Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins is a solid, enjoyable Black historical romance between a tall handsome cinnamon roll reporter/ lawyer/ carpenter from DC Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins is a solid, enjoyable Black historical romance between a tall handsome cinnamon roll reporter/ lawyer/ carpenter from DC and a biracial Black and Shoshone woman rancher from Wyoming who refuses to conform to social norms to make him or anyone else comfortable. Spring Lee is a survivor of sexual abuse, loss, and abandonment who has made her own way in the world, earning the money for land of her own and taking orders--or intimacy--from no one. But the quietly, calmly inquisitive Garrett McCray, a former slave and Union sailor, as well as a trained lawyer and practicing reporter and carpenter, wins her heart with his patience and gentleness and respect and acceptance of her for who she is. This wasn't a super exciting story for me, despite the shooting, the attempted murder, and the attempted financial swindles. Instead, it felt more like Garrett himself--stable and supportive and encouraging and hopeful, full of interesting snippets of Black history and depictions of strong, successful Black men and women building relationships and community together.
Despite Wild Rain being the second in the Women Who Dare series by Jenkins, it is definitely also a follow up to Jenkin's Tempest, from her Old West trilogy. I do think you'll understand this story better if you've read Tempest before, although I honestly prefered this story more. I thought Spring was a much more nuanced and realistic character than the t00-perfect Regan from Tempest, who makes an excellent supporting character this time around, along with her husband Colton Lee and their children and their extended town and family.
The diversity, as I would expect from Jenkins, is good. There are strong independent female characters as well as a primarily Black cast of characters, with some Native representation as well. No LGBTQ+ representation, and most if not all characters are able-bodied, but there's definitely some #MeToo type themes of sexual abuse and violence in Spring's past. The snippets of history that Jenkins includes throughout the book enrich our understanding of underrepresented history, from the role of Black sailors in Union naval efforts during the American Civil War to the public perception and outright bias against Natives from white and Black Americans, especially back on the East Coast, to women in Wyoming having the vote so much earlier than in the rest of the United States. There's even mentions of Black newspapers and Black authors of the time, due to Garrett's career, but also to his bookworm tendencies. I cheered a little when he mentioned reading Frederick Douglass's third autobiography, a book that still resonated powerfully today. Jenkins strikes the delicate balance of acknowledging issues of race and bigotry and violence without weighing this gentle love story down too.
So if you want a historical Western romance that avoids white supremacist tropes and acknowledges at least some issues of colonization, and if you want a sweet romance between two unconventional Black leads, this is the book for you. While there is violence, both past and present, within the plot, the focus is more on human relationships, between the two romantic leads, but also with the community around them.
Jenkins has said that she doesn't know what character the third book in the Women Who Dare trilogy will feature. I'm personally rooting for Garrett's friendly, confident sister. Either way, I look forward to reading what Ms Beverly writes next. Thank you to #NetGalley and Avon/ Harper for sharing a digital #advancedcopy of #WildRain with me in exchange for an honest review....more
World of Wonders is a gentle, reflective collection of nature essays by poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Nehukumatathil takes us on a gentle, round-about tWorld of Wonders is a gentle, reflective collection of nature essays by poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Nehukumatathil takes us on a gentle, round-about tour of her life so far, by way of illustrated individual essays about nature that tie into her own life in various ways. Whether it's being reminded of her mortality while diving with a whale shark or recalling the tedious road trips and carefree joys of childhood summers, that included catching fireflies, or taking her young sons to enjoy the beautiful of nature with her, her memories are inextricably interwoven with her experiences with the natural world. Nezhukumatathil also reflects on what it meant for her to be a brown woman, a child of immigrant parents, growing up in mostly rural white spaces in the United States, and what it means to now be a brown mother raising little brown boys in that same country years later. She talks about her teaching work in college academia, about dating and marriage, about being a sister and a mother and a daughter and a wife and a friend. It's a lovely little collection that was soothing to read during a stressful pandemic year. Whether you want to learn a little bit more about sometimes obscure living creatures, or understand the experience of descendants of immigrants of color in the United States, or see the way it all ties together, or all of the above, I recommend this short but lovely collection for you....more
The hype was not wrong. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is a delightful book. I loved every minute of it. The writing is hilarious and sweet and tenThe hype was not wrong. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is a delightful book. I loved every minute of it. The writing is hilarious and sweet and tender and clever and wonderfully British, while still accessible. I laughed aloud, I swooned, and I highlighted so many lines that it seemed like whole pages were pink. The cover art is also delightful.
Luc is such a defensive hot mess that it took awhile for me to warm up to him and to the sweet heart underneath all the attitude and misbehavior. But I loved grumpy, uptight earnest perfectionist Oliver from the very first time I encountered him. And the two of them are so very very right together, despite, or perhaps because of, their respective huge personal issues. The supporting cast are mostly hilariously funny, aside from the respective parents, who are a bit more complex and given to causing angst, although sometimes also funny, especially Luc's mom. Luc's coworker, the blue blooded incredibly stupid but hilarious Alex, was my favorite. He and his girlfriend Miffy were hysterically funny.
Diversity wasn't bad in Boyfriend Material. While the main characters and their family are definitely white Britons, their immediate circle includes Black and Asian friends, people of a variety of genders, and many LGBTQ+ friends as well. While the overall economic status of all the characters is comfortably wealthy, there's a wide range within that, from obscenely wealthy high class British old money to new money celebrities and their offspring to upwardly mobile working professionals--lawyers, artists, publishers, etc. There's also one of the most thoughtful depictions of a vegetarian I've ever read. Far too often vegetarians and vegans get to be the brunt of cruel, lazy jokes and caricatures in books, but Oliver's choices are depicted as inextricably linked to his high standards of personal ethics. Even when Luc and other real friends don't agree with Oliver's choices, it's never depicted as irrational or ridiculous. Rather, those who mock it are the ones who are in the wrong. I thought that was a breath of fresh air. I loved that this story respected its characters even when they didn't always respect themselves.
I wasn't sure what to expect, heat-wise, in this story. My previous experience with m/m romance has mostly been books written by cis hetero white women that verge on fetishing gay men and gay sex and are written in scorching hot detail. In contrast, Boyfriend Material has considerably less sex, both from a teasing slow burn in the first part of the story, and from a partially closed door approach when sex scenes do finally happen. What is featured is tender and sweet and hot, with pent up passion and deep emotions. But it's more romance than erotic romance, and while I enjoy both subgenres, I was fine with that. I especially loved how Oliver restricts sex to meaningful relationships, and how every kiss with him means something. It made each moment between Lucien and Oliver more special.
I thought that the ending was the weakest part of the story, a bit over the top silliness that was one of many nods to ninties rom-coms throughout the book. I would go so far as to say that this book felt like an homage to Bridget Jones' Diary, only with deeper characters and more emotions and more clever writing, not to mention two males in love, instead of a woman and a man. But the weakest part of this story is still leagues ahead of many other stories.
I honestly had no other complaints about Boyfriend Material. I couldn't put it down. I didn't want it to end. I loved Oliver, and loved Luc and Oliver together, and loved some of their friends. I want to share a clever line to really convince others of how great this is, but can't decide which of the fifty lines I've highlighted to share. So I will instead repeat that this is a delightful love story, full of heart and humor and clever lines, wrapped up in a gorgeous cover. It is absolutely worth picking up a copy to read and to share.
Thank you very much to #NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read a free advanced copy of #BoyfriendMaterial . These are my honest opinions....more
The Blue Zones Kitchen is a lovely cookbook, with recipes that sound delicious, and is a worthy addition to the Blue Zones library. The cover is strikThe Blue Zones Kitchen is a lovely cookbook, with recipes that sound delicious, and is a worthy addition to the Blue Zones library. The cover is striking. The recipes manage to be both healthful and delicious (sounding, haven't tried any of them yet). And the sections on each Blue Zone region, complete with lovely food, people, and scenery photography, interviews, regional history and culture, and versions of local recipes are all fascinating. There ARE a lot of recipes that contain gluten, many of which would be difficult to make gluten free substitutions. But overall it's just really a great cookbook, to the extent that I'm going to buy it and try a bunch of the recipes. I just hope some of the profit/ benefits from these books go back to the communities who inspire Buettner's work....more
I'd been eagerly awaiting the release of You Had Me at Hola since I heard it announced. I have enjoyed previous romances by Alexis Daria, and the concI'd been eagerly awaiting the release of You Had Me at Hola since I heard it announced. I have enjoyed previous romances by Alexis Daria, and the concept sounded fascinating, given how little I know about the filming culture of telenovelas or of streaming services like Netflix. Also, so much Latinx rep is terrific! and Puerto Rican rep especially, as I have several loved ones of Puerto Rican heritage, and love to see the culture get recognition. And the cover is lovely. I was so excited when my library hold finally came in!
That being said, I didn't love this book. I honestly don't know if it was the audio book format (which seemed to be well read), or simply my 2020 pandemic reading curse striking again. I'm rating the book 4 stars because I didn't see anything about it that would account for my ambivalence, so I assume the writing is more solid than my reading abilities this year.
I liked Jasmine, although I didn't relate to her temperament very well. But I respected her work ethic and dedication, and hated her immediate family for how they treated her. I liked both of Jasmine's female cousins, the other two Primas of Power. I also liked Ashton, and could relate to his anxiety and PTSD struggles more than I could to Jasmine's lack of self confidence. (As an aside, thank God the author explained why an island-born Puerto Rican man of Ashton's age could have such a boring white name. It was really bugging me until I got the back story. So if you've started reading, and are also distracted by his name, keep reading! It will be explained in time.). I thought that the author did a good job writing a fairly authentic child's voice in Ashton's son, and liked Ashton's father as well.
I enjoyed seeing Jasmine and Ashton get to know each other (although spilling something on someone as a way of meeting them is not exactly ground-breakingly creative), and I enjoyed seeing the inner workings of filming television shows and of surviving celebrity as an otherwise private person. I came away with a slightly different perspective on those celebrities magazines and TV shows; I don't really watch or read them anymore, but this story made me feel a little uncomfortable about what I might have been complicit in by doing so in the past.
I absolutely loved the diversity of representation in this film. There is a supporting character who is trans. I believe that there were other LGBTQ characters as well. And the entire cast and crew is Latinx, from so many different cultures! The book doesn't shy away from talking about how the character's ethnic identity affects their lives and careers. There's mental health rep too, as Ashton clearly has issues to work through from past trauma and Jasmine has some struggles of her own.
I didn't really love the story within a story, though. Hearing the script of Carmen in Charge, as acted by the two main characters, just didn't pull me in. I didn't care much about Carmen and her ex's story, beyond how it affected Jasmine and Ashton. Maybe its inclusion was part of why the book felt so very long to me. I kept being surprised by how much more of the book I had to listen to. I also didn't like how much the characters drank. Mostly alcohol, which seemed problematic, but frankly I even got tired of hearing about coffee too. It was mentioned and described so often that it was practically a third leading character.
But eventually I finished the book and then found myself wanting to read the next book in the series. We get badass Michelle's story next, and I am interested to hear what Alexis Daria does with the next two Primas stories. So, to recap: there was a lot about this book that was good, as cited above, and not a lot that was terrible, and I am in a terrible reading slump this year. So my general impatience with how long the story was and lack of engagement with it probably reflects more on my own shortcomings than the authors, which is why I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, and planning to read more books by her. If you think this story sounds like something you'll enjoy, give a try, and you will probably enjoy it a lot....more
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