The Expiration Date. Kimberly Brown. 2023. 230 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Serial dater Audrey has a fool-proof system for breaking up with men. On her “expiration dates,” she takes them to her favorite coffee tavern where she can let them down easy and enjoy a spiked hot cocoa for her troubles. That “foolproof” plans works great … until it doesn’t. Sullivan “Sully” Santiago is more than familiar with Audrey’s reputation, having seen it in action for months. And while he’s content to let it continue, he’s not going to let Audrey’s inability to commit mess with his money.  He walked away from an executive level position at the coffee business that made his family billionaires, damaging his relationship with his father in the process. Failure isn’t an option, which Audrey learns the hard way when she gets kicked out after an “expiration date” goes wrong. A chance meeting brings them back into each others’ orbit and the two explore what feels like instant chemistry. All seems to go well until misinterpretation and miscommunication land Audrey with another yet expiration date. Unfortunately, the cut isn’t so clean and the two eventually find their way back to each other with a surprise…

Brooklyn. Tracy Brown. 2024. Griffin. 324 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]  So thankful to have been chosen to give a review of this book. I’ve been a fan of Tracy Brown and knowing this was her last piece of work made it extra special. Very “Coldest Winter Ever” – esque, I both loved and loathed Brooklyn. Life dealt her a bad time but she has a special knack for turning a bad hand into the worst possible scenario. The book had moments of intense momentum and other times it felt like it dragged – something I find consistent with Tracy Brown’s works. Thankfully, she endears you so strongly to the characters that you ride the wave with no objections. 5 stars.

The Color of Your Skin. Desirée Acevedo, Silvia Álvarez, ill. 2021. Cuento de Luz. 32 pages. [Source: Provided via Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.] The Color of Your Skin follows a young artist, Vega, who is drawing a special picture she aspires to have grace her mom’s “gallery” on the refrigerator. She’s interrupted by a friend asking for the “skin-colored” pencil, which sets the story for the rest of the book. The request is an innocent one, yet it prompts the kids to ask exactly whose skin is being represented as the standard when, in fact, they and those they know in their community, have skin of countless shades and tones. I like the premise of this book, translated from Spanish, and how it addresses the normalization of dominant identities/phenotypes as well as the importance of intentionality in language. Sure, kids might not see it that way, but this book presents a palatable lesson about the importance of both diversity and representation, even in something seemingly as simple as crayons. By having the kids consider the myriad shades reflected in their daily lives, they affirm each other as worthy of being represented in the crayon box. I…

Daddy’s Maybe. Denise Essex. 2023. 197 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] This book was messy as hell. That’s not a terrible thing; it just comes with the territory when the main characters have to live out the adage, “mama’s baby, daddy’s maybe.” Destiny Cooper has settled into a quiet life in her small hometown. She has a career that’s rewarding and three loveable kids, which she holds onto to balance out that she’s accepted the reality of her marriage to a habitually unfaithful man.  Things are shaken up when her high school flame returns home, moving in across the street with his wife and son.  Xavier Grant had no reason to return to Tinsville, but an unexpected – and impossible to pass – opportunity brings him and his family back to face his skeletons, both known and unknown.  With a wife who is going stir-crazy and a son looking for connections after being uprooted, the last thing he needs is a wrench that changes everything he thought he knew about his own past. What sets this book apart is how realistic this plot is. I personally know people whose lives closely mirror the situation Destiny and Xavier found themselves in, and…

The House at the End of the World. Dean Koontz. 2023. Thomas & Mercer. 398 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Katie’s life on the island known as Jacob’s Ladder is peaceful, predictable, and most importantly, private, just the way she’s intended to live out her days. But that’s all turned on its head when she gets unwanted visitors from the nearby island that houses a clandestine government facility. With her sense of safety in isolation shattered, it’s up to her to figure out what’s going on so she can protect herself from yet another tragedy. I purposely didn’t look to heavily into the description before diving into this book; sometimes the fun is in figuring out where exactly an author will take you. Koontz is one author for whom I love this approach. As I started reading, I knew something was off pretty quickly, but the unfolding was an experience. The book is filled with suspense, in an unnerving, paranoid way. Given Katie’s reasons for moving to Jacob’s Latter, this paranoia is less unsettling and more a defense mechanism. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is how Koontz laid breadcrumbs about Katie’s life prior to Jacob’s Ladder. It was…