Maya

💬: “Einstein said, “The weak revenge. The strong forgive. The intelligent ignore.”

F*ck that. Einstein wasn’t always right."

Abby, S.T.. The Risk (Mindf*ck Series #1) (p. 6). Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, dark, thriller, mystery, crime, novella

📚Page Count: 132

🎧Audiobook Length: 03h 28min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

TW - <spoiler>Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Violence, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Sexual violence, Torture, Confinement, Grief, Rape, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder</spoiler>

The Risk is the first novella in The Mindf*ck Series by S. T. Abby. The Risk is about Lana, a victim of sex trafficking, who decides to get revenge on the men who harmed her and left her for dead. To make things complicated, Lana has started dating Logan who happens to be an FBI agent. Will Lana be able to finish her revenge mission or will she get caught by her new boyfriend, the FBI agent?

I think overall this story was entertaining, I'm not a fan of how short it is and how it ends on a cliff hanger. The novella ends at just over 130 pages and that's why it ended on a cliff hanger. I think the story is good for what it is so far, I can feel the thriller element in the book. I do like how the story is literally a mix of the shows "Criminal Minds" and "Dexter" and that mix itself is interesting.

There were a few spicy scenes, they were just okay. I feel like because there's multiple murders going around and there's gore in the book that sex wouldn't really fit and I maintain that idea. This is my first dark romance and I just can't get into the spicy scenes when someone was graphically murdered a few pages beforehand. I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, this novella was interesting. I'm giving this 4 stars out of 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5

I listened to this audiobook for free on [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "The wind blew her hair forward, surrounding him in a silken wave of deepest brown threaded with black. He closed his eyes, drew in her scent. “I can wait,” he said when he opened his eyes. “For you, Kaia Luna, I’ll wait an eternity.”

Singh, Nalini. Ocean Light (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 2) (p. 285). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 403

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 52min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

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TW - <spoiler>Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Medical content, Torture, Gore, Grief, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Murder</spoiler>

Silver Silence is the 17th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 2nd in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. Ocean Light is about human Security specialist Bowen Knight and Kaia Luna who is a former scientist turned cook where Bowen is being taken care of <spoiler>because he suffered a major injury in the last book trying to save his sister</spoiler>. Kaia is eventually kidnapped by those who mean to harm her and Bowen will do anything to save her.

This book was interesting half of the time and boring the other half of the time. This book was more interesting than the one before it (Silver Silence) but it's still not as exciting as some of the original Psy/Changeling novels. Eventually Bowen and Kaia grew on me as a couple but it definitely took some time. I'm okay with the books being as long as they are, I just wished it was entertaining all the way through instead of only being exciting at select parts.

I would say the spicy scenes were okay but I'm struggling to remember any of them, needless to say they weren't memorable. I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, Ocean Light was just better than the last book in the series, Silver Silence, but half the time the book was a bit boring. I'm getting a little concerned because so far The Trinity series hasn't really impressed me. This wasn't a terrible book, but it wasn't amazing either. I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "Be wary what you read, Big Barda. Knowledge without scrutiny is poison."

Ukazu, Ngozi. Barda (pg. 111) DC Comics. NetGalley Advanced Reader's Copy Edition.

📖Genres: comics, graphic novels, super heroes, DC Comics, romance

📚Page Count: 191

🎧Audiobook Length: 00h 00min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

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TW - <spoiler>Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Torture</spoiler>

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu is a comic published by DC Comics about the anti-hero, Big Barda. The story takes place on Apokolips and it's about the leader of the Female Furies on Apokolips, Big Barda. Barda has secretly thinking about the ideal of love, something that isn't talking about, accepted, or allowed on Apokolips. Granny Goodness the boss of the furies thinks that Barda is becoming too soft, so she's given Barda the task of torturing their new prisoner, Scott Free. Somehow, Barda finds herself allured by Scott Free. Will Barda be able to help Scott or will she stomp out this new ideal of love?

I think this graphic novel was entertaining and exciting. I loved that we get a backstory on Big Barda (even though it wasn't extensive) and that we get to see what it's like for her being the leader of the furies. Speaking of the furies, I really loved that each one of them had their own personalities. That was so pleasant. I also enjoyed the art style throughout the entire graphic novel.

Overall I really enjoyed what this graphic novel had to offer. I love the art and I love that we get a Big Barda comic that shows the different sides to her as a character. This was an emotional story and it was told very well. I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Ngozi Ukazu (the author), and DC Comics (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

💬: "Be wary what you read, Big Barda. Knowledge without scrutiny is poison."

Ukazu, Ngozi. Barda (pg. 111) DC Comics. NetGalley Advanced Reader's Copy Edition.

📖Genres: comics, graphic novels, super heroes, DC Comics, romance

📚Page Count: 191

🎧Audiobook Length: 00h 00min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

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TW - <spoiler>Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Torture</spoiler>

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu is a comic published by DC Comics about the anti-hero, Big Barda. The story takes place on Apokolips and it's about the leader of the Female Furies on Apokolips, Big Barda. Barda has secretly thinking about the ideal of love, something that isn't talking about, accepted, or allowed on Apokolips. Granny Goodness the boss of the furies thinks that Barda is becoming too soft, so she's given Barda the task of torturing their new prisoner, Scott Free. Somehow, Barda finds herself allured by Scott Free. Will Barda be able to help Scott or will she stomp out this new ideal of love?

I think this graphic novel was entertaining and exciting. I loved that we get a backstory on Big Barda (even though it wasn't extensive) and that we get to see what it's like for her being the leader of the furies. Speaking of the furies, I really loved that each one of them had their own personalities. That was so pleasant. I also enjoyed the art style throughout the entire graphic novel.

Overall I really enjoyed what this graphic novel had to offer. I love the art and I love that we get a Big Barda comic that shows the different sides to her as a character. This was an emotional story and it was told very well. I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Ngozi Ukazu (the author), and DC Comics (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

💬: He pointed at my drink.

"What are you drinking?"

"Malibu Sunrise, it's delicious"

'It looks good but I can't be seen drinking that."

I blinked rapidly, "Oh?"

Allen, Danielle. Curvy Girl Summer (Chapter 6, p.?). Bramble. NetGalley Advanced Reader's Copy.

📖Genres: romance, contemporary, contemporary romance

📚Page Count: 210

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 23min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Infidelity, Car accident, Cursing, Alcohol, Grief, Death, and Misogyny</spoiler>

Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen is about Aaliyah James a plus sized 29 year old who wants to find a boyfriend for her 30th birthday celebration. Aaliyah's family members think that she's getting older and her time find a boyfriend, get married, and have children is running out. Annoyed with her family's comments, she lets them know that she does have a boyfriend and that he'll be at her 30th birthday celebration. She doesn't have a boyfriend yet but with online dating, how hard could finding one be? When the first date goes not as planned, the local bartender, at the bar where the date took place seems to be kind and funny enough to make Aaliyah feel hopeful about finding more people to date. The more she spends time with Ahmad the closer she feels to him. Will she find a boyfriend in time for her birthday and will he be from the online dating app "Tinderfish" or will he be the funny, handsome, and caring bartender?

Reading this book was such a great reading experience. This is my first slow burn romance novel and now I still why people like this trope so much. There's so much built up sexual an romantic tension and it feels as if everything will erupt during the climax of the book. I loved how Aaliyah and Ahmad teased each other relentlessly, it was so cute. It was so nice that they both loved concerts, live shows, and music in general. The miscommunication trope was in there and it was so annoying, like the situation was very obvious but the main character was just not getting it. That was annoying but the book was so good overall that I'm not going to change my rating because of that annoyance. Something the author did a really good job of including is what it feels like to be a plus size woman dating with dating apps and websites in the real world.

The audio book narrator was really good, I enjoyed their voice for all the characters. Sometimes when an author voices several or many characters some of the voices sound off but that was NOT the case with Wesleigh Siobhan and their narration. All of the words are clear and concise and the individual voices they use for each character fits so well with the story.

Talk about a slow burn! There are two spicy scenes and let me be honest, the spicy scenes don't start happening until well over 80% through the book. The scenes come late in the book but I honestly think it was worth it. I don't really like spicy scenes with unprotected sex with almost strangers or first time lovers, though I did like the scenes in general. I'm giving the spicy scenes four chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️out of five chilies

This book was a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed myself while listening to this audiobook. It was fantastic. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Danielle Allen (the author), and Macmillan Audio (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

💬: "The Trinity Accord is the fragile foundation of all their hopes and dreams of a future without war, without violence, without shattering loss. It is a noble ambition. But the past is not an old coat that can be discarded and forgotten. It is a scent that clings and clings and clings.

Singh, Nalini. Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 1) (p. 1). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 479

🎧Audiobook Length: 16h 01min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

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TW - <spoiler>Gun violence, Kidnapping, Torture, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Blood, War, and Death</spoiler>

Silver Silence is the 16th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 1st in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. This book is about Silver Mercant, a Psy and Valentin Nikolaev, an alpha bear. Silver is stationed at Valentin's bear compound where she's been helping keep an eye on things since the Trinity Accord as been established. Silver gets poisoned and almost dies as a result and now Silver along with the Mercant family and Valentin are looking for the culprit.

This book had stuff going on but it really FELT like nothing was happening for the duration of the book. Silver gets poisoned at the beginning so I assumed this book would be about hunting down the culprit and they eventually do that but it takes so long. Valentine courted Silver and it was a cute story but it went by so slowly, this book took me 4 weeks (A WHOLE MONTH) to finish because there was very little action on the page. I'm actually disappointed with how boring this was.

The spicy scenes were below average for me, there were two of them and they weren't my favorite scenes. I'm not a huge fan of the virgin heroine and the painful first time, the second scene was a little better but still just "okay". I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, Silver Silence was just okay but it was definitely on the boring side. I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "Of my friend, I can only say this...of all the souls I have encountered in my travels his was the most human."

Kirk's eulogy for Spock and "The Most Human: Reconciling with my Father's" opening quote.

📖Genres: non-fiction, memoir

📚Page Count: 272

🎧Audiobook Length: 09:18

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy by Adam Nimoy is a moving and emotional account of Adam Nimoy's experience of growing up with his famous father, Leonard Nimoy. In this memoir Adam Nimoy recounts the ups and downs that he had with his father growing as well as substance abuse issues and alcoholism that he and his father dealt with respectively. He uses the journey of writing this memoir to finally reconcile with his father and the struggle that Adam Nimoy had with a distant family member (his father) was very relatable. The audiobook was read by Adam Nimoy and his reading of his memoir was good.

I don't normally give ratings to memoirs, but I'm give this 4 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Adam Nimoy (the author), and Dreamscape Media (the publisher) for the arc audiobook (advanced reader's copy.)

💬: "He wiped everything he had typed and began again on a clean form, “YOU MUST ESCAPE! THERE’S AN EPIDEMIC BREWING HERE! WE MUST GIVE WARNING, GET TREATMENT!” She was shaking her head again.

Butler, Octavia E.. Clay's Ark (The Patternist Series Book 3) (p. 57). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: adult, science fiction, speculative fiction, thriller, dystopian

📚Page Count: 214

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 22min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

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TW - <spoiler>Death, Death of parent, Incest, Sexual assault, Gore, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Rape, Cancer, Car accident, and Abandonment</spoiler>

This is my second time reading Clay's Ark by Octavia E Butler but this is my first time writing a review for it. The first time around I gave it 4 stars, I loved the suspense and the thriller elements of this book so much. This time around I'm keeping my rating the same at 4 stars. I'm not giving this 5 stars though because of the gratuitous sexual violence in the book.