Fave Five: Historical F/F Romance

Feminine Pursuits and Hen Fever by Olivia Waite Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban The Spinsters of Inverley by Jane Walsh That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian Bonus: For cozy mystery/romance mashup, check out Proper English by KJ Charles Double Bonus: These are all realistic fiction, but for historical fantasy, try Heather Rose Jones’s…

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JOMP Book Photo Challenge || November 7 || Non-White Author:  An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

‘Not for a minute.’

Alyssa Cole, from One of Us Knows

This librarian probably has a Tumblr and almost definitely said something else that starts with o before "or alpha in the streets"

when no one is watching, alyssa cole

released 2020

read: 02 october 2023 – 16 october 2023

3.5* rounded down. nothing wrong with this book at all except... i don't know... i'm hesitant to say it was mid, but after i turned the last page i was left thinking "...huh."

there's a lot i liked here. i think the premise was really cool and timely; gentrification of black communities is something that's happening quickly and often (not just in the US where the book was set, but also where i live in the UK). it's definitely clearly come as part of the ripple effect caused by get out, which is not a bad thing as it still manages to feel unique. it kept me engaged, and really picks up pace around the last 25% after a period of slow build and heightening tension. i liked the main character's (sydney) motivations and backstory, and how the author takes us on a journey of uncovering who she is and who she's become. i didn't looove her as a character, but i liked how she was crafted. and i enjoyed the focus on her moreso than on theo (as this is written from a dual perspective).

as for everything else... i guess a lot of it just left me unmoved, it was all just okay. i didn't care for the romance between sydney and theo, it was unnecessary and took away from the plot and i didn't even like them together all that much. as well as that, of all the ways the author could've chosen to end the book, the one she picked was certainly a choice. i think this is what ultimately made me push this down to a 3* rather than rounding up to 4*.

do i think it's worth the read? sure, if you're looking for something tense and creepy (given the season), i would say go for it. it's not groundbreaking but it's short enough and holds up well enough overall.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Feminist romance novels are everywhere. With so many options and so little time, sometimes it’s nice to have a list like this as a starting point. This is going to be a very fun list of delicious feminist romance books that you must pick up and read, but before all that, we must discuss the feminism of it all.

For the sake of this article, I am following Mikki Kendall’s approach to feminism in Hood Feminism. The idea is that committing to intersectional feminism that includes trans women, women of color, and disabled women means understanding feminist issues are inherently variable and not always immediately recognizable as feminist issues. Kendall explains, “A one-size-fits-all approach to feminism is damaging because it alienates the very people it is supposed to serve, without ever managing to support them” (3). So, while feminism is about the promotion of gender equality, that is just an element of feminism. The role of active feminists is to be aware that more than just a person’s gender impacts their access to rights and services. While I would also recommend reading bell hooks and other excellent feminist writers, I appreciate Kendall’s explanation here.

Feminist literary critics have also looked at how romance can talk about the complexities of feminist issues within their story framework. Avidly Reads Guilty Pleasures by Arielle Zibrak understands the ways romance novels are a source of feminine media culture some associate with shame and censure, reflecting that the Western world often diminishes feminine interests and pursuits. All that is to say, romances have been praised for centering feminist interests and issues like love, job security, equal partnership, and reproductive rights."

If anyone is looking for a romance novel with M’Baku ✨vibes✨, it’s hard to go wrong with Alyssa Cole’s How To Catch A Queen. It’s a contemporary romance that takes place in an imaginary African kingdom that hasn’t had a queen in decades, because both of the most recent kings kept annulling their marriages. Shanti Mohapi is convinced that she’s going to be able to change that, but she’s going to have to change her view of how to be a good queen in order to succeed.

And when I say that you can take your AU fanfic and turn it into an original story … this is the kind of thing I mean. Cole was very clearly inspired by the Black Panther movie and characters, but used that inspiration to create a world of her own.

How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole

The book is a modern and queer retelling of Anastasia.

Mystery/Thriller Monday

Sydney’s neighborhood is changing. More condos, fewer neighbors as they move away. Or do they?

She and her neighbor Theo start looking into their neighborhood’s history, and that’s when the twists they start a coming. And it gets dark. Yikes. What if their neighbors haven’t actually moved to the suburbs?

It was sort of a psychological thriller, in that it sorta grabbed me and then I had to finish it. And, that final third of the book was, whew… wow.

You may like this book If you Liked: The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, or The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Fave Five: Queer Black Romance Audiobooks

All links are libro.fm affiliate; each purchase earns a small percentage of income for the site. How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Karen Chilton (f/f) D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins, narrated by Rebecca Lee (f/f) I’m (So) Not Over You by Kosoko Jackson, narrated by Timothy Bell Reese (m/m) Harbor by Rebekah Weatherspoon, narrated by Royal Jaye and Tovah…

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“This city is held together by hope and insomnia,” she said. “Who needs infrastructure?” 

“Americans,” he muttered, shaking his head.

-  A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals, #1) by Alyssa Cole

They were together, and that meant they could weather everything to come.

Alyssa Cole, from An Extraordinary Union

self care is skipping to the end of the thriller assigned for the class you are taking

I'm only 13 pages into the book but so far I'm on board with this plan

Makeda Hicks has lost her job and her girlfriend in one fell swoop. The last thing she’s in the mood for is to rehash the story of her grandmother’s infamous summer fling with a runaway prince from Ibarania, or the investigator from the World Federation of Monarchies tasked with searching for Ibarania’s missing heir.

Yet when Beznaria Chetchevaliere crashes into her life, the sleek and sexy investigator exudes exactly the kind of chaos that organized and efficient Makeda finds irresistible, even if Bez is determined to drag her into a world of royal duty Makeda wants nothing to do with.

When a threat to her grandmother’s livelihood pushes Makeda to agree to return to Ibarania, Bez takes her on a transatlantic adventure with a crew of lovable weirdos, a fake marriage, and one-bed hijinks on the high seas. When they finally make it to Ibarania, they realize there’s more at stake than just cash and crown, and Makeda must learn what it means to fight for what she desires and not what she feels bound to by duty.