb:
A BBW in search of love + a sexy tiger shifter ready to claim her as his mate = Sizzling Alpha Romance 

Personal trainer Diesel Reed desires a mate who can meet the insatiable demands of his inner tiger. Unfortunately, none of the women he trains spark a challenge. 

Until Carina Parker, his curvaceous new client, walks into his gym. 

Carina has given up on conventional love, thanks to her lousy luck with dating apps. Her sexy new trainer flutters her heart, but he’s way out of her league. 

Diesel thinks Carina might finally be the woman he is looking for, but Carina seems to be training hard to impress someone else, not him. Frustrated, Diesel seeks the advice of famed matchmaker Gerri Wilder. 

But instead of answers, Diesel’s visit to the Paranormal Dating Agency leaves him reeling in shock. 

A threat from Diesel’s past traps Carina in the middle of a deadly family feud. With love and honor hanging in the balance, Diesel is faced with a bitter choice: duty or happiness?

Sweetstriped (Whitetide Streak#2)

Blurb:
A BBW in search of love + a sexy tiger shifter ready to claim her as his mate = Sizzling Alpha Romance

A visit to the Paranormal Dating Agency leaves Gauge Reed skeptical of finding a mate who can satisfy his inner tiger’s demands. But curiosity overtakes his doubts, and he follows Gerri’s mysterious directions to a secluded town, where he encounters Aniyah Evans, an intriguing plus-sized beauty who accidentally stumbled into the middle of a vicious clan war.

Aniyah Evans, an aspiring pastry chef, had decided to put conventional love on the back burner after several failed relationships. After a near-death encounter with the bloodthirsty Dessar wolf clan, Aniyah is left face to face with the handsome stranger who rescued her. His charm and chivalrous actions make her reconsider risking her heart once more.

But getting close to Gauge comes with a price. With war and bloodshed threatening the future of the Whitetide streak, will Aniyah take her place as Gauge’s mate and fight beside him, or is Gauge destined to fight alone? 

Review + Rating
Series Rating: 3 and a half out of five stars

Book one: I’m not new to Marie Long novels but I can attest to her growth as a writer in Pinstriped. 

Pinstriped was a bit different from what I’ve grown used to from Marie—which is normally contemporary romances.

A paranormal romance was a nice deviation from her norm and was a well-written sexy thrill of a tale.

Diesel and Carina were an unlikely pair, one a shape-shifting tiger—the other a plus-sized beauty. It was unlikely but perfectly fitting. I rather enjoyed watching their romance blossom. 

There’s a lot of sex and pent-up tension but it’s also very prominent and romantically demanding. It also has a touch of humor. It’s a well-rounded read that’s worth digging into.

Book Two:  While the two novels were painstakingly similar, Sweet Stripes had a little more depth in its plot than the first book.

Everything is riding on Gauge’s ability to bring the honor back to his family. Diesel and Axle have all but given up on maintaining the bloodline—Diesel by way of ignoring it, and Axle by way of destroying it. He’s the current pack leader and he’s doing everything in his power, even if unintentional to ruin the reputation of their tiger clan.

Gauge has been walking around with his tail literally between his legs after having failed at getting his family back in order, but he’s more determined than ever to rectify that, starting with getting a mate.

Aniyah is a plus-sized pastry chef tired of looking for a man until Gerri and her good ‘ol matching services set up her up with Gauge.

What ensues is sex, romance, and a good knock out fight of power.

Like I mentioned this book is no different than the first one. There is sex, instant love and shape-shifters.

It’s an interesting take on the paranormal normal, giving it a realistic and modern flair with the matchmaking service—taking the diversity a step further by making the female mc plus-sized.

As a series, it’s fun. It does what it sets out to do. I still smart at the presence of insta-love and this book, the series is very insta-lovey, but I can’t expect much from such short novels. I wanted more but it entertained me well enough.

Long does a decent job of doing all of what I mentioned and for those of you who enjoy a quick read, that gives just a little bit of everything romance and contemporaries normally contain this series is perfect for you. Just expect some lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Hues (Limelight #1) by Anita Davis A Quickie Review: High Fashion Meets Romance

Hues (Limelight #1) by Anita Davis
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Supermodel, Liv Summers, better known as Phaedra Winters to her hometown, is esteemed by the industry and her fans for her flawless beauty and matchless runway and shoot presence. Ten years in the limelight and hiding her true identity has kept her from getting close to anyone other than her assistant. Landing gigs, ripping runways, and nailing ads is never a problem for her, but keeping her identity intact and ignoring her growing attraction for a certain photographer is turning out to be the hardest parts of her career to date. 
World-renowned photographer, Parker Anderson, has his annual shoot and exhibit coming up during New York’s fashion week. While he’s known to make any subject or setting he captures come alive, no ordinary model will do for him. There’s just one hiccup to making the concept for his annual spread transition from a dream to reality; Liv Summers won’t agree to do it. Not only is he pressed to get Liv to do the shoot, but in spite of vowing never to date another model, the pull towards her is too strong to deny. Will he find the right angle to win her over for the shoot and capture her heart?

Review 
3.5 out of 5 stars

An original story with a slow-building romance, that held just enough steam and backstory to keep me satisfied.

Liv is a supermodel. She’s known pretty much wherever she goes, but with her, she carries a huge secret—one that not only threatens her livelihood as a model—but as a person.

Parker is one of the best photographers of his time, known for wielding his camera like a weapon, but for good.

He wants Liv to do his annual photo shoot. He has a vision and only she can help him pull it off. But, he’s starting to wonder if all he wants from the beauty is her time.

A slow-building romance that kept me entranced throughout. There’s nothing like that first kiss in a romance novel—it’s like having your first piece of fruit, sweet.

Though I wasn’t fully convinced, at least initially of their relationship—I was thrilled for how it all played out—not only involving a sensuous budding relationship but teaching us a message of what beauty really means.

A nice start to a promising series, one I’m excited to continue.

His Until Midnight (Texas Cattleman's Club: Bachelor Auction #4) by Reese Ryan Release Day Review

His Until Midnight By Reese Ryan
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To the highest bidder goes…

A friendship with benefits?

When Tessa Noble takes the stage at a charity auction after a sexy makeover, her best friend, Ryan Bateman, must place the winning bid. It’s definitely not because he’s jealous. Their weekend getaway is a ploy for positive press…or so the rancher tells himself. But soon things take an unexpected turn from platonic to passionate, catapulting the couple far beyond the friend zone…

Review 
4 out of 5 stars

His Until Midnight is a Cinderella-esque tale of love between friends.

Tess and Ryan have been best friends from childhood to adulthood. Tess has been crushing on Ryan for some time now, but he only sees her as his best friend. At least that’s what she thinks, until a bachelor auction—she soon discovers her feelings are far from one-sided.

Thought it all happens like a whirlwind, the reader is quickly engaged in a romance that is as feisty and sexy as it is mature and heart-warming. 

His Until Midnight has all the workings of a Harlequin romance, two good-looking characters, a romance that builds up until its crescendoes into moments of passion, and love—and backstory that’s not too deep, but it’s worth reading about.

The sex is intense and passionate. The cast is realistic and intriguing.

Though I’ve only ever read one Reese Ryan title this is my favorite of the two.

At under 300 pages, the book packs a sexy and romantic punch, one that is worth reading and is a worthwhile addition to this ongoing series. 

Romance readers will rejoice and cheer on this best-friends-to-lovers story. 

The Bad Boy I Love Dual by B. Love Series Review :Urban Fiction for The Grown and Sexy

The Bad Boy I Love B. Love
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Blurb:

All of Chenille Abrams' dreams came true the day she married NFL star Brayden Carpenter. He's the down-to-earth, loving, and protective man she never thought she'd find. And with her own successful career, Chenille plans to be more than just a famous athlete's wife. She's determined to balance work, marriage, and motherhood, as the couple awaits their first child . . .

Until their son is born with a crippling heart ailment. Until a devastated Brayden starts putting his career above everything else. And when tragedy strikes, Chenille struggles to find a reason to go on--as Brayden takes comfort from anywhere but home . . .

Little by little, Chenille picks up the pieces as she and Brayden try to make their marriage work once more. But when he fathers a baby that the mother can't keep, will this be the final blow? Or can they find a way past betrayal into unexpected hope--to at last have a future worth 
everything?

The Bad Boy I Love 2 B. Love
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Blurb:

For Misery, things just keep getting worse. No matter how much money he makes and success he sees, he consistently finds himself surrounded by darkness. Thankfully, Isla enters his life and becomes the light he needs to make his way through. As things get better for him, Isla’s life gets shaken in the most unexpected way. 

Chaos has only one goal – to be a better father than his father. Though Carmen isn’t his first pick for the mother of his child, he’s devoted to doing all he can to make sure his baby has the family he never did. When Carmen becomes his main priority, business and personal relationships suffer – including the one he’s trying to build with Fiona. 

What happens when the most lethal man in the streets is cornered by the woman he hurt? Gunner finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun. His gun. Being held by the person he least expected to ever come for him. In seconds, everyone in the room becomes victim to April’s need to avenge her shattered heart. Will Gunner be able to make his way out alive, or will he become the first man on April’s payback list? 

Misery, Chaos, and Gunner all get a taste of the rewards and risks of loving a good woman. There is one goal in this riveting two-part series, all three men must ask themselves… can a bad boy truly love a good woman the way she needs to be loved? 

Series Review 
3 out of 5 stars

As an urban fiction snob, I’ve found some comfort in B. Loves Urban fiction titles.

I’ve grown into a somewhat more reformed reader, titles like Pastor’s Side Bish, and Drug Dealer: Part 3 he dies, don’t appeal to the 30-something-year-old me. 

But there is a new crop of urban fiction titles and authors that have taken to better writing and transformed what I remember urban fiction to be.

While there’s still some weeding that needs to be done, I’ve changed my mind on it, just a bit.

B. Love’s UF has given me something to escape to that’s just as appealing as Monday’s episode of Love and Hip Hop whatever city is on at the time. Giving just enough street and drama to please the reader, but not turning those of us off that are kind of over these books. 

Told from multiple points of view, The Bad Boy I love Parts one and two were engaging and good for absent-minded reading. Sometimes you want to snuggle up with a book that entertains you but doesn’t have a lot to it. No thinking is needed. I needed that.

Misery, Chaos, Gunner, Fiona lovingly known as Fe, Isla the model-baddie and the later introduced Genisi, along with its supporting cast of bad girlfriends and irritating baby mama’s the story packed a lot into it.

Though it was a lot of people to follow it never hindered the reading and I was never confused enough to have to backtrack to remember who was who, the flow was effortless and timely.

Love does that she gets you to care about her characters, in a way you don’t expect.

Though her contemporary romances will always be my jam, her urban fiction titles often do what they set out to do—giving us street with backstory, and romance that is almost saucy enough to be rated NSFW.

 The sex scenes are descriptive and spicy, to say the least.

The relationships develop quickly but hold solid in both books. 

They cannot be read separately though, but a two-book series is far more reasonable than some of the thirteen-book series that are out there. Not to mention they’re less than 300-pages a piece, easy reading.

I would recommend starting with this author’s new adult-ish romances first but if your tastes are a little more street, this is a decent place to start.

Drama with realistic conflict, troublesome baby mamas, men on the path to do the right thing, saucy sex, and a semi-happily ever after.

What more can you ask for?

10 Novels Releasing This Month by African-American Authors I'm Looking Forward To: Get Your One-Click Finger Ready!

I don't know about any of you but it is really difficult to narrow down new releases in African-American fiction. So I decided to make it a monthly, or weekly--or something thing (LOL) where I share the new releases that I find. All of the below are due out this month. I know I'll be grabbing up a bunch of these.

1. Harlem by Eric Jerome Dickey-Out November 15th. Only available as an e-book.

“People called me Harlem. I dubbed myself after that dangerous neighborhood that I’d never seen. I read life is rough in Harlem, and a black man isn’t expected to live to see twenty-five. I was twenty-three. The clock was ticking.”

When Harlem gets off on a murder charge due to insanity, the asylum he’s sent to feels worse than death, with one exception: the beautiful nurse Daphane. As their relationship grows, so do the stakes: she has the ability to help him escape, and he has the ability to set her free from her abusive relationship. Yet Harlem has one big secret: he was perfectly sane when he committed his crime. But in the end, Daphane’s own secret may be the deadliest of all. . . .

2. How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin-Out November 27th

In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow south must figure out how to save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story “The City Born Great,” a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis’s soul.

3. Give Me A Reason (In the Heart of a Valentine: Book 3 by Stephanie Nicole Norris-Out November 15th

Always the optimist, TV assignment editor Allison Sullivan makes no excuses about the enthusiastic life she leads. As doors of opportunity present themselves, whether in her profession, in her love life, or her friendships, Allison is one to take the task on full speed ahead. But when Allison meets the man she’s investigated in person, the world around her seems to pause as she fumbles to recover from the dynamic energy that clings from him to her. She’s never felt desire forge so deeply within, and the chance at a clandestine meeting raises the stakes on an ensuing love affair. 

Award-winning film director Lance Valentine isn’t looking for love, but in the midst of filming a new motion picture, he meets Allison Sullivan in an impromptu dinner at the home he was raised in. At first sight, her beauty takes his breath away, and he finds himself unable to explain the flutter in his heart or the battle in his spirit at the crescent curve of her smile. Career driven and focused on building his empire, Lance has never taken a chance on anything other than his creativity. Until Allison. 

While neither of them is looking for romance, they’ll both soon find that an endless possibility of love is within their reach.

4. Of Things Unseen by L. Jaybe Morgan- Out November 11th

Black girls are disappearing in suburban Atlanta and no one is paying attention…

Sick and troubled Atlanta housewife Tamara Johnston has spent years trying to forget her past, but when she learns four black girls have disappeared near her hometown, the memories haunt her once again. As a favor (and to exorcise her own demons), she agrees to help a journalist friend publicize the cases of the missing girls. Thanks to their efforts, the story goes viral and the police are forced to get involved. When bodies are discovered, the department sends local detective Barrington Dunn to calm the angry and grieving community.

But something is off. Barrington is a robbery detective who’s never worked a homicide and the department doesn’t seem serious about solving the murders. What’s worse, they’ve left him with only one good lead…a police sketch. And when it’s released to the media, Tamara’s world is turned upside down. 

The sketch looks like someone she knows. 

Now Tamara is convinced the murders are connected to horrific events from her childhood, and she’s certain she knows who did it. There’s only one problem: no one believes her. As she returns to her hometown to unravel the secrets and lies from her past, including her own, Detective Dunn must navigate racial politics, departmental sabotage, and his growing attraction to Tamara in order to catch a crafty serial killer before he kills again. And for Tamara, the shocking truth is worse than she could have imagined.

5. In These Streets (The Branch Avenue Boys) by Shelly Ellis--Out November 27th

They beat the odds and turned their lives around. But now three best friends will go head-to-head with ambition, deception--and each other . . .

Derrick. Ricky. Jamal. One's responsible; one's still a player; one's upwardly-mobile. Sentenced to the Branch Avenue Boys' Youth Institute at twelve, they grabbed the chance for better futures. They stayed tight even when their lives diverged--but the times . . . they are a-changing.

New deputy mayor Jamal is anti-corruption, which means severing ties with Ricky, now a "criminally-adjacent" businessman. But political power plays and unrequited love will lead Jamal to a lethal choice . . .  

Ricky doesn't mind running a front for DC's biggest drug dealer, but when he pursues a sexy customer at his strip club and discovers she's a cop, any wrong move could end Ricky's good times permanently . . .

Now the Institute's new leader, Derrick is torn between his job and his fiancée, Melissa. But when a cute new instructor who supports him and his mission arrives, he wonders if he should leave Melissa behind, not the Institute. However, this dilemma is nothing compared to a problem brewing right under his nose, and the fallout will strike at the heart of the three friends' bond--and put more than their survival on the line . . .

6. Loud Ass Black People by Halstead Jones- Out November 21st

From the author of Unicorn Smoke and the creator of the popular Twitter account by the same, Loud Ass Black People is a completely unapologetic personal take by Halsted Jones on blackness and the Black experience in America. Told through hilarious short stories and essays, the book is filled with laughs, colorful commentary, and craziness that will build camaraderie among kinfolk in a cover-to-cover masterpiece.

7. Discovering Lita By Angie D. Lee- Out November 7th

Lita Payne is a thirty-something beautiful, successful and engaging urban professional in the beautiful city of Chicago. On the surface, Lita truly appears to have it all. Her husband is a handsome Senior Executive for a construction company making well over six figures but Lita is definitely successful in her own right as Senior Fundraising Coordinator for a non-profit. Lita has three beautiful children, an amazing condo, luxury cars, full bank accounts and exciting, loving friendships. Now that Lita is in her 30s, she’s starting to examine the lifestyle she’s chosen for herself and wonders if it really makes her happy. 

Even though Lita is very successful in her career, her passion has always been to start her own marketing and public relations firm but her husband is not in support of it. Lita also feels her marriage has been lacking the passion and intimacy she desires. Lita begins to question the future of her marriage and what seems like it’s out of the blue, she meets an intriguing man who challenges her on both a professional and personal level. This begins the start of Lita’s personal journey through discovering who she really is amidst the persona she’s so eloquently carved out for herself. Lita realizes that some of the challenges that are on the horizon for her causes her to seek various measures of coping, which in turn doesn’t always lead to the most desirable outcomes. 

Between launching a new business, marital discord, the destruction of a close friendship, grief and loss, and past family secrets, Lita begins to strip away the layers of herself in order to find out who she really is in Discovering Lita.

8. Her Second Chance (A Sheppard's Place Novel) by Bette Ford- Out November 14th

A fiercely independent woman…

Trenna McAdams’s main goal in life is independence. After a tragic (and tragically wrong!) marriage, she’s finally realized her dream of running a prestigious preschool, bringing her closer than she ever thought possible to being truly happy. If only she wasn’t constantly distracted by the attentions of the charming, dynamic Darrin Morgan. Sure, she likes the way he fills out the shoulders of his custom-made suits, but there’re also those rumors in their office building about his womanizing ways. Surely, he could get any woman he wants. And Trenna isn’t interested in being a notch on anyone’sbedpost.

A successful, smooth-talking man…

Four years ago, Darrin Morgan’s life changed the moment he laid eyes on Trenna McAdams. With every fiber of his being, he knew she was the one for him. But she was a recent widow, and Darrin respected that. Now that he’s found out she’s dating again, he’s ready to show Trenna that he can be everything she’s ever wanted and everything she ever needed.

New Love or old entanglements…

Talented and confident, Morgan-Green’s top attorney is everything that Trenna can do without. Should do without. If only Darrin’s sweet-talk didn’t make her toes curl—or inspire other kinds of sensations too; emotions she never realized she could feel.

As she discovers Darrin’s true character, she becomes more and more enmeshed by his charm, strength, and compassion. But Trenna’s late husband proves to be as much of an obstacle to Trenna’s happily-ever-after as he was when he was alive. Can Trenna defeat her ghosts before she lets this second—and perhaps only—chance at true love pass her by?

9. Becoming by Michelle Obama- Out November 13th

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. 

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. 

Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.


10. The Black Market Kiki Swinson
Kiki Swinson’s bestselling “tension-packed” (Library Journal) and “unrelenting” (Publishers Weekly) novels burn with extraordinary characters, triple-down twists—and a raw portrait of Southern life only she can deliver. Now she turns up the heat as a young woman cashes in on a sure thing—only to find some addictions are always 
killer . . . 
 
 Break the rules
At first, med student Misty Heiress just wants to help. With her cousin Jillian in constant pain, and the doctor refusing to prescribe, Misty steals opioids from the Virginia Beach pharmacy where she works. But when Jillian starts reselling them to local dealers and gets big money, Misty grabs an unbelievable opportunity to get out of crushing debt—and fulfill all of her and Jillian's dreams . . .
 
Live the dream
Soon Misty's boss, Sanjay, learns the truth and wants in. In no time, their illegal business dominates the street—and racks up a fortune. But when demand quickly outstrips supply, Sanjay way overplays his hand—and the Feds come calling . . .
 
Pay the price
Now Sanjay is out to pin everything on Misty and walk away scot-free. Jillian is cracking under the strain of drug addiction. And as ruthless competition aims to take Misty and her accomplices out for good, deception, betrayal, and killer secrets may not be enough to keep them all from paying the ultimate price . . .

Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground: Zora Would Be Proud

Zora & Me The Cursed Ground
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A powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston's childhood adventures explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering effects of slavery.

"History ain't in a book, especially when it comes to folks like us. History is in the lives we lived and the stories we tell each other about those lives."

When Zora Neale Hurston and her best friend, Carrie Brown, discover that the town mute can speak after all, they think they've uncovered a big secret. But Mr. Polk's silence is just one piece of a larger puzzle that stretches back half a century to the tragic story of an enslaved girl named Lucia. As Zora's curiosity leads a reluctant Carrie deeper into the mystery, the story unfolds through alternating narratives. Lucia's struggle for freedom resonates through the years, threatening the future of America's first incorporated black township -- the hometown of author Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). In a riveting coming-of-age tale, award-winning author T. R. Simon champions the strength of a people to stand up for justice. 

Review 
4 out of 5 stars

Reading stories set during the time of slavery twists the stomach into a knot.

Though most of us have never and might never have to experience such a cruel era of servitude and dehumanization it’s a sore spot. A spot that smarts at the mere mention.

But it’s also a time to take it all in, a time to learn, and a time to understand. A time to come together mentally, and collectively.

Zora and Me and The Cursed Ground are a time-telling story of the slave era—told through the voice of a pre-teen girl who’s best friend happens to be the now illustrious Zora Neale Hurston.

Told in the juxtaposition of two different time eras, post and pre-slavery, there is a startling and searing similarity between the past and present. Effortless and seamless transitions between the times allowed for clutter-free reading. The author does a stellar job of weaving the two sides together as they eventually overlap but do so without stuttering about.

Beautifully written, and engaging, the reader will be enraptured in a world so far from their own but it will feel like it’s happening right in front of them like a 3-D film.

Thoroughly impressive and downright realistic, this book is a must-have.

The characters are rich and practically leaped off the page with life.

Enough can’t be said about the goodness of this novel—and readers will yearn for more adventures of these two girls—both young and old readers alike.

A solid piece of literature, worth buying!