be. love. by Christin Collins

 Book Excerpt:

"be. Love. It is a transformative guide that welcomes the reader on a profound journey into self-discovery and healing. Drawing from her experience as a health and wellness coach and her insights as a mindfulness facilitator, Christin Collins explores the essential role of love in achieving true wellness and inner peace. Be. Love. Delves into the complexities of the human spirit, emphasizing the power of self-love and compassion as pivotal forces in personal growth and health.

Through compelling narratives and practical exercises, Christin supports the reader with tools to dismantle barriers that prevent love from flourishing within. Her holistic approach addresses the mind, body, and soul to foster balance and harmony. After challenging us to confront the turmoil, trauma, and stresses that cloud our lives, be. Love. Guides us into coherence and a regenerative lifestyle.

Each chapter builds upon the previous one, forming a ladder of evolutionary steps that lead the reader into a more compassionate and mindful existence. Christin's writing resonates with warmth and authenticity, making complex concepts accessible and motivation actionable. If you are seeking to transform your life through the power of love and mindfulness, be. Love. Is your compelling roadmap for a more fulfilled and peaceful life?"

Title: be. love.

Author: Christin Collins

Publisher: BooksGoSocial

Reviewed By: Arlena Dean

Rating: Four

Review:

"be. Love. by Christin Collins

My Perception:

'Be. Love.' was a beautiful read about self-love, personal growth, spirituality, wellness, healing journey, and meditation practices. It is easy to read and will give you much to think of long after the read.

The exercises with the tips at the end of each chapter were phenomenal in presenting them to the reader. Be ready for a collection that brings out the beauty and complexity of all forms of love.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Camp Net Galley Welcome Packet by We Are Bookish

 Book Excerpt:

"Welcome to Camp NetGalley! Whether you're a longtime NetGalley member or just getting started, we're thrilled to invite you to our online summer camp extravaganza. Pack your favorite bookish tote bag and get ready for free weekly activities created just for you! 

Camp NetGalley is an online bookish experience that took place during the entire month of July 2024. It was so much fun with all of the creative ideas that were shared, especially the summery themes.  

I enjoyed the challenge of seeing so many camp reading sites, books, and games to choose from this summer. The novels were fun reads that kept one's attention until the end. There were lots of offers, and I hope I didn't miss too much. I will be waiting to see what's up for next year.  

Thank you for sharing the Camp Netgallery Welcome Packet with us.

Boss, Jade Jones

 Book Excerpt:

"Samiko, a suburban sweetheart, has always played by the rules. But everything changes when she crosses paths with Boss, a notorious Konkwo Mafia Family member. Handsome, powerful, and utterly charming, he's everything she's ever dreamed of in a man. The only hitch? She's already committed to someone else—a man unwilling to let her go without a fight.

Meanwhile, Tyffani has been weathering the storm with her boyfriend, Brixton, for years. Enduring his infidelity and shouldering the blame for his criminal escapades, she's stuck in a toxic cycle. However, when a captivating new prospect enters her life, Tyffani is torn between loyalty and desire. But with a volatile African boyfriend in the mix, falling for someone new might not be the safest or wisest choice. Will Tyffani find the happily-ever-after she craves, or will her tumultuous relationship lead to her downfall?"

Title:  Boss

Author:  Jade Jones

Publisher:  Jaded Publications 

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: 4

Review:

"Boss" by Jade Jones

My Perception:  

'Boss' was quite a story. There was so much going on between Samiko, Boss, Brixton, Tyffani, Jabari, and Tyffani, with there being even more characters that one kept turning the pages to see what was coming next. This story had friends against friends, sisters against sisters, brothers against brothers, and the list goes on and on. There was so much infidelity going on all over the place that would keep you shaking your head and wondering what was coming next. All that is left to say is to be ready for a lot of drama, twists and turns, murder, and let's not leave out all the secrets that eventually come out.

Merc (The Protectors Book 2) Kindle Edition by B. Love

Book Excerpt:

"For a man like Merc, his reputation has always preceded him. Known for his allegiance to the criminal underworld as a protector, the gangster only shows love to his family… and his son and the woman who birthed him are at the top of that list. When Merc decides to take one last job before retiring, he doesn't think it will include protecting a woman he's been trying to avoid but can't seem to get rid of. A woman who softens him and brings out the lover he's kept hidden over the years.

For a woman like Neo, it only takes one lesson to teach her. A bad experience with a man who has a child closes her heart off to dating men with children. It seems fate has other plans… plans that bring her and Merc together three times before they begin to question if they are meant to be.

With a dangerous dealer on the loose, Neo is forced to seek asylum outside of her home and under Merc's protection. Will he prove to be a safe space for her heart romantically, or will he save her life and heart for her to give to someone else?"
 

Title:  Merc

Author:  B. Love

Publisher:  Prolific Pen Pusher 

Series:  The Protectors Book 2

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Five

Review:

"Merc" by B. Love

My Perception:  

What a story about how these two, Merc[Mercury] and Neo, come together in this good romantic story. With Merc in security, will he be able to keep Neo and a few other people from this story? Be ready for a read with many facets that you must keep up with, especially with some of the things that happened in the story. 

Be ready for a good story about love, where two people find love in the end. Merc was quite a man who was there for the ones he loved. To get this whole story, you must pick up 'Merc' and see how this author brings it out to the readers.

 

Asylum (The Protectors Book 1) Kindle Edition by B. Love

 Book Excerpt:

"Asylum Matthews has devoted his life to his wife, stepdaughter, and the safehouses and protection he provides the city of Memphis. When his wife disappears without a trace, leaving signed divorce papers and her daughter behind, Asylum's world is tilted on its axis.

Dauterive Jersey married the wrong man, and she's suffered silently because of it. The free-spirited, independent woman has been dying for an escape. When she finally dares to divorce her husband, he vows to make her pay with an age-old threat—if he can't have her, no one can.

When Dauterive needs protection, Asylum offers his assistance without knowing who she is or what's going on. The second they are in each other's presence, memories of their time together rush to the surface, allowing a love they stifled to finally breathe again. Will it be easy for this second chance love to bloom, or will it wither and die and put both of their lives on the line?

Title:  Asylum

Author:  B. Love

Publisher:  ‎ Prolific Pen Pusher 

Series:  The Protectors Book 1

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Five

Review:

'Asylum' by B. Love

My Perception:  

'Asylum' was an interesting read about how Asylum Matthews and Dauterive [Doe] Jenkins, who had been in love many years ago, could finally be together again after all was said and done. There will be a lot going on in this story, so you will have to keep up to see how this second time around came again for these two to be together again. I enjoyed seeing how this man took in and loved another man's child and went to the end to ensure she was well cared for. Indeed, Asylum was a 'protector, lover, and friend.'  Now, to get it all, you will have to pick up this good story to see how well this author does in giving up an exciting read that will keep you turning the pages till the end.

The Marriage Bed Kindle Edition by Lakisha Johnson

 Book Excerpt:

"Lynn and Jerome Watson have been together since meeting in the halls of Booker T. Washington High School in 1993. Twenty-five years, a house, business, and three children later, they are on the heels of their 18th wedding anniversary and Lynn's 40th birthday.

Her only request was a night of fun at home with her husband and maybe a few toys.

Lynn thinks their marriage bed is suffering and wants to spice it up. Jerome, on the other hand, thinks Lynn is overreacting. His thoughts, if it ain't broke, don't break it trying to fix it. Then something happens that shakes up the Watson household, revealing secrets, but Jerome's biggest secret is that his lips are sealed.

The Bible says in Hebrews 13:4, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." But what happens when life starts throwing daggers, lies, turns, and twists?"

Title:  The Marriage Bed

Author:  Lakisha Johnson

Publisher:  Twins Write 2 

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Five

Review:

"The Marriage Bed" by Lakisha Johnson

My Perception:  

The author gives the reader another good read...'The Marriage Bed.'  One would think Jerome would have been more brilliant than he was in having a wife like Lynn and knowing she would not put up with his mess after they had been together for over twenty-five years. Especially when Lynn comes to him and lets him know that something is wrong in their marriage. And for Jerome to do this with a friend of theirs from church. Jerome had a problem, and he really needed some professional help. As we can see from the read, he continued this mess and was supposedly trying to get his wife back. Pick up this good read to see what I am talking about. I wasn't surprised with the ending!

I agreed wholeheartedly with what the "Bible says in Hebrews 13:4, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." However, when your life starts throwing all the mess in from 'daggers, lies, twists, murder, and turns all over the place,' as it continues, it may be time to separate, and divorce is evident.

The Wedding People A Novel by Alison Espach

 Book Excerpt:

"It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn alone, wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who is away for the big event. Phoebe is here because she's dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and possible disaster the weekend might yield except for Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can't stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us."

Title:  The Wedding People

Author:  Alison Espack

Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co.

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Five

Review:

"The Wedding People" by Alison Espach

My Perception:  

 

'The Wedding People' was quite a read about Phoebe Stone. A lot had happened to her, including her mom dying at birth, living with a depressed father, failing IVF, a husband who left her for an associate, and losing her cat. When she decides she has had enough of life, she decides to do something about it...having reached her breaking point.  

How she did this will keep you reading to see how Phoebe will make it out of it. Phoebe didn't know she was checking into a resort that had been taken over for a million-dollar wedding and had been mistaken for one of these wedding folk. Lila [the bride] befriends Phoebe, learns of what Phoebe had planned, and decides to do something by befriending her, not wanting her wedding ruined by that happening. 

It will take a while to get into this good story, but as you continue to read it, you will see how well this author creates a story that will immerse you in a situation that can have you laughing and crying at this emotional read. The characters' lives intertwine, and the story's emotional depth makes for a compelling read. It's always refreshing to find a book that evokes laughter and tears.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for my review.