Empi Baryeh's Blog, page 4
June 16, 2020
Review: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
As a child Hester Wyatt escaped slavery, but now the dark skinned beauty is a dedicated member of Michigan's Underground railroad, offering other runaways a chance at the freedom she has learned to love. When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn't hesitate…even after she is told about the price on his head.
The man in question is the great conductor known as the "Black Daniel" a vital member of the North's Underground railroad network. But Hester finds him so rude and arrogant, she begins to question her vow to hide him.
When the injured and beaten Galen Vachon, aka, the Black Daniel awakens in Hester's cellar, he is unprepared for the feisty young conductor providing his care. As a member of one of the wealthiest free Black families in New Orleans, Galen has turned his back on the lavish living he is accustomed to in order to provide freedom to those enslaved in the South.
However, as he heals he cannot turn his back on Hester Wyatt. Her innocence fills him like a breath of fresh air and he is determined to make this gorgeous and intelligent woman his own…
Yet…there are traitors to be discovered, slave catchers to be evaded and Hester's heart to be won before she and Galen can find the freedom that only true love can bring.
My Review
Why would a free born African-American give up his freedom to become a slave? The answer is both simple and complicated: love. The beginning of the story saddened me incredibly - knowing there was a time that a person would have had to make such a sacrifice in the name of love. But this story isn't about that man. It is about his daughter, Hester Wyatt, who escaped slavery with the help of her aunt.
Given her parents' story, she isn't interested in love. As a member of Michigan's Underground railroad, she's dedicated to helping runaway slaves gain freedom and newly freed slaves to start their new lives. This is how she meets Galen Vachon, a member of the Underground railroad whom she had to nurse back to health.
I enjoyed this story a lot. From the bumpy beginnings when Galen is brash and rude to when he begins to soften. Galen was born free and comes from money. It shows in his general attitude and expectations, so I was prepared to not love-love-looooove him. Plus, he did something I felt was questionable. I guess it was an okay thing for a man to do in the 1950s(?). That said, Galen's love for Hester was absolutely genuine and he was unapologetic about it, which I loved about him especially when his backstory is revealed later in the story. His unwavering love and desire, in both words and action, was heart-melting. Hester had little choice in the matter than to fall in love with him.
This is my first African-American historical romance, and my first Beverly Jenkins story. Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect with a romance taking place in the 1850s. The depiction of slavery and its realities wasn't white-washed or trivialised. It made me root even harder for Hester and Galen's happily-ever-after.
I listened to the audiobook of this. The only thing that detracted from the experience was that I didn't care for the narrator's French-accented depiction of Galen and his people's voices/dialogue.
I'm definitely going to be reading more Beverly Jenkins books and more African-American historical romance.
June 2, 2020
New Release: Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan | #QueenMove #KennedyRyan #HonMagPR
QUEEN MOVE BY KENNEDY RYAN“This thoroughly modern soulmate story blew me away!”
-- Talia Hibbert, USA Today bestselling author
Queen Move, an all-new passionate and unforgettable friends-to-lovers romance from RITA® Award-winning and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is available now!
The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have…
Dig a little and you'll find photos of me in the bathtub with Ezra Stern.
Get your mind out of the gutter. We were six months old.
Pry and one of us might confess we saved our first kiss for each other.
The most clumsy, wet, sloppy . . . spectacular thirty seconds of my adolescence.
Get into our business and you'll see two families, closer than blood, torn apart in an instant.
Twenty years later, my "awkward duckling" best friend from childhood, the boy no one noticed, is a man no one can ignore.
Finer. Fiercer. Smarter.
Taken.
Tell me it's wrong.
Tell me the boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can’t have.
When we find each other again, everything stands in our way--secrets, lies, promises.
But we didn't come this far to give up now.
And I know just the move to make if I want to make him mine.
**QUEEN MOVE will have the special release week price of $3.99. After that, the price will increase.**
Audio COMING SOON!
Add QUEEN MOVE to GoodreadsEnter to win a Queen Box
EXCERPT
“You’re fucking brilliant.”
“Huh?” Ezra asks absentmindedly, paying more attention to the flame under his pan than to my compliment. “What’d you say?”
ABOUT KENNEDY RYANA RITA® Award Winner, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author, Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.
Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour and many others. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but has a special passion for raising Autism awareness.The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, she has appeared on Headline News, The Montel Williams Show, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for ASD families. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.
CONNECT WITH Kennedy RyanWEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | READER GROUP | AMAZON | PINTEREST | BOOK + MAIN
NEVER MISS A RELEASEBOOKBUB | TEXT ALERTS | MAILING LIST
CONNECT WITH BLUE BOX PRESSWEBSITE
May 25, 2020
Review: Grip (Grip #2) by Kennedy Ryan
*** You MUST read FLOW, before starting GRIP. **Resisting an irresistible force wears you down and turns you out.
I know.
I’ve been doing it for years.
I may not have a musical gift of my own, but I’ve got a nose for talent and an eye for the extraordinary.
And Marlon James – Grip to his fans – is nothing short of extraordinary.
Years ago, we strung together a few magical nights, but I keep those memories in a locked drawer and I’ve thrown away the key.
All that’s left is friendship and work.
He’s on the verge of unimaginable fame, all his dreams poised to come true.
I manage his career, but I can’t seem to manage my heart.
It’s wild, reckless, disobedient.
And it remembers all the things I want to forget.
MY REVIEW
Grip is an interracial romance between Marlon (Grip), and African-American man, and Bristol, a Caucasian woman. Eight years ago, during spring break, they met and spent a week together falling in love. However, a couple of rude awakenings led Bristol to swear off Grip. Skip to eight years later. Grip is a big star and Bristol is his manager. They are friends. He still wants more, and she's unwilling to give him a second chance.
While her reasons for resisting Grip are understandable, I didn’t agree with the lengths to which she went in her attempt to keep him out of her heart, while keeping him in her life. She also did something that was supposed to prove just how much she loved Grip, which I felt showed weakness rather than strength.
Grip's cockiness is offset by his unwavering desire for Bristol. Despite spending years being rejected by her, there’s never a doubt that she’s his first choice, if she’d have him. I always like that about a romance hero. That said, he had his issues - the kind that make you think 'ugh, he's such a guy.'
The chemistry between the two leaps off the page. When they finally get together, they have to face a lot of challenges from family, friends and the public. There's more than enough racially motivated drama for those who enjoy that angle.
Although there’s both a prequel (which I’ve read) and a sequel (which I haven’t yet read), I feel this story can be read as a standalone. The beginning picks up pretty much from where the prequel ends, but there’s enough backstory to cover the essential parts of what happened during their first meeting. The book also ends in a satisfactory HEA.
May 15, 2020
#BookReview: The Alpha Bid by Ty Young | #DistinguishedGentlemenSeries
BLURBJacob St. Williams, aka Coby, aka The Alpha, is the president of an urban television network called the Urban Choice Channel. He grew up down the street from Mama Peaches! He reluctantly signs up to be a part of the Southlake Park Bachelors Auction.
His lovely bidder, Ms. Ryse Taylor, not only finds herself in a small bidding war but a fight for the top spot as Alpha!
Two alphas going head-to-head. Who will submit?
MY REVIEW
I liked the premise of this story. One one hand, there was Coby, a man who likes to be in control, likes to 'take care' of his woman. On the other hand, stood Ryse, a woman who took pride in being able to do things for herself.
With two headstrong characters, I expected sparks and explosions and hot passion - and mutual submission. Their attraction to each other was instant, and they did butt heads quite a bit. Unfortunately, that seemed to be all they did when they were together. Even their reconciliation was more of an external force that made each one decide to give it a try. I would have liked to see more falling in love on the page, and them working out their issues together as a team.
May 14, 2020
Prologue Reveal: Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan
-- Alexa Martin, Author of Intercepted
Queen Move, an all-new powerful second chance standalone from Wall Street Journal bestselling and RITA® Award-winning author Kennedy Ryan, is coming May 26th and we have your FIRST LOOK!
Make sure to enter on Kennedy’s site to win a QUEEN BOX, stuffed with a signed paperback and all the things you’ll need to treat yourself like a queen!
Prologue Kimba
Two Years Before Present
Is there anything sadder than a daddy’s girl at her father’s funeral?
My mother’s quiet sniffs a few seats down give me the answer.
A grieving widow.
“He was a good man,” someone in the long line of mourners offering condolences whispers to her.
Mama’s head bobs with a tearful nod. In this day and age, she still wears a pillbox hat and veil. It’s black and chic like Mama, channeling tragic Jackie Kennedy or Coretta Scott King. My father was not just a good man. He was a great man, and everyone should know he leaves behind a widow, grieving deeply, but ever-fly. I squeeze the funeral program between my fingers, glaring at the printed words.
Joseph Allen leaves behind a wife, Janetta, three children, Kayla, Keith and Kimba, and six grandchildren.
He leaves behind.
Daddy’s gone, and I don’t know how to live in a world my father does not inhabit. The casket is draped with sweet-smelling flowers in the center of the funeral tent. When we leave the cemetery, it…he will be lowered into the ground with unfathomable finality, separated from us by white satin lining, six feet of dirt and eternity.
Kayla, my older sister, sobs softly at the end of our family’s row. Her four children watch her carefully, probably unused to seeing their unshakeable mother shaken and reduced to tears. Even I’d forgotten how she looks when she cries—like she’s mad at the wetness streaking her cheeks, resentful of any sign of weakness.
It’s not weak to cry, Daddy used to say. It’s human.
“But doesn’t the Bible say even the rocks will cry out?” I’d challenged him when I was young, loving that something from Sunday school took. “So maybe tears aren’t just for humans.”
“You’re getting too smart for your britches, little girl,” he’d said, but the deep affection in his eyes when he kissed me told me he was pleased. He liked that I asked questions and taught me to never accept bullshit at face value.
I miss you, Daddy.
Not even a week since his heart attack, and I already miss him so much.
Humanity blurs my vision, wet and hot and stinging my eyes. I want this to be over. The flowers, the well-dressed mourners, the news cameras stationed at a distance they probably deem respectful. I just want to go to the house where my parents raised us, retreat to Daddy’s study and find the stash of cigars that only he and I knew about.
Don’t tell your mother, he used to whisper conspiratorially. This will be our little secret.
Mama hated the smell of cigars in the house.
“Tru.”
Who would call me by that name? Now, when the only people who use it, my family, are all preoccupied with their own pain? A tall man stands in front of me, his thick, dark brows bunched with sympathy. I don’t know him. I would remember a man like this, who stands strong like an oak tree. A well-tailored suit molds his powerful shoulders. Dark brown, not quite black, hair is cut ruthlessly short, but hints at waves if given the chance to grow. His prominent nose makes itself known above the full, finely sculpted lips below. His eyes are shockingly vivid—so deep a blue they’re almost the color of African violets against skin like bronze bathed in sunlight. No, a man like him you’d never forget. Something niggles at my memory, tugs at my senses. I’d never forget a man who looked like this, a man with eyes like that…but what about a boy?
“Ezra?” I croak, disbelief and uncertainty mingling in the name I haven’t uttered in years.
It can’t be.
But it is.
Keep Going!
Read the REST of the prologue and enter the QUEEN BOX giveaway on Kennedy’s website:→ kennedyryanwrites.com/queen-move-prologue
**QUEEN MOVE will have the special pre-order and release week price of $3.99. After that, the price will increase.**
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | AMAZON WORLDWIDE | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY
ADD QUEEN MOVE TO GOODREADS
BE NOTIFIED FIRST WHEN QUEEN MOVE IS LIVE
SYNOPSIS
The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have…
Dig a little and you'll find photos of me in the bathtub with Ezra Stern.
Get your mind out of the gutter. We were six months old.
Pry and one of us might confess we saved our first kiss for each other.
The most clumsy, wet, sloppy . . . spectacular thirty seconds of my adolescence.
Get into our business and you'll see two families, closer than blood, torn apart in an instant.
Twenty years later, my "awkward duckling" best friend from childhood,
the boy no one noticed, is a man no one can ignore.
Finer. Fiercer. Smarter.
Taken.
Tell me it's wrong.
Tell me the boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can’t have.
When we find each other again, everything stands in our way--secrets, lies, promises.
But we didn't come this far to give up now.
And I know just the move to make if I want to make him mine.
ABOUT KENNEDY RYAN
A RITA® Award Winner, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author, Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.
Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour and many others. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but has a special passion for raising Autism awareness.The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, she has appeared on Headline News, The Montel Williams Show, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for ASD families. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.
CONNECT WITH KENNEDY RYAN WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | READER GROUP | AMAZON | PINTEREST | BOOK + MAIN
NEVER MISS A RELEASE BOOKBUB | TEXT ALERTS | MAILING LIST
CONNECT WITH BLUE BOX PRESS WEBSITE
May 13, 2020
Review: Flow by Kennedy Ryan
Blurb*FLOW must be read before GRIP*In 8 years, Marlon James will be one of the brightest rising stars in the music industry.
Bristol Gray will be his tough, no-nonsense manager.
But when they first meet, she’s a college student finding her way in the world,
and he’s an artist determined to make his way in it.
From completely different worlds,
all the things that should separate them only draw them closer.
It’s a beautiful beginning, but where will the story end?
FLOW is the prequel chronicling the week of magical days and nights that will haunt Grip & Bristol for years to come.
My Review
You know when you read a book about two characters who have history, but you know you're getting only glimpses of the past and sometimes you wish you knew more about what went down? Well, Flow is that book. A prequel to Grip, this book outlines the first meeting between Marlon James (Grip) and Bristol Gray.
Grip is cock, but manages to be intense and sweet. Bristol is a bleeding heart but she's also a bit of a bitch. The people she loves, she loves too much; the people she doesn't, she's too critical of. I didn't hate her, but I didn't particularly like her. I 'read' this in audiobook. It didn't help that the female narrator had a voice I didn't care for.
The story is very well-written as to be expected from Kennedy Ryan. However, as mentioned in the blurb, this is a prequel. If you don't intend reading Grip, then reading this won't help.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
May 9, 2020
Review: The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole
My ReviewI'm not particularly into sci-fi romance, although I'm always intrigued by the idea of robots being so advanced that they blur the lines between machine and human. I liked the idea of seeing this in a purely romance sense. The relationship between Trinity and Li Wei starts in an interesting manner. It doesn't hurt that he's shirtless, which seems to scramble Trinity's brain. Though she finds him odd, his behaviour is explained away in a way she finds acceptable. I kept wondering when/how she'd find out he was an A.I. The scene where she does find out doesn't disappoint.The story is short and cute. I particularly enjoyed the chapters in Li Wei's POV, which showed his mental development from robot—sorry, bio-synthetic humanoid—to ... human-like. A couple of revelations towards the end kept the story interesting. Trinity and Li Wei were definitely a good match. As far as Trinity falling in love with an A.I., I figured it's probably not far-fetched to fall for your vibrator if it came with a HOT human-like body and thought processes, especially if it were programmed to monitor your bio stats to make sure you're okay. Human males better watch out. haha
May 8, 2020
Review: Accidentally Married by Victorine E. Lieske
Madison needs a job. Jared needs a fake girlfriend. Too bad she hates him. And he’s super hot, which makes it even worse.
A simple lie turns into a big mess when family gets involved and a fake engagement turns into a fake wedding. Madison didn’t mean to start all this trouble.
And she didn’t mean to fall in love with the stuffy Jared Jameson.
Love hurts, when his kisses are only fake.
My Review
Based on a tip from her roommate, Madison walks into Jameson Technologies looking for a job as an administrative assistant. She has no experience, but how hard could it be, right? She's an actress, after all. Meanwhile Jared, the CEO, is expecting his fake date for a family dinner. A case of mistaken identity and the heroine's need for a job forces them into a business arrangement. It was supposed to be a one-day deal, but things didn't work out as planned.I guess the biggest question was, how does one get accidentally married? Well, it was plausible. It would have been more interesting if it had been a surprise to the reader.
I listened to the audiobook, which was well-narrated. Plot-wise, I felt the story was overly simplified. Also, the hero was a bit of a tool. Though we see some growth, the story could have delved deeper into him to make me understand him better. For most of the story, Madison is jobless and making no real effort to search for a job. I like heroines who are a little more independent and don't necessarily need the money. The bitchy and vengeful ex-girlfriend is an easy way to drive a wedge between the main characters. I've got to a point where I want to see something a little different with plot tool.
The writing was good and the story flowed at an even pace. If you enjoy rom-coms and movies like The Proposal, then you'll probably enjoy this story.
April 29, 2020
April 25, 2020
Review: Queen of Barrakesch by Delaney Diamond | #RoyalBrides
BLURB
They had no idea how much their lives would change…forever.
Imani Karunzika is fiercely independent and refuses to be forced into a loveless marriage with the domineering man her parents want for her. When her friend Crown Prince Wasim al-Hassan of Barrakesch learns he’ll be passed over for the throne because he has no wife, she suggests a plan where they enter into a fake engagement. He can then secure his birthright, and she can get her parents off her back.
But the marriage must proceed as planned. Wasim becomes the king, she becomes the queen and is now under the rule of a man whose power and authority is unmatched. But Imani’s greatest struggle lies not within the walls of the palace, but inside herself as she fights to keep the ultimate secret—that she’s madly in love with the king.
MY REVIEW
I enjoyed this story, but this review was hard to write, because for everything I liked, there seemed to be something that didn't particularly work for me. So here goes...
Imani and Wasim are friends who shared one steamy kiss about a year ago. Smart and fiercely independent, Imani wants to be valued for her brain rather than her marriageability or child-bearing potential. She's also a romantic at heart and wants to marry for love. Wasim, the crown prince of Barrakesch, is everything you expect from a rich and entitled alpha male, but he has a soft side that is clear to see.
With the threat of arranged marriages looming over both their heads, a fake engagement seems like a good plan. Everyone who matters seems to be happy with this turn of events. Things get interesting when time comes to call off the engagement. A little blackmail goes a long way to move them from engaged to married.
The romance is sweet, and the sex scenes are sizzling. Barrakeschi cultural practices are seamlessly woven into the narration. If you like vivid description of settings, then you'll particularly enjoy the wedding scene.
I liked that racism isn't an issue in this story despite Imani being African and Wasim being Arab. Religion, on the other hand, is introduced as a major conflict with Imani being Christian and Wasim being Muslim. However, for the number of times it is mentioned prior to their marriage, it never really becomes a point of conflict.
Given the aforementioned blackmail, I expected Imani and Wasim's relationship to be volatile. For a heroine who is described as fiercely independent, I felt Imani succumbed too easily to Wasim's charms (in her defence, he was charming).
There's also a plot twist that seemed unnecessary, because all it does (IMO) is to discredit arranged marriages, which in this particular case shouldn't have been the case.
Overall, I enjoyed this story very much. Delaney Diamond's fluid writing style moves things along at an even pace. Wasim and Imani are well-matched. It was a thrill to see the main characters from the first two books and find out what's happening with them post-HEA.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
