Let Me Love You by Alexandria House (A Book Review)

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.

Rating 9/10

Stay With Me by Alexandria House (A Book Review)

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.

Rating 10/10

Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph by Sheila Johnson (A Book Review)

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.”

Rating 10/10

The Mother Of Black Hollywood: A Memoir By Jenifer Lewis (A Book Review)

“Artists are quickly labeled, and my label was “force of nature”. ~ Jenifer Lewis

Jenifer Lewis recounts her life to bring us a funny, insightful, and rich memoir. From her humble beginnings in Kinloch, Missouri to Broadway to Hollywood, Jenifer’s life was filled with crushing lows and equally exhilarating highs. She bares her soul in the most raw and truthful fashion as only she can. From sex addiction, a bipolar disorder diagnosis, to spiritual exploration, Jenifer owns her life boldly and unapologetically. Through it all, she comes full circle to find serenity and balance to live a rewarding life that commands the label “force of nature” in the most glorious and happy existence that shines through the pages.

I laughed out loud often (especially about a song that came from a camel ride), yet I gleaned many gems from Jenifer’s story. To see the beginning to the end and everything in between, was a lesson. Jenifer shows us what fighting for one’s own happiness looks like. Though difficult at times, she pushed through to get out of destructive cycles to get to her happiness. As if the retelling of her life wasn’t powerful enough, she wrote a letter to the reader at the end of the book. I really enjoyed that. It was the perfect end to sum it all up. I found myself reading it more than once and soaked up as much as I could. Great book.

Cool Quotes From Book

“Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?”~ Nelson Mandela

“There’s no greater journey, than the journey within.” ~ Beverly Heath

“The fact is many parents don’t or can’t give you everything you need. Mine couldn’t.  So, I went in search of substitutes. I often advise young people in this situation to understand there are probably people around every corner who will take them under their wing and help them on their way. But you have to ask.”~Jenifer Lewis

“If you can dream it, you can make it happen.”~ Shirley MacLaine

“Your landscapes are vast”~ Shirley MacLaine

“I’ve learned in life that what you give to others is what provides the most value to your life.”~Jenifer Lewis

“When you are not at your best, surround yourself with good people.”~ Jenifer Lewis

“You have to slow your roll; give yourself quiet time and stop to smell the roses, thorns, and all.”~ Jenifer Lewis

Rating 10/10  

My Other Husband By Dorothy Koomson (A Book Review)

Cleo Forsum, a novelist, is relatively successful in most aspects of her life. She writes best sellers, turned those best sellers into a successful TV show, and has a loving husband and extended family. So why does she want to abandon it all to start anew? When people close to her start turning up hurt or dead, it is evident that something sinister is lurking in the shadows beckoning her to leave it all behind. These criminal acts are almost identical to the crimes in her best-selling novels, which gives reason to the police to be doubtful of Cleo’s innocence.

Cleo just wants the violence to end. Will her compliance with the demand from a figure from her past be enough to stop the bloodshed?

This book was a slow burn. The story became predictable quite early on. About the halfway mark, the predictability was laid right out in the open only to twist ever so slightly and on to another trajectory making this a beautifully treacherous ride. My only grievance was that the book was a bit too long, it could have been shorter. I will be reading more from Dorothy Koomson though, she has tickled my fancy for her other work.

Rating 8/10

I Am Debra Lee: a Memoir By Debra Lee (A Book Review)

Debra Lee sends the following message in the beginning of her memoir: “To all the shy girls, the introverts. Believe in yourself, work hard, use your voice, and you can be anything you want to be.” As a shy young girl herself, she started on a straight trajectory to college and then law school. The strong love for Black culture that she held fiercely throughout her young life came full circle when she started her tenure at BET.

Starting as general counsel and ending as CEO, she was a trailblazer who walked through the murky and sharky waters of office politics to carve out her own path. A path carved by fortitude and forged by fire that resulted in her becoming a force to be reckoned with in the business. She developed her skills by absorbing, observing, and working tirelessly in the trenches.

As a female executive among many male colleagues, she was oftentimes subjected to the patriarchal structure that sought to silence her contributions and ideas. However, she masterfully adjusted her sail and forged ahead with creative ways to use her voice. She stated: “That’s one of the many challenges of being a woman in the workplace, you always have a double consciousness.”

She used everything she experienced, good and bad, to build and cement her legacy. Debra Lee left a great blueprint to navigate through both career and life.

Debra Lee on perseverance: “I persevered not by becoming someone else but by embracing who I was (plus practice, practice, practice). 

Debra Lee on leadership: “Stepping into your flaws and all is the only way to lead.” 

Debra Lee on self-acceptance: “Whatever you do, own it. Because the consequences-good or bad- are yours and yours alone. 

Debra Lee on self-awareness: “There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to be the center of attention.” 

This was an insightful read. It was written in a straightforward way that provided great advice on how to show up in the workplace and the world at large. I liked how she demonstrated with grace an alternative way to show up in the workplace that may also garner success and grant one’s greatest desires.

She also demonstrated how a shy person can walk in their purpose by simply embracing all that they are, standing firm, and forging ahead despite insecurities. She worked and led in that perspective, and it unlocked so much for her. I am happy that she shared her story with us.

Rating 10/10

Walking In My Joy In These Streets by Jenifer Lewis (A Book Review)

As Jenifer said in her own words about this book in the epilogue, ” Auntie ain’t playing in this one.”  Truer words couldn’t have been spoken concerning this beautiful collection of Jenifer’s journey of life as she lives it. There was never a dull moment reading Walking In My Joy In These Streets. It was a joy to soak in all the lovely and sage wisdom oozing through the pages.

Jenifer Lewis’ larger than life personality shined throughout this book. It was laugh out loud funny at times. Other times, it was profoundly reflective. I was inspired by her ability to always push through and own who she is in her fullness.
All of her experiences led her face to face with herself, which she revels in with raw honesty. Jenifer’s bravery of walking in her truth is a testament to the gift she truly is.

I found Jenifer’s honesty in the book refreshing. I especially love the balance she struck between the funny and weightier nuances of life discovered along the way. This book was a fantastic read.

Rating 10/10

Finding Me by Viola Davis (A Book Review)

Finding Me is a tour de force. It’s a memoir that encompasses self development, determination,  resiliency, and so much more.

Viola recounting her childhood of abject poverty and trauma was heartbreaking to read. However, knowing about her origin and all what she defied in the face of many challenges was inspiring.

I loved the memoir. It’s evident that Viola’s life serves as a powerful reservoir she can pull from in her craft. Her illustrious career is the result of her blood, sweat, and tears. It was great to read about her journey.

Rating 10/10

Will by Will Smith (A Book Review)

This was an interesting read. Will laid his life out as honest as he could. He bared his inner struggles with what he deemed as cowardice early in his life; a trait that he appeared to carry and battle with throughout his life.

He spoke of how inadequacies in his early life fueled his personal recipe for success. He was able to carve a successful path for himself and his family at least it appeared so externally. He confessed that the success did not always transfer internally within his family.

I enjoyed reading this memoir. It had a few gems as takeaways sprinkled throughout the book. One downside was that in certain instances the book came across as preachy. I would have liked for it to remain matter of fact and/or recounting solely on his experience in those instances.

It felt as if he was giving a lecture to his readers at times instead of trusting his readers enough to get it.

Impactful quote:
Living is the journey from not knowing to knowing. From not understanding to understanding. From confusion to clarity.

Rating 8/10

Knowing by Rosalyn McMillan (A Book Review)

Ginger, a wife and mother of four, works long hours with her husband Jackson at a plant named Champion Motors. She is unfulfilled and wants to quit the plant to pursue other endeavors. Jackson is not onboard with the idea. Ginger’s cousin Kim seems to have it all. She is in a relationship with Bill, and it seems as if they’re ready for marriage. She is confident in her career. She is making wise decisions in her investments. However, she is caught up in a situation that can threaten her livelihood. Ginger’s mom Katherine is strong willed and vibrant and wishes that Ginger can somehow adopt this attitude in life. Kim’s mom Jewel is tending to the love of her life Ollie, as he fights through a devastating illness.

With so many storylines intersecting throughout the book, the book has a lot to offer. I was rooting for Ginger to know her worth. She encountered many obstacles but she pushed through. I only wished she would have had the courage to move on through certain things sooner rather than later. Jackson was comfortable with the life they built as a family and could not understand Ginger being unfulfilled in the job she held. Kim was confident in who she was as a woman and in her purpose in life. Her relationship with Bill was strong but a scandal she’s involved in threatened everything she worked hard for. I’m glad she pulled through.

Katherine wanted to remind herself that she still had what it took to pull men. When she hooked up with a younger man, I wanted to see what direction it was going. It was a bit predictable, but Katherine’s spunk made it fun. It was sweet to see Jewel and Ollie’s love endure in a dire situation. There was a silver lining afterwards, but I was a little sad that it wasn’t exactly what I was wishing for. It was overly descriptive at times and some details in the story sort of prevented the story from moving in a pace I am accustomed to. Overall it was an interesting read.

Rating: 6/10