Blog Tour: I am Ayah by Donna Hill

Title: I am Ayah

Author: Donna Hill

Genre: Dual Timeline contemporary Historical

Publication Date:  May 23, 2023

Rating : 💥💥💥💥💥

About the Book

Set amid Sag Harbor’s vibrant African American history, bestselling author Donna Hill weaves a stunningly rich story about finding the way home…no matter how long the journey takes.

Alessandra Fleming has spent most of her life running from her past. Her budding photography career, her life in Manhattan, all serve to distract from the secrets and guilt she’s never been able to face. Then the call. Her estranged father is in the hospital…and Alessandra must return home to Sag Harbor, crumbling the first wall between her past and her present.

For some, coming home is a relief. For Alessandra, it’s a reminder of the family she’s lost, of the time she’ll never regain. But the answers—the secrets—of her family are hidden in the house, waiting for her. And the only one who may be able to help her uncover them is her father’s neighbor, Zach, who brings with him an attraction that’s intense and instantaneous, yet oddly familiar.

Now Alessandra is being pulled back not only into her own complex family history, but into the richly documented lives of four extraordinary women. Generations touched by tragedy and triumph, despair and hope. And it’s in these aching echoes of the past that Alessandra’s own story—her mistakes and her capacity to love—will take shape, guiding her to the life she’s meant to live…and the extraordinary person she will become.

My review 

The word home usually means one of two things. It's either a place of happiness or sadness/tragedy. For Alessandra Fleming, it happens to be the latter. She left at 18 and has been living her life in New York until she is forced to return to her roots At Sag Harbor after her father suffers a life changing event. While there, She comes across some information that will change her life and she will eventually end up on a path of lessons, secrets and self discovery.

Told in two time periods, I am Ayah will take you on a journey that will make you look at your life in a different way and possibly your own self discovery and healing and how events in life eventually come to full circle. It will pull on your heart strings with unforgettable characters that you will want to hold on to forever. This is an amazing story that I will not soon forget. It makes me even that more ready to look into my family's history This is one of those books that need to be read by everyone.

About the Author

My official writing career began in 1987 when my first short story was published. My first novel, Rooms of the Heart was published in 1990. Since then there have been a slew of books and short stories that I've had published, from romance to women's fiction, chic-lit, erotica and mysteries. I enjoy them all. Three of my novels were adapted for television so that was exciting. I've had the honor of conceptualizing and editing several collections: After the Vows, Midnight Clear, Where There's a Will, Indecent Exposure, and The Hot Spot. I currently teach at Medgar Evers College and live in Brooklyn, NY with my family.

Blog Tour: The Young and Luxurious by Lula White

 Title:  The Young and Luxurious, Love and Fire

Author: Lula White

Genre: Women's Fiction with romantic elements

Publication Date:  April 16, 2023

Rating:  💣💣💣💣💣

About the Book:

Korienne
LA lawyer. Leader. Power player.

After Prosecutor Korienne Haughton has spent years sacrificing marriage and a family, to be the epitome of black excellence, at last, she’s leaving the Los Angeles D.A.'s office.

And sweet, unhindered love with Easton Worthen awaits her. As well as her real dreams of starting a lifestyle brand empire.

But the last day Kori is set to head for bliss, the murder of an LAPD police officer brings rage and a firestorm from the courtroom into hers and Easton’s bed.

Now for the final time, Kori faces her toughest trial yet—what’s more important to her?

Excellence, or Easton?


Easton
Handsome, accomplished, and born into a wealthy family, Easton Worthen seems to have it all: Money, a thriving law practice, and at long last, the woman of his dreams.

Until scandal rocks the Worthen family, and East’s love for Kori is thrown into the middle.

He’s been delaying an inevitable showdown with his father for years. Now, with the city revolting against them, their family’s vast empire is on the line. Easton must finally face the most consequential choice of his life.

In the City of Angels, is Kori and Easton’s bond strong enough to ride through trial and tribulation on angels’ wings?

My Review:

When I first read the title, It immediately gave me a soap opera vibes from back in the day.  And once I cracked it open and started reading it, it didn't disappoint.  Boy, the drama was no joke in this book, and I am so here for all of it.  As tired as I was, I refused to go to sleep until i had completely finished this captivating read.  And the secrets that ended up being revealed, baby, there was nothing like it.  And I at one point agreed with Easton, but I totally understood why Korienne did what she did.  At some point, I will have to go back to the author's back list and check out her other books.  Wow, I'm still a bit lost for words.

About the Author:

Lula White was born and raised in the American South and now lives in Southern California. She loves foreign countries, cabins in the woods, sunsets on lakes, and dinners overlooking water. Writing has been her life since childhood, paying her way through college and sustaining her career as a lawyer. Now her narratives dissect the nuanced lives of Black professionals and the Black elite. With complexity and an open mind, Lula weaves ambition, money and prominence with the rigors of Black love and community.

Blog Tour: The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown

 

Title: The Secret Summer Promise

Author: Keah Brown

Genre: YA

Publisher: Levine Querido

Release Date:  June 6, 2023

Rating: 💣💣💣💣

About the Book:

THE BSE (Best Summer Ever) LIST!

1. Blueberries

2. Art show in ShoeHorn

3. Lizzo concert

4. Thrift shop pop-up

5. Skinny Dipping at the lake house

6. Amusement Park Day!

7. Drew Barrymarathon

8. Paintball day

Oh, and ….

9. Fall out of love with Hailee

Andrea Williams has got this. The Best Summer Ever. Last summer, she spent all her time in bed, recovering from the latest surgery for her cerebral palsy. She’s waited too long for adventure and thrills to enter her life. Together with her crew of ride-or-die friends, and the best parents anyone could ask for (just don’t tell them that), she’s going to live it up.

There’s just one thing that could ruin it: Her best friend, Hailee, finding out Andrea’s true feelings. So Andrea WILL fall out of love with Hailee–even if it means dating the cute boy George who keeps showing up everywhere with a smile.

Do we want Andrea to succeed? No! Does she? We’re not telling!

My Review:

17 year old Andrea is determined to live it up this summer, since this time last year, she wad to have surgery due to her disability.  She decides to make a list of that is most important to her (as a list girlie, I'm the same way).  The only issue with her list is that she has recently come out bisexual, and has more than just a friend feelings toward her best friend, Haillee.  As teenagers do, there is a lot of feelings and miscommunication, and the friendship circle gets tested and decisions have to be made.

They are teenagers, so they're going to act their age and not adults, which is one thing I really liked about the book.  I had to keep it in the front of my mind of their age, and that we all acted that silly at that age.  I also enjoyed how her disability was presented in a positive light in the story   And one of the best parts was when the ah ha moment came.  That lessons  is one that adults can learn from as well.  This was a cute summer read, and I enjoyed it very much.  

About the Author:

Keah Brown is a journalist, author, and screenwriter. She is the creator of #DisabledAndCute, and her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire UK, and The New York Times, among other publications. Her debut essay collection The Pretty One (Atria Books) published in 2019, and her writing has appeared in the anthologies Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong and You Are Your Best Thing, edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown.

Sharee Miller is the author-illustrator of Princess Hair, Don't Touch My Hair!, and Michelle's Garden (Little Brown for Young Readers). She is also the illustrator of The Shai and Emmie series, written by Quvenzhané Wallis and Nancy Ohlin (Simon and Schuster). Her colorful, happy characters are created using watercolor, colored pencil and pen.  --This text refers to the hardcover edition.