Taken by Koko Brown

I want to start off by saying that the cover of Taken is one of my favorite covers of the year. It is striking in the intensity of the model's stare and clearly it's not a cover that has launched a thousand previous books.This guy just seems to stare through you (even though he's a bit heavy on the smudgy eyeliner) and dares you to pass up on the opportunity to read his story inside. With that cover and a fair idea of what the book was about, I was pretty certain I was in for a fantastic few hours of reading. I mean, this had all of the makings of a book that I should have loved. A story set in the early 1900s. African-American siblings who were not destitute, but educated and successful. A heroine who's a nurse in 1908, and a foreign hero, arrogant and unwilling to take no for an answer. Strong and plucky, our heroine is someone who would keep our hero on his toes and make him work for her affections. Add in a journey to Africa and rich, descriptive writing - well, just gimme a comfy spot, a glass of wine and don't interrupt me I'm reading. Sigh. Unfortunately, Taken didn't earn the five star rating that I would like to give it.

The Preacher's Promise by Piper Huguley

The Preacher's Promise is a very sweet story that takes place following the Civil War. During this time African Americans in the South are finding themselves with new freedoms and opportunities that they have never had before; however, they are still living under the prejudice of the South. This is the case in the town of Milford. The town has sent a missive to the North requesting a teacher (their first) for the new school house that is being built. Unbeknownst to them, the man who they've reached out to has recently passed away and his daughter Amanda, who is college educated herself , has decided to answer the call. She is in a bad situation as

Loving Among the Dead by Dahlia DeWinters

What would you do if the world around you suddenly went crazy and the dead didn't stay dead? What if people started
eating one another, and the remaining "normal" people are just

Safe House, by Dez Burke

I really like the cover of this book. I can't figure it out, but I saw it about a month ago and just had to read it. Didn't know what it was about, but just wanted it. When I got my review

The Real Thing by Brenda Jackson

When you read a book by Brenda Jackson, you're getting a solid story with a well-crafted plot. She tells her stories effortlessly and with such expertise that when you read about

Hearts Afire by Deborah Fletcher Mello

Hearts Afire is a contemporary romance that ended up pleasantly surprising me. Judging the book solely by its cover

(this is really a problem I have...) I had expected a somewhat

Eagle's Heart by Alyssa Cole

Eagle's Heart is a romantic suspense featuring an African-American heroine and an Albanian hero. This book didn't spare a moment before thrusting me into the thick of things so