Africaanah's Book Blog

Book Title : The Devil in the Saddle
Book Author : Julia London
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : October 29th 2019

Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: After finding out that her fiancé was cheating on her, Hallie called off the wedding and went to spend time at her family’s ranch rethinking her life and her situation. She wasn’t expecting her childhood friend Rafe to be back helping his father with their Ranch. She also wasn’t expecting the sudden rush of feelings she has started to have for him.

Rafael Fontana has always been in love with Hallie but has kept his distance. She deserved a social elite and he was just the help. He wasn’t sure whether he should confess his feelings or stay away so as not to ruin their friendship.

Just my thoughts: One of my favorite tropes, friends to lovers, and this one was written at its best. I absolutely adored their relationship. Especially their friendship. It was super enjoyable to read. I did not feel it was too dramatic or angst-ish.

I also loved that, apart from the romance, this was also about finding one’s self, loving and believing in yourself.

All in favour, should I say Aye? I’d say Aye! And it makes me want to get the other books in the series. I haven’t read the first and I think it doesn’t really affect my read.

Do you have space on your shelf? I’ve made space and I recommend you do as well.

Book Title : One of Us Is Next
Book Author :Karen M. McManus
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : January 7th 2020

Thank you @prhinternational for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: Welcome to Bayview High. Again! And this time. Someone is out to beat Simon at his game with a new game and a whole set of rules. Truth or Dare? Always pick the dare. Always.

Just my thoughts: I was totally excited to be receiving an advanced copy and I immediately picked it up once it arrived. Having read and loved One Of Us is Lying, this thrilling sequel was as much as exciting!

Following Bronwyn’s sister, Maeve and two of her classmates, where they get caught up in a deadly game and where major secrets are revealed.

This was one heck of a roller coaster read, filled with drama, suspense and romance up until the very last page.

All in favour, should I say Aye? I’d say Aye! Aye! Aye! I wouldn’t pass on this one.

Do you have space on your shelf? I think you do have space on your shelf and if you don’t, make one!

Book Title : Not The Girl You Marry
Book Author : Andie J. Christopher
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : November 12th 2019

Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: Jack Nolan, a Journalist, is up for a successful career IF he wrote that perfect article. Inspired by multiple failed relationships and an encounter with Hannah, who was the perfect candidate for his article, he came up with: “How to lose a girl”. The only problem is, he is not sure he wants to lose Hannah anymore.

Hannah, with her own agenda, decides to “date” Jack and show her boss that she can be as romantic, into healthy relationships and that she’s perfect for the wedding planning job.

Just my thoughts: Based on “How to lose a guy in 10 days” which was a favorite movie of mine, had me loving this so much. I was reading and laughing like crazy till the end of the page. Adding to the humour was Jack’s family, especially his dad.

I most related to Hannah so much. She was witty, bold, sometimes shy and proving that she can be open to love is not as easy as she thought it would be. Being in a fake relationship with Jack was more of a challenge than she thought she could handle.

All in favour, should I say Aye? If you love Fake/pretend relationship trope as I do, you will for sure love this one!

Do you have space on your shelf? Make space! Make space! It’s one you don’t want to miss!

Book Title : The Octopus Curse
Book Author :Salma Farook
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date :  November 1st, 2019

Thank you @salma.farook for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

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You know you have stumbled upon real good poetry when you feel like you could have written it yourself. This is how much I related to Salma’s poems.

Every page felt as if it was speaking to me about me. About how I felt and how I should feel.

Is it possible to crave‬
‪What you have never had?‬
‪All I want to do‬
‪I’d be with you,‬
‪Anywhere you want, I’ll go.‬
‪And we just said‬
‪‘Hello.’‬

‪-‘I think my soul has met you before.’‬

-Salma Farook

A collection of powerful heart-wrenching poems with topics about love, loss and finding yourself along with illustrations that I thought added a unique take to the book. Those henna tattooed hands spoke as much as the poems and I totally adored them.

I would totally recommend this book to those who have just started reading poetry or havent read any at all. It will make you fall in love with poetry as they are easy to read and to relate to.

Book Title : The Broken Circle
Book Author : Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : March 1st 2019

Thank you @amazonpublishing for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: Set in Kabul, Afghanistan, we follow the story of Enjeela Ahmandi’s five-year journey of escape to India to be reunited with her mother and the rest of her siblings.

A memoir telling the story about survival, self-discovery, and war.

Just my thoughts: It started out fairly well. The story was told through the eyes of five-year-old Enjeela where she had that perfect family and childhood. In came the war, and shattered the life that she has known.

I haven’t ever read a memoir before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I loved reading about Afghanistan, their culture, the family bonding, and this book spoke details about that.

As I have read lots of books about war, there was nothing new with this one. But then again, usually I find that every book talking about war experiences are typically just the same. The whole idea of being a refugee, being forced out of your country to find a safer place. Surviving the war but leaving some kind of mark that would forever be remembered.

It did have a unique vibe though, and Enjeela was the youngest I have ever read for experiencing the brutality of the war.  Especially the idea of her getting separated from her parents at such a young age.

I also loved how strong she was, her personality and I can’t help but admire her.

All in favor, should I say Aye? I would say pick it up. It’s worth the read especially if you are a fan of books about war and the Middle East.

Do you have space on your shelf? I’d say burrow. Make up your mind about it first before purchasing it.

Book Title : The Other Mrs. Miller
Book Author : Allison Dickson
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date :July 23rd 2019

Thank you @littlebrown for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: A domestic thriller about Phoebe Miller who is your typically miserable unfulfilled housewife who drowns her sorrows in Chardonnay and icecream.

She strongly believes she is being spied on and that the blue sedan outside her house is doing all the watching.

Her life gets even more infused with excitement after a new family moves in across the street from her and she gets involved with them. But it seems they are not what they appear to be or are they? Your typical Doctor, his wife and their handsome soon-out-to college son.

Just my thoughts:  I am not a big fan of domestic thrillers. I always think they are the mellowest of thrillers and this one was so until the other half of the book.

Mind you! With thrillers, you never know when exactly the plot will thicken or where the twists will start. So I am always patient with them and I make it a rule to finish the whole book before I make up my mind.

Did I like this one? Well, I won’t jump to recommend it as quick as I would like but I still think it’s worth the read.

All in favor, should I say Aye? I say Aye, pick it up if you have the patience and the curiosity to find out what’s going on.

Do you have space on your shelf?  I’d say burrow. If you are lucky enough to find a copy, pick it up and give it a shot.

Book Title : Marry in Secret
Book Author : Annie Gracie
My Rating :⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : July 30th 2019

Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: Lady Rose Rutherford was just about to get married and thinks she had made a perfect choice. A marriage of convenience to the Duke of Everinham which would also bring her the freedom she yearns for.

Enters, Thomas Bradford, who crashes and stops the wedding, claiming Rose to be his own wife. They have married in secret years ago but then he disappeared. A shocking admission to everyone around and to Rose herself. She did marry Thomas but that was four years ago, and she had thought him to have already died.

Just my thoughts: I mostly prefer my romance reads to be just romance. I wouldn’t mind reading another genre that has some romance to it though. This was a mix of romance, suspense, and family drama.

It started out fairly well and I was super intrigued. I loved how they both were torn whether the other really wanted them or not. But then it kind of got flat and it was all about family drama, Thomas’s past and his story behind his disappearance.

I didn’t feel the character’s love for each other. It felt like they were more friends than lovers. I wasn’t really interested in the “whodunit” part of the story. All in all, it was a “meh” romance read for me.

All in favour, should I say Aye? I might. For readers who prefer their historical romance reads to be more on the drama and suspense part.

Do you have space on your shelf? I’d say burrow first, make up your own mind about it, then decide to get a copy or not.

Book Title : Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating
Book Author :Christina Lauren
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date :September 4th 2018

Thank you @littlebrown for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: A contemporary romance about Hazel and Josh who have met in university and have quite the opposite personalities. Where Hazel is loud, quirky, spontaneous, and an embarrassment about to happen, Josh is the quiet, sweet, and logical planner.

They both know they wouldn’t make the perfect match, so they became the best of friends and dating each other is the last thing on their minds. Or was it?

Just my thoughts: My first Christian Lauren book and I’m wondering what cave have I been living in. I couldn’t get enough of Josh and Hazel. Especially, Hazel! I think she’s one I would have loved to hang around with. It was hot. It was steamy, it was super super sweet but moderately so.

A hilarious read which had me laughing a lot, and I enjoyed every page of it.

All in favor, should I say Aye? I say Aye, pick it up especially if you are a fan of “friends to lovers” trope. It was really well written.

Do you have space on your shelf? Make space and add it to your pile of awesome romance reads!

Book Title : Bringing Down the Duke
Book Author :Evie Dunmore
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : September 3rd 2019

Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: Anabelle Archer, daughter of a vicar, was one of the first female students who have gained access to higher education and a place in Oxford. She’s also all about women’s right and was a huge part of the British suffrage movement. One of her duties was to recruit an influential man for their cause, thus enters Sebastian Devereaux, the duke of Montgomery who finds himself somehow involved, even though, that is against his own cause. To make things worse, there is a powerful attraction between them that they should both deny because of their political and social backgrounds.

Just my thoughts: It’s been really a long while since I have read a great historical romance and a great one it was.

As cliché as the synopsis might sound, it was really not!

A mix of history and romance, you will be blown away by the book. The strong personalities, the banters, the emotions, the swoons, the sexual tensions!!! Sigh!

I seriously wasn’t able to put the book down.

All in favour, should I say Aye? I say Aye! Aye! Ay! I have marked it as one of my greatest reads for 2019 and I can’t wait to read more from the author.

Do you have space on your shelf? Make space NOW! You don’t want to miss this one.

Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

Book Title : Strut
Book Author : Samar Shera
My Rating :⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : September 5th 2017

Thank you @amazonpublishing for sending me a free copy in exchange for a review.

The Deets: Samar Shera writes about how women can be their own leaders. Opening up, realizing their emotions and situations, we as women can overcome limitations and be in control.

Just my thoughts: I loved the idea of the book so much, and immediately picked it up after receiving it. I loved how Samar shared her painful story and how she has overcome them. I am sure it was not as easy as she made it sound but it does give you the courage to do the same. Reconnecting with your body, admitting your weakness, self-reflection is something that we all need to do and this book is a great reminder.

All in favor, should I say Aye? I say, Aye. It’s a quick read full of important inspirational messages.

Do you have space on your shelf? You should. It’s a good pick up book on your low days. It can be read over and over again.