I was always fascinated by books as a child. The beauty of how words flow is phenomenal to me. The way a story envelops the reader and transports them is a joy. As an adult, I kept my love of all things literary by remaining an avid reader, blogging, self-publishing a poetry book, and editing several children's books.
Film director, Nolan McClain is focused and strategically making moves in his career. He also navigates his romantic life in a seemingly effortless way. He has the perfect formula for success. His well-crafted life gets a shake up when Bridgette Turner moves into his orbit. He just can’t seem to shake her from his mind.
Bridgette Turner, an up-and-coming actress is making the most of her budding career. She is destined for stardom. When Nolan’s romantic interest in her is made known, she’s uncertain that it could be real. In addition to her doubt, her past threatens to snatch anything positive in her future, including her potential romance with Nolan.
I enjoyed the exposition into Nolan and Bridgette’s background. It was refreshing to see both step out of the familiar. The banter between the McClain siblings was in this book as well and is always hilarious. I love the connection and warmth in the family. Yet another hit in the McClain brothers series.
Newlyweds Ethan and Tricia are starting their life together. They’re about to embark on a major milestone as a married couple, purchasing their first home together. They luck out to find a grand home off the beaten path that’s been placed on the market.
When they go to view the home, they are stranded and must spend the night in the home due to a blizzard. The home is the former home of renowned psychiatrist Dr. Adrienne Hale, who disappeared three years prior.
While there, Tricia discovers cassette tapes that Dr. Hale used to record the therapy sessions of her patients. The tapes reveal a roadmap to what may have led to Dr. Hale’s disappearance and so much more.
This was a wickedly good story. In the beginning, I really thought that I had this story pegged. Boy was I wrong. One plot twist kept turning into another plot twist, and yet another. Freida McFadden’s work will regularly be on my TBR list with high anticipation.
Leland McClain is the youngest of the McClain siblings. He is a professional basketball player who also volunteers with a youth basketball camp at a recreational center. Leland has a thing for older women and sets his sights on the center’s director Kim Hampton. He is determined to make Kim Hampton his woman.
Kim Hampton is hard at work, running the center. The center is owned by her son, who is also a professional basketball player. Although she notices Leland and his good looks, she is determined to remain professional.
When a hostile incident occurs at one of the youth’s family home, it brings them even closer professionally. However, sparks begin igniting beneath the surface. Leland is all for it. Kim, not so much. Her troubled past, as well as a dark secret, is preventing her from freely acknowledging their relationship.
I enjoyed the story. Although it was very entertaining and had funny moments, it had a slightly darker tone than the first book. I especially like the updates on Jo and Everett, that was a welcomed surprise.
Leland was affirming and steadfast in his love for Kim. Kim’s strained relationships with her son and mom was a struggle to read. I hated seeing their interactions with Kim. However, I liked how House developed the conflict. Although it was uncomfortable to witness, it felt very real.
They (Kim’s mom and son) made me so mad; I had several “talk back” moments throughout the book. If I had the physical copy of the book, I’m sure I would have thrown it across the room. This is the third book I’ve read from this author. She is officially a mainstay of authors whose work I like. I’m so ready to get to the next installment in this series.
Kayla is a young woman with a bright future. She is in love with Geno and life is good. However, the moniker that her close friends refer to her as “Drama Queen” starts to ring true. One major incident sets off a crazy chain of events. She decides to move her life forward in a different direction and meets Craig. After meeting Craig, she gets more than she bargained for when she becomes pregnant with his baby.
This was an entertaining and quick read. The story was packed with interesting characters and drama filled situations that just spilled over to more chaos. There were some serious moments in the story, but overall, it was a light and funny read. It was a welcomed reprieve from weightier books.
On the heels of her divorce, Jo Walker’s secured station in life is due to child support and alimony payments from her ex-husband Sidney. Although she has financial stability, peace is not always hers to own as she is often reminded by Sidney that he is the sole benefactor of it all. Nonetheless, she focuses on raising their daughter and advancing in her burgeoning career as a jeweler.
Everett “Big South” McClain is a rapper who has sworn off love after his divorce. Casual romantic connections are safe and less complicated for him, until he meets Jo. Like no woman he has previously met, he cannot get her out of his mind. The only issue is Jo is not exactly enamored with him or his status. But Everett proves to be persuasive and soon the attraction between the two heats up. But their relationship is met with resistance from several parties: their former spouses being the biggest opponents.
The story was entertaining. I like the care that Everett showed toward Jo. He was constantly building her up when she tended to lean toward her insecurities. I liked that Jo stood her ground in many instances during her relationship with Everett. The way their connection developed was relatively realistic by showing slight resistance. The only mark I have against the book is that the story could have been a little shorter. However, it was a good story.
Sara Lancaster left Georgia after she is raped. She vowed to stay away as long as she possibly could. However, she is forced to return home when her father becomes ill. With her eight-year-old daughter Alana in tow, Sara’s past meets the present and it’s both bittersweet and hopeful.
Jacob Wyler left Georgia under a cloak of shame. His rich and influential family was brought to near ruin in a trail of unfortunate events. His brother raped Sara Lancaster, his sister Naomi died in a car accident, his father Tom committed suicide, his mother Birdie, normally a cold and indifferent woman, became insufferable.
Jacob sought out work in faraway places as an astrophysicist while simultaneously attempting to rebuild his identity. However, visions of his deceased sister lead him to return home.
In Georgia, Jacob and Sara’s paths cross. Things get convoluted when love develops in the most unlikely of ways.
I read this story as a part of Libby’s Together We Read campaign. This was a very layered story. The theme of forgiveness was evident. I found the building blocks the author used to present forgiveness in the story to be unconventional. I personally found it difficult to grasp the idea of the romantic love that developed between Sara and Jacob. The idea for the concept was explained in the back of the book in A Conversation with the Author.
I do know love can form under unlikely circumstances. However, Sara didn’t want to speak about Daniel, barely wanted to utter his name, or want to see him. Sara’s reluctance and hang-ups about Daniel was still very apparent throughout the book, and rightfully so. So, her falling in love with his identical twin felt out of place to me.
Alana was the bright shining star for me in the book, such a breath of fresh air. She brought everything together. She was the healing source in more ways than one. I also enjoyed seeing the warmth displayed in Sara’s family. Sara’s father speaking only in poems was intriguing. I would have liked to know more about why he chose this way to speak. Overall, I liked this story. It was rich and intriguing.
Angela Strickland has struck out twice at love. She has reconciled within herself that a future where real love reigns supreme is not in the cards for her. She settles fully in her life as a successful hair vlogger. To earn additional money, she rents the other side of her duplex.
Ryan Boye is in town on work assignment. He’s a corporate career man, who likes to keep things causal in his romantic relationships. He is the epitome of “hit it and quit it” and determines to stand ten toes down in that philosophy.
In an effort to make his stay feel a little more like home, he leases a place and his path crosses with Angela. What he finds is that Angela is not the typical woman he’s accustomed to. His fascination with her is deep and leaves him confused.
Angela may have sworn off love, but what she cannot deny is her attraction to her tenant Ryan. However, she is determined to keep things professional between them. How will things play out between these two?
This was a fantastic love story. Ryan and Angela’s mutual attraction heated up the pages (well audio for me; I listened to the audio version). Alexandria House’s books have been on my TBR list for some time. This is the first book I’ve read from her, but certainly not my last. Her storytelling is phenomenal. I am about to dive deep into her other books. Looking forward to it. I have a lot of catching up to do. I suspect it’s going to be a fun and wild ride.
Sheila Johnson overcame immeasurable odds. When she was just sixteen, her family imploded when her father left their family for another woman. It destroyed her mom. Defiantly determined she would not be caught in this predicament as a woman, she set out to prove just that. However, this singular event shaped Sheila in more ways than one.
Music was her refuge. She became an accomplished violinist and managed to get a full scholarship to college. She was well on her way. Then she met a young, ambitious man named Bob Johnson in college. They began dating and married a few years later. Her life and self-esteem was being shaped and molded by her new husband. His drive and ambition had carried them to great heights professionally.
However, behind closed doors, their marriage became a toxic breeding ground of lies, deceit, and emotional abuse. She had come full circle to the moment of her youth that she was determined not to experience again. When her thirty-three-year marriage to Bob ended, Sheila was struggling to find herself and rebuild life on her own terms.
She walked through shame, humiliation, male chauvinism, and racism to find her sweet spot. She became a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and formidable businesswoman. Sheila has indeed walked through fire and triumphantly come out on the other side.
I am grateful to Sheila Johnson for sharing her story. It is a story of courage, redemption, and fierce determination to keep moving forward.
Impactful moments/quotes from the book:
Sheila was reading in her bunk bed and was climbing down the ladder to come down for dinner.
Sheila’s dad to Sheila: “Just jump, I’ll catch you,” Dad said stretching his arm toward me. He’d never suggested such a thing before, so I was excited. I threw myself off the bunk, grinning from ear to ear-and then smack! I hit the floor hard. Confused, with the wind knocked out of me, I looked up at him.
“That’s a lesson,” my father said. “Don’t trust anybody.”
I started crying. “I trusted you,” I said. But he just turned and walked out of the room.
Sheila: “I wouldn’t want to live through that pain again. But the truth is, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if I hadn’t gone through it. I walked through fire and survived. I am the salamander.”
Sheila: “My journey here has been arduous, as you’ve read in these pages. But going through those awful times built my character and my strength.”
When I read, I like to be engaged. I look forward to enjoying a book. I do not like feeling exhausted by a story. After reading a book that have my interest waning, I need to switch things up a bit. A genre change is in order when this is the case.
I have certain genres that I gravitate over others. For example, I’m not a particular fan of romance, but I do enjoy it from time to time. Right now, it is romance that is coming to my rescue. Light, dreamy, fun, and quick reads are what’s needed in my reading collection at the moment.
I’m still balancing it out with some books that have a heavier subject matter. I am enjoying this romance genre reprieve though. I might just take a walk in the paranormal world next.
Jasmine has had a crush on Sean for years. After years of not seeing Jazmin as a romantic interest, Sean shift gears and entertains the thought of exploring something more substantial with her. Before long, they are involved in a full blown love affair. It’s everything Jazmin could wish for, even down to the impending parenthood between the two. But there’s a catch, Sean is married. Even more, he is married to Jazmin’s sister’s good friend, Rayven.
Jah is the edgy, loud, and rude guy in the friend group. He has full knowledge of the affair between Sean and Jazmin. When Jazmin gives birth to Sean’s baby, Jah becomes invested at first to help keep Jazmin and Sean’s situationship from being exposed. Things get complicated when Jah’s heart is held captive by Jazmin and her baby girl. Will this fire between Sean, Jazmin, and Jah remain contained?
I loved the quick pace of the story. Drama filled and hard hitting, it kept my interest. I read this book in less than a week. It definitely has the can’t put down factor. Sean had quite the nerve to be possessive of Jazmin while still being married to Rayven. I liked seeing Jah’s care and concern for Jazmin and her baby girl. It’s the first book in a series of 3. I will be reading the other books for sure.
FOREVER BOOK FEVER 