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readingwhilemommying
Livesay mines the real-life romance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to create this dazzling romantic debut that's swoony, steamy, funny, and poignant.
Dani, or Duchess as she is known professionally, is a Black female rapper who tries to quell manufactured social media backlash by agreeing to perform at a week-long celebration the Queen of England is hosting in memory of her late husband. Raised by her beloved grandmother but left to the care of uninterested relatives after her Nana's death, Dani's used to making her way on her own. She's an expert at working within the world of music and fame--even its inherent sexualization of female artists--to both succeed yet never compromise her integrity. Most of all, she's hoping to seal a deal with a big cosmetics company to pursue her true passion: expanding the reach of Mela-Skin, her skincare company geared toward women of color. All is going according to plan until she meets the Queen's dashing grandson--and host of the weeklong event--Prince Jameson.
Jameson has long kept his distance from "The Firm," or what the press has dubbed the business arm of being a royal. Eschewing the scandals of his aunts and uncles (and even his late father), he works as a professor of philosophy at a local college and only goes to visit his grandmother when summoned. Yet when she tells him he'll be the face of the royal family at her event, he reluctantly agrees, determined to honor the memory of his beloved grandfather and his passion for the environment. When Dani and Jameson spend a week holed up together at his cottage before the event, sparks fly.
More than just a mere romance, this engaging book touches on the sexism and racism Dani experiences as a Black, female rapper and the sense of duty to family and state Jameson lives under. It also explores their relationship and how it threatens to upend the "the way things are normally done" in the royal sphere AND in regards to Dani's goal of pursuing her dreams.
I loved this book! The love scenes are steamy, Jameson and Dani are complex as individuals while having amazing chemistry, and the narrative enhances the "girl falls for a prince" trope with timely themes and insights. Highly recommend! Pre-order it today!
Even though I heartily thank @NetGalley and @AvonBooks for the free copy in exchange for an honest review, I've still pre-ordered a printed copy because of the gorgeous cover (well done, Erick Davila!) AND I will absolutely want to put Dani and Jay's gorgeous romance on my keeper shelf!
Dani, or Duchess as she is known professionally, is a Black female rapper who tries to quell manufactured social media backlash by agreeing to perform at a week-long celebration the Queen of England is hosting in memory of her late husband. Raised by her beloved grandmother but left to the care of uninterested relatives after her Nana's death, Dani's used to making her way on her own. She's an expert at working within the world of music and fame--even its inherent sexualization of female artists--to both succeed yet never compromise her integrity. Most of all, she's hoping to seal a deal with a big cosmetics company to pursue her true passion: expanding the reach of Mela-Skin, her skincare company geared toward women of color. All is going according to plan until she meets the Queen's dashing grandson--and host of the weeklong event--Prince Jameson.
Jameson has long kept his distance from "The Firm," or what the press has dubbed the business arm of being a royal. Eschewing the scandals of his aunts and uncles (and even his late father), he works as a professor of philosophy at a local college and only goes to visit his grandmother when summoned. Yet when she tells him he'll be the face of the royal family at her event, he reluctantly agrees, determined to honor the memory of his beloved grandfather and his passion for the environment. When Dani and Jameson spend a week holed up together at his cottage before the event, sparks fly.
More than just a mere romance, this engaging book touches on the sexism and racism Dani experiences as a Black, female rapper and the sense of duty to family and state Jameson lives under. It also explores their relationship and how it threatens to upend the "the way things are normally done" in the royal sphere AND in regards to Dani's goal of pursuing her dreams.
I loved this book! The love scenes are steamy, Jameson and Dani are complex as individuals while having amazing chemistry, and the narrative enhances the "girl falls for a prince" trope with timely themes and insights. Highly recommend! Pre-order it today!
Even though I heartily thank @NetGalley and @AvonBooks for the free copy in exchange for an honest review, I've still pre-ordered a printed copy because of the gorgeous cover (well done, Erick Davila!) AND I will absolutely want to put Dani and Jay's gorgeous romance on my keeper shelf!
I've never read anything from MacLaverty before, so I wasn't sure what I was getting reading into this new collection. I want to say I "enjoyed" it, but I don't think that's the right word. These stories feature loss as the main theme and that may have been too "on the nose" when compared to today's world/situation for me to truly enjoy them. Did I not become completely immersed in them because my life right now is overloaded with loss? I think so. Still, I appreciated MacLaverty's gorgeous words and felt that he did offer a tiny bit of hope in the face of death and fear.
And, frankly, I'm assuming that's why MacLaverty gravitated toward writing these. As a human on the Earth in 2022 during a pandemic, we're all immersed in this same situation and trying to find ways to grapple with it. Authors use writing to make sense of things the struggle with but to also share their own worries; I see MacLaverty doing that here.
All his stories deal with loss, but also seem to offer hope by insinuating loss is a universal concept and part of what makes us human. My favorite story is "The End of Days: Vienna 1918." In Vienna, MacLaverty draws a fictional picture of real-life artist Egon Schiele's experience with the Spanish flu in 1918. The flu killed Schiele's pregnant wife and then Egon three days later. This intimate story has him sitting at her bedside and listening to his child's heartbeat in utero as she--and the baby--dies. It's incredibly sad and moving. MacLaverty's quiet writing fits the moment perfectly; yet speaks to the communal nature of death with imagery of Schiele drawing sketches of his wife and then burning them.
If you're looking for some quiet yet powerful stories by a star of the genre, this might be the collection for you. I"m determined to give it another go and try to savor it; it'll just be when real life is less challenging.
And, frankly, I'm assuming that's why MacLaverty gravitated toward writing these. As a human on the Earth in 2022 during a pandemic, we're all immersed in this same situation and trying to find ways to grapple with it. Authors use writing to make sense of things the struggle with but to also share their own worries; I see MacLaverty doing that here.
All his stories deal with loss, but also seem to offer hope by insinuating loss is a universal concept and part of what makes us human. My favorite story is "The End of Days: Vienna 1918." In Vienna, MacLaverty draws a fictional picture of real-life artist Egon Schiele's experience with the Spanish flu in 1918. The flu killed Schiele's pregnant wife and then Egon three days later. This intimate story has him sitting at her bedside and listening to his child's heartbeat in utero as she--and the baby--dies. It's incredibly sad and moving. MacLaverty's quiet writing fits the moment perfectly; yet speaks to the communal nature of death with imagery of Schiele drawing sketches of his wife and then burning them.
If you're looking for some quiet yet powerful stories by a star of the genre, this might be the collection for you. I"m determined to give it another go and try to savor it; it'll just be when real life is less challenging.
Hawkins' latest is absolutely a page-turner, and I really enjoyed the heightened sense of mystery created by the claustrophobic nature of the characters' circumstance: Spending time together on a deserted South Pacific island that's picture-perfect yet holds a lore of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and whispers of murder. I both read and listened to this book. The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, does an amazing job, especially performing all of the different accents of the main six characters. This narration enhanced the characterization of each, while making it easy to differentiate between them and stay focused as the narrative weaved back and forth between past and present.
When her boyfriend Nico is hired to transport college friends Amma and Brittany to the deserted Pacific Ocean island of Meroe, Lux McAllister tags along looking for adventure. Still somewhat adrift after the death of her mother and a lack of purpose/ambition, she's anxious for some fun and sun with her boyfriend. When the foursome reaches the island in Nico's boat The Susannah (named after his ex), they come upon a larger boat with wealthy and gorgeous Jake and Eliza aboard. The six quickly start hanging out, swimming, partying, and drinking, until another boat approaches with an odd man on board. His arrival starts a snowball effect of fear (Lux finds a skull in the jungle), horror, and violence. Is it the island itself that brings out the base instincts of its inhabitants or have those instincts been in these characters all along?
Hawkins's writing and plotting keep you engrossed, as the mystery and tension stay heightened throughout. Some minor quibbles--a lack of time spent on the connection between Lux and Nico and an ending that didn't 100% satisfy me--but all in all, this is a strong, tense mystery and an entertaining physical book to spend a snowy day with (especially for the gorgeous description of the beaches, sun, and sand) or a engrossing audiobook to listen to while cleaning or relaxing. If you like mysteries and books about the bad beneath the beauty, this one is for you. Definitely recommend!
When her boyfriend Nico is hired to transport college friends Amma and Brittany to the deserted Pacific Ocean island of Meroe, Lux McAllister tags along looking for adventure. Still somewhat adrift after the death of her mother and a lack of purpose/ambition, she's anxious for some fun and sun with her boyfriend. When the foursome reaches the island in Nico's boat The Susannah (named after his ex), they come upon a larger boat with wealthy and gorgeous Jake and Eliza aboard. The six quickly start hanging out, swimming, partying, and drinking, until another boat approaches with an odd man on board. His arrival starts a snowball effect of fear (Lux finds a skull in the jungle), horror, and violence. Is it the island itself that brings out the base instincts of its inhabitants or have those instincts been in these characters all along?
Hawkins's writing and plotting keep you engrossed, as the mystery and tension stay heightened throughout. Some minor quibbles--a lack of time spent on the connection between Lux and Nico and an ending that didn't 100% satisfy me--but all in all, this is a strong, tense mystery and an entertaining physical book to spend a snowy day with (especially for the gorgeous description of the beaches, sun, and sand) or a engrossing audiobook to listen to while cleaning or relaxing. If you like mysteries and books about the bad beneath the beauty, this one is for you. Definitely recommend!
