Tag Archives: POC

Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams-review & giveaway

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Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams-review & giveaway

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N Paper /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 3, 2024

It’s been months since her dreams of forever were brutally shattered. Seven long months since her husband and soulmate, Lew, died in her arms, leaving her to carry on. Alone. And Davina Klein-Roberts still isn’t sure how to move forward.

To escape her anguish, Davina throws everything into work, pushing Golden Oil Co., her self-built skincare line, to become a viral success. Now she’s poised to clinch a major endorsement deal too. But it’s bittersweet without Lew by her side.

A meeting with Deke Bishop, the hot NBA star she’s courting for her brand, leaves Davina flustered. With his dimpled smile and warm handshake, Deke’s a natural pitchman. And he’s clearly interested—not only in her lotions.

Davina soon discovers that Deke’s more than just another player and carries his own pain. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her guilt. Will the pain of a future already lost keep her from embracing hope for a new one?

••••

REVIEW:BEAUTIFUL BROKEN LOVE by Shanora Williams is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, romance story line focusing on professional basketball player Declan ‘Deke’ Bishop, and thirty-one year old, skin care designer/ widow Davina Klein-Roberts.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Deke and Davina) BEAUTIFUL BROKEN LOVE focuses on the building romance and relationship between professional basketball player DEclan ‘Deke’ Bishop, and skin care designer / widow Davina Klein-Roberts. Davina Klein-Roberts is the CEO of Golden-Oil Co, a designer skin care manufacturer, and she is hoping basketball player Deke Bishop will become the new spokesperson for her latest line but Davina goes into their introduction and meeting with a set of preconceived notions, and the her attraction to Deke is offset by her guilt in the wake of her late husband’s death. Several months earlier, Davina’s husband passed away, and our heroine had not desire to move on from the past. Deke Bishop fell immediately for Davina Roberts but Davina continued to struggle with her guilt and grief. Unable to compete with a ghost, a broken-hearted Deke walks away, leaving the woman he loves behind.

The world building focuses on the the growing relationship in the face of Davina’s overwhelming guilt and grief. Unable to let go of the past, Davina struggles with her attraction to the man with whom she will fall in love but Deke is determined to bide his time but there is no end in sight for Davina’s grief. Meanwhile, with the approach of the Thanksgiving holiday, Deke’s embattled family want our hero to make amends with the man he blames for destroying their lives.

The relationship between Deke and Davina is one of immediate attraction but Deke is a client, and Davina is refusing to cross a line. In the wake of her husband’s death,Davina struggles to move forward, and her feelings for Deke add guilt to her ongoing grief. As their relationship grows, Deke’s past takes aim, targeting our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative without the use of over the top , sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include family, friends, co-workers and teammates. We are introduced to Deke’s teammate and single father Javier Valdez , and Davina’s sister Octavia, a nanny who may be a prospect for Deke’s daughter. I am hoping the author has plans for a series.

BEAUTIFUL BROKEN LOVE is a story of grief and sorrow, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is emotional and often heart breaking; the romance is passionate; the characters are determined and charismatic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Shanora Williams currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina and is the mother of three boys, has a fiercely devoted and supportive husband, and is a sister to eleven.
When she isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her family, binge reading, or running marathons on TV streaming services.

FOLLOW: Website / Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter (X)/ The Reading Cafe/ The Reading Cafe/

The Reading Cafe and Montlake are graciously offering a copy of BEAUTIFUL BROKEN LOVE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

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3. Please LIKE Shanora Williams on Facebook

4. Please LIKE/FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE The Reading Cafe on Twitter (X) for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

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8. Giveaway open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from December 4-7, 2024

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Church Girl by Naima Simone-review tour

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Church Girl by Naima Simone-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / KOBO / Google Play / Apple /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

Add to your Goodreads TBR ➩ https://t.ly/IiihH

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 26, 2024

She’s a preacher’s daughter, a runaway bride and now the (not quite) qualified nanny for a sexy tattoo artist with a beautiful daughter—and a dirty mouth.

What’s a bad boy to do with a woman like her?

Everything…

Aaliyah Montgomery isn’t just ditching her wedding. She’s also fleeing her suffocating small town and her family’s expectations. She’s got plans—for college, for finding herself. But landing a job in Chicago that fits her schedule isn’t easy. Good thing Von Howard is desperate to find a live-in nanny. Bad thing that he’s a gritty, grumpy, gorgeous tattoo artist carrying as much baggage as he has ink.

Von’s new hire is inexperienced and a fire hazard in the kitchen. She’s also all thick curls, thicker curves, and a distracting mix of innocence and sensuality. After the upheaval of a divorce, he just needs a nanny, not a sneaky link. Meanwhile, Aaliyah is bonding with his seven-year-old and showing an unexpected flair for tattoo art. Who could resist?

Yet deep down, Aaliyah’s still running—from her feelings and her fear of losing herself to someone else’s expectations again. Even as their pasts return to haunt them, their undeniable heat says maybe it’s time to stand and fight for a love they didn’t see coming.

•••••

REVIEW:CHURCH GIRL by Naima Simone is a stand alone, contemporary, adult , erotic, romance story line focusing on twenty-four year old university student/ nanny Aaliyah Montgomery, and thirty-four year old, single father / tattoo artist Von Howard.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Von and Aaliyah) follows the forbidden but building relationship between Aaliyah Montgomery and Von Howard. Aaliyah Montgomery left her fiance at the altar, a man she didn’t love,a man chosen by her father. As the only child of an Alabama Bishop, Aaliyah is expected to act and behave a certain way, and running to Chicago with her stripper cousin was never in the cards. Desperate for work, Aaliyah applies to work as a nanny, and her first interview doesn’t go according to plan. Von Howard is a tattoo artist who struggles with Aaliyah’s lack of experience and perceived innocence, and in this, the aggressive interview questions push Aaliyah out of his life. When all else fails, Von becomes desperate enough to call Aaliyah back, and in the ensuing time, begins to fall for the woman that calls to his heart but when both Aaliyah and Von’s pasts refuse to let go, Aaliyah finds herself, once again, pushed out of Von’s life, having lost a chance at loving our story line hero.

The world building follows several paths including the destructive nature of betrayal and divorce; controlling families, obedient demands, and perceived expectations. Von’s ex-wife takes aim at our story line hero, and everyone will lose in the end. The author uses some street-slang, and African American vernacular throughout the story.

The relationship between Von and Aaliyah begins acrimoniously as Von struggles with his attraction to Aaliyah, as well as her lack of experience but Aaliyah refuses to accept Von’s aggressive attitude, and within minutes, gives as good as she gets. Working for Von finds Aaliyah becoming guardian and protector of a seven year old child, a child who sees and hears more than her parents imagined. The $ex scenes are erotic and provocative.

We are introduced to Aaliyah’s controlling parents, her ex-fiance Gregory, and her cousin Tamara, as well as Von’s ex-wife Sheree, and their daughter Gia.

CHURCH GIRL is a story of betrayal, secrets, power and control, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The premise is captivating yet slightly predictable ; the romance is passionate; the characters are POC, determined and charismatic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing “crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil.”

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

  

AUTHOR LINKS

 Website: https://naimasimone.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naimasimoneauthor 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naimasimoneauthor 

Newsletter: https://naimasimone.com/newsletter 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@naimasimoneauthor 

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Played by Naima Simone-review

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Played by Naima Simone-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 3, 2024

Being a firefighter isn’t easy. Especially for a Black woman. Working with family helps a little. But when somebody from your company doesn’t come back from a call, it’s brutal—as in, “How’m I supposed to go on?” brutal.

And one death took me to a really dark place.

A year later, I’m at the Pirates’ hockey training facility. Just another day on the job. Until I find a charred journal. I look inside for the owner’s name, but the words on the page punch me in the gut. It’s like reading my own thoughts. Reliving my own pain.

The journal belongs to Solomon Young, left-winger for the Pirates—a father and widower. When I return it, I’m racked with guilt for the invasion of privacy. The look Solomon gives me is cold as ice.

But damn if that man isn’t hot as hell.

Now he’s stuck in my brain. And fate seems intent on making us face off.

••••••

REVIEW:PLAYED by Naima Simone is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, POC, erotic, hockey / firefighter romance focusing on thirty year old professional hockey player and single dad Solomon Young, and firefighter Adina Wright’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Adina and Solomon) PLAYED follows the building but reluctant romance and relationship between our story couple. Solomon Young has loved and lost, and struggles to move forward especially when he is has become co-dependant upon his in-laws for support in the wake of his wife’s death but his father is the team owner, and Solomon is about to cross a line as far as his former in-laws are concerned, a line that involves our story line heroine. Adina Wright is a firefighter, as are most of her family and siblings but Adina has also loved and lost knowing the pain of which Solomon continues to hide. A perceived act of betrayal threatens any hope of friendships, pushing Adina to the side, until a young boy discovers there is more to life than waiting on the sidelines for his father to come home. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between our story line couple, and the potential fall-out as emotions get the best of everyone including our story line hero.

The world building follows several paths. Adina is struggling with harassment at work: Solomon is battling his own guilt ; someone else is targeting our story line couple, and the fall-out is affecting Solomon’s play and his private life.

The relationship between Solomon and Adina begins acrimoniously as Solomon accuses Adina of a horrible betrayal. Not only does Adina feel threatened and abused but vengeance will come in many forms, threatening our heroine’s personal and work life. As Solomon and Adina begin to build the relationship, someone else give Solomon reason not to trust the woman with whom he is falling in love. The $ex scenes are provocative and impassioned.

The secondary and supporting characters include Solomon’s teammates, his son Khalil, as well as his in-laws Nate and Caroline; Adina’s siblings Malik, Malcolm, her mother professor Viviane Wright, her father Captain Nolan Wright; as well as her best friend Noni Crawford, and several other members of the Providence Firefighters squad including Matt and Jared. I hope the author has plans for several more stories.

PLAYED is a story of power and control, grief and guilt, family and friendships, relationships and love. The thought provoking premise is captivating and engaging; the romance is seductive but struggles with issues of trust and guilt; the characters are dynamic, determined and animated.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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