King of Wrath Review

OH. MY. GOSH. King of Wrath by Ana Huang gave me all the feels and then some! I wasn’t expecting such a steamy, romantic, thrilling story between Vivian Lau and Dante Russo. Hands down, Huang delivered! Vivian Lau’s going to marry Dante Russo. Her father made the arrangements. Mr. Lau enlightens Vivian of this agreement during dinner, and while she’s none the wiser of the exact details, she reluctantly agrees because she doesn’t want to shame the family. After all, her father did the same thing with Vivian’s older sister, so Vivian knew it was bound to happen. 

Polar opposites, with the only thing connecting them being Vivian’s father’s threat to expose Dante’s brother’s secret rendezvous with an enemy’s family member that would cause Dante’s brother to lose his life, Dante reluctantly agrees to this arranged marriage with Vivian. But what started as entrapment blossomed into an exhilarating relationship between Vivian and Dante. 

Gone is the control, the resistance, the uncertainty, as both welcome this new indescribable igniting of passion and exploration to learn from each other mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. However, Dante still remembers what Mr. Lau has done to him and his family, and he still wants revenge no matter the cost, even if it is at Vivian’s expense. 

What will Vivian think and feel when she learns the truth? How will Dante accept the outcome now that he’s become captivated by Vivian? What will happen to Mr. Lau? Oh, the twists and turns in King of Wrath are edge-of-your-seat, clutch-your-pearls worthy! Each of Huang’s characters has a solid voice. The plot is deliciously alluring and prevents you from putting the book down. I laughed and was angry at Dante and Vivian during certain parts of the story while at the same time rooting for their relationship to have a happy ending.

I connected with Vivian’s loyalty to her family and her relationship with her father, not wanting to disappoint him while eventually finding her voice and choosing to silence everything around her and follow her heart. I felt the love and passion that ignited between Vivian and Dante. The ups and downs, the path to finding who you are, and the effect it can have on people in your life. King of Wrath is a beautiful story and nothing like I have ever read! 

It’s enthralling, suspenseful, passionate, and gripping, and I can’t wait to read the other books in this series. King of Wrath is book one, and three other books are a part of this unforgettable, sultry ride. Reading this book had me wanting a man like Dante Russo. Woo, chile! If you haven’t read this book, you need to. King of Wrath is available everywhere books are sold. 

The Mystery Guest Book Review

Molly “The Maid” Gray is at it again, solving another murder, and this time, she’s working alongside Lily, Regency Grand Hotel’s newest “Maid-in-Training” in author Nita Prose’s The Mystery Guest. Well-renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe has an announcement and has decided to share this information by holding a press conference at the hotel. Fans, reporters, and the hotel’s staff gather and wait anxiously to hear what he says. But before he releases his statement, he drops dead on the Regency Grand Hotel’s tearoom floor, and all eyes and evidence point to Lily. 

Knowing that Lily couldn’t have committed such a heinous crime, Molly works tirelessly to prove Lily’s innocence. The Mystery Guest is compelling. It’s full of twists and turns and is a page-turning delight. It’s a beautiful follow-up to Prose’s The Maid. Secrets get revealed and Molly’s still as inquisitive as ever. What I loved about The Mystery Guest is readers get to see more of Molly’s grandmother’s backstory. Readers also can become more invested in each of these characters, especially Molly. I appreciate introducing new characters and the fact that familiar faces are present. This book was a welcoming, polished novel filled with intrigue, suspense, humor, love, and the importance of family. 

The Mystery Guest is an excellent addition to any readers-to-be-read list (tbr), and I highly suggest that if you haven’t, please read Nita Prose’s The Maid. The Mystery Guest is available everywhere books are sold. 

If You Were Here Book Review

Five parts and 72 chapters later, I have finished reading Alafair Burke’s If You Were Here. Where do you begin to explain a book to readers filled with ample twists and turns and head-spinning verbiage that will have you engaged, confused, and wondering if this author used offensive content when describing characters? I’ll start by stating that this book didn’t need 72 chapters. Burke could have expressed McKenna Jordan’s (one of the main characters) story in fewer chapters. 

If You Were Here welcomes readers inside McKenna Jordan’s world as she searches for her missing friend, Susan Hauptmann, who has been missing for ten years. Jordan’s world is upended when she sees video footage of a woman she thinks is Susan chasing after a teenager in hopes of retrieving her phone that the adolescent has taken from her. 

This video footage sends Jordan on a winding road filled with highs and lows, searching for this woman. She’s confident that it is Susan. But why resurface after all this time? More importantly, if it is her, where has she been, and why did she disappear all those years ago? If You Were Here is an intricate story with vivid details and complex characters. At times within the story, I felt the author’s description of some of her characters was offensive. 

The synopsis is what captivated me to read If You Were Here. I also appreciated that there are short chapters. However, this book could have been told in 30, maybe even 40 chapters. It got confusing for me halfway through the book. Trying to follow along and uncover why this person did this, or that person did that was taxing. There was a lot of picking up and putting down with this book. 

I read reviews of Burke’s If You Were Here online, where readers expected her work to mimic her father’s. As I haven’t read his work before, I can’t say that I expected the same, but she did an alright job with this book. If you are a fan of mystery or suspense or a fan of Burke’s work and have yet to read If You Were Here, you should check it out. 

If You Were Here by Alafair Burke is available everywhere books are sold. 

An Elf With No Name: The Spires Saga Book One

What does an elf, a revenant, and a magical world filled with demons, vampires, werewolves, Hell Knights, and a council have in common? Answer: enchanting magical realism filled with action, a budding romance, colorful characters, and an overall charming story.  

After an eventful night of playing cards, Damian Spires takes his winnings and heads home. As he makes his way, he stumbles upon a magical female elf in an alley. She looks hurt and unconscious. Unsure of where or how she appeared, Spires takes her back to his place, hoping to find answers to this alluring mystery.  

Readers go inside the mind of author Mortimer Langford with his fantasy novel An Elf With No Name: The Spires Saga. As the story unfolds, readers learn more about the main character, Damian Spires, and understand how and why Aziramin (the female elf) wound up in St. Croix, Wisconsin. Spires discovers that Aziramin got exiled from her hometown of Toven after eating two pieces of fruit from a tree that she was told not to. 

After getting banished, she intended to return home but wound up in St. Croix instead. Rupert Wilson, a magical creature with an axe to grind, felt that shift when Aziramin appeared, and he and his unruly soldiers decided to investigate and were on Spires and Aziramin’s trail. And are stopping at nothing to capture them. The mystical beings that have come for Spires and Aziramin have caused destruction and death, leaving a blazing trail of anguish threatening and harming those Spires cares for most. Unwilling to remain on the sidelines, Spires springs into action, and an all-out war ensues. It is a battle between good and evil. Who will win?

I was initially apprehensive about reading this novel because it’s not my usual go-to genre. However, I am delighted that I took a chance with this book. While the story started slowly, it gained momentum as action, vivid details, and robust characters emerged. Witty dialogue adds to this fantasy-driven plot, sure to have readers anticipating more! An Elf With No Name: The Spires Saga is book one in this promising series. 

The book cover is alluring, and readers who enjoy fantasy and magical reads will appreciate Langford’s life-like characters, charming love story, and action-packed writing as he takes readers along a never-ending journey captivating you till the end! Spires and Aziramin’s story still needs to be finished, so readers get ready for part two! An Elf With No Name: The Spires Saga is available everywhere books are sold. 

Law and Dis-Order Review

Law and Dis-Order is a memoir by Michael J. Sharley. I was looking for new books to read and found this one on Facebook. I decided to purchase it. In his memoir, Sharley discusses his life as a lawyer and how he navigates life living with athetoid cerebral palsy (CP). I connected with him because I have CP. I went into this with an open mind because everybody who has a disability isn’t the same. However, I was surprised to learn that he and I had similar beliefs when dealing with dating, careers, and people within this world. The reality is this world isn’t accessible nor accepting of persons with disabilities, and I don’t believe it ever will be. 

Sharley discusses the struggles he often faces as a person with a disability who relies on others for his care. He also talks about the positives, like becoming a lawyer, his cases, and even starting his practice. He mentions the bleak dating scene and some of the asinine situations he’s encountered from people. He goes in-depth about his childhood, his strides to getting his law license, and how he, unfortunately, lost his license, which he believes was a discriminatory act due to the fact he’s disabled. 

Sharley is long-winded, and the book didn’t pique my interest until he began discussing his time as a lawyer. I found him to be repetitive. He would state a situation in one section or chapter and then explain that same situation or statement again. Also, I was not too fond of his view that some of the women he met weren’t intelligent and that he was smarter than them. I don’t find it polite to put other people down, especially given his circumstances. However, what’s promising with this memoir is the opportunity to acknowledge the fact that people with disabilities exist, and we can be productive members of society and have careers, families, love lives, children, etc. 

We shouldn’t have to fade into the background or succumb to the views of non-disabled people or sometimes even people with disabilities (yes, your own people can strike against you) about how we should live our lives. It was refreshing to see someone like Sharley be vulnerable and open about his life and what he’s involved himself with. I do feel Law and Dis-Order is worth the read. It’s a chance for people with disabilities and without to see someone else’s side of things because we are all different. 

If you want to purchase his book, it’s available on Amazon. Life and Dis-Order: a memoir of a lawyer with severe cerebral palsy.  

The Wife Before Review

“A room without books is like a room without a soul.” 

I couldn’t agree more with this quote. I read it somewhere in Shanora Williams’s book The Wife Before. However, I’m unsure if the author said it or one of her characters in the book, but I digress. Some of the things readers appreciate in books are good storytelling and writing, and this book had both! 

Readers get front-row seats to Samira “Mira” Wilder and Roland Graham’s compelling and secretive world. Mira, twenty-eight, is working to find herself and a job. She decides to take a waitressing gig at the encouragement of her friend and roommate, Shelia. Mira meets Roland Graham at this function. Roland is a high-profile golfer, but his winning streaks are a thing of the past. Now, all people seem to talk about is how he murdered his ex-wife, Melanie. 

Mira and Roland have an instant connection. But you can’t outrun your past, and what Mira learns after marrying Roland deepens the fear, uncertainty, and questions she has for her new husband once she finds his ex-wife’s journals detailing her last days as Mrs. Graham. Did Roland kill Melanie? If so, why? And if he didn’t, who killed her and why? 

Readers, be prepared for one hell of a ride filled with twists and turns on every page! The Wife Before is non-stop action, thrilling, and shocking till the end. I couldn’t put this book down! What I also appreciated was the short chapters. Shanora Williams utilized all seventy-one chapters of this book well. The plot is engaging, the characters have so many layers and are represented nicely in this story, and the detailed scenes are perfect. The Wife Before is what fiction writing and storytelling are all about!

If you’re looking for an edge-of-your-seat thriller, purchase The Wife Before. You won’t be disappointed. Shanora Williams’s The Wife Before is available everywhere books are sold.

Bardo Review

How does an innocent game of basketball cause Luther Banks to spend twenty years in prison for murder? After playing ball with a group of guys he didn’t know, Luther agreed to accompany the gentlemen to the store. Unbeknownst to him, these guys planned to take more than snacks. Now Luther stands over the clerk’s dead body as the police officers handcuff him. Behind bars, Luther grapples with the notion that he’s been wrongfully convicted. Thankfully, with the help of the Innocence Project, he is exonerated. 

Now, at forty, Luther must learn how to reacclimate himself back into an exciting and scary world. And he’s doing that when his life takes another devastating blow as he’s accused of murder once again. A body is found on Dutch Bogart’s land, and deputies believe Luther is involved. Luther is staying at the residence with a group of others, and all parties involved feel Luther should leave for a while until things calm down and deputies find the actual culprit. Luther reluctantly agrees and sets his sights on New York, thanks to Jed (a friend of Luther’s). He meets up with Jed’s friend Finn, and both men embark on a memorable journey filled with laughs, heartache, honesty, love, friendship, and family in author Emily Gallo’s book Bardo. 

I loved that this book showed readers that you are not your past. You can start life anew and create new memories, goals, friendships, etc. The dynamic and intricate relationship between Finn and Luther was beautifully complex, as it was honest. They are opposites in every sense of the word, but Finn opened Luther’s eyes to a world outside of what he once knew all those years ago, and Luther helped Finn to become more comfortable with being vulnerable. Bardo is about navigating life and the lessons, memories, and people you meet that help shape how you see the world and the various experiences you encounter past, present, and future. 

Bardo started slow but picked up quickly as the chapters continued. There were a couple misspelled words, but nothing to deter the reader from enjoying and finishing the book. Colorful characters, picturesque scenes, and an engaging plot help make this novel a captivating, witty, and detailed read! Readers into fictional novels filled with self-discovery, friendships, loss, love, and family would enjoy reading Bardo! Emily Gallo’s Bardo was released earlier this year and is available everywhere books are sold. 

Lavender House Review

After his last drink, ex-cop Evander “Andy” Mills plans to end his life. He feels he has nothing to live for anymore. His secret is out, and his co-workers on the force know he’s gay. It’s the 50s, and attraction to the same sex is frowned upon. He notices a woman’s fascination with him from across the bar, and it’s not long before she takes a seat next to him. Andy puts the glass to his lips and relishes the last few drops of liquid courage. Pearl Lamontaine notices Andy drowning his sorrows in one drink after another. She approaches because she knows what she’s about to offer will help both of their aching souls. Pearl’s wife, Irene, is killed inside their home, and Pearl wants Andy to help her find the killer. Reluctant at first, Andy thinks it over and agrees to take Pearl’s offer. 

Welcome to Lavender House, where you’re free to be yourself, your secrets are safe, everyone is considered family, and a murderer walks among you! This colorful novel has vibrant characters, a robust plot, and vivid details that keep the reader turning the pages! This book is suspenseful and a classic whodunit. Readers will enjoy trying to piece together who killed Irene. You can feel the love, the pain, the understanding, and the respect everyone has for each other. Lavender House is a beautifully written story where you learn that it’s okay to be yourself. 

Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House is available everywhere books are sold. And stay tuned for part two, The Bell in The Fog, released later this year in October. 

Take My Hand Review

Let’s talk about Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s novel Take My Hand. Oh. My. Gosh. Have you read it? Is it on your to-be-read list? If you haven’t read it yet, you should! I am speechless after reading this piece of literary fiction. So many emotions rose to the surface as I read page after page. I was hurt, worried, educated, elated, and couldn’t put this book down. The story is rich and full of powerful yet vulnerable characters. Take My Hand is set in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1973 and introduces readers to Civil Townsend and her career as a nurse for Montgomery Family Planning Clinic. 

She takes a case given to her by her supervisor. She’s required to provide Erica and India Williams, ages 11 and 13, Depo-Provera injections at their home. The purpose of these injections is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. What’s supposed to be routine visits turns into something more that neither Civil nor the Williams family expected. 

Civil develops a genuine fondness for the girls and their father and grandmother. She’s also taken notice of their unhealthy living conditions. Moreover, she learns that these Depo shots aren’t the best solution for these girls or anyone else required to take them. Thus begins a long and memorable court battle to provide girls like Erica and India, and many others, the right to have control of their bodies and the choices they make regarding their health. Take My Hand is one woman’s willingness to go above and beyond the standard job requirements to provide for a family and raise awareness regarding an individual’s life. Civil Townsend has a heart and stands firm on her beliefs. She’s willing to challenge the status quo for the rights of little girls and women, especially African Americans. 

Civil’s involvement with the Williams family leaves a memorable impression that results in a lasting friendship filled with admiration, love, loss, respect, and understanding. This beautifully written book has a mesmerizing plot, unforgettable characters, picturesque scenes, and the important underlying message of women’s rights and their bodies. 

Valdez’s Take My Hand is available everywhere books are sold. 

Don’t Cry For Me Review

Jacob is dying. He has cancer, and in a last-ditch effort, he writes his son Issac several letters detailing his upbringing, regrets, and confusion because he wants to apologize for not loving and treating his son as he should have. Issac is gay. He has a beautiful relationship with his mother and a strained relationship with his father because of how Issac identifies and who he chooses to love. 

In these letters, Jacob explains his reasoning and beliefs due to his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas, extending back to slavery. His grandfather raised him and his brother Esau a certain way, so Jacob’s children would be raised the same way, especially if he had a son. 

It was unheard of to have different views or be involved with someone of the same sex back then. There were consequences if you disobeyed your parental figure. Jacob’s mother, unfortunately, learned her lesson at the hands of her father and later on once she was married. Jacob’s mother was pregnant at a young age, but more so than that, she was vocal about her beliefs, what she chose to do, and how she wanted to live her life. Her dad, Jacob, and Esau’s grandfather disapproved of this behavior, so he would discipline his daughter to try and get her back in line.

Each time she rebelled, causing her father to enforce more punishment. She eventually married but sadly died at the hands of her husband, resulting in Jacob and Esau being raised by their grandfather and grandmother. These letters are Jacob’s way of repenting to his son for not loving, supporting, and raising him as he should. It’s one man’s way of accepting his wrongdoings and making peace with what he’s to leave behind. 

Don’t Cry For Me by Daniel Black is a beautifully written story highlighting an issue many parents face: learning to accept their children for who they are regardless of their identity. So many parents struggle with this, and I believe Black’s book opens the door to having these tough conversations that many of us are afraid to have with our children when we may sense that things have changed, but we aren’t sure how to address it. 

Jesmyn Ward said it perfectly, “Don’t Cry For Me is a perfect song. It’s a beautiful book. Read it.” I couldn’t agree more. Rich characters, unapologetic conversations, admitting one’s faults, the freedom to be vulnerable, and acknowledgment that some things are better left as they are, no matter how painful. Vivid details round out this engaging, funny, and heartfelt tale of a man’s letters to his son as he finally lets go of what was and opens his heart to try and repair and start anew, even if he doesn’t have much time left. Don’t Cry For Me is available everywhere books are sold.