Another week, another week in review.
Starting off like always! By taking out a small amount of time to once again express my appreciation for all the authors that I’ve read this week.
I see your time, efforts, and dedication to your expression of art.
And
When you are up… You can go down as well 😅
This week was a week!!
As a highly introverted person, one of the things that drain me more so than others, workwise, are meetings. This week? I had them back to back, from Monday through Friday!
Add to that, as the cherry on top, we got home on Friday to find one of our dogs dead.
All this to say, my posting / and reading wasn’t the same, and most probably this post won’t be either.
Having said that, let’s get to it.
Some stats about my week
- I completed 9 books this week (3 not documented)
- by 9 different authors (5 new to me)
- totaling 2.405 pages
- making it around 267.2 pages per book
- averaging 343.6 pages read per day
Overview of the Books read
Week Opener
Opening up my week was Mrs. Nicole Falls, who had released a third book in her Friends and Lovers series.
A novella about Emory, Ebonée’s brother who we got to know in f*ck around and find out, and Bree.
This was a quick fast paced romance! As it had been some years since book two, I enjoyed seeing them back, and getting a glimpse into their lives.
Emory took one look at Bree, and he was… GONE!
I love it when the men fall hard, and also when they know exactly what they want! That was Emory!
A while back I applied for an ARC of Blood Slaves by Mr. Markus Redmond, officially releasing on the 29th of July this year.
Blood Slaves by Mr. Redmond centers Willie, and his life as an enslaved person after being stolen from his mother land.
SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Now see, you triggered yourself again just stating that part! You know better! Why would you apply for an ARC of this book?
SheReadsaLot:
…they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.
NetGalley Description of Blood Slaves by Mr. Markus Redmond
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Yup, that’ll do it!
There are many things about myself I will dispute… Being told I’m stubborn, however will never be one of them. I am self-aware enough to know that I am… Case in point. I know that anything dealing with slavery will have me 98 HOT…
So if you didn’t know, now you know. I won’t even debate anyone on that point.
Having said that, I was so glad that I did apply for this ARC, because it was E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!
Yes, I had a lot of emotions, rage, anger and sadness being part of them, but also joy! So much joy!
It also made me think! So I went in depth on this one, if you’re interested you can read more on it here
This read will have a lot of triggers for when you decide to indulge! So let me tell you why I was better able to handle them.
ALL of what happens in the book (minus some elements, you will find out what those are when you read the book), is ACCURATE!
As controversial as the topics can be. Not writing about them, doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen (and is still happening). With the society we live in, being quick to silence or erase those/what they don’t want to hear, I am happy that Mr. Redmond chose not to shy away from them. And especially happy that Mr. Redmond let the more triggering parts play out off page.
The quote that really got to me though was the following:
“Vengeance is not the same as courage. … Vengeance is a followed impulse, a reaction. Courage is a choice. It drives you to do the thing you know is right, even in the face of opposition.”
Blood Slaves by Mr. Markus Redmond
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: We are still thinking about this one!
SheReadsaLot: Yes, we are! Because we know what we want to be!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: But are we?!
SheReadsaLot: Let us ponder some more, because if we are not we should start thinking about how we will be!
Mrs. Shae Sanders released Father of the Bride, featuring characters over 40.
If you thought that age equals maturity, you would be sorely mistaken. Because these characters were M-E-S-S-Y!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: And we enjoyed every second of it!
SheReadsaLot: We sure did!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: We did side eye Mrs. Sunny a bit though.
SheReadsaLot: We sure did!
SheReadsaLot to Mrs. Sunny: Ma’am what were you thinking?!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: She got herself together though!
I decided to dive back into the Black Romance Exclusives Promotion – Book BAEs and HEAs, as I haven’t made a true dent in their offering yet. Mrs. Tia Love‘s Bible Study, was up next.
Mrs. Love was adamant on letting us all know that this is NOT a Christian romance:
This is not a Christian Romance. Repeat after me, Babe. Not. A. Christian. Romance.
Bible Study by Mrs. Tia Love
It’s giving contemporary, BLACK, with a dash of urban elements. My characters were raised in the Southern Baptist faith, so you will see mention of God, religion, church, and the Bible. I even gave each section a thematic Bible quote. But again, not a Christian romance.
I just felt like I needed to say that. Enjoy!
About Genesis, FMC, who has been using the bible as a way to hide her true self, and Preston, MMC, who sees her despite it all.
This read was an emotional one. I’m not going to lie, I was frustrated with Genesis.
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: A whole lot!
SheReadsaLot: Because why would she keep trying to please people who truly didn’t care for her?
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Ma’am! Those were her parents!
SheReadsaLot:
SheReadsaLot to Audience: Let’s move on shall we!
This read, to me, was so much more than a romance, it was a read about getting back to, and becoming your true self. Letting go of other peoples expectations of you, and being open to a genuine true love.
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: You can be honest with your audience!
SheReadsaLot: They don’t need to know that I had a brief emotional moment when I found out how those so called parents silenced her!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: They truly don’t deserve that title!
SheReadsaLot: They didn’t! But at least she had some good people in her corner, like her sister Ruth and Preston!
SheReadsaLot to SheReadsaLot: Ruth nor Preston played about Genesis!
SheReadsaLot: And I loved that for Genesis!
SheReadsaLot to Audience: But what I loved more? That in the end, Genesis didn’t play about her self either.
Mrs. Morgan Rose had a release this week as well, Love Schemes!
About a woman, Calissi, who knows her worth, and a man, Torin, who doesn’t mind paying it.
I could tell you that Calissi is a scheming schemer that schemes! But is it scheming if the person is handing you his cash and cards to do with as you please?
Again Mrs. Rose released this week, so I won’t say too much on this one either. Just know I enjoyed, and it ain’t tricking if you got it!
Week Closer
And I did something different to close out my week, picking up Mrs. Rebekah Christie‘s book of poems, 26.
Like I said when I posted about this book, I am a Fiction reader, but I’m not opposed to venture outside of my preferences, when asked by a Black author.
Even though I do read poetry it usually won’t be in book form, and it isn’t something that I can or want to critique, as I’m not a critic.
I am a person who enjoys reading, and I can only tell you what I like or don’t like.
And this? I liked!
It was relatable to me, with poem 26 speaking to me the most, especially this week.
With that being said, let me leave you with a few words of poem 26!
“To any higher power that will listen This is what I request
26 by Mrs. Rebekah Christie
Just please just take me off the toughest soldiers list”
I can tell you that I’m looking forward to what next week will bring, hopefully some more good reads, and if at all possible less meetings and less of life life-ing. Hope to see you there!
👩🏾SheReadsaLot 