Cardyn Brooks's Blog, page 6

Grieving for What Could Have Been

Continuing to celebrate Black love, Black joy, Black triumphs over adversity, Black friendship, family, community is one of my coping strategies for processing anxiety. Here are three satisfying reads for encouragement and pleasure. 
[front cover art of a trade paperback book: profile view of two adults embracing; only the bottom half of a woman's face is visible] 
Courage to Love Again by Kimberly Brown
contemporary romance with Christian elements
Black Odyssey Media, April 2024

After a series of devastating losses, Pasha Sinclaire is grieving, anxious, and depressed. Enter Callum Ellis, successful entrepreneur and seeming guardian angel. Years of emotional abuse and the undercutting of her sense of self-worth make it hard for Pasha to believe Callum is as decent as he appears to be. She’ll need to continue working on healing herself before she can trust again. Forever friends, family by blood and by choice help her navigate this bumpy path back to her true self.

Light-hearted moments weave throughout heavy themes on loss and trauma along with occasional profanity and numerous references to spiritual beliefs, creating a familiar real-life vibe.

From chapter ten: Sometimes, heartbreak is a setup for a hell of a breakthrough. 
Content advisory: fertility struggles, death of a child, grief, anxiety, depression, suicide ideation 

[two books: Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon standing spine-up next to Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi] 

Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi contemporary romance Harper Collins, July 2024 

This clever spin on a love triangle explores the tension between emotional risk, reward, and the consequences of speaking one’s truth versus staying safe and quiet. It’s also funny, sexy, and seamlessly integrates many of the most demanding elements of modern life while providing sharp commentary on the impacts of social media.

Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon contemporary romance Forever, June 2024 

Location. Location. Location.

Themes of place and time weave throughout this love story that’s both whimsical and substantial. Sibling dynamics, assorted expressions of grief, and feeling stretched too thin between one’s obligations and desires make Pardon My Frenchie unapologetically delightful, insightful reading.  
Note: The first review was written before Tuesday, November 5, 2025 and the other two were written after that.  

Decisions, Decisions...

These characters are forced to choose who to trust to work with them to achieve the best interests of their personal and professional ambitions. 
[3 trade paperback books: Frenemy Fix-Up by Yarah St. John; a couple standing side-by-side in tree pose, The Design of Us by Sajni Patel; a couple lying on the beach, Errands & Espionage by Sam Tschida; an adult holding binoculars up to their face] 

FrenemyFix-Up by Yahrah St. John

Contemporaryromance 

Harlequin/afterglowbooks, February 2024 

Deadlines.Shay is a small business yogi who works hard to go with the entrepreneurialflow. Colin is a corporate go-getter who thrives under pressure—until thatstress jeopardizes his health. When these former high school classmates whoquickly remember all of the ways they annoy each other work together toestablish Colin’s fundamental work-life balance, both of them recalculate theirexpectations of what and who they want in their lives. Witty banter combinedwith relevant threads on the pressures of modern ambition enrich thisirresistible love story.

 

The Designof Us by Sajni Patel

New adultcontemporary romance 

BerkleyRomance, July 2024 

Workplacetechie combatants Bhanu and Sunny become vacation allies in an unexpected twist offate. Their love story examines cultural nuances, anxiety, and being haunted byemotions from relationships past. Bounds of family by blood and by choice alongwith enduring friendships are celebrated with emotional depth and lots oflaughs.

 

Errands& Espionage by Sam Tschida

Contemporarysuspense w/romantic elements

Forever, August 2024 

Whilerecently divorced stay-at-home mom Gabby tries to reclaim her identity beyondwife and mother, her resemblance to someone else sets her on a wild journey of self-discovery. Mayhem ensues.

  

This week's library book bonanza  [a bookstack of 7 trade paperback books from top to bottom: Curvy Girl Summer, The Friend Zone Experiment, The Ex Vows, Pardon My Frenchie, Charlotte Illes Is Not a Teacher, Morbidly Yours, Good Boy] 

Encouragement  [front of a t-shirt with "VOTE" on it; cat silhouette stickers shadow each letter] 
Vote for others' healthy, safe, free, peaceful, joyous, thriving future the way you'd want them to vote for yours. 

Academics in Love

From the Great Lakes to the Northern Lights by boats, planes, trains, mass transit, car service, and on foot, these romances take readers on bumpy journeys to finding love around the world.  [a stack of 3 trade paperback books: Frequent Fliers, Love Requires Chocolate, Second Tide's the Charm] 
Second Tide's the Charm by Chandra Blumbergcontemporary romance Canary Street Press, August 2024 
Hope and Adrian's future together once seemed guaranteed, until it wasn't. When circumstances force them back into each other's lives will they get closure and move on separately or have they grown enough as individuals to figure out how to build a happily ever after that works for both of them? 
Maligned sharks, an assortment of science nerds, meddling friends, family, tourists, and the cut-throat arenas of academia, research grants, and social media add to the high stakes of their love story. 

Love Requires Chocolate (Love in Translation #1) by Ravynn K. Stringfieldcontemporary romance Joy Revolution, August 2024 
Whitney's to-do list: Ace the Paris exchange student experience. Retrace Josephine Baker's Paris. Learn French. (Maybe that should have been first.) 
Falling in love with her grumpy language tutor wasn't on her agenda, but sometimes rolling with improvisation leads to unexpected rewards, along with laughs, emotional revelations, and intimate connections. 

Frequent Fliers by Noue Kirwan contemporary romance Canary Street Press, August 2024 
Lanie travels back and forth between New York City to London carrying the weight of unrequited love, conflicting family expectations, and cross-cultural friction. A meet-hostile leads to a surprising connection in this layered story about grief and learning how to heal and move forward. Generational, international, and cultural threads weave together to form an engrossing narrative tapestry. It's beautiful, poignant, funny, and super sensual. 

 An engaging virtual event
[Zoom Workplace waiting room screen with "Cardyn Brooks" for "On Romance: A Conversation with Author Beverly Jenkins and Dr. Carole V. Bell"] 
DePaul University respects, appreciates, and adores Ms. Beverly Jenkins as much as  the rest of her fans with a lively exchange of thoughts, ideas, and revelations. Also, laughs. 

This week's library haul  [a stack of 7 books from top to bottom: Frenemy Fix-Up, The Design of Us, Close Knit, The Duke Has Done It Again, Errands & Espionage, Courage to Love Again, Between Friends & Lovers]  
Happy reading!  

Disasters, Second Chances & The Freedom to Read About All Kinds of Real Love

Thanks to the library my TBR bookstack/list never shrinks!
[a stack of 6 books from top to bottom: Second Tide's the Charm, The Next Best Fling, Love Requires Chocolate, Fall into Temptation, A Jungle Bell Mingle, Passions in Death] 

[same bookstack as shown above with the addition of Buried Too Deep on the bottom] 

[Fall for Him trade paperback book upright next to a stack of 5 books from top to bottom: Frequent Fliers, Second Tide's the Charm, Love Requires Chocolate, Passions in Death, Buried Too Deep] 
The Next Best Fling (Librarians in Love #1) by Gabriella Gamez New Adult romance Forever, July 2024 
Is getting under someone new the best way to get over someone else? 
Librarian Marcela and former NFL player Theo find out when they team up to mislead their families and friends in this mega angsty, laugh-aloud romp that also offers readers emotional complexity, tenderness, an incendiary sexy times. 

A Jingle Bell Mingle (Christmas Notch #3) by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone contemporary romance Avon, September 2024 
Issac, the former boy band singer and current grieving recluse, and Sunny, person-of-all-trades and current stalled television movie screenwriter end up living together in the aftermath of their second round of a one-night stand. Their love story is hilarious, poignant, and compelling. Throwback cultural references to the 1990s and 2000s mixed in with comparative observations about sexual mores and stigmas between the 1940s to present day make this a thoughtful read as well as an entertaining farewell to this series set in Christmas Notch, Vermont.  

Fall for Him by Andie Burke contemporary romance Griffin, September 2024 
A meet-disaster, misunderstandings, secrets, grief, a chronic health condition, forbidden longings, complicated family dynamics, work stress... Derek and Dylan's love story combines the vibes of a home renovation show with therapy sessions tossed into the context of a documentary about variations on grief and trauma responses as produced by Shonda Rhimes. Plus, an adorable fur baby, abundant charming awkwardness, compassion, and intense sensuality make Fall for Him irresistible. 

Still reading the other books shown above but not reviewed. Happy un-banned reading to all! 

Real Grown Folks in Love & Friendship

[Front cover of A Fire at Romanticon by H.L. Brooks with a design of a lacy pink thong and scattered flower petals; book held up against the backdrop of a framed black and white photo of the Brooklyn Bridge at night] 
  [front cover art for A Vampire of a Certain Age by Maria Vale; a city skyline silhouette with a bat's wings spread above it] 

[three trade paperback books: One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin (spine up), A Fire at Romanticon by H.L. Brooks, Fall: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller by Tracy Clark] 
A Fire at Romanticon by H.L. Brooks* contemporary rom-com Write Women Publish, September 2024 
Peach Kincaid is struggling. Her marriage, her self-image, her secret project and more feel like they're beyond her control until she takes more than one leap of faith. New look, new location, new friends and new opportunities offer her time and space to step into her most authentic self and claim a life that fulfills her in every way. Lots of laughs, tenderness, steamy adult activities and layered circumstances make A Fire at Romanticon a satisfying read. 
*The author is my friend and The Write Women Book Fest event co-host, so yes I'm biased but would offer the same review even if we were strangers.;-) 

Fall (Harriet Foster #2) by Tracy Clark mystery thriller fiction Thomas & Mercer, December 2023 
This gritty atmospheric mystery blends elements of a police procedural with the stages of grief, political intrigue and riffs on the murky nature of crime and punishment. It's also a celebration of friendship, partnership and chosen family. Not having read book one didn't detract from understanding the main character's backstory or enjoyment of this well-crafted tale. 

A Vampire of a Certain Age by Maria Vale* a free supernatural short for the author's newsletter subscribers 
Eternal perimenopause is only the first horror revealed in this sly, morbidly humorous super short story that packs a lot insightful observations into a few hundred words of juicy entertainment. 
*This author was a featured panelist at TWWBF2023 and is scheduled to do so again at TWWBF2025. Plus, she's a friend in my head (to quote Wendy Williams). None of those facts make this short any less entertaining! 

One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin contemporary romance/women's fiction Berkley, June 2024 
Natalie and Rob weave in and out of each other's lives as they grow into themselves and eventually recognize the balance each offers the other. Lots of emotional chaos and growing pains mischief occurs.     

(Barely) Resisting Book Borrowing Temptations

Gorgeous covers matched with intriguing blurbs are my weakness!  [3 new books on a display shelf at a public library branch: Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni, In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundira, She Who Knows by Nnedi Okorafor]   [4 new books on 2 shelves of a display at a public library: That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee, The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava, Troubled Waters by Mary Annaise Heglar, Here for the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang] 
Returned some borrowed items and despite my best intentions not to go beyond the returns counter, the new books display lured me close enough to see these enticing titles, which I managed not to bring home with me! Adding them to the top of my TBR list was my compromise. Still reading through last week's bookstack, ebooks on my phone, tablet, and in my email inbox. 
Happy reading! 
P.S. After a soul-boosting visit with someone who loves me, that person gave me two books. Then a book on my requests list arrived at the library.:-)  [3 books arranged on a closed piano lid: 365 Days Through Daily Meditation, Zero Proof by Elva Ramirez, No More Secrets by Lucy Score]   

Simply Irresistible Reads

No blog post about books last weekend did not equal a suspension of acquiring more books.😏  [front cover of a paperback copy of Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti; a man and a woman in 19th-c. garb as they balance precariously in a wooden row boat with a little dog in a city lake setting] 
Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti historical romance St. Martin's Griffin, July 2024 
Selina and Peter's love story is a tenderhearted farce of a romp grounded in emotional substance about honoring commitments with love and compassion toward family, friends, and fellow human beings. Mix in precocious children, tenacious animals, and well-intentioned meddlers for a satisfying read filled with lots of grit, affection, and humor along with deeper historical context that's often ignored. 
books borrowed two weeks ago
[a horizontal book stack from top to bottom: The Diamond and the Duke, Counting on the Cowboy, Body Check, Daydream, Better Left Unsent, Alternate Endings, Struck Dead] 
books borrowed this week  [a horizontal book stack from top to bottom: Fall, Fall for Him, Worst in Show, The Enemy, The Match, Golden Lord] 
Multiple project deadlines mean more pictures of books than reviews of them from me, probably until the end of this year.  
Happy reading, writing, creating, surviving & thriving! 

Labor Day Weekend Gratitude + Romance Run Amok

Aawww. Rain in the weekend forecast? How sad. 

[a horizontal stack of 6 books from top to bottom: Undermining Twyla and Frank, Under Your Spell, Four Weekends and a Funeral, Take Me Home, One Last Summer, Just Some Stupid Love Story]  
These are my back-up reading options just in case the books I already have aren't enough to last through the long holiday weekend even though my non-reading to-do list of personal and professional tasks is quite substantial. 
Currently reading  [a horizontal book stack of 3 paperback books: Isabel and the Rogue; Loyally, Luke; Never Duke Well arranged atop a jar candle with a deep turquoise colored abalone shell attached to the front] 
Thank you to everyone who labors to contribute to the economy, society, and humanity!   

Illuminating Pleasures in The City of Light, Recent & Current Reads + Book Events

Every age is an age of infinite possibilities! 
[hardcover copy of I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol propped up inside a hat box with a pattern of the Eiffel Tower and "PARIS L'EXPOSITION" around the rim of the top] 
I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol non-fiction memoir Viking/Penguin Life, June 2024 
In a world that works hard to shove women over forty into irrelevance and invisibility, this author celebrates life as viewed, lived, experienced to its fullest by one grown woman and other grown women in the present and from the past. The breezy, contemplative narration style invites readers to observe and consider the author's adventurous journey of investigation and confirmation of self through the uninhibited pursuit of all kinds of pleasure. References to other memoirs, movies, art, history, fashion, geography and more parallel, reflect, intersect, and diverge throughout with seamless integration. 
[a horizontal book stack of 3 books from top to bottom: Business Casual by B.K. Borison, The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey, Yellow face by R.F. Kuang] 
Business Casual (Lovelight #4) by B.K. Borison romance fiction  Berkeley, July 2024 
Nora and Charlie's love story is laugh aloud funny, emotionally substantial and everything between those two points. It's a charming farewell to this tenderhearted, delightful series that celebrates found family, chosen family, and the power of intentional friendships that endure. Plus, super sexy scenes of multifaceted intimacy. 
Evie and Beck's story remains my absolute favorite with Nora and Charlie's as a photo-finish second place. The author teases the possibility of future visits to the Lovelight community and this reader - after managing to take days instead of hours to read Business Casual in order to savor this series finale -  hopes that happens sooner rather than later.  

Although The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots #2) by Tessa Bailey did a good job of acknowledging the power imbalance between Tallulah and Burgess, and their complicated family dynamics along with the overlapping extended circles of friends, teammates, and associates that offer compelling interest and amusement, something about it just didn't work for me overall. 
Currently reading Yellow face and enjoying it so far.     
[a screenshot of 4 books: Promises & Pomegranates by Sav R. Miller, The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch, I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming, Hazardous to a Duke's Heart by Sabrina Jeffries] 
Enjoyed Wednesday night's Buzz Books/Publishers Lunch Editors and Authors Romance Panel chat as an author and as a reading fan. Sav R. Miller, Sara Raasch, Kimberly Lemming, and Sabrina Jeffries and their editors entertained and educated as they discussed their lives, publishing careers, current and upcoming book releases with humorous, thoughtful candor. https://www.youtube.com/@BuzzBooks?app=desktop  
And now that Sara Raasch and her editor Erika Tsang shared their fantasy about having Matt Bomer play Nicholas "Coal" Claus in a movie or television adaptation of The Nightmare Before Kissmas, he's now fixed in my mind as that character even before I've read it.   

Library of Congress National Book Fest!   [3-image collage: author Sandra Cisneros, an "I <3 BOOKS" t-shirt, journalist Rachel Martin and author Sandra Cisneros in conversation while seated facing each other on a stage] 
[screenshot of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden as she stands in profile at the podium on the Main Stage at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Fest] 
So thankful for the live streaming option for opportunities to hear Sandra Cisneros (who's composing a "The House on Mango Street" opera!), Doris Kearns Goodwin; Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Tiya Miles conversing with Martha S. Jones about Harriet Tubman and Audre Lorde; Kathleen DuVal and Ned Blackhawk in conversation with Shelley C. Lowe; Abby Jimenez and Casey McQuiston with Megan Labrise; Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden's dishy chat with Tamron Hall and Lish Steiling about their cookbook and their lives, amusing, insightful  banter between moderator Cyndee Landrum and the writing duo of Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck who publish as James S.A. Corey; Emily Kwong and Rebecca Yarros talk dragons, tropes, Chappell Roan, censorship, fan art (with special appreciation to Dr. Hayden for her boss move of extending their session to allow a few additional questions and comments) and more... Plus, thoughtful questions and comments from the audience.  
That's what I was able to watch in real time with plans to check out the Library of Congress YouTube channel and the CSPAN content sometime soon. 
Happy reading, writing, creating, thriving! 


 

Keep Moving Forward & 90s Throwback Jams

Jump, jump into your joy!  

[Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist by Jasmin Graham hardcover book with 3 black & white images of the author on the front; then the following books with their spines facing outward - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Business Casual by B. K. Borison, The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey, Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan, The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson] 
Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Scientist by Jasmin Graham non-fiction memoir & scientific research Pantheon, July 2024 
Seeing the author during a recent appearance on CBS Mornings made me curious to learn more about her life and her scientific pursuits. To quote a passage from chapter 13, "As is so often the case in science, you go looking for the answer to one question and end up with another unanswered question altogether." 
Throughout the prologue, thirteen chapters, and epilogue filled with thoughtful personal and professional observations, field notes from excursions on research vessels, photos and drawings with amusing captions, Sharks Don't Sink offers readers an intimate personal memoir, glimpses into the sociopolitical swampland of academia and conservation, and intriguing scientific inquiries. Emotionally fraught and ultimately optimistic, this book's brisk pacing reads like an adventure novel narrated by someone who's brave enough to reveal her human vulnerabilities in order to encourage others to prioritize their own well-being while pursuing their intellectual and creative passions. 
another passage from chapter 13: ...I've learned over the past year that there's always a workaround--I can leverage community resources, collaborate, and use plain old duct-tape-and-zip-tie-style innovation...My mental health and my joy right now is more important than putting myself in another environment where I might be prone to the Husk taking over, with her anxiety and panic attacks. 
Wanting to know more about the author led me to Sharks Don't Sink. Now I also want to know more about the reasons for the differences between female and male bonnethead sharks! 
And here's one more passage, this time from the prologue, that sums up the overall vibe of this book: It's a story of my journey to become a shark scientist as a young Black woman from a family rooted in the South, whose members have fought for our right to exist peacefully for centuries. And, importantly, it's a celebration of sharks--all they can teach us about how to live, how to survive and thrive, and how it's up to us now to help them continue to swim, lest we all sink. 


"New Fiction" and "New Books" are the irresistible siren calls from public libraries to booklovers. Looking at you, Anne Arundel County Public Library and Prince George's County Memorial Library System. 
[a three-picture collage of "New Fiction" shelves at a public library featuring Frederick Douglass, A Nest of Vipers, Daughter of the Merciful Deep, The Band, Chicano Frankenstein, Lost Ark, Isabel and the Rogue, Loyally, Luke] 
[three shelves of library books with a "New Books" sign on the top shelf next to four books with spines facing outward: Never Meant to Stay, Ne'er Duke Well, The Game Changer, My Season of Scandal] 

D.J. Jazzy Jeff (with an awesome guest rapper whose name escapes my sieve of a memory), Paula Abdul, and New Kids on the Block delivered a spectacular music entertainment extravaganza of epic nostalgic proportions to a crowd of thousands of fans decked out from head to feet in 90's neon, retro concert shirts, Blockhead gear, and off-the-charts enthusiasm! All of us were singing every word while pumping our fists and dance, dance, dancing. 
[a three-photo collage of "MAGIC SUMMER" neon sign unlit, then lit in 2 different combinations of colors and surrounding graphics]  ["90's BEST HITS" earrings shaped like cassette tapes] 
Happy pursuit of your interests and the things that expand your joy!