Forever Carly: A Second Chance Holiday Romance (Second-chance Series Book 1) by Michele Sims

 Book Excerpt:

"Secrets, deceptions, and lies.

Michele Sims, the multi-award-winning author of the Moore Family Saga is back with a second chance romance novel.

Carly Rivers, a small town girl with big dreams to become a renowned expert on historical African American communities unexpectedly encounters her college sweetheart, Mason Moore, after ten years apart in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mason has transformed his family’s business into an international conglomerate.
Both are rising from the ashes of a failed marriage."

Title:  Forever Carly: A Second Chance Holiday Romance

Author:  Michele Sims

Publisher:   Green Books Publishing, LLC

Series:  Second Chance Book 1

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

'Forever Carly: A Second Chance Holiday Romance (Second-chance Series Book 1) by Michele Sims

My Review:

'Forever Carly' is a well-crafted second-chance romance featuring Carly Rivers and Mason Moore, who reconnect after ten years apart as former college sweethearts.

Both Carly and Mason married others, but those relationships ended. When they meet again, they discover a renewed connection. Their journey is complicated by challenges posed by their exes, but the story explores themes of forgiveness, redemption, and hope. 'Forever Carly' is recommended for readers seeking an uplifting romance.

The Children A Novel by Melissa Albert

Book Excerpt:

"Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.

In one, she and her brother, Ennis, live in the wooded shadow of their family's isolated Vermont farmhouse; in the other, the pages of their mother’s world-famous Ninth City books, where their magical adventures have made them household names. In reality, Guinevere's childhood isn't the enchanted idyll her mother’s readers imagine: she and Ennis are growing up near-feral, unwashed and underfed, escaping each day to the wild woods they’ve made their playland. As Edith Sharpe’s books explode into epic popularity, the threats of a rural childhood give way to the escalating perils of fame—until the night it all goes up in flames, leaving Edith’s series unfinished and her children the sole survivors.

Now an adult coasting on her mother's name, Guinevere is mid-promotion for a ghostwritten memoir when her estranged brother, an artist who has until now spurned his family's legacy, announces an upcoming installation titled, simply, Mother. As rumors swirl around a death connected to his last show, unsettling recollections from Guinevere’s childhood begin to surface. Her public facade starts to crack, forcing her to confront the questions she's spent the last twenty years running from: What really happened the night of the fire? And what dark history lies behind their mother’s fantasy world?

The Children is wise to the mythic weight childhood memories gather over time, and the way our most beloved stories grow up with us. It's for anyone who's ever revisited an old favorite and found its pages cast in a darker light, the line separating magic from reality blurring as we discover the books that once comforted us carry shadows of their own."

Title:  The Children

Author:  Melissa Albert

Publisher:  William Morrow

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Four

Review:

'The Children' by Melissa Albert

My Review:

The Children is a captivating exploration of a dysfunctional family. The story follows siblings Guinevere and Ennis as they navigate a life altered by tragedy. After a fire destroys their home and claims the lives of everyone except them, the narrative shifts between the present and the past, keeping readers engaged and intrigued.

The novel skillfully intertwines elements of literary fantasy, family legacy, grief, magical realism, and sibling relationships, providing a rich and diverse reading experience. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the digital review copy.

Murder by the Book by J.L. Campbell

 Book Excerpt:

"A riveting, dark, and layered thriller that cuts through the glamorous façade of the publishing world to expose the true cost of ambition.

Some stories are too dangerous to tell, especially when they're your own.

Addison Comstock is a literary icon, known for her bestselling crime novels, razor-sharp tongue, and relentless rise to the top. But behind her polished brand lies a ruthless past filled with secrets, betrayals, and broken lives—including those of the writers she's employed to ghostwrite her success.

When her longtime editor collapses and dies during a team retreat in Jamaica, what appears to be a medical emergency soon begins to feel like something far more sinister. Tensions rise, loyalties fray, and whispers of sabotage grow louder. Someone in Addison's inner circle has decided enough is enough, and the truth is becoming stranger than fiction.

As the body count climbs and buried truths resurface, Addison is desperate to maintain control of her crumbling empire. But with accusations flying and her dirty past threatening to go public, even Addison begins to question who she can trust . . . and how far she's willing to go to protect her legacy."

Title:  Murder by the Book

Author:  J. L. Campbell

Publisher:  Black Odyssey Media

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Four

Review:

"Murder by the Book" by J. L. Campbell

My Review:

'Murder by the Book' was a good thriller read that kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. The characters,  [Addison], along with the story's twist and secret, made for a really engaging read, keeping the reader guessing till the end.   

Thank you, Netgalley and Black Odyssey Publishing, for the advance readers' copy to read and review.

What the Island Asks by J Martin

 Book Excerpt:

'When Seraphina Lockwood returns to Hatteras Island after her father’s death, she expects only to settle unfinished business before returning to the life she built elsewhere. Instead, the island offers her something she never resolved: Beckett Crowe, the man she left behind, and the version of herself she abandoned with him.

As old rhythms resurface—wind, tide, wood, and weather—Sera is forced to confront the cost of escape and the quiet persistence of love rooted in place. Her reunion with Beckett is marked by restraint rather than urgency, shaped by years of absence and the shared knowledge of what leaving once destroyed.

What the Island Asks is a slow-burn literary romance about return, emotional inheritance, and the courage required not to run. It is a story of love that does not demand—but waits.'

Title:  What the Island Asks

Author:  J. Martin

Publisher:  J. M.

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

'What the Island Asks' by J. Martin

My Review:

'What the Island Asks' delivers an evocative blend of emotional depth and romance, delving into the complexities of aging and the exhilaration of rediscovered love.  

Expect suspense that will propel readers forward as Sera and Bennett’s story unfolds.  

By the end, readers experience a moving, satisfying story about rekindled love.  

Library Thing...California Fever Dream: A Memoir (Willow Books Memoir Series) by Judy Juanita

 Book Excerpt:

"Memoir by Judy Juanita, Black Arts Movement icon and winner of the American Book Award. California Fever Dream chronicles Juanita's 60 years of writing and activism. Judy Juanita is an award-winning poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist and playwright. At San Francisco State University in the 1960s, Juanita joined fellow student protesters to revolutionize American higher education and create the nation’s first Black Studies department. Juanita was the editor-in-chief of The Black Panther, the newspaper of the Black Panther Party. Her semi-autobiographical debut novel, Virgin Soul (Viking, 2013), features a young woman in the 1960s who joins the Black Panther Party. Her work is archived at Duke University's John Hope Franklin Research Center, alongside the work of SNCC activists from the 1960s.

Juanita is a winner of the American Book Award (2021) for Manhattan my ass, you're in Oakland, a poetry collection. Juanita’s twenty-odd plays have been produced in the Bay Area, L.A. and NYC. She appeared in Netflix's Last Chance U:Season 5 (2020). Juanita taught at Laney College in Oakland, CA for over three decades. She is a Lecturer in the College Writing Programs at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2024, Juanita received a Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN Oakland

Title:  California Fever Dream

Author:  Judy Juanita

Publisher:  Aquarius Press

Series: Book 2 of 2 ‏ : ‎ Willow Books Memoir Series

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean 

Rating:  Five

Review:

'California Fever Dream' by Judy Juanita

My Review:

"California Fever Dream: A Memoir" is an excellent read, seamlessly blending poetry and fiction into a lush, immersive experience. Judy Juanita transports readers to vivid scenes pulsing with the sun-drenched streets and passionate energy of California. Her depiction of life with the Black Panther Party is rendered in bold, evocative brushstrokes, filled with tension, struggle, and hope. Each page is alive with emotion and unflinching honesty. I highly recommend this remarkable book; it's both enjoyable and memorable—a journey readers will want to return to and share.

The Library of Flowers (Deluxe Edition) by L.C. Chu

 Book Excerpt:

"For centuries, the Hua women have held sway over the courts of emperors and billionaires with their magical perfumes able to stir hearts and ensure fortunes. And in every fifth generation, an eldest daughter is born with the rarest gift of all: the ability to summon true love.

As a long-awaited fifth daughter, Lucy was supposed to be the miracle her exacting mother had been waiting for. But when her magic failed, Lucy fled Vancouver, her legacy, and the expectations that had nearly broken her. Now, years later, she runs a tiny perfume shop tucked away in Toronto's Kensington Market—crafting beautiful, perfectly ordinary scents and keeping her extraordinary past firmly behind her. That is, until a death in the family brings her home...and saddles her with an unwelcome inheritance: the centuries-old Hua family register, brimming with secrets, formulas, and forgotten truths.

As Lucy unravels the stories of the women who came before her—including the mother whose complicated heart she never could understand—she must confront the tangled threads of love, power, and identity...and ask herself whether her magic was ever truly gone, or simply waiting for her to decide for herself what it means to be a daughter of the House of Hua."

Title:  The Library of Flowers

Author:  L.C. Chu

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Landmark

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Four

Review:

"The Library of Flowers" by L. C. Chu

My Review:  

'The Library of Flowers' was about the women of the Hua family, past and present, which was a very interesting read about their family, which involved their culture, history, emotion, and even some magic that went back several generations. Now, what was this magic family's trade...Perfumers by trade. Be ready for characters like Lucy and Ana, who will be quite interesting in the story. It was nice seeing a family finding themselves.

If you would like a story about strong women, this one is for you.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good Joy, Bad Joy, by Mikki Brammer

 Book Excerpt:

"For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she's squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can't say the same.

Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone—and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind and whether there's a way to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all she holds dear.

Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love."

Title:  Good Joy, Bad Joy

Author:  Mikki Brammer

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

My Review:

'Good Joy, Bad Joy' was a beautiful, good read. The reader will fall in love with Joy, who was eighty-nine years old, and I don't want to forget to mention Hazel, Joy's best friend. This will be a story that keeps one turning the pages, thanks to the author's ability to bring it to life for the reader.

This story was about a 'lifelong friendship, sisterhood, love, life, and even regrets'. This is one of those stories that will leave one pondering long after the read, even leaving one in tears.   

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.