New Review : You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty : Akwaeke Emezi

5 out of 5 books

A tragic accident. Deep sorrow and grief. The need to feel alive again. These are the experiences of Feyi Adekola.  After five years, it is time for Feyi to move past the tragic accident that took the life of her husband.  A Nigerian artist, Feyi puts her emotions and sorrow into her artwork which manifests in subtle details that many who are experiencing the same grief will recognize and appreciate. At the assistance of her best friend, Joy, she starts to attend social events and date again. She meets Nasir Blake, and they develop a great relationship although they agree to take things slow.  Nasir invites Feyi to vacation with him on the island where he grew up. 

Upon arrival to the tropical paradise, Feyi is surprised to discover Nasir’s father is a renown celebrity chef. She’s even more surprised by her strong attraction to the very eclectic, Alim Blake.  Alim is a free spirit who is very comfortable in his fluidity which has been a problem for Nasir and his sister.  With his many celebrity connections, Alim secures Feyi an opportunity to show her art in exhibit featuring art of the Black Diaspora.  This extends her time there and the hours Feyi and Alim spends in the house alone draws them together as kindred spirits in their grief and survivor’s remorse.  The feelings of grief give way to a deep yet forbidden love.  After all, Nasir brought Feyi to this tropical paradise with hopes of having a future with him, not for her to fall for his father. 

YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY is beautiful story. I don’t know what my expectation was going into the book but the feels this book gave made for a very pleasant reading experience.  I love the dynamics of Feyi and Joy’s friendship, the freshness of embarking on a new relationship with Nasir. However, it was the depth of emotions that Alim and Feyi shared, all which were not pleasant happy feelings that set this book apart.  This is an excellent read by an author that is new to me, yet I plan to seek out more of her work. 

Reviewed by Paula Allen

Get your copy of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty!

New Review : Couples Wanted : Briana Cole

 

4 out of 5 books

The follow up to The Marriage Pass, COUPLES WANTED focuses on Bridget and Roman who have a very successful marriage that they want to keep exciting. This all changes when they meet swingers, Corinne and Patrick. Patrick is instantly obsessed with Bridget and encourages Corinne to entice the other couple into joining in their lifestyle. Bridget and Roman are intrigued as well but need more time to get onboard. As the old saying goes, "curiosity killed the cat", it holds true when Bridget and Roman advance down the slippery slope. 

Corrine and Patrick pursue the couple with Corrine attending events where she knows she will run into Bridget.  She even gets Bridget booked to work an event for the Shadow Lounge, the club that sponsors the swinger events.  After the first event she attends with Patrick, they are all in.  The consequence of that decision starts Roman’s obsession with Corrine. Corinne's long held secret is revealed and explodes on both couples’ relationship.

Briana Cole has done it again. Relationship drama is her specialty, and she engages the readers to keep the pages flipping. We even see an appearance from Dorian from A Marriage Pass. Wow, what a ride.

Reviewed by Paula Allen

Get your copy of Couples Wanted today!

New Review : The Marriage Pass : Briana Cole

3.5 out of 5 books

When a couple take a unique approach to salvaging their marriage, they find they bit off more than they can chew.  Briana Cole is the queen of dramatic relationships.  THE MARRIAGE PASS follows couple Dr. Dorian Graham and his wife, Shantae as they try to navigate a successful union that meets both of their needs.  For their one-year anniversary, Shantae propositions Dorian with a marriage pass – one night of passion with a stranger, no questions asked.  Dorian fails to adhere to the rules of the marriage pass by choosing a partner who is off-limits and continuing the affair.  Things get really heated and the drama ensues when the truth is revealed. 

Fans of reality television will enjoy this book! It was a messy wild ride.  The secondary characters had drama of their own that kept the plot moving.  An entertaining read!

Reviewed  by Paula Allen

Get your copy of The Marriage Pass today!

New Review : Miss Pearly's Girls : ReShonda Tate Billingsley

4 out of 5 books

                                                        

                                                           

As a resident of Arkansas and a fan of Reshonda Tate Billingsley, I had to grab MISS PEARLY'S GIRLS. The story centers around Pearly Bell's four daughters, Maxine, twins Stella and Star and the youngest Leslie.  Upon graduating, Stella, Star and Leslie fled Smackover Arkansas for better lives, leaving behind a bed of secrets that only Mama Pearly knew about.  When a health crisis lands Mama Pearly in the hospital, all the girls return home, some for the first time since leaving.  Mama Pearly's dying wish is that each daughter reveals the secret she has been keeping.  It's a tall task for the sisters, but they cannot deny her wish. 

Maxine is the oldest daughter who remained in Smackover with her mom.  She’s the wife of a local Pastor and harbor resentment towards her sisters for leaving home and leaving her to ensure their mother will be okay.  Stella is a publicist for the Atlanta Falcons.  She has always had big dreams of leaving Smackover for a more lucrative and glamorous life.  She never saw herself ever stepping foot in a town like Smackover again in her life.  Stella’s twin sister, Star is married with children and is content being a homemaker. She did not pursue a formal education but chose love instead.  Leslie is the youngest of the girls.  She has always felt like the odd man out, as her looks was so different from her siblings and the resentment shown towards her by Maxine.  As each sister expose her secret, the revelation will tear down their already fragile relationships, yet allow opportunity to strengthen and rebuild them.

Reshonda Tate Billingsley never fails to deliver.  She is an awesome storyteller who managed to combine heavy subject matter with a bit of humor and a lot of love.  I highly recommend MISS PEARLY’S GIRLS. 

Reviewed by Paula Allen

Get your copy of Miss Pearly's Girl today!

14th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest : On YouTube

Just in case you missed the 14th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest, it is now on the UrbanReviewsOnAir YouTube channel : https://youtu.be/Ck9BIYXzhR8 

Watch and subscribe!

New Review : All Her Little Secrets : Wanda M. Morris

 

4 out of 5 books

Ellice Littlejohn is living the good life as a successful corporate attorney in Atlanta. She has good friends and has a no-strings attached relationship with her white executive boss. Ellice’s life changes forever when she finds her boss dead with a gunshot to his head in his office. Instead of alerting the authorities, Ellice simply walks out of his office. She has some disturbing secrets in her past that she doesn’t want to come out. On top of all this, her younger brother is in trouble and Ellice is trying to help him without being in the spotlight. Ellie becomes suspicious when she is suddenly promoted to replace her old boss because she is the only black attorney in the company. There is something sinister going on at this company and Ellice needs to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late.

All Her Little Secrets starts out with a literal bang with the murder of Ellice’s boss. Wanda M. Morris pulls readers in from the first few pages of this book. Morris does an excellent job of executing this multi-layered story. There’s murder, shady dealings, racial conspiracies, which makes this not your typical whodunit. Readers will also question Ellice’s actions throughout this book. All Her Little Secrets is an enjoyable debut novel by Wanda M. Morris.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert

Order your copy of All Her Little Secrets today!

New Review : Single Black Female : Tracy Brown

 

4 out of 5 books

Ivy is a successful stylist and single mom. She has stayed loyal to her sons' father Michael while he serves a lengthy prison sentence. But Ivy is lonely and now wants something more. Coco is single and has everything she wants but she picks emotionally unavailable men. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, she’s unsure if she’s ready for him. Deja is a real estate agent who is married to a NYPD sergeant. Her life looks perfect but Deja is not having any fun at all. Deja is in for a rude awakening when her past catches up with her. Nikki is social media businesswoman and Deja’s little sister. She has no regrets in life and wishes her sister get out of the rut that she’s in. These four friends are going to have to face a harsh reality and choose sides when Ivy’s younger son has a run in with the NYPD. 

Single Black Female by Tracy Brown is an entertaining novel about the different trials and tribulations black women face in today’s world. Brown does an excellent job of bringing us well-developed characters and storylines to this book. Each of these characters bring something different to this story which makes this book all the more enjoyable. Some of the decisions that these women have to make will make readers wonder what they would do in these situations. Single Black Female is a book that would make for a very lively book club discussion.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert

Order your copy of Single Black Female today!