Alexandria House writes incredibly robust romances with complex characters and healthy relationships, and Nolan and Bridgette's story is no different. Nolan has a bit of a dark side and is not afraid to toe the line between the moral and immoral when it comes to protecting those he loves. He's smart, cunning, and loyal. Bridgette has a strong sense of self-worth and boundaries, as a result of escaping an incredibly abusive household when she was younger, and she makes sure to be upfront with Nolan without opening herself up to reliving trauma. Both protagonists allowed themselves to fall in love, and this worked with no hiccups because of their dedication to open communication and protecting their own hearts. While Everett from Book 1 is still my favorite brother, Nolan is definitely a more intricately crafted male lead.

I found the character arc of Civil (the protagonist) to be masterfully done. She's flawed and very passionate, and I do think that the author giving us the hindsight perspective of an older Civil helped us see a lot of growth in her character that would not have felt necessarily natural or authentic had Civil come to these realizations on her own. 

TAKE MY HAND, along with being an important and well-researched novel, is, simply put, excellently penned. The heartbreaking moments throughout this novel don’t overshadow the humanity of the little girls or any of the downtrodden characters. The chapter endings make you want to keep reading, and before you know it, you’re hooked and can’t stop. I see this book being one I return to in the years to come. I was unaware that Dolen Perkins-Valdez had 2 previous novels, WENCH and BALM, but I will definitely be adding them to my collections.

In LET ME LOVE YOU, the first of The McClain Brothers series by Alexandria House, we follow Jo Walker, a jeweler, and Everett “Big South” McClain, a famous rapper with a longstanding career and prominence. Let me preface this by saying that I loved this book. Absolutely everything about it. Not only does it feature single mother rep and divorcee rep (in both protagonists), but it has excellent pacing and complex main characters. If you’re someone who rolls their eyes at the 3rd act break-up (which I feel like might just be all of us at this point 😂😅), then have no fear! There is no 3rd act breakup, but there is a ever-present and looming main conflict that is real and engaging. Also, for those who like an age gap romance, this one also fits the bill (younger woman, older man).