Book Review: Hearts on Hold by Charish Reid

Carina Press
Published Feb 3rd, 2020

Professor Victoria Reese knows an uphill battle when she sees one. Convincing her narrow-minded colleagues at the elite Pembroke University to back a partnership with the local library is a fight she saw coming and already has a plan for. What she didn’t see coming? The wildly hot librarian who makes it clear books aren’t the only thing he’d like to handle.

When a tightly wound, sexy-as-hell professor proposes a partnership between his library and her university, children’s department head John Donovan is all for it. He knows his tattoos and easygoing attitude aren’t quite what she expected, but the unmistakable heat between them is difficult to resist.

And then there’s the intriguing late fee on her record. For the Duke’s Convenience… A late fee and a sexy romance novel? There’s more to Dr. Reese than she’s letting on.

John might like to tease her about her late fee, but when he teases her in other ways, Victoria is helpless to resist. Mixing business with pleasure—and oh, it is pleasure—always comes with risks, but maybe a little casual fun between the sheets is just what Victoria needs.- Goodreads

I don’ know how else to describe this book other than one of the sweetest romances I have read thus far. It was adorable from beginning to end. I love the way it builds. I love the fact that John knew what he wanted but at the same time was comfortable enough to let Victoria come to the point he was at. She was frustrating to read. It was like talking with the smartest dumb person in the room. Not only does she need therapy but she also needs to learning how to relax (which thankfully she does a bit in this book).

But I liked Victoria because I was able to relate to her and her mask in the workplace. For some people they don’t use it/need it but others such as myself cannot be the same person inside of the office as they are outside. It was refreshing to see that I am not alone in this (I know I’m not but it was nice to read).

The author touches about the topic I mentioned above as well as ADHD, being a teenager and being Black. I would have liked to see more times when Victoria was herself. I felt that she was herself around John but she wasn’t her complete self. When she was with her friends their interactions are we comfortable. What I mean to say is  she interacted with other Black females in what appeared to be her real self. Do not get me wrong. Friends are going to see a different side of you than your lover is and that is fine. But it felt like she was wearing a mask with John even at the end.

There was something missing to connect her and John but I am not exactly sure if I can word it right.

But other than that, the author must have known that I have a thing for Vikings because John was *insert chef’s kiss*

Overall,

I liked this book a lot.

4 Pickles

Book Review: A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

With a headline spot on a hit morning show and truly mouth-watering culinary skills, chef Evie Buchanan is perched on the edge of stardom. But at an industry party, a fall lands Evie in the hospital—with no memory of who she is. Scrambling to help, Evie’s assistant contacts the only “family” Evie has left, close friends who run the luxury dude ranch in California where Evie grew up. Evie has no recollection of them—until former rodeo champion Zach Pleasant walks into her hospital room, and she realizes his handsome face has been haunting her dreams . . .

Zach hasn’t seen Evie in years—not since their families conducted a campaign to make sure their childhood friendship never turned into anything more. When the young cowboy refused to admit the feelings between them were real, Evie left California, making it clear she never wanted to see Zach again. Now he refuses to make the same mistake twice. Starting fresh is a risk when they have a history she can’t recall, but Zach can’t bear to let go of her now. Can he awaken the sleeping beauty inside her who might still love him?- Goodreads

I had read the excerpt for this book through Netgalley some months ago and was pissed because I got sucked into the book and didn’t realize that it was a excerpt. This book takes your attention instantly and you just want more.

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. I liked the fact that the author took her time to build up the characters not just Evie and Zach but everyone. It was such a relief to see that the author didn’t rush the overall story. But with that being said, this book is slow. A whole lot of nothing happens for a very long time and I am not talking about the romance. Nothing really happened and with that being said the romance wasn’t spectacular either. It was hard for me to believe Evie and Zach and that was disappointing.

However, with that being said, I loved Zach’s brother and I hope that book two is from his brother’s point of view and his love story.

Overall, not a bad beginning to a series but there needed a bigger spark and much more investment to keep things going and going as strong as the beginning of the book was.

3 Pickles

Cover Reveal: Whispers of Shadow & Flame by L. Penelope

IT.IS.HERE!

Finally. The cover reveal for Whispers of Shadow & Flame.  If you don’t know what I am taking about Whispers of Shadow & Flame is the second book to Song of Blood & Stone, which is the first book to the Earthsinger Chronicles and also named one of Time’s magazine top 10 fantasy books in 2018.

If you didn’t read the first book, check out my review for it here.

Also after you finished the first book, read the 1.5 called Breath of Dust & Dawn. It is such a good filler when you are waiting for book two.

So are you ready? Because here it is!

Isn’t it beautiful!

But I am sure you want to know more about the book since you’ve seen the cover right? :)

Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the notorious rebel known as the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity.

Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away.

As forbidden desire ignites their hearts, Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies — all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, the cost of their love might just be too high.- Goodreads

Beyond the fact that this series is a must read, L. Penelope is such a great person. I had the pleasure of doing a QA with her. You can read it here. And I also highly recommend you connect with her.

Twitter| Instagram| Goodreads| Youtube

Oh one more thing!

L. Penelope is giving away a signed, hardcover copy of Song of Blood & Stone.

International welcome!

Enter the giveaway!

With that being said, guys read this series. Pre-order Whispers of Shadow & Flame and purchase the paperback of Song of Blood & Stone; you won’t regret it ^_^

Reads Revisited: The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
June 1st, 2003
131 Pages

Bobby’s a classic urban teenager. He’s restless. He’s impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He’s going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they’ll be spending time with doctors, and next, diapers.

They have options: keeping the baby, adoption. They want to do the right thing. 

If only it was clear what the right thing was.- Goodreads

I read this book for the first time when I was 16 and I have never forgotten it. But before I get into the why and before I get into the re-read, I want to bring up something I noticed.

I was going over previous reviews of this book and saw that the first review was that it was sleezy.

According to Dictionary.com Sleezy could mean

contemptibly low, mean, or disreputable:sleazy politics.

squalid; sordid; filthy; dilapidated:

My issue with using this term for this book is there is nothing sleezy about this book. The topic isn’t sleezy, the wording isn’t sleezy and oddly enough Bobby isn’t sleezy. The situation isn’t even sleezy. If you feel that this book is glorifying a male’s role as a parent where these are things he should already be doing then okay but that still isn’t sleezy and I honestly believe that the person who wrote that review didn’t know what that word meant.

Sleezy is one of this words that no matter when or how you use it, a person will always see something dirty, gross and not worth their time. Even re-reading it, that term should not have been used for this book. Because nothing about what happened in the past or present makes the book sleezy.

#rantover

As I mentioned I first read this book when I was 16. I was working as a page at my local library and it was a short read which is why it caught my attention. I did not know that this was book two to the Heaven series. And even now knowing that, you don’t need to read the previous book in order to understand and enjoy this one.

Bobby is sad and even though I know the reason for his sadness, it still hits me because it is not for what you think it is. What I enjoyed about this was the author never has Bobby say that he is sad but you see it when you picture his face. You hear it when he speaks. And I felt for him because when I saw Bobby, on happier times, I picture him with the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

Kind of deep but its true.

This is a short read but there is an emotional backing that keeps you invested in this book. I loved how the author was able to pull that in a short amount of time. Because what happens to Bobby and Nia is much more than making a decision of becoming parents.

Reading the book as an adult, I still ship it. Out of all the other books in the series, this is the strongest one and it has the most care and creativity in the sense that you are reading the past and the present and from a male perspective.

At the end of the day, I still rate this book at

5 Pickles

Book Review: The Changeling by Victor LaValle

Spiegel & Grau
Published June 13, 2017
448 Pages

Apollo Kagwa has had strange dreams that have haunted him since childhood. An antiquarian book dealer with a business called Improbabilia, he is just beginning to settle into his new life as a committed and involved father, unlike his own father who abandoned him, when his wife Emma begins acting strange. Disconnected and uninterested in their new baby boy, Emma at first seems to be exhibiting all the signs of post-partum depression, but it quickly becomes clear that her troubles go far beyond that. Before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act—beyond any parent’s comprehension—and vanishes, seemingly into thin air.

Thus begins Apollo’s odyssey through a world he only thought he understood to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His quest begins when he meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have information about Emma’s whereabouts. Apollo then begins a journey that takes him to a forgotten island in the East River of New York City, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest in Queens where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever. This dizzying tale is ultimately a story about family and the unfathomable secrets of the people we love. – Goodreads

This book was really different for me. I normally, for one, do not read adult fantasy. For whatever reason they do no appeal to me as much as YA fantasy does. But I am trying to change that and my first book for that goal is The Changeling. I was not disappointed.

Let’s start with the pros. The story is about a black family in modern New York City. For me it not only making it relate-able by because of location but because racially and culturally I can identify with the characters. (Diversity for the win!). But also beyond that, I really really loved the fact the author decided to write this from parents point of view and not a brother or a sister. This added a completely different emotion and truth to the book even if you are not a parent.

Also the way the author was able to wrap Apollo’s world as well as New York City with the mythology was smooth and seamless. There was an art and care as well as a appreciation for a world that was already existed. That is not something your find all the time in books.

Despite these points, I did have an issue with the book. It was long. It was so long and drawn out that I had to put the book down breathe and then dive back in. I appreciate the author building up to the point but the build up was like climbing a tall snowy mountain the first time. It was a bit rough.

In regards to characters, everyone played their role and fit together well. I wanted Apollo to be more supportive of his wife in the beginning because of his out-worldly experience. But at the time, I was a bit disappointed in him because although he was a book collector/seller business man it felt like he didn’t actually read. Its slightly hard to explain but reader to reader you can tell.

Overall, I enjoyed this read would have liked it to have not been as stretched but I enjoyed it.

 

3 Pickles.