Welcome back!
By now you already know, first thing I’ll do before we dive into my week in review!
Taking a small amount of time out to once again express my appreciation for all the authors that I’ve read this week.
One of the things in particular I took note of as a mood reader this week, is that I am always able to find a read that offers me exactly what I need in the moment. The way an author can get me deep in my feelings or out of them with their art is something I have so much appreciation for!
It is one of the main reasons why I start off with a word of appreciation, in the hopes you will always be reminded be it in good, bad or times in between that your time, efforts, and dedication to your expression of art are seen, AND
Last week being spring break (with two very active kids, and activities) was a slow week reading wise. Now being back and at work, I am still recuperating mentally and physically. Meaning the reading has been a bit slower.
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Ma’am you went and saw Sinners three times! I think that we can safely state that that movie has been on your mind as well!
SheReadsaLot: There was just so much to unpack in that movie, one time wasn’t enough, and neither was the second time! And the third time I found even more!! Like what was I to do?!
SheReadsaLot to Audience: Let’s ignore that part for a moment, and dive into it shall we!
Some stats about my week
- I completed 9 books this week
- by 8 different authors ( 3 new to me)
- totaling 2.027 pages
- making it around 225.2 pages per book
- averaging 289.6 pages read per day
Overview of the Books read
Week Opener
Opening up my week was new to me author Mrs. Jaylee Fields, thanks to a recommendation of my bookish Twin Kreadingchronicles. About Amanda, FMC, and Victor, MMC. I went in blind, not knowing what to expect, except for it being an erotica. This turned out to be an age gap erotica with Amanda being some years older than Victor.
That’s not what had me intrigued though…
I was there for the spice…
I mean a Black Domme? A man completely secure with his likes and dislikes in the bedroom?
There were several authors that had released the week of spring break. Mrs. Zee Reneé being one of them. She had released her second book in the All To Me series, book one being When He’s Not There.
I had some fond memories of Truce, so I decided to pick up Here Forever to see how Truce and Sanai were doing.
I knew they would find themselves in some trouble!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: I mean Mrs. Reneé did give it away when she said..
“I write to escape reality. I’m delusional, love, and I live it out through my writing.”
Here Forever by Mrs. Zee Reneé
SheReadsaLot: And even knowing that, we continued to read!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: I mean we are here talking to ourselves…
SheReadsaLot:
One of the reasons I love reading from the pen of Black authors was exactly what happened in Mrs. Reneé’s book…
“The world pins struggle love on Black women, but the truth is, they are more deserving of limitless and genuine love than anyone else on earth.”
Here Forever by Mrs. Zee Reneé
Society will oftentimes tell you, and show you otherwise. Not over here though!
Truce wasn’t only talking about it, he was about it, a MAN you hear me! And I loved that for Sanai!
And I love it for every Black woman who is receiving that type of limitless and genuine love.
It was the second day of Easter… What better way to celebrate than to pick up Mrs. Octavia “Unhinged” Grant‘s latest release, Cutthroat!
I don’t know what it is with Mrs. Grant’s works, but I somehow always seem to find nothing at all wrong with what is happening?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: You know you can be a bit unhinged yourself sometimes…
SheReadsaLot: Now why would you say something like that? I mean he decided to demonstrate with his actions that he didn’t love or have any respect for her… Repeatedly! And Eden was supposed to take it?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Yes, he cheated… lied about it… didn’t use a condom while cheating… but *Jay-Z voice* You don’t get a G. back like that!
SheReadsaLot: With the person he did it with? Not Eden’s fault that he thought he could take her to hell…
“A man’s pride will always be his downfall. Only a prideful man would believe a woman would take him back with no consequences after sleeping with her … He truly believes that all he had to do is tell you how his mother died and there will be no ramifications for his actions”
Cutthroat by Mrs. Octavia Grant
SheReadsaLot: …and she decided to drag him past the deepest pits of hell with her…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Yeah… let us continue on to our next read shall we?
Doomscrolling! That’s how I found my next read, Twisted Intentions by new to me author Mrs. B.M. Hardin, courtesy to Mrs. Samyra Alexander.
What I knew about it based on Mrs. Alexander’s post, was that this was a thriller that shouldn’t be overlooked, with a main character that lacked empathy…
About Merci Miller, FMC, who gets kidnapped, and held for 19 days, while out running. These events and what happens after change her into something colder. And
What Merci has went through, and being that she lives in a small town, (meaning that everyone knows about what has happened to her) makes her romantic prospects non-existent. And Merci is very much still looking/yearning for love.
That is until she finds the perfect man…
“He’s attractive. Successful. He seems to have a big heart. He loves his family and he loves kids, yet he appears to be single and he’s never been married.”
Twisted Intentions by Mrs. B.M. Hardin
…goes for it, and they live happily ever after!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: Ma’am you want me to tell the audience that she blackmails the man into dating her?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: I think that that would be best, because what you just said just didn’t track!
SheReadsaLot: But am I lying though?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: You didn’t say I was lying though! And yes I can go into all the feelings that were present, but that would take away from the lovely surprises awaiting the audience in this book…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: On to the next one we go!
Me being a bit emotional still, and easily triggered, I decided to stay on the Thriller, Mystery, Suspense aisle. Seeing as I got approved for another ARC that fell in this category I decided to pick it up. This one, My Husband’s Mistress is Dead by (another new to me author) Mrs. Saundra, releases on the 26th of August of this year.
About a woman, Brooke, who has her life in order, not in search of a relationship… Until the right one, Andre, enters her life…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: The right what?
SheReadsaLot to Audience: Ok. So that is what she thinks, until seven years later she get’s confronted with a mistress.
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: THANK YOU! Talking about the right one… With that momma? Him practically still with breast milk on his breath from how far up her bosom he was?!
SheReadsaLot to Audience: So emotions were involved.
This one had me on edge a lot. Yes we have the mistress, I am not giving anything away with saying this, as it is in the title. But there was so much more, because how does the mistress end up dead?
You have all the secrets, and the plot twists between the pages of this book!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: And you thought that Brooke was weak for not standing up for herself…
SheReadsaLot: Not necessary to go there… Brooke turned out to be a fine character indeed…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Here you go telling stories again!
SheReadsaLot: Did she, or didn’t she not have the last laugh? And rightfully so?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
My emotions were co-operating again, meaning time to dive back into my beloved romance. Seeing that Mrs. K.C. Mills had a release some weeks prior, I picked up Impending Consent. Book three in her Hearts Consent series.
As you all know I am very patient, and not easily riled up…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: They know I’m kidding…
So when Mrs. Mills told me out the gate that her girl Sailor’s growth would be a slow one, and to have patience….
I just knew I was about to fail this one…
But I’m also competitive, and felt that Mrs. Mills was challenging me!
SheReadsaLot to Mrs. Mills:
“I would have to tell the truth about our arrangement and how I got myself into this mess. Marrying a man because he denied me his d*ck…”
Impending Consent by Mrs. K.C. Mills
SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: She was so lucky that the D turned out to be worth it… Because…
SheReadsaLot: They can read all about the D when they pick up the book. Let’s talk about Sailor.
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Now you know Mrs. Mills told you already… Not too much about her girl Sailor… You knew what you were getting yourself into!
SheReadsaLot: I just wanted to give some of my observations… Because YES.. she was stubborn!
SheReadsaLot to Audience: But she was also taking on responsibilities that weren’t hers to carry.. She was so caring, and was hiding herself… Afraid of the judgment of others… But most of all, even though she was afraid, in spite of her fears… Sailor took accountability for the predicaments she put herself in, and was willing and open to becoming a better version of herself… And you know who was there along the way?
“Rival was still here, slumped uncomfortably in one of the leather chairs of the lobby with his head tilted back against the wall, clearly asleep. He hadn’t left.”
Impending Consent by Mrs. K.C. Mills
SheReadsaLot to Mrs. Mills: They were thug tears!
AND I was very patient!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
It was a release day for Mrs. Tessa Stone on friday! So you know I packed up my things to go back to my beloved Wintermoon, with book 5 in Mrs. Stone’s Fated Mates series, Healing Hazel.
About Hazel…
THE curse breaker. She is the daughter of Aya Bailey (yes her!), and was responsible for breaking the 1000 year curse that the shifters were under. She is a hero!
But she is a Bailey witch, and prejudice is a very real thing!
I won’t do too much on this one. I mean this beauty, which for me is now my number 1 book from Mrs. Stone’s pen, just released.
I will tell you why this is now my number one.
Hazel has a lot going on… And I do mean a lot! She has experienced trauma from a lot of angles, and hasn’t given herself the time to truly deal with it. On top of the trauma is also the very much real believe that she is only of value when she sacrifices, be it her wants, needs and even herself.
SheReadsaLot: If it sounds familiar, it’s because it usually tends to be like that. Only being valued when you are sacrificing…
Getting to the point why I love Mrs. Stone’s writing so much. The way Mrs. Stone writes her stories, makes it so that I can reflect and ponder on the correlations that I see within the way society treats those that are deemed Other, but also sometimes makes me reflect and introspect on why certain points made, hit me just a bit harder than others…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Let me stop you before you jump on your soap box again… What was that thing with Aya?? I mean you cried for Aya? The one that was responsible for the 1000 year curse on the shifters?
SheReadsaLot: Ma’am I didn’t see that one coming myself! But if Mrs. Stone could make me feel sympathetic to Aya, I just know that she will succeed in redeeming Nia as well.. Because I mean AYA…. AYA!! like….
Week Closer
Closing out my week was Mrs. Unique, who released the second part of Diesel & Demi’s love story If You Let Me Love You.
I was so happy that I hadn’t read the first part of Diesel & Demi’s love story yet, because the way the ending of A Winter Crest Christmas Reloaded: Diesel & Demi left me devastated?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: We can be our own worst enemies at times!
SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: And trauma!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Demi did go through a lot thanks to that Crowe character!
So when I read If You Let Me Love You, and found out that they BOTH got it together in the end?
I was relieved!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: The way they got there wasn’t easy though!
SheReadsaLot: Demi did do some things that made this entire process a bit more difficult!!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: It may be an understatement indeed, because I don’t know how I would’ve handled it…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: But we could also never be on the other side of this situation… You know being a woman and all…
SheReadsaLot: You are making a valid statement there…
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Don’t you think that Diesel was a bit harsh to Demi? I mean, he expected her to trust him with her story…
SheReadsaLot: And he wasn’t really forthcoming with who he really was… Trust is a two way street!!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot: They got it together though, and I for one was happy to see it!!
And just like that I concluded another week. Looking forward to what next week will bring, and hope to see you there!
👩🏾SheReadsaLot 