Nightbloom: Peace Adzo Medie

BLURB:

Peace Adzo Medie, author of Reese’s Book Club pick His Only Wife , returns with a moving novel about the unbreakable power of female friendship.

When Selasi and Akorfa were young girls in Ghana, they were more than just cousins; they were inseparable. Selasi was exuberant and funny, Akorfa quiet and studious. They would do anything for each other, imploring their parents to let them be together, sharing their secrets and desires and private jokes.

Then Selasi begins to change, becoming hostile and quiet; her grades suffer and she builds a space around herself, shutting Akorfa out. Meanwhile, Akorfa is accepted to an American university with the goal of becoming a doctor. Although hopeful that she can create a fuller life as a woman in America, she discovers the insidious ways that racism places obstacles in her path once she leaves Ghana. It takes a crisis to bring the friends back together, with Selasi’s secret revealed and Akorfa forced to reckon with her role in their estrangement.

A riveting depiction of class and family in Ghana, a compelling exploration of memory, and an eye-opening story of life as an African-born woman in the United States, Nightbloom is above all a gripping and beautifully written novel attesting to the strength of female bonds in the face of societies that would prefer to silence women.

REVIEW:

Honestly the moment I saw this book it called to me, and the moment I opened the first page I was hooked. I could not put it down. I spent nights reading for over 5 hours without even realizing how much time has passed and I would literally force myself to put the book down and to sleep, reluctantly because it was so late at night and I was afraid I would be tired all day if I did not get the rest.

This book is angst filled, full of sadness and not to mention kind of triggering because its about an issue that happens every single day in our African societies. Young girls are sexually assaulted, sometimes by male family members and everyone just wants the issue to go away. They simply sweep everything under the rug with the notion that should it be reported it would be something that’s shameful to the family. And in doing this the offenders, the predators have the freedom to continue ruining so many young girls lives for decades and decades. This book focuses on 2 girls who are cousins and the best of friends in their childhood. And because of the traumas faced by grownups and not dealt with they end up experiencing their own traumas at the hands of the adults in their lives.

More than anything this book made me realize that young girls in Africa are really not protected by their families. Most families just view young girls as a means to an end. The worst thing is that girls are continuously blamed for the actions of men, while these men get no consequences for their criminal and disgusting behavior.

Anyway, I’m ranting and venting I think. This book is a must read, definitely. I finished it in 3 days even though I’m busy throughout the day, yet any moment of any day I would grab it and devour. Get it now, You wont be disappointed. I promise you.

We Should All Be Feminists: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Before I got this book I had been longing to get it for so long, and when I say longing I mean just yearning for it. I always used to watch bits and pieces of Chimamanda’s lectures and talks on Youtube and other social media sights and just connected with what she was speaking about. Being an African girl, born and raised in an African country (namely Botswana) I really connected with the ideas that she was sharing, the experiences she had growing up and especially her experiences with being an African feminist. So when I was traveling in 2023 and I found it in the airport book shop I knew it was definitely a sign for me to finally get the book, and I devoured it within 2 hours it was so good.

Blurb

What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists, a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.

With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout, she draws extensively on her own experiences—in the U.S., in her native Nigeria, and abroad—offering an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike.

Argued in the same observant, witty and clever prose that has made Adichie a bestselling novelist, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman today—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.

Review

I can not recommend this book enough, honestly in today’s age we really should all be feminists, Men and Women. Feminism is simply a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Its not about hating men or thinking women are better than men like most men would say, its simply wanting to establish that all the sexes are equally paid, equally respected and equally considered.

You have to read this book especially if you are an African girl, especially young girls because a lot of us are conditioned to believe that we have limited intelligence and choices in life. Young African girls spend our whole lives being conditioned to be second class citizens, conditioned to be wives and not people who have purposes and goals and dreams. I could go on but I really think Chimamanda says it best. And if you cant find the book or simply arent much of a reader, which would be crazy because if you got this far it shows you do read, then you can definitely listen to her TED Talk on Youtube below.

Top 10 Reads Of The Year..

As the year is coming to an end i have went through a lot of books this year. Some of them amazing, some of them so-so, and i feel as though this year my reading tastes have evolved and changed, i have learned a lot about myself through the books that i read and i love the new me. I feel like I closed my eyes to sleep January 1st and suddenly its almost 2022 already, how did the year go by so fast. Well enough chattering, I will share with you my list of the best books i have read this year in no particular order of best.

1. E.L James’ Fifty Shades Trilogy- This was definitely a re read because I read the whole series in 2010 and I have to say I saw it and experienced the book in a completely different way. I would definitely suggest it all over again

2. Sylvia Day’s Crossfire Trilogy: This is definitely a re read also, I dont know why but Iv been wanting to read the books that I read while in my early 20s that I really loved just to get a different view point and feel of them and I just loved this trilogy all over again. Definitely fell in love for the second time with the trilogy.

3. Keta Kendrick’s The Chaos Series: Definitely a must read. Its been a long time since Iv read anything by Keta Kendricks and I definitely have to say she does not disappoint.

4. Dirty Cravings by Kenya Wright: A must read for those who love a good kinky read. A nice mafioso book to send you off into fantasy crimeland

5. Jack Higgins’ A Devi is Waiting: The type of book to not read on a gloomy night alone at home. But I definitely enjoyed every second of it, crime thrillers are a favorite of mine and you have to have a look at what Sean DIllion is up to in this book.

6. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen: This is a special book for me because a friend of mine got it for me as a goodbye present after 3years of studying together in China and he couldnt have picked a better book. With the collection of short stories all put into one book it is a definite must have.

7. T. C Boyle’s Wild Child: This book is set quiet back in the back ages, I do not usually enjoy historical thrillers, but this one had me hooked.

8. Fiona Walker’s Love Hunt: Im sure for most of us who have been single throughout the pandemic know the hardships of searching for love. This book is definitely a must read, its funny, witty and a light hearted read.

9. J.A. Jance’s Devil’s Claw: A crime- suspense book that definitely had me on the edge and taking it everywhere I went trying to solve the murder mystery. If you love crime shows then this is definitely a book you must check out.

10. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Devil May Cry: This is a thriller to read for sure. A book about sin, goddesses and Gods.

This list might be filled with books from years back but I promise you wont be disappointed. Also a book is never too old to read or too out of fashion to experience. The older the book the better..

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life

Blurb

The first full life–private, public, legal, philosophical–of the 107th Supreme Court Justice, one of the most profound and profoundly transformative legal minds of our time; a book fifteen years in work, written with the cooperation of Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself and based on many interviews with the justice, her husband, her children, her friends, and her associates.

In this large, comprehensive, revelatory biography, Jane De Hart explores the central experiences that crucially shaped Ginsburg’s passion for justice, her advocacy for gender equality, her meticulous jurisprudence: her desire to make We the People more united and our union more perfect. At the heart of her story and abiding beliefs–her Jewish background. Tikkun olam, the Hebrew injunction to “repair the world,” with its profound meaning for a young girl who grew up during the Holocaust and World War II. We see the influence of her mother, Celia Amster Bader, whose intellect inspired her daughter’s feminism, insisting that Ruth become independent, as she witnessed her mother coping with terminal cervical cancer (Celia died the day before Ruth, at seventeen, graduated from high school).
From Ruth’s days as a baton twirler at Brooklyn’s James Madison High School, to Cornell University, Harvard and Columbia Law Schools (first in her class), to being a law professor at Rutgers University (one of the few women in the field and fighting pay discrimination), hiding her second pregnancy so as not to risk losing her job; founding the Women’s Rights LawReporter, writing the brief for the first case that persuaded the Supreme Court to strike down a sex-discriminatory state law, then at Columbia (the law school’s first tenured female professor); becoming the director of the women’s rights project of the ACLU, persuading the Supreme Court in a series of decisions to ban laws that denied women full citizenship status with men.
Her years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, deciding cases the way she played golf, as she, left-handed, played with right-handed clubs–aiming left, swinging right, hitting down the middle. Her years on the Supreme Court . . .
A pioneering life and legal career whose profound mark on American jurisprudence, on American society, on our American character and spirit, will reverberate deep into the twenty-first century and beyond.

Buenas Noches…Buenos Aires..

Blurb
Gideon is a lonely, horny young Englishman who arrives in Paris to take up a teaching post in the local Berlitz, and becomes increasingly fascinated by the intoxicating atmosphere of erotic banter and bragging in the school’s all-male and virtually all-gay common room. The moment has surely arrived for him, too, to overcome his own chronic timidity and actually do what he has only ever dared fantasize about. Yet Gideon has a secret – one he is prepared to share with nobody but the reader, a secret he is finally obliged to confront, with surprising results.

Review
I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started this book. The blurb caught my attention enough without completely giving away the story inside the story.  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I started reading this one, simply because I dont usually go for this type of book, yet from the moment I started it i was transfixed to this book from the first page, I ended up reading it all in a matter of 2 days, which would have been one day if it wasnt for the fact that I was a little preoccupied with household duties.

This short book uses Adair’s trademark eloquence, fondness for perfect mots, and corkscrew sentences to tell a tale at once comedic and quietly unsettling. His description of one AIDS-ravaged friend in particular stands out as a harrowing moment in a ‘coming’-of-age novel (or not coming-of-age) that celebrates guiltless homosexuality, an essential message still to percolate into the Neanderthal brains of Russian politicians and about a hundred other tiresomely backward nations. Will Self tread similar ground in 2002 with Dorian—a novel set in London that handles the AIDS era with similar impishness and extra grotesquerie.

I would say this is the kind of book you read unsuspecting the shock that will come from most of the content that is in the book.

Toe Curling Thursday

So I have decided to do add a new dimension to my blog. I will have a Toe Curling Kiss Scene Thursday where I will share the best kiss scenes of the books I read that particular week. So here goes my very first one.. 😀

Legend- Katy Evans

He leans his head forward slowly, and I turn my head instinctively away, just an inch, scared to feel his lips on mine. Scared of what it’ll do to me.

He brushes his lips across my jawline instead. I hear a moan rip out of my throat. He exhales and eases back, looks at me for a moment.

The weight of his gaze feels like sex on my face, then he dips his head and sinuously, heatedly, drags his lips along my temple, up to my forehead, where he sets a kiss there, his soft, firm lips pressing into my skin in a kiss that lasts for about ten perfect, frightening, thrilling seconds.

My throat is tight, and I want to beg him not to stop when he inches away and studies me with eyes that shine with jealousy and possessiveness.

Thin Love- Eden Butler

Kona sat up, slow, cautious and Keira watched him, watched unable to react, to respond, until Kona leaned toward her, until she could smell the drugging scent of his skin and feel the soft outline of his mouth. It was the pause of everything, a kindling of heat that Keira did not know how to contain—Kona’s soft lips against hers, his airy breath moving behind the hint of tongue—at once Keira felt drugged, controlled and manic.

Keira’s mouth worked against her will, a reaction, a gut feel of movement that she did not control and Kona seemed to love it, pulled her closer, guided her hands around his waist, up to that massive chest and Keira did not stop him.

She loved the sound of his throat vibrating, those low, delicious growls he made when her tongue touched his, when her mouth moved faster, harder. Before she realized what was happening, Kona leaned over her, had her caged against the pillows. Behind her closed eyes, Keira allowed only the sensations of touch and taste to filter into her mind and she knew, unconsciously, absolutely, that she wanted Kona Hale. She wanted his hands on her back, lowering; his mouth, tongue, down her neck nibbling. All that sensation, the fiery spark of their bodies connecting consumed her, made her feel drunk, wanted, beautiful. Cherished. The sensation was overwhelming, consuming and Keira found she could not breathe, could not keep hold of her senses—the protective instinct to run from the sudden terror she felt.

Share any if you have more of your favorites…

Run This Town

BLURB:

In the cutthroat world of politics and crime, nothing is more dangerous than love. Ciara Simmons takes her journalism degree and her knife-edged ambition to New York City, where she goes undercover on former playboy Luka Belmonte’s mayoral campaign.
She soon learns Luka’s darkest secret: to run the city, the charming, seductive son of one of NYC’s most famous politicians will have to get in bed with the mafia.
Just like his father did.
Exposing him would be a public service, and guarantee her reputation as a rising star of journalism.
There’s just one problem … she’d rather ride him than ruin him.

***

Luka is determined to shed his party-boy image and ascend to the pinnacle of NYC politics. He’ll do whatever it takes, even deal with mobsters.
The one thing he didn’t count on was smart, stunning Ciara. Her refusal to throw herself at his feet only makes her sexier.
He knows she’s a threat, but all he wants to do is take her for his own—and protect her from harm.
With danger on every side, Luka and Ciara must decide whether to honor old loyalties … or forge new ones that could cost them everything.

REVIEW:

It was my first time reading a book by this author so i really had little to none expectations, but even so, it was a bit of a disappointment, it was a short read and the story line was kind of super unrealistic.

What’s a small town girl from Iowa to do in the big city? Obviously keep reminding the viewer that she’s a small town girl from Iowa now in the big city. And the the small town girl of course falls for the big city, rich play boy wanna be Mayor. Luka is portrayed as a playboy who likes to party and do drugs that plans to stop and turn his life around and run for mayor. This was unrealistic to me, despite the constant reminders, this story is OK. The characters are flawed and unrealistic, but I enjoyed the story’s flow none the less. What I really did not enjoy was how Luka treated  and talked to Ciara, but I guess it all goes with his bad boy persona.

Personally I love my bad boys respectful and good to women, but what do I know..

The final chapters after the big climax seemed to falter, and it was as if the writer was not sure what else to write about them and there is a huge cliff hanger at the end of the story, which I do not really like.

If you enjoy unrealistic, bad boy, good girl stories with a hint of Mafioso thrown into the mix, then I guess this book is definitely for you.

Rowan: A Billionaire Brothers Romance (A BWWM Holiday Romance) (The Corbett Billionaire Brothers)

BLURB:

They say time heals all wounds …

…but time hasn’t been on my side.

My life has been carefully planned, ever since the day I graduated from art school and left my carefree, party girl identity behind. I got the job as a professional muralist for New York’s wealthiest citizens, and I had the perfect relationship with a man I wanted to start a family with.

Five years later, I’m single, barely employed, and thousands of dollars in debt to New York’s best infertility treatment center.

It turns out the only thing I couldn’t control was my body—it betrayed me and left me with a diagnosis of untreatable, inexplicable, devastating infertility.

When a cowboy billionaire appears out of the blue, offering an exorbitant amount of money for a job I can complete in a month, there’s no question that I’m hopping on a plane to New Mexico.

It’s the perfect opportunity to forget the family I’ll never have.

But when the limo rolls up to Rowan Corbett’s estate in the middle of nowhere, I know that there’s one more thing I won’t be able to control. With thick black hair, sapphire eyes, and a jawline that could cut steel, Rowan looks like he just stepped out of a wild west book from fifty years ago.

As the weeks go by… I start to wonder, can love be the cure I’m looking for?

REVIEW:

It’s been a while since i have read a fantastic interracial romance novel. And lately it has been so hard to find a good one, but I have always enjoyed Imani King’s creations, so when I saw this one I went in with high expectations. And as usual she did not disappoint.

I loved Rowan and Cadence. Given all that Cadence went through as a result of her infertility issues, it was hard not to like her and cheer for her happy ending. Rowan is exactly what Cadence needed. What I liked most about him is that he’s not your typical billionaire and that he was willing to do whatever to show Cadence they belonged together. I’m glad that he didn’t let Cadence push him away. This was an enjoyable read that will leave a smile on your  face. Very light read and not a lot of angst, which was even better for me because I am taking a break from those angsty, heart wrenching reads.

It does not hurt that the love scenes are hotter than fire also.. 😉

Forbidden..

BLURB:

She is pretty and talented – sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But… they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

REVIEW:

This book is not for the weak hearted, it’s not your typical love story, it is not pretty with roses and candy. It makes you want to cry, it makes you confused and it will have you like ” What the fuck did I just read”?!?!

How many of you little sisters out there have come to a point in your life when you look at your older brother and think “Yeah, I’d hit that,” and not in the punch-you-in-the-arm kind of way?

Raise your hand. No one? Oh – you haven’t?! Really? Are you sure?! Because im pretty fucking sure I have never once thought of my brother the way this girl does. Its scary and disgusting but I just couldnt put it down.

I’m not saying I liked it, ohh No NO NO! Just the opposite in fact, I hated this book, but I desperately needed to see the ending, to see how their story ends,  and honestly to see if they will come to their damn senses and stop thinking they are in love..

I watched a movie like this book before called “Flowers in the Artic” and it had me in tears, I mean bawling like a big ole baby, but this book had me on the edge of my seat. I alternated from wanting to kick their lil asses to wanting to give them hugs because they are just kids after all.

Incest has a very long and sordid history. As long as there are relatives, there will be incest. Unless humans soon evolve into a Vulcan-like race that suppress their emotions and always base their decisions upon logic. Which sounds most illogical.

Who should read this:

Let’s just say that “brotherly love” or “sisterly love” is not for everyone. In fact, it’s not for most people. Firstly: The large majority of siblings just aren’t interested in each other. Second: If everyone participated in it – the human race would quickly devolve and be lost into genetic disorder. That’s just genetics.

I suggest that only MATURE teens read this.

It would be completely accurate for me to say that I have NEVER read a book like this in my life. Forbidden is the very definition of sexual tension.

Let’s face it. Teens have raging hormones. I know I did. I would have in NO way been able to handle this book as a young teen. I already wanted to do all kinds of naughty things without having an influence like this in my life, and I know that if I had read it before I had matured hormonally – I would have rushed out and tried to seduce the first “off limits” guy I could find. And I could have done a lot of damage to myself and other people. I was not emotionally mature enough to handle this book then and many young girls will be in the same situation that I was.

It is difficult to say for sure how or to whom this book should be marketed. This is a young adult book with ADULT content. I am in no way an advocate of censorship, but honestly some teens are just NOT ready for the material in this book. It’s just my recommendation that this book not be taken lightly. This isn’t the new generation’s Princess Bride. This book deals with things that not every teen needs to or would want to read about. All I’m saying is please, please – use discretion. Teens need to decide whether they are really interested and prepared for this book; they may even need help making their decision.

And totally no spoilers but the ending is a total complete MIND FUCK!

What Are You Reading This Week?

The Hurricane by R.J Prescott

Blurb: Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree.

Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.

Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the mis-fire. He’s never been knocked out before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met, she doesn’t want anything from him, but just being around her makes him want to be a better person.

They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.

A few Reviews by some readers:

“This was such a great love story! I haven’t read one like it in a while. The story was not something new. Broken girl meats bad boy fighter. Boy starts changing so he’s worthy of her. Girl starts living her life and putting herself back together. What I really enjoyed was how well written this book was and how relatable the characters where. They had a chemistry that you could fell a mile away.”

“The main characters Emily and O’Connell were literally the most adorable book couple ever. Both broken in their own ways and yet, they were just what each other needed to be whole again.”

“This book was amazingly good, one of the best I’ve read this year. I have to stay this blew my mind and heart away, for a debut novel it left me speechless and wanting more. This book made me realize how much I loved reading again and made my heart beat a little faster. This novel is one of a kind and I’m hoping we get more.”

Personally I love this book.. I advice you to devour it this very second..