Date Read: January 22, 2022 Published: November 10, 2021 Pages: 326
Book Synopsis:
Past relationships have left Nova scarred. Finishing up school and opening her boutique were her main focus until she ran into Grayson. Grayson was worried about being a great father & his photography career when Nova ran into him, in the most literal sense.
While Nova tries to run from Grayson afraid he’ll turn out like the rest of the men who broke her heart, Grayson is determined to show her different. Not the one to let go without a fight he’s determined to show her the beauty he sees behind the lens.
My Review:
Grayson is the type of male book character you wish you come across in real life. From beginning to end I rooted for this couple. Grayson was grown grown and from the gate, he spoke his mind and kept it 100. I loved it. Definitely a new addition to my book bae list. Miss Nova Rae was a treat as well. I loved seeing her come into herself. 10/10 would recommend.
Alexis + men = disaster. At least, that’s how it’s always been. Still, she’s easily tempted by her new surroundings at the University of California to put a foot forward into the dating pool; just not her best one. Relationships and situation-ships quickly become a balancing act as she tries to survive her freshman year. Jaden is something like an “it guy”, but not by choice. He would much rather live a quiet, normal life exactly opposite of the one the media portrays. So when he meets Alexis by chance, he instantly falls for her beauty, charm, and… normalcy. But he learns very quickly that dealing with her is anything but normal. Tyree isn’t a man of many words; he prefers action. When, sweet, sexy, naive Alexis Martin becomes a resident in his dorm, he can’t help trying his hand at getting with her, even if she is a freshman. Attractions and Distractions will take you on a bumpy ride through the struggles and triumphs of finding love on the college scene.
Sophomore Year
Your favorite college kids are back.
Sophomore year is still a growing year, especially when it comes to Alexis and relationships. When unexpected circumstances put her under the same roof as Jaden for the school year, she’ll be forced to deal with new attractions and distractions coming her way.
But do you really ever forget your first?
Junior Year
It was all good just a semester ago. Alexis and Jaden have finally decided to give love another try regardless of the endless list of trials and tribulations they have experienced together. But when Jaden’s past comes back to haunt their relationship that’s just beginning to brew, will Alexis be able to take the heat? Or will the distractions be too much for her to handle?
Senior Year
Senior Year is finally upon us and graduation is officially on the horizon!
With all of the new possibilities, Alexis and Jaden are happier than ever before. But when their relationship is tested by both old and new distractions, and everything around them seems to be falling apart, will they be able to survive the school year as one? Or will it simply be time to say goodbye?
Date Read: January 1, 2022 Published: December 23, 2021 Pages: 107
Book Synopsis:
“I ain’t just from the hood. I am the hood.” – Projex
May the hood never change us. Only mold us. Act as a guide to navigate us to exactly where we’re supposed to be in life. In love.
To the places we’ve called home, friends we gathered on the way and cherished some enough to become family. Head bows to the real ones we’ve lost. Not everyone makes it out, but you can make it.
Those L’s really meant lessons. We’ve learned them. Loved through them. Leveled up from them. Gained an understanding of them.
To the hood… thank you, with love. Merry Christmas!
My Review:
This was such a perfect ending to such a great story. I will forever love Projex and L-Boogie. To see their growth as both individuals and partners from book 1 to book 4 was magical. I didn’t know what to expect in anticipation of this series coming to an end, however the holiday touch was perfect. There’s just something about the that time of the year that makes things that much sweeter. Looking forward to rereading this series from beginning to end. BriAnn, you did that! From BGBG With Love ❤️
I read 115 books this year and some of those storylines were a whirlwind. Shout-out to all of the authors who got me through 2021. Check out my favorite reads of the year, these gems stood up and showed out!
Favorite New to me Author
Rilzy Adams was that chick for me this year! I saw her name a lot on Bookstagram and when I finally decided to check her out, I was hooked! I binged her catalog for about a month. She was hands down my favorite New to me Author of 2021.
Four of the authors on this list were new to me authors. And they all put their foot in these series. Even the one’s that left me hanging from book to book.
Date Read: December 7, 2021 Published: October 2, 2021 Pages: 320
Book Synopsis:
Yana is fresh out of a dull three-year relationship and while she wants to focus on her, Yana’s best friend Jelly has other plans. After being dragged to a popular nightclub, Yana meets a man that makes her reconsider being single, the only problem is he comes with more baggage than she can carry.
Rex is the man of every woman’s dreams. He’s paid, fine, and knows how to treat a woman, but he can’t seem to keep one. It could be because the other women in his life refuse to stay out of his business. His big sisters Vickie and Nu-Nu are dead set on making sure no gold-diggers get too close to their baby brother. Then there is his mother, Linda. She doesn’t mind going to great lengths to prove that no one is good enough for her son. This overbearing mother gives meddling a new meaning, the only problem is this time around it might come back around and give her a taste of her own medicine.
Sit back and enjoy the ride, it should be interesting. After all, mama knows best right?
My Review:
I read this in one sitting when I should have been going to sleep for work in the morning. This story had me hooked. I liked Rex and Yana, but I’ma be real, they weren’t the reason I was so heavily invested in this storyline. The secondary characters gave me everything. The family’s in this book are something I had never come across in a storyline, and I loved every second. They had me wanting to fight them, fight with them, and fight for them. Special shout-out to Jelly and GiGi, we all need riders like them in our corner. While I definitely spent a lot of time laughing, I can’t not point out the light that was shined on the unfortunate toxic parent-child relationships that are out there in this world. Those storylines were grounding. All in all, I enjoyed this big time.
What happens when Zoey Barrett, an ingenuous Princeton scholar, meets NBA All-star rocker-boy, Stenton Rogers? Zoey has her life all planned out. She’s working hard at her degree and to help her family stay afloat financially.
Stenton’s at the top of his game on the court, but off, his life is out of bounds. That is until he happens upon Zoey, who represents something that he’s never had—family. Her world is spun completely out of control when they intersect. Could the lengths he decides to go destroy the future Stenton desperately desires to have with Zoey?
Love Delivered
His secret is uncovered and motives are disclosed. So now what? Will Stenton get the favorable results he plotted years ago? Or will he have caused his own exile from Zoey’s love? Her life charted an alternate journey because of unexpected circumstances. Now that Zoey has put together the pieces, how will she navigate Stenton’s obstacles?
Date Read: November 14, 2021 Published: October 29, 2021 Pages: 408
Book Synopsis:
Tasha Dixon-Turner doesn’t need anybody to save her. She’s going to save herself. The man everybody warned her about marrying turns out to be just as bad as predicted. And then some. She’s determined to claw herself out of her situation without letting anybody in on her bitter secret. Cole Mason threatens all of that when he witnesses a very public fight between her and her husband and Tasha knows can’t risk him revealing the secret she’s worked so hard to keep. She doesn’t know what to expect when she confronts Cole to ask him to keep her confidence, but it definitely wasn’t him offering to give her the support she’s denied herself for so long. She didn’t expect him to offer her a soft place to land. She didn’t expect him… period. But Tasha has been dancing with the Devil for so long that it’s almost impossible for her to trust the peace she feels when she looks into Cole’s eyes. Will her desperate desire to be her own savior damn her to hell after all?
Before We Fall is the second book in the Unexpected Lovers series following up Xander and Navaya’s journey in Go Deep. The events of Go Deep and Before We Fall partially overlap but Before We Fall is a contained story and there is no need to read Go Deep before delving into it.
My Review:
This story was the true definition of “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. Tasha’s journey, much like a big race, was a mental rollercoaster. That feeling of being unstoppable for miles, and then, out of blue your legs stop working. The highs and lows. The times when you’re just cruising on by, passing people and smiling, but also those points of wanting to pull out of the race altogether. We learn quickly that the actual race was only a very small part of the entire process. It’s about the training put in before, and following the plan. That’s the journey we witness throughout the pages of this story. And it’s a beautiful one, filled with pain, triumph, fear, and the greatest soft place to land you could hope for in any given situation.
Date Read: November 14, 2021 Published: June 26, 2020 Pages: 121
Book Synopsis:
It was all supposed to be so simple. Navaya Howard is an erotic writer in a rut. Her readers are fed up of her stale plots and Navaya can’t blame them. She’s been celibate for over a year and a half since finding her now ex-boyfriend’s side chick’s positive pregnancy test on her bathroom counter. How can she write steamy romances if she can barely remember which body parts go into the other? Navaya enlists the help of her best friend, Xander, to revive the inspiration that used to have her sitting comfortably at the top of her game. What happens when the sex hits deeper than either of them expected and the tender emotions can no longer be denied? Navaya and Xander’s arrangement has gone far deeper than intended. Will their friendship and their hearts survive the fall?
My Review:
Friends to lovers is without a doubt one of my favorite reading tropes. And this one knocked it out of the park. I’ve been seeing Rilzy Adams on my bookstagram timeline for forever, and I couldn’t tell you why it took me this long to finally get to her work, but babyy. I’m glad I did. This story, a few pages in, already had me in the mindset that I’m about to binge her whole catalog. This was beyond hot, had me pulling out my phone to text my guy type of hot. I loved the chemistry between Nav and Xander. What I loved most though was how Rilzy got them to that point. She didn’t brush over any awkwardness as if it shouldn’t have existed when a relationship with a bond that deep transitions the way it did. As I make my way through more of her catalog I hope to see a story for my favorite second place best friends, because sis, I need that tea 👀
Brown Girl Book Geek 