shanaepraystoo's reviews
848 reviews

Beautiful Harmonies by Monica Walters

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fast-paced

2.5

Average with stereotypical, underdeveloped characters. I didn’t feel any connection between the FMC or the MMC. I hated the sister’s name and the secondary characters. There’s this unnecessary situation where the FMC’s bodyguard is actually a weirdo predator who is connected to the MMC’s absentee father. Why didn’t the author do more character development here? The MMC is an immature sex-obsessed 20-something year old? How when he had to grow up fast and care for his teenage sister after his mother died? The author could have given us a dynamic character but instead relied on old anti-Black stereotypes, while the FMC is stuck somewhere between being a virgin boss babe baddie. 

The author reiterates her note about realistic characters at the end of the book as if that’s some explanation for this story that just isn’t well written in my opinion. 

And the worst part is the way the author deals with the issue of sexual assault — there’s victim blaming from both main characters, there’s one line about the victim going to therapy, and the dialogue about the sexual assault is bookended, multiple times, by the MMC’s sexual interest in the FMC. 

I do not recommend this book.
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X+E: The Teachers of Hardwood High by Nina High

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Cozy, drama free, and well-written, X + E: The Teachers of Hardwood High (Book 1) is a reminder of why I enjoy Nina High’s books. Her characters are well written, funny, and relatable. Plus there’s the right amount of spice. I loved this “later-in-life” romance story. It gave me all the good feels and I was happy with the ending. I cannot wait to read book 2. 
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Losin' Control by Ladii Nesha

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Losin Control is my second read from the author Ladii Nesha and I honestly cannot believe how amazing this book is. Ladii Nesha is a phenomenal writer and an amazing storyteller. She knows how to write complex characters in such a relatable way. The FMC Marley and the MMC Czar are two dynamic characters battling serious issues, but the secondary characters, like Marley's sister Harper and Czar's mother Ada, are so intriguing that I completely forgot that Losin Control is a slow burn!

Pros:
  1. The sibling relationships between Marley and her sister Harper as well as the one between Czar, Romeo, and Nova are loving and caring - this is what I want to see more of in urban literature, especially.
  2. Czar's troubled childhood is handled with supreme care and his method of coping is natural and expect for a man like him, even if it is somewhat unhealthy. 
  3. The secondary characters in the book are all well developed and interesting
  4. The twists and turns come out of nowhere, keeping you on your toes. Though I read a lot of books, I definitely thought Losin Control was going in one direction, but Ladii Nesha does a good job at making unexpected twists. 
  5. I loved the ending. 

Cons:
  1.  The author's choice
    to not reveal that Pam had spoken with Benny
  2. The fact that Benny
    wasn't really dead
  3. The way
    Czar played Marley in front of thousands of people at his concert
    , or
  4. I liked how strong Marley was presented in the beginning and middle of the book, though she had endured serious trauma, but when I saw how weak she was in relationships, it really disappointed me,
    especially considering her attitude towards her mother.
     
  5. I thought the ending was rushed. 

All in all, Losin Control is one of my favorite reads of the year and I'll definitely be recommending it to everyone. If you're a fan of slow burns, can appreciate a thought provoking story with character growth over a period of natural ups and downs, and appreciate a book that will take you on a rollercoaster over emotions, then you HAVE to read Losin Control. 

Spice Rating: 3 stars - there are few spicy scenes, but the ones that are in the book are vivid. 
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Surrender by Kimberly Brown

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Surrender by Kimberly Brown is a cozy romance story with 2 characters that you want the absolute best for. The MMC Jacob Mitchell is a children's author and illustrator, while the FMC Kechelle Lewis is a dentist - it's fun to read about regular characters, especially when there are so many billionaire stories these days. I don't read many romance novels with the arranged marriage trope, like Surrender, so I am not an expert on it, but I think Kimberly Brown did a great job with it. At the center of Surrender you have two great people who revert to an unconventional, yet traditional method to find love and their struggle to navigate this newfound relationship and attraction to one another. But beyond that, there's a story about each family's struggles with the union of our main characters and how that impacts the couple's marriage as well as them individually. 

I really enjoyed Surrender and recommend it to anyone seeking a cozy story with no relationship drama and minimal spice. 
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Chasing Summer by D. Rose

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Another 5-star read from the supremely talented D. Rose. I think Chasing Summer is the best book I've ever read from the author...and I think i've said that every time I finish one of her books. In Chasing Summer we meet Ali and Soleil, they couldn't be more perfect for one another. Ali's everything that you want in a book bae and there's something about the way Soleil was raised by her grandmother that makes her someone you want to be friends with. I enjoyed all of the characters, though there is some drama and a little spice, it doesn't take over the book, at no point does D. Rose compromise storytelling for the sake of what's trendy in a lot of contemporary romance novels. Chasing Summer is for the lovers and is one of my top reads for the year. Such a well written, engaging, and fun love story with characters you'll definitely love. 
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Maybe I Need You : Undeniably In Love by Briyanna Michelle

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Maybe I Need You: Undeniably In Love by Briyanna Michelle is a cozy, quick and engaging fake dating romance story. I really liked the MMC, Graysen, he's definitely book bae material. The FMC Camille starts off just okay to me but through her relationship with the MMC, we really get to see her character grow and shine. I love the diversity of the characters, too. The author does a great job at building the connection between Graysen and Camille, despite the fast pace of the story and its shorter length. Briyanna Michelle did a great job with Maybe I Need You and I recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced palate cleanser. Though this is my first book from Briyanna Michelle, I can say that I'd definitely read more books from her in the future based on Maybe I Need You: Undeniably In Love.
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99 Problems & Her Man The Main One by Na'Kia

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fast-paced

2.0

This was just terrible. Too many points of view, very poor character development.
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Here Comes The Sun by Bella Jay

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Here Comes The Sun is a solid novella, but it lacked something for me. The ending also felt a bit rushed
and I don't like that the FMC ruined the MMC's night when he was being honored, it showed that she's still a selfish brat and there's no explanation as to why the MMC, who's obviously caring and successful, is interested in someone who is so negative and nasty.
I like Bella Jay's writing though, so if you're a fan of hers, then Here Comes The Sun might be a quick palate cleanser for you. 
Knasim by Tacarra

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

While this is an engaging story, there were too many spelling and grammatical errors to give it 5 stars because those errors really hurt the quality of the story. I’ll keep reading the story because for the most part I enjoyed the characters and I like the author’s books.
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Sincerely, Her Gangsta by Mya

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Outta nowhere Mya has become one of my favorite authors and Sincerely, Her Gangsta is an example of why I love her books. In Sincerely, Her Gangsta, we meet single mother of twins, Honesty Samuels, and troubled gangster, Sincere Allen. Mya does a great job at developing the FMC and MMC, giving us dynamic and complex characters that you sympathize with and want the absolute best for, at every turn. Even the secondary characters are intriguing enough that you want to learn more about them. Though Sincere is a stereotypical character initially, he undergoes a serious transformation, showing the power of love and that's what Sincerely, Her Gangsta is really all about. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the storytelling, and the characters. I highly recommend Sincerely, Her Gangsta to everyone who enjoys contemporary or urban romance for a feel good romance story with serious themes  that show the importance of love and positive, healthy relationships.
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