Book Round Up-Books I Read in the Month of May!
Listen I know I am way behind with this, but I read some of the most impactful books in May and I’ve been sitting on them and I must share! I was wrapped up deep into work and anything extra I had to give, was given to my family. My nights though were my self care and I spent them wrapped up into some beautiful stories. My goal is to read 125 books by the end of the year. I am 85 books in, trending to finish beyond that goal. I love my black authors and characters, because naturally I relate to them so much. However, I enjoy human interaction in general so the books I share are usually passionate love stories. Check out below the goodness that I have been reading.
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Let’s get to the Books!
5 STAR READS
Love Redeemed (Love's Improbable Possibility)
Unconditional love
Azmir and Rayna came a long way. Initially they had an intense connection, but both were unsure how to navigate it. They both were so scared at the possibility of losing the other that they held on to pertinent past information that should have been disclosed. Which of course lead to discomfort and steps back in their relationship. Communication was a struggle for them, seemingly trying to protect themselves. It was beautiful to see them eventually bare towards each other with no secrets. Choosing each other. After the first book I knew they needed counseling and was glad to see them seek help, because it helped them safely share things I don't think otherwise would have surfaced. The vulnerability Azmir shared with Rayna and not just in his thoughts was raw and beautiful.
This book was extremely layered and showed how rewarding love can really be. I'm glad I came back and read this older series from Ms. Belvin I felt her growth as the series moved on.
The Art of Falling For You (Falling, #1)
First love
Sweet Bay was invisible during most of high school. Until one day she was wrapped into the orbit of Dare, one of the popular cherished football players. Together they had a relationship where they seemed to bring out the best in each other. Bay's talent flourished as he gave her strength. A softer side of Dare surfaced as he did his best to handle Bay with care. Whew I don't know where I thought this was going, but the ending just tore me up. The trust she had given him was shattered. They say that young love is the purest love and I do believe that because it is a love yet to be jaded by past experiences. It’s also where so much damage can be done and this book was proof of that. My only call out is that I wanted to hear Dare's point of view because damn. Definitely worth the read.
The Sin of Kissing You (Falling #2)
Heartbreak continues
Listen there was so much going on in this book. First off I didn’t realize that Dare was "Keyton" from the Fulton U series. His incident, him carrying the guitar case made so much more sense after reading this book. It also made me sad for him. His childhood had really done a number on him and he didn't understand how it impacted him. During this book I sensed how unworthy he felt. He was sacrificing so much to prove he changed and he was worthy of love. All while Bay selfishly pursued her dream, and rightfully so. Initially though I was heavily side eyeing Bay because her intentions were questionable. However, in life you have to root for yourself. This one tore at my heart strings again, can't wait to see how it all ends.
The Hate of Loving You (Falling, #3)
Roller coaster love
I loved everything about this series. Young love is so difficult to navigate. Add in chasing and living big dreams and it's hard to fathom. Bay grew a lot. I know she came across as a user in the second book, which she definitely had her moments, but the truth was Keyton (Dare) just was not ready. I respected her for choosing herself and being brave enough to live her dream. Although there were so many moments I felt sad for her due to all the sacrifices her dream caused, I was rooting for her. Sweet Dare...I felt like he came to grips that a different name wasn't going to magically cure his insecurities. He too showed tremendous growth. I felt sad for him too, because those feelings of unworthiness still haunted him. Their roller coaster love was a lot and I enjoyed every bit of it. Ms. Hughes is extremely talented in the art of storytelling because I truly love all these characters.
I wanted to know more about Holden, to hear more from Bay's mom, but overall the story was simply heartbreakingly beautiful.
Love Wins!
I went through so many emotions as I read this book. Timing and going with your gut...were the biggest things that stood out to me.
Iris...sweet, brave Iris was full of light. She was passionate and ready to take the world by storm after college, relationship be damned. One encounter with a beautiful man changed the trajectory of her life. At a bar watching her favorite basketball team she crosses paths with August and their connection is electric. Their timing was off because she had a boyfriend. Unfortunately her boyfriend also felt this connection between them and it seemed like he was on a mission to keep her all to himself by any means necessary. I could literally feel her light being dimmed and eventually completely snuffed out as he controlled every move she made.
August was extremely talented, handsome, intelligent and kind hearted. He seemed to be going through the motions and was looking for someone to center him. Someone who really understood him the person, not the basketball player. When he met Iris he knew she was the one, but their timing couldn't have been more wrong. Life just kept pulling them apart.
My favorite quote was when August responded what position he would play Iris on his team he said "Center. I'd play you at the five. If you were mine, you'd be at the center of my life."
I mean can we swoon any harder. This was one of the few brief encounters they had that was pivotal. This story was sad yet beautiful. The author did a good job of allowing you to feel these characters.
The one that got away....until
First of all I didn't want to read this book. I was ready for Kenan's story. Jared seemed so dry in August's book. However, I couldn't have been more wrong. This story wrecked me, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Jared was not a people person. He believed that most people had ill intentions and would find a way to fail you, so he tried to limit personal interactions. He was severely lacking in the feelings department. That trait is what made him a killer agent. He was ruthless and did what was needed to secure his clients and to gain them the best deals possible. All his guards were compromised when it came to one woman...fellow agent Banner Morales. He was determined to get her back because she was his equinox.
Banner, sweet Banner was not ready for the bulldozer aka Jared. After not speaking for years once they crossed paths she couldn't deny their connection and wanted to avoid him at all costs. Jared wasn't having it and he bulldozed all the walls she had up to protect herself and her heart. Banner was a killer with a heart and that is how she was a successful agent. Banner was so beautiful inside and out. She loved with no bounds. Even when she made a mistake she was still beyond loyal to her friend. I am full on #teambanner
I was so happy Banner was finally able to live her life on her own terms. Choosing the passionate love she deserved. I was happy for Jared letting his walls down and choosing to love the woman that was made for them. This book was so good. It's a real showcase of loyalty, friendship, love, and sacrifice.
A shot worth shooting!
OMG! All of these books in this series were amazing! I loved every last one. This one wrecked me just as much as the others, maybe even more.
Lotus, after all she had been through was the picture of bravery. Her moments of self doubt, pain, and insecurity were very present, but she refused to let them consume her. Mimi's love and the teachings she shared, withheld her through every storm. When things went bleak she changed her behavior and got help. She was only 25 with the most beautiful fight in her spirit. Her passion for those she loved was intensely amazing. Her past led her to make some painfully mature decisions, sacrificing when things were going beautifully right for her. Lotus was the true heroine of this story. She made everyone around her better, even those undeserving.
Kenan was a special man. Reserved and guarded to most. Loyal to those he chose to love. Completely wide open to Lotus. He had a rough few years, but was doing his best to move past them. I loved how he loved his daughter. His willingness to do what was best for her mentally. In the end he found a love with Lotus that was flawed, but perfectly beautiful for them. The passion, love, and respect they had for each other was off the charts. His openness with Lo was what everyone wants, well maybe me lol. His beautiful love notes resonated deeply with me. As a lover of words....his eagerness to share love in words was everything.
It may have seemed like their HEA was delayed, but it felt like perfect timing to me.
4 STAR READS
Love UnExpected (Love's Improbable Possibility, #2)
Not ready for love
At first I thought Rayna was too fragile to be pursuing a relationship...or friendship or whatever bs they were telling themselves. In this book I realized how fragile Azmir was. The lack of communication in order to preserve one's heart rang loud and clear. He wanted her to fall head over heels for him, but he couldn't...wouldn't even claim her as more than a friend. Then had the nerve to get mad when she didn't call him her man. She was following his lead. She was working on herself to be better for him, while he was still into some sketchy ish. I was literally exhausted from the games he was playing. That unresolved situation with Tara was beyond me...how he refused to take charge and get that handled was messy. It seems every time they took a few steps forward they took even more steps backwards. I hope they get it together in the next book.
Love UnCharted (Love's Improbable Possibility, #3)
Toxic love
Whew child. Rayna and Azmir literally worked my nerves throughout this book. They really really needed counseling. It was clear that Azmir was in love with Rayna, but she was so wrapped in her insecurities that she couldn't feel or see it. He was a man of actions...not words. For some reason she did not understand that. From her always needing to run and his lack of communication...They exhausted me. The wack sub characters were irritating too...Dawn's pushy a$# needed to get mopped. She was out of line. Broke bougie Tara was always being saved by her child but she definitely deserved to catch a beat down. Thompson was wasted space....
I did enjoy Azmir's growth when it came to love, but it unearthed fear and he was unable to handle it. They seemed to be getting toxic and was hard to tell if they were in love or obsessed with one another. I feel like the story has been dragged on, I'm ready to see how it all ends.
Focused (Ward Sisters, #1)
Layered Love
Molly was born and raised into a football family. Throughout the book I loved the moments where she interacted with her sisters, sister in law, and brother, their love and support felt so real. You could tell they truly wanted the best for her.
Molly had been working for the Washington Wolves since she could work and had become a real asset after permanently joining the front office after college. After a change in management she had the opportunity to prove herself as being qualified vs. standing on her family name. She was determined to show that she had EARNED her position. Until....her high school crush became the person she needed to help the team partnership with a big client be successful. The disaster she caused with this crush left him feeling extremely cautious with future relationships.
Noah was a big time football player that was nicknamed the Machine, because of his extreme focus on football. He became celibate, realizing that relationships were a distraction he did not need. Underneath that hard outer shell was a sweet man that loved his Grandma, his family. He was layered and it seemed as if only Molly had the ability to peel back those layers. I enjoyed watching him slowly begin to open up and trust. He was unknowingly sweet.
I enjoyed watching them build a sweet chemistry. There were moments where the book lulled and I know it was to prove a point, but it was hard to read through. I also enjoyed sub characters. Noah's Grandmother, Molly's family, even the camera man. It was definitely a good read.
Floored (Ward Sisters, #3)
Know your role in love
"The worst thing I can imagine is being away from my heart. That's you, love. Both of you."
Jude...finally feeling secure...strong enough to put his feelings out there was the most beautiful part for me. This story overall was a sweet love story that was about knowing your role in different relationships. Work, parenting, siblings, and traditional relationships. We watch them sometimes poorly navigate through them all.
Jude....sweet, handsome, passionate Jude. Although Jude was the older one in this couple, he was the one that experienced the most growth. They had a 9 year age gap and I think it worked to their advantage because unbeknownst to him he was ready for more in his personal life and had already experienced success in his career. He spent so many years broken, trying to prove his usefulness to his parents that his love for Lia exacerbated all those flaws. My heart broke for him because I don't think he realized how he had created a little bubble for them, where they shied away from making big decisions. Once that bubble was burst he was left alone to figure out what he wanted for his family.
Lia...fiery, intelligent, confident Lia. While studying in Europe abroad for her Master's degree, her life was forever changed. I want to also point out the excellence because at 22 is when most usually finish their Bachelor's degree. Lia was young, but life had already taught her so much...good and bad. Although she was scared she knew what love should look like.
What was supposed to be a fun night, turned into a life changing experience between both Lia and Jude. They created a bubble where they avoided figuring out next steps, diving into hard issues and it left them only on love with the fluff. Instead of working on moving forward together both of them shielded themselves from the reality and insecurities they both held. It was hard for me to understand Jude's parents, their complaints were bs to me. Why force him to be and do something he finds no passion in. This story may be slow for some, but I think it was told perfectly for these guarded characters. They found comfort to a default in slowly going with the flow, when in reality they were both just scared.
One call out is that I expected more of Finn. He was literally MIA to be Lia's bff.
Definitely worth the read!
The Marriage Contract
Fun, sexy romance
“Man, Drew. F#ck baseball. I need to go and find out why my wife left me.”
It was at that moment I knew Soul was finally about to man up. Soul was a 35 yr old professional baseball player and he seemed finally ready to stop bs-ing around with his life. His escapades were over shadowing his talent and he was ready to receive the payout he had earned. After meeting Alexa, she seemed to be the answer to his problems. Before I move forward, let's have a moment of silence for fine as$ Soul. I mean talk about a brick house. Ms. Davis had no problem emphasizing how sexy he was. I also love that although he was super rich he was still so real. I loved that he wasn't too refined and spoke slang often, it made him that much more human.
Alexa was young, smart, reserved and focused. She was beautiful inside and out, but didn't venture out much. She kept to herself but kept in touch with her mom and sister. She decided to finally get spontaneous on her 25th birthday which is how she ended up crossing paths with Soul. I laughed a lot in this book. I enjoyed the read.
It's hard for me to read novellas because most of the time I want more. I wished they would have closed out the issues between Alexa and her sister, it was just unresolved. There was no mention of Soul's family and I felt like that was a miss. I wanted to hold on to these characters longer.
Black Friday: To Marry a Madden
Flirty, fun read
This is a spinoff from “Claimed by Crayson,” in the To Marry a Madden series, which I loved all of those books and this one was no different.
This book was a sweet snack. Jordyn and Crayson's employees Cross and Luxe had crazy chemistry and they both seemed reluctant to act on it. Both of them had gone straight with their careers after years of running the streets and seemed to have a lot in common. Black Friday is when they decided to act on their attraction.
As the story unfolds we find out that Cross and Luxe have a complicated history and this is actually a second chance love story. They were once young in love and bad choices and life derailed their love. I understood their hesitancy to go down an old path. However, the love, the pull was too strong. I could have read a longer story about these two.
Sexy, flirty, and fun
Asia was in a rut in her personal life, and her friends were convinced that she was overdue for a release. Having nothing to lose she decided on a night out at the Den, a popular exclusive club. Oddly and unbeknownst to her this is the same night one of her old long lost high school friends, Eric happens to be participating in the "activities." They have an off the wall connection and their intimacy was explosive. Stiff to say the least!!!! So much that Eric had to make contact with her in real life. She tried to ignore the similarities she saw in both men and focused on living out her fantasies. Not realizing that Eric was slowly creeping into her heart.
A short sexy read
Patience was trying to detox men after a rough relationship. Unfortunately as fate would have it she crossed paths with a beautiful man that kept her wondering about a possible relationship. Ultimately she decided she was not ready. Instead she would be free and attend the den for a special night out.
Lincoln was head over heels for Patience. However, he didn't want to be her rebound. So rather than pursue her like he wanted to he decided to just be friends. After spending time together and recognizing the chemistry that was extremely powerful between them he knew he wanted her. Knowing she was going to the den he knew this was his chance.
Similarly to the last story their connection leads them together. From here they share the sexiest moments either of them experienced. I felt like they fell quickly, but maybe it was because they had been dancing around their desires for awhile. I enjoyed their story.
3 STAR READS
Easy love
3 stars for me! While this was a sweet unproblematic story, it left me wanting more.
Let me start with the things I enjoyed. I liked Michaela and Sergio. They both seemed to be at a turning point in their lives. Michaela was a loner trying to prove that she was Ms. Independent due to mishandled grief. She pushed away from family who loved her, not wanting to come across needy. She was a hard working, intelligent, beautiful introvert that was flailing. Sergio was working on rebuilding himself and his reputation. His talent went untapped for years as he drowned in grief. They had so much in common that it made sense that they would be compatible. He was hard working, talented, and handsome trying to find his way. Both of them were figuring out how to move forward without their most impacting loved ones.
The characters back story was shared, but character development was too quick for me. It lacked passion. I'm not saying drama was needed, but I needed to be able to feel the love jump off the page and that wasn't the case for me. It was like bam we love each other vs. experiencing how they interacted on dates together. Moments that left their heart racing. It was a sweet read, but I definitely needed more.
May was a good month of reading. I was introduced to Ms, Kennedy Ryan was new to me and I am happy to add her to my arsenal of authors. I hope you find joy in one of these books! Happy Reading!
