Week in Review – W10

This week we had a national holiday, Carnival Monday. With the Marcha di Despedida (Farewell Parade) taking place the next day, I decided to shorten my work week to three days. Giving me more time to read

Did a buddyread with Mrs. Jessica Terry‘s latest release Forced.

About three cousins (Mya, Callie, Destiny)  who maintained a relationship, because of a promise made on a deathbed request of a parent.

I will not commit to something I’m not willing to do out of my own free will. AND also, I am of the believe that someone asking something of me that can turn out to be detrimental to my well-being, can never mean me well.

This read had a lot to discuss in it. One of the things that left me wanting in the characters was the one with seemingly common sense (Mya) not correcting her cousins on what racism is.

A Black person can NEVER be racist…

Racism is a system that is institutionalized, making sure that people who aren’t white or considered white will always receive unequal treatment in the legislative, educational, health care, financial and other branches of society. It affects (nearly) every aspect of life of those who are not white (males). And it is a pervasive, insidious and widespread thing.

Now being discrimanotory or prejudiced against others is another thing, and I will leave that for another time😅. However, that will never have the far reaching consequences that racism has. Would have loved seeing that distinction being made.

In conclusion:

1. Destiny got what was owed to her.

2. Mya should’ve left ol’ boy where he was at.

3. Callie had a poor picker, and ended up settling.

I decided to pick up Mrs. Aubree Pynn‘s WAGS SZN 1, thinking that the season was completed. Only to find out I was…

Let me tell you how I found out…

Because when I tell you that I wanted to &!¿#%slap multiple characters!

My favorite quote, from Boss Up?

And then there was that cliffhanger/lead in into the next book. And I was like…

There is a mini, Say the Word, and Book two is here, Come Up.

Jaymerius and Jacari, who had a set of parentals that were…

Jaymerius and Jacari standing in the gap for eachother was…

O look… another Cliffhanger… BUT…

Reading trigger warnings

Reads, book 5

SheReadsaLot: But… But… this is book 3?!

SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: No, No, she must mean book 5 as in book 2 for szn 2. This szn is going to be wrapped up with book 3.

So I continued this read, Mrs. Pynn said this  was her best one for this szn up till that point.

And..

Yes there were trifling, just really really really trifling people in here.

But the love, the LOVE, on all fronts that was there. To me that was the shining star of this read for me.

Mama Marcella didn’t play about her son, daughter or daughter-in-love!

MyKeya didn’t play about her brother, or sister-in-love!

Mark didn’t play about his mother, sister, or his Love Shayla

Shayla didn’t play about Mark, and the people that she loved.

Mark and Shayla loved eachother DOWN, each and every act of love was reciprocated. Giving me ALL the feels!

“What you smiling at? What you do?”
“Nothing but be exceptional. You protect me, I protect you. That’s how this goes forever more.”

Glow Up by Mrs. Aubree Pynn

I was…

And then…

SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: No, Mrs. Pynn didn’t do this to me!

SheReadsaLot: You mean the same Mrs. Pynn, that places a cliffhanger conveniently before her picture smiling all innocently?

SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:

AND After that I had to get my mind back right with a completed series. Enter Mrs. Mel Dau with her Understood series.

Eventhough we all know that communication is key in every single relationship there is, be it romantic or not, the way that question Do You Understand? became so sexy to me?

This story was about Taelyn, the baby girl of the Washington, Christianson, Smith Dynasty. Don’t know who I am talking about? You are missing out, and let me refer you to my post about this here read. And Draco!

Taelyn after a traumatic event, detailed in the prelude, suffers from PTSD. Enter Draco, one look at her and he KNOWS he has found his forever once again.

AND he let’s everyone know. Taelyn wasn’t playing coy, nothing of that and fell in line with what her gut was telling her.

The way that Draco checked in with Taelyn along the way?

“Do you understand? That question was some sort of aphrodisiac.”

Do You Understand? by Mrs. Mel Dau

And I was right there with you Taelyn!

Mrs. Britt W. released her second book, the finale to her debut, You, Me, & My Toxicity.

Anais and Lafayette met on vacation in part I, and decided to give their budding relationship a chance, for them to get back to their day to day life and life just life-ing.

Part I we got to see the toxic parts of Anais, Part II?! Highlighted Lafayette’s toxic traits. And they were plentiful!

I had to check myself at one point, because my respectability politics while in a relationship was rearing it’s ugly head, when Anais was interacting with Mycah. Because she was doing nothing wrong in those instances. Only the one with Tristan had me side-eyeing her 👀.

Lafayette in part I had me swooning, part II, humanized him for me. Lafeyette was flawed, and healing. Which was really good to see, because healing isnot a linear process, and you don’t usually see men acknowledging their hurts and how it affects them.

AND he was dead-ass-wrong for running to his ex, to check on her. I am still side-eyeing him for that, because…

Loved how Mrs. Britt W. provoked my thoughts. And looking forward to see what is next from her pen!

While reading Mrs. Aubree Pynn‘s books I came to the realization that I had missed a lot of her releases. Zon really be doing me dirty, getting recs on authors I don’t follow, and those I follow?

So I decided to spam Mrs. Pynn some more by reading one of her completed series. LeFleur Mafia.

Book 1, A Date for the Mayor, a second chance romance, where they came together two whole beings. Secure in who they were, and how to be there for eachother. Snakes though?!… Everywhere!!

Book 2, A Wife for Sale, soft kidnapping came with:

1. Empowerment
2. Self Love
3. Healing
4. Discovery of Self Worth
5. Orgasms, a lot of them

Add to that, that those in need of some Finding Out, did Find Out?

Book 3, Come Thru, Glizzy!!

The way that Glizzy didn’t give any room for ANYONE to disrespect his relationship, not even an inch?

And I am toxic, because Serenity and her reaction towards disrespect, after taking the high road and being taunted for so long?

I had been spamming Mrs. Pynn for a few days, so I’ll try not to spam her anymore for this month..

Because I still have a backlog of releases that I’ve missed!

Tried something different with Mrs. Kimberly Brown‘s Under the Influence.

Immersive reading!

Using Everand I listened to the audio version of Under the Influence, while reading the e-book simultaneously.

Didn’t work for me 😅, I had the audiobook at 2.5, and still outpaced it while reading. Speed times 3 didn’t work because the male narrators voice became indistinguishable.

This story however?!

I went from disliking Alanis, and fully understanding My’Elli’s disdain for him, to seeing the growth of Alanis. AND rooting for them as a couple after seeing how he was demonstrating his growth, and love for My’Elli.

Add in the karma for those ops?

Simply beautiful!