#jane igharo author

[richincolor]

New Releases

A fun fantasy, a swoony romance, and a touching contemporary headline this week's new releases. 

Click below to read about this week's releases.

Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon #1) by Amber Chen Viking Books for Young Readers

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a brilliant engineer just like her beloved father – but her life is torn apart when she arrives a moment too late to stop his murder, and worse, lets the killer slip out of reach. Left with only a journal containing his greatest engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, Ying vows to take revenge into her own hands.

Disguised as her brother, Ying heads to the capital city, and discovers that the answer to finding who killed her father lies behind the walls of the prestigious Engineers Guild – the home of a past her father never wanted to talk about. With the help of an unlikely ally – Aogiya Ye-yang, a taciturn (but very handsome) young prince – Ying must navigate a world fraught with rules, challenges and politics she can barely grasp, let alone understand.

But to survive, she must fight to stay one step ahead of everyone. And when faced with the choice between doing what’s right and what’s necessary, Ying will have to decide if her revenge is truly worthwhile, if it means going against everything her father stood for . . .

With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo Feiwel & Friends

17-year-old Enore Adesuwa doesn’t dive into things, she wades in very carefully. So when she and her mother and sister move from Nigeria to America shortly after her father’s death, she wants to be as prepared as possible for attending an American high school. Her cousin, Adrian, doesn’t have time to explain the ins and outs to her but, luckily, he recommends the perfect research teen movies.

Still dealing with grief but armed with a list of rules of survival (including no drawing attention to herself) gathered from these beloved movies, Enore is ready as she’ll ever be for senior year. But when she meets Davi Santiago, it may be much harder than she thought to keep to her rules. Because not only is he super thoughtful (and okay, very good looking), he encourages Enore to share her incredible singing voice. She prefers the background but it just might be time for her to take center stage, even in spite of her mother’s own strict rules and desires for her.

With help from Davi, some new friends who don’t quite fit the roles she expects them to play, and her younger sister, can Enore get through senior year with a new passion, new boldness, and new love?

Where Wolves Don’t Die by Anton Treuer Arthur A. Levine

Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty, polluted snow around them. He hates being away from the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation. And he hates the local bully in his neighborhood, Matt Schroeder, who terrorizes Ezra and his friend Nora George.

Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt’s house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won’t get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra’s family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But the Schroeders are looking for him. . .

From acclaimed author Anton Treuer comes a novel that’s both taut thriller and a raw, tender coming-of-age story, about one Ojibwe boy learning to love himself through the love of his family around him.

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Club Recommendations: Immigrant Experiences

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

In present-day Miami, Jeanette is battling addiction. Daughter of Carmen, a Cuban immigrant, she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE. Carmen, still wrestling with the trauma of displacement, must process her difficult relationship with her own mother while trying to raise a wayward Jeanette. Steadfast in her quest for understanding, Jeanette travels to Cuba to see her grandmother and reckon with secrets from the past destined to erupt.

From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals—personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others—that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women. A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them, this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots.

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo

At twelve years old, Azere promised her dying father she would marry a Nigerian man and preserve her culture even after emigrating to Canada. Her mother has been vigilant about helping--forcing--her to stay well within the Nigerian dating pool ever since. But when another match-made-by-mom goes wrong, Azere ends up at a bar, enjoying the company and later sharing the bed of Rafael Castellano, a man who is tall, handsome, and white.

When their one-night stand unexpectedly evolves into something serious, Azere is caught between her growing feelings for Rafael and the compulsive need to please her mother who will never accept a relationship that threatens to dilute Azere's Nigerian heritage.

Azere can't help wondering if loving Rafael makes her any less of a Nigerian. Can she be with him without compromising her identity? The answer will either cause Azere to be audacious and fight for her happiness or continue as the compliant daughter.

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Antonia Vega, the immigrant writer at the center of Afterlife, has had the rug pulled out from under her. She has just retired from the college where she taught English when her beloved husband, Sam, suddenly dies. And then more jolts: her bighearted but unstable sister disappears, and Antonia returns home one evening to find a pregnant, undocumented teenager on her doorstep. Antonia has always sought direction in the literature she loves—lines from her favorite authors play in her head like a soundtrack—but now she finds that the world demands more of her than words.

Afterlife is a compact, nimble, and sharply droll novel. Set in this political moment of tribalism and distrust, it asks: What do we owe those in crisis in our families, including—maybe especially—members of our human family? How do we live in a broken world without losing faith in one another or ourselves? And how do we stay true to those glorious souls we have lost?

Nuclear Family by Joseph Han

Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across Hawaiʻi seems within reach after a visit from Guy Fieri boosts the profile of Cho's Delicatessen. Their daughter, Grace, is busy finishing her senior year of college and working for her parents, while her older brother, Jacob, just moved to Seoul to teach English. But when a viral video shows Jacob trying—and failing—to cross the Korean demilitarized zone, nothing can protect the family from suspicion and the restaurant from waning sales.

No one knows that Jacob has been possessed by the ghost of his lost grandfather, who feverishly wishes to cross the divide and find the family he left behind in the north. As Jacob is detained by the South Korean government, Mr. and Mrs. Cho fear their son won't ever be able to return home, and Grace gets more and more stoned as she negotiates her family's undoing. Struggling with what they don't know about themselves and one another, the Chos must confront the separations that have endured in their family for decades.

Set in the months leading up to the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi, Joseph Han's profoundly funny and strikingly beautiful debut novel is an offering that aches with histories inherited and reunions missed, asking how we heal in the face of what we forget and who we remember.

[sincerelyveronica]

Have you Read...

How are ya now, book buddies? Enjoying the month so far? I sure do hope so! I have some book recommendations for you, specifically highlighting Black authors. For me, it's been important to discover more black literature and authors. I wasn't exposed to much of it growing up. I make sure that I do from now on. I have discovered some beautiful works of art.

Let me share:

Children of Blood and Bone- Tomi Adeyemi: YA fantasy

The Last Black Unicorn- Tiffany Haddish: Memoir

The Hate U Give-Angie Thomas: YA Contemporary/social justice

My Sister, the Serial Killer- Oyinkan Braithwaite: Mystery thriller

Binti series #1-3- Nnedi Okorafor: Science Fiction

The Poet X- Elizabeth Acevedo: Poetry

The Sun is Also a Star- Nicola Yoon: YA romance

Ties That Tether-Jane Igharo: Romance/contemporary

Helium-Rudy Francisco: Poetry

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America-Michael Eric Dyson: Nonfiction/social justice

The Fire Next Time-James Baldwin: Nonfiction/essays/social justice

The Library of the Dead & Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments(Edinburgh Night Series) -T.L Huchu: YA Fantasy

Iyanu, Child of Wonder vol. 1- Roye Okupe: Graphic Novel/comic

I have enjoyed these books so much over the last few years. These authors have taken me on many emotional rides. Journeys that take place in magical lands, filled with rich culture, and beautiful characters. Some stories that have been heartbreaking and sorrowful. Bringing up uncomfortable conversations about racism and black lives. Stories that are needed to understand the injustices that plagues the black community. The prejudice and hate the lingers and spreads throughout so many communities that are not white. It’s hard to hear BUT it’s imperative to read or listen to. But there have been stories and characters that have made me smile endlessly! As all books should do. I hope you add these books to your collection.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 190 - Reading Resolutions and Rants

This episode we’re discussing our 2024 Reading Resolutions (and Rants)! We talk about how we’ve already failed our 2024 reading resolutions, audio books, short stories, reading long things, not being able to read long things, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Media We Mentioned

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery

War and Peace by Lev Tolstoy (Wikipedia)

Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy (Wikipedia)

Animal Farm by George Orwell (Wikipedia)

Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler and Elizabeth Chandler

The Platform Edge: Uncanny Tales of the Railways edited by Mike Ashley

Baldur's Gate 3 (Wikipedia)

Yakuza (franchise) (Wikipedia)

Feed by M.T. Anderson

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao

Minecraft (Wikipedia)

Two Point Hospital (Wikipedia)

Links, Articles, and Things

Episode 167 (version 2) - 2023 Reading Goals & 2022 Reading Report

Which Pokémon are the most goth? 🦇 - Friday Night Spooktacular

2024 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Manga, Manhwa, and Webtoon titles on YALSA's 2024 Great Graphic Novels for Teens List

Manga for Teen Librarians (page 26) by Matthew Murray & Jean Broughton

Episode 187 - Favourite Reads of 2023

Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong (Podcast)

Teacher training programs don't always use research-backed reading methods

Literacy crisis in college students: Essay from a professor on students who don’t read 

Hark Episode 354: A Special Kind of Horny

Topping & Company Booksellers

The ladder Matthew mentioned

Our Reading Resolutions

Anna

Read (and finish) a book

Listen to audiobook fiction

Jam

Reading (physical books) on public transit

Matthew

Read the books in his office

Read (all) the graphic novels on library ebook platform wish lists

Read short story collections

Meghan

Read more (very) long books

30 Romance Books by BIPOC Authors (including 11 new releases from 2024)

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe

When I Think of You by Myah Ariel (2024)

Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan (2024) 

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton (2024)

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa (2024)

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde (2024)

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins

Let Me Love You by Alexandria House

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (2024)

Where We End & Begin by Jane Igharo

To Catch a Raven by Beverly Jenkins

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (2024)

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Aphrodite and the Duke  by J.J. McAvoy

The Marquis Who Mustn't by Courtney Milan

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava (2024)

The Lover, the Lake by Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, translated by Susan Ouriou

Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai

Never Cross a Highlander by Lisa Rayne

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan (2024)

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi  (2024)

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (2024)

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, March 5th we’ll be talking about the genre of Dark Fantasy! 

Then on Tuesday, April 2nd we’ll be discussing Non fiction Graphic Novels and Comics!

[ninadarlingsblog]

The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo

My new read for a little while between mothering and working. Lord knows I live for a good book about self journey and black love ❤ 😍

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

April Monthly Recap:

Okay so it turns out I super forgot to do my April recap, which I only realized now that it’s June... So I’m doing my April recap now, and my May recap will come out in a bit. I have been reading so much though! I read 19 books in April, of which only two were DNFs. My favorites in April were Legends & Lattes and Iron Widow, which are very different books but were both phenomenal.

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery: 3.5/5

Nightfall by Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg: 3.5/5

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske: 5/5

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold: 4.75/5

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki: 3.75/5

The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo: 2.25/5

A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole: 4.5/5

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec: 2.5/5, dnf

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: 5/5

The Triumph of Seeds by Thor Hanson: 5/5

Daughter of the Sun by Effie Calvin: 3.5/5

The Queen of Rhodia by Effie Calvin: 3.5/5

The Empress of Xytae by Effie Calvin: 3.5/5

Daughter of the Moon by Effie Calvin: 3.5/5

The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman: 3/5

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire: 4.5/5

Eidolon by Grace Draven: 4/5

The Song of the Dodo by David Quammen: 2/5, dnf

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: 5/5

22 in 2022: 7

Read 100 Books: 47

Read 40% AOC: 34%

Completing Series: 6 series completed/caught up vs. 5 started

Translated Works: 0

Books in Spanish: 0

Numbered TBR: 4

Discworld: 0

Books by an Indigenous Author: 1

Physical TBR: 8

Storygraph Recs: 2

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2022!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

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55. Blood on the Tracks Vol. 2 by Shuzo Oshimi--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This volume was so disturbing and I just KNOW it’s going to get so much worse. The artwork has this eerie sense of being a nightmare because of the sketch-like style and that ending….heebie jeebies. This mother is just…SHIVER. Onto the next volume and to be further disturbed…

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56. Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant--⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is strange to say, but I actually enjoyed the second book a lot more than this one. I don't know if it's because of the character and her inability to speak up. I get it--sometimes it's hard to say the things floating in our heads. But that being said, there's only so many times I can read her internal monologue of what she should be saying in order to avoid the drama. This is literally one of my biggest pet peeves in fiction: Drama as a direct result of miscommunication, or a lack of communication. Besides the MC, I really liked the side characters. I LOVED her love interest--he literally sounded so sweet (no pun intended). Anyway, this was okay. It wasn't my favourite, but I'm glad I read it now because it gives me a better idea of the characters in this series!

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57. Perfect World Vol. 10 by Rie Aruga--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I devoured this one in the early hours of today because I couldn’t put it down. I’m so happy for this couple, even if this volume is about a very difficult topic that you barely see discussed in the literary world. The scenes where she just looked so broken were really hard, but his continuous support of her made my heart swell for them. I also liked that this isn’t like a miraculous story just for the sake of that HEA. This was real and honest and full of emotion. I can’t wait for the next volume to come out!

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58. Blood on the Tracks Vol. 3 by Shuzo Oshimi--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The eerie nature of this series continues in this volume, and the author has done such a brilliant job of showing how disturbing it all is. One of my favourite aspects of this instalment is how the artist used the MC’s literal inability to speak as a sign of the trauma he’s experienced in the past and is currently experiencing because of his mother. I’m weirded out but I want to read the next volume!

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59. The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this one! I’m a sucker for dramatic characters when they’re forced to let a stranger into their lives. I don’t know why but I like seeing that growth and struggle of acceptance. My reason for taking a star off, however, is because of that insta-love. I’m a romantic, but even I have a hard time believing this woman went to Nigeria for seven days, encountered a man she had met once before, and by day 3 sparks are flying. It was just a bit unbelievable? I did enjoy learning more about the culture, however, and how the author touches on the valuable and heartbreaking life lesson of the prejudices and stereotypical thinking that exists. I’d recommend this one for those who love a quick romance and the complicated relationships between siblings and half siblings. Also, if you want to read a story set in the beautiful setting Nigeria.

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60. The Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren Davis--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is full of complex emotions, complicated situations, and it is so incredibly underhyped. TW: For an underage relationship (grooming), slut shaming, abandonment, verbal abuse, gaslighting, homophobia I may have missed some TWs, so if you need to see what other ones there might be, I highly recommend you look them up first. Saying that this book was heavy is to put it incredibly simply. We are immediately introduced to a main character who is in an obviously verbally abusive situation with her "mom" and as the story progresses, we see just how complex the relationship is. It isn't a clear-cut idea of "her mom is bad" because there are just so many layers to why her mother is the way that she is. This doesn't excuse the crap the MC is put through, but it gives some...backstory to why the situation is happening in the first place. I mention this because by the end of the novel, you're left wondering if everything was truly justified, and if it was, to what extend and where was the line of morally acceptable justice? I think the family that the MC ends up becoming a part of is also a great example of the morally questionable actions alluded to above. This whole book is much like the family that the MC's mother has warned her about: on the surface, it is a certain way that may seem like a simple YA read, but underneath, when you dig into the layers of the story, you start to question things. You start to question the motives, and the characters, and that grey area that we sometimes are forced to live in. The twist wasn't wholly surprising to me, but it was still heartbreaking. All I could think was "this poor woman." This book will definitely leave its mark on you. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys revenge stories with depth--especially emotionally complex stories that force you to question the morality of peoples' actions. Anyway, I'll stop rambling. Read this if you can face the TWs above.

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Have you read any of these? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

[storyseekers]

for the month of february, the story seekers have chosen the theme of a book written by a Black author. we highly encourage you to pick a book to read - or reread, that fits this theme, and create something based off of it. this event is open to everyone, not just members.

even though our event for this month is books written by a Black author, we also wanted to say that you should be making an effort to read Black stories year-round.

we’ve included some recommendations of new releases (2020-2021) by debut authors under the cut!  for a more conclusive list, please check out https://melanininya.com/.  if you’re able to, please also donate to bailout funds & mutual aid.  

to join:

reblog this post

create anything (edits, gifs, anything) that fits this theme by february 25th, 2021

use the tag  #storyseekers

caption your work with

@storyseekers event 10 : written by a Black author — [ title of book ]

— [quote / desc]

Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown (goodreads, thestorygraph)

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (goodreads, thestorygraph)

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Like Home by Louisa Onome (goodreads, thestorygraph)

The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (goodreads, thestorygraph)

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (goodreads, thestorygraph)

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (goodreads, thestorygraph)

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle (goodreads, thestorygraph)

Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson (goodreads, thestorygraph)

[faithlean]

[Download Book] Where We End & Begin - Jane Igharo

Download Or Read PDF Where We End & Begin - Jane Igharo Free Full Pages Online With Audiobook.

  [*] Download PDF Here => Where We End & Begin

[*] Read PDF Here => Where We End & Begin

 Star-crossed lovers get a second chance at romance when they're reunited at a wedding in Nigeria, in a heartfelt novel from the acclaimed author of The Sweetest Remedy.Dunni hasn't seen her high school boyfriend, Obinna, since she left Nigeria to attend college in America. Before their devastating separation, they vowed to find their way back to each other one day.Twelve years later, and their vow is a thing of the past. Dunni works as a geneticist in Seattle and is engaged to a man she doesn't love but one her parents approve of. Her future is laid out for her, and everything is going according to plan until she returns to Nigeria for a friend's wedding and runs into Obinna. The shy, awkward boy she loved as a teenager is now a sophisticated, confident man. Things have changed, but there's still an undeniable connection between them.As they rediscover each other, their days filled with desire and passion, Dunni is reminded of the beautiful future she once planned with Obinna. But

[atumbleamongthepages]

New Release: The Sweetest Remedy, by @victoriousjane

New Release: The Sweetest Remedy, by @victoriousjane

When a woman travels to Nigeria to attend the funeral of the father she never knew, she meets her extravagant family for the first time, a new and inspiring love interest, and discovers parts of herself she didn’t know were missing, from Jane Igharo, the acclaimed author of Ties That Tether. Hannah Bailey has never known her father, the Nigerian entrepreneur who had a brief relationship with her…

[blogbibliophilia]

Title: Ties That Tether
Author: Jane Igharo
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️out of 5

[rockislandadultreads]

Romantic Reads: recommendations

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

Their lives began together, but their worlds couldn't be more different. After thirty years of missed connections, they're about to meet again...

Minnie Cooper knows two things with certainty: that her New Year's birthday is unlucky, and that it's all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she's never met. Their mothers gave birth to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year's Day, but Quinn was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990—and the name Minnie was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it's no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before.

When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year's party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The gorgeous, charming business owner truly seems to have it all—while Minnie's on the brink of losing her pie-making company and her home. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both wanting more?

Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this "deliciously sweet and savory new romantic comedy" (USA Today bestselling author Abby Jimenez).

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn't plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn't spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.

From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there's also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they're forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it's possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

One daring to-do list and a crash course in flirtation turn a Type A overachiever’s world upside down.

When her flailing department lands on the university's chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup.  Check…almost. Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career. Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she's finally living again.

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo 

When a Nigerian woman falls for a man she knows will break her mother's heart, she must choose between love and her family. At twelve years old, Azere promised her dying father she would marry a Nigerian man and preserve her culture, even after immigrating to Canada. Her mother has been vigilant about helping—well forcing—her to stay within the Nigerian dating pool ever since. But when another match-made-by-mom goes wrong, Azere ends up at a bar, enjoying the company and later sharing the bed of Rafael Castellano, a man who is tall, handsome, and...white. When their one-night stand unexpectedly evolves into something serious, Azere is caught between her feelings for Rafael and the compulsive need to please her mother. Soon, Azere can't help wondering if loving Rafael makes her any less of a Nigerian. Can she be with him without compromising her identity? The answer will either cause Azere to be audacious and fight for her happiness or continue as the compliant daughter.    

[leggy-freda]

Book Review: Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo

“How much more of yourself, of your culture will you lose to accommodate him in your life?” 

As you may have heard me say a million times this year, it’s been a struggle reading year and I have been doing all I can just to read anything my attention can focus on. I have no recollection of being on a waitlist for this book but once it popped up as available and I saw a Nigerian author, I…

[bookclub4m]

30 Romance Books by BIPOC Authors (including 11 new releases from 2024)

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe

When I Think of You by Myah Ariel (2024)

Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan (2024) 

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton (2024)

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa (2024)

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde (2024)

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins

Let Me Love You by Alexandria House

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (2024)

Where We End & Begin by Jane Igharo

To Catch a Raven by Beverly Jenkins

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (2024)

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Aphrodite and the Duke  by J.J. McAvoy

The Marquis Who Mustn't by Courtney Milan

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava (2024)

The Lover, the Lake by Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, translated by Susan Ouriou

Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai

Never Cross a Highlander by Lisa Rayne

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan (2024)

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi  (2024)

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (2024)

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

[reeseryan]

Join me and author Denise Williams today at 4 PM Eastern for an IG Live Chat where I'll be talking about SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LANE and we'll discuss how some of our characters have failed at flirting. Join us and check out her past conversations with authors like Alexa Martin, Meryl Wilsner, Jane Igharo, Suzanne Park, Yaffa Santos and more here: https://www.denisewilliamswrites.com/blog/how-my-friends-failed-at-flirting -- https://www.instagram.com/p/CH25D_uAn_D/?igshid=susgg232awgj