Sunday, April 16, 2023

Blog Tour: Zora Books her Happy ever After by Taj McCoy

 Title: Zora Books her Happy Ever After

Author: Taj McCoy

Genre:Black Love Romantic comedy Love Triangle.

Publication Date:  April 25, 2023

Rating:  💣💣💣💣💣



About the Book:

A heart-pounding, curvy romance about an indie bookstore owner who finds herself in a love triangle when she meets the author she's had a crush on for years...and his best friend.

Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different.

But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.


My Review:

I fell in love with this authors writing last year when I first read Savvy Sheldon feels good as Hell, and I have been a fan ever since.  And this book is no exception.  Zora is loving life with her bookstore thriving.  But she has a dilemma.  She has two men vying for her interest.  Lawrence, one of her favorite authors, and his best friend, Reid, a teacher.  She dates them both (with them eventually knowing about it, ) and will have to come to a decision as to who is the one she wants. 

First off, can we appreciate how pro black this book is.  from Zora and her love interest, to all of the side characters, and the constant desire to support black owned business through out the entire book was amzing.  At the beginning, I was Team Lawrence.  Reid did not make a good first impression.  But as I continued to read, Lawrence really worked my nerve and I might have called him out of his name a time or two.  I switched to team Reid.  And that plot twist had my jaw right on the ground.  I was flabbergasted.  And with Zora being a curvy woman and proud of it, this book allowed me and women like me to see ourselves.  Exceptional job.

About the Author:

Oakland-born law grad, Taj McCoy, is committed to writing stories championing Black and biracial women of color, plus-sized protagonists, Black love, Black joy, and characters with a strong sense of sisterhood and familial bonds.

Taj started writing as a small child, enjoying the success of her first publications in elementary school. Since then, her dream has always been to become a professional writer. As a law student, she attempted her first novels and joined the Twitter writing community. Though Taj has spent more than ten years working in higher education administration, she continued to pursue her goal and ultimately finished her first novel in 2018, securing her agent in 2019.

When she’s not writing, Taj may be on Twitter boosting other marginalized writers, trying to zen out in yoga, sharing recipes on her website, binge-watching her favorite reality tv, or cooking private supper club meals for close friends. Catch her producing and co-hosting the Fat Like Me Podcast, which celebrates body diversity in publishing and entertainment, or watch her join forces with several writer friends on Sundays for the Better Than Brunch video podcast. When time permits, she serves as the #DVdebut Program Manager for Diverse Voices, Inc. and as a mentor for 2020 Pitch Wars.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Blog Tour: The Wrong Seat by Natasha Frazier

The Wrong Seat JustRead Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Wrong Seat by Natasha D. Frazier, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Wrong Seat
Series
: Langston Sisters series #2
Author: Natasha D. Frazier
Publisher
: Encouraging Works
Release Date
: April 6, 2023
Genre
: Christian Romantic Suspense

Life doesn't return to normal for the Langston Sisters...

Compelled to get her family’s business back on solid ground after Crystal's arrest tanks their company's sales and reputation, Ava shoulders the responsibility to secure the biggest deal Langston Brands has had since inception. However, someone doesn’t like the idea and poisons her to thwart her mission. 

Ava’s father hires The Four Kings private security firm to protect Ava from the ongoing threats. When Zack Kingsland takes the job, he does so reluctantly. He’s been out of the field for five years since his last job cost him his ex-wife. Now that he’s back in the thick of things, he finds that he not only needs to protect Ava, but also his heart. 

A man of his word, Zack won’t compromise his assignment or Ava’s safety, not even for the growing feelings he has for her. How can Ava and Zack navigate their feelings without losing sight of the mission—to keep her safe? 

The Wrong Seat (Ava's story) is book 2 in The Langston Sisters series.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookDepository | BookBub

More Books in This Series

The Reunion

Rating:  💣💣💣💣💣
My Review:  
Ava Langston has the middle child issues, and is continually trying to prove herself to her family while working in the family business.  But there is someone out to get her.  The Head of the family, Mr. Langston.  decides to hire a firm to keep all the girls, but mostly Ava safe until they find out who is out to destroy the family business.  

Zach has his demons, and is determined to not fall in love with Ava, but it fails.  The two are able to keep it professional, but a misunderstanding could destroy what they want to eventually build.

This is one of my favorites in this genre and I absolutely loved this book.  It was a ride and I was not able to figure it out until near the end.  Although it doesn't bother me, it's also not too preachy.  I was drawn from the first word, and could not put it down until the very end.  Although it's part of a series, its a stand alone.  I can't wait for the final book in the series.

I received a copy of the book via Just Read Tours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.  


About the Author

Natasha D. Frazier fell in love with love around the age of twelve because of artists like Babyface, Boys II Men, Whitney Houston, and New Edition. Around sixteen when her mother purchased a romance novel and left it lying around the house untouched, Natasha read it and a spark for the written word had been ignited.

Natasha believes that writing is one of her purposes and contributions to the world. She feels accomplished when she can get a few words written and like blah when life gets in the way. Her hope is that at the end of every novel, readers will feel like they’ve been wrapped in a cozy blanket with a mug of their favorite coffee/tea/warm drink. 

When she isn’t reading or writing, she is likely watching movies with her family. Natasha resides in Richmond, TX with her husband, Eddie Frazier, Jr. and their three children, Eden, Ethan, and Emilyn. Her greatest joy and commitment is to her family who she hopes to inspire above all else. One of her many mottos in life is: Faith removes limitations. Natasha and her family attend Parkway Fellowship in Richmond, TX, where she volunteers as a small group leader for elementary students. Natasha is also a member of the Houston Area Alumni Chapter of Jackson State University and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

Connect with Natasha by visiting natashafrazier.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a The Wrong Seat swag box and $10 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 4, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 11, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Blog Tour: Not So Perfect Strangers by L. S. Stratton

 Title:  Not So Perfect Strangers

Author: L. S. Stratton

Genre:  Thriller

Publication Date: 3/28/2023

Rating: 💣💣💣💣💣



About the Book:

One fateful encounter upends the lives of two women in this tense domestic thriller, a modern spin on Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train that flips the script on race and gender politics.
 
“I’m a big believer that women should help each other, Tasha,” she says. “Don’t you think?”

Tasha Jenkins has finally found the courage to leave her abusive husband. Taking her teenage son with her, Tasha checks into a hotel the night before their flight out of D.C. and out of Kordell Jenkins’s life forever. But escaping isn’t so easy, and Tasha soon finds herself driving back to her own personal hell. As she is leaving, a white woman pounds on her car window, begging to be let in. Behind the woman, an angry man is in pursuit. Tasha makes a split-second decision that will alter the course of her life: she lets her in and takes off. 
 
Tasha and Madison Gingell may have very different everyday realities, but what they have in common is marriages they need out of. The two women want to help each other, but they have very different ideas of what that means . . .
 
They are on a collision course that will end in the case files of the D.C. MPD homicide unit. Unraveling the truth of what really happened may be impossible‒and futile. Because what has the truth ever done for women like Tasha and Madison?


My Review:

Trigger/content Warnings: Domestic Abuse/Violence, Religious Abuse/Trauma, SA, Murder, Emotional Abuse

Wow.  That was all I could say when I finished this book.  I could not put it down once I started.  And I found myself saying Damn, did that really happen several times throughout the story.  This book joined the ranks of some of the great thriller/suspense stories I've read just this year.  The pacing was just right, and I could not guess the ending.  I was extremely shocked by the time I got to the end of the book.  I was just not expecting that.  And some of the racial aspects the author pointed out was how it usually is, so that was a big plus in my book.  This was such a masterful tale with a cast of characters that will not be forgotten any time soon.  This author has and will always be in one of my autobuy piles.  Such an extraordinary read.


About the Author:



L.S. Stratton is a NAACP Image Award-nominated author and former crime newspaper reporter who has written more than a dozen books under different pen names in just about every genre from thrillers to romance to historical fiction. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, their daughter, and their tuxedo cat.