Black History Month

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Black History Month book recs. The Balance of Fates by Raquel Raelynn. Sympathy for Wild Girls by Demree Mcghee. Tangled Tracks on Side B by LuciaAdventures. MPLS Sound by Illidge Tabu Laxton. Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory. I Think They Love You by Julian Winters. Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch. Where the Stars Are by Micah Flowers. Magnifique Noir by Briana Lawrence.
Black History Month book recs. That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams. Chocolate Chip City by BE Steadwell. Somewhere in the Gray Area by Jeffrey K. Davenport. This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings. Faebound by Saara El-Arifi. Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney. A Wolf Steps in Blood by Tamara Jeree. Stone and Steel by Eboni Dunbar. The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson.
Black History Month book recs. Fate's Bane by C.L. Clark. Model Home by Rivers Solomon. We Are the Origin by C.M. Lockhart. A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark. Work For It by Talia Hibbert. House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson. Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons.
Black History Month book recs. Camp Twisted Pines by Ciera Burch. Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak. The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass. The Relationship Mechanic by Karmen Lee. Until the Last Petal Falls by Viano Oniomoh. Tethered by TJ Williams. Brew by Dane Figueroa Edidi. The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta.
Black History Month book recs. Bingo Love by Tee Franklin. And This is How to Stay Alive Shingai Njeri Kagunda. The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk. Death Among the Stars by C.M. Lockhart. Till the Last Beat of my Heart by Louangie Bou-Montes. Nau's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love by Jessica Lewis. All these Sunken Souls edited by Circe Moskowitz. Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo Duvall. Solo Stan by Talia Tucker.
Black History Month book recs. Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni. The Divide That Binds Us by Michelle J. Runnin' No More by G.T. Dipe. Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker. An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. Magic in the Melanin presented by The Melanin Library. The Arrangement by J. Clarke and Mollie Cartes. A Song of Legends Lost and M.H. Ayinde.
Black History Month book recs. Looking for Love in all the Haunted Places by Claire Kann. Debate and Decadence by Sula Sullivan. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury. Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James. May Chaos Reign Over You by LA Purvis. Icarus by K. Ancrum. The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar.
Black History Month book recs. A Phoenix Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell. Adrift in Starlight by Mindi Briar. Everfair by Nisi Shawl. Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Dreamer by MultiMind. String Theory by L.M. Bennett. Where There's Smoke ... by Aricka Alexander. No One's Gonna Take Her Soul Away by Amanda B. Weaver.

It is Black History Month, and today I bring you a plethora of queer books written by Black authors.

I personally loved Icarus, Black Leopard Red Wolf, Work For It, and Somewhere in the Gray Area. I’m about halfway through Master of Djinn and Chain-Gang All-Stars, but they were library and I’ll have to recheck them out.

Winged Histories and Dread Nation are waiting on my bookshelf, and there’s quite a few more on my TBR.

Trope Time – Immortal and Witch

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A graphic featuring an ebook cover of Phantom and Rook by Aelina Isaacs. Text captions surround the cover describing different tropes. 'Have we met before?' 'Hunt based on the secret' 'Magic Tattoos' 'I won't forget you again.' 'Grumpy Owl' 'Immortal x Hedge Witch' 'Retired Hero, Now What?' 'Found Family'

Phantom and Rook is a queer urban fantasy romance following a retired hedge witch and a mysterious immortal that is cursed to be forgotten by all those who know and love him.

We have found family, magical tattoos, starting over later in life, and lots of healing. It is the first in a series, a toe dip into the magical world of Levena and all of its mysteries.

Phantom and Rook’s ebook is free at (most) of your favorite retailers, and is also available in paperback and audio.

January Reads

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January Reads. Dragon's Dawn by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes. Dragon's Dusk by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes. Dragon's Descent by Sam Burns W.M. Fawkes. Thrown to the Wolves by Charlie Adhara. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing by Charlie Adhara. Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara. Prince and Bodyguard by Tavia Lark. Prince and Betrothed by Tavia Lark. Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy.
January Reads. American Hippo by Sarah Gailey. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles. A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles.

Look at me, listening to new books! I even conquered a paperback that’s been on my shelf for awhile now.

The To Kill a King series was full of ups and downs, I wanted to smash most of their heads together and the second one is likely my favorite because eldest child syndrome intermixed with a dragon for the win.

And yeah … I finished the Big Bad Wolf series, again. Can’t get enough Dayton and his wolf.

I am nearly done with the Perilous Courts series by Tavia Lark, I realized partway through Bodyguard that I had in fact already listened to it but continued on anyways. Love these books, and Betrothed especially.

Sorcery and Small Magics was recommended to me by several people, and MY GOODNESS what a book. It is so well written, beautiful, and just a heck of a good time.

American Hippo is like if OFMD had a baby with a heist movie and was parented by an old western, and babysat by hippos.

Lastly, I couldn’t start the year off without the Doomsday fellas. Gareth and Jos are my favorite, but Luke and his grief gets me every time.

Vampstar 2.0

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A graphic captioned Vampstar. There is an illustration of Proteus Xlato, a smug looking being wearing glasses and a celestial necklace. They have tousled hair, and an arched eyebrow. An excerpt beneath is “The discovery of celestial bodies is a personal favorite of mine.” A warm voice offers instead, along with a healthy dose of suggestion. “I’m afraid that discussion may have to wait until after, however,” the stranger says, breaking me out of my critical fugue. “Unless you need assistance with teaching, as well?”'

The sassy new professor who loves to show skin and has a bit of an attitude problem, Proteus Xlato is unlike any of the love interests we’ve encountered in Levena thus far. I am thoroughly enjoying the catty dynamic between our grumpy vampire, and this new mysterious new professor.

My Heated Rivalry

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My Heated Rivalry book recs. Kestrel by Adrienne Lothy. The Crack At The Heart of Everything by Fiona Fenn. Glimmer in the Dark by Cozy Dubois. Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy. Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous. Like in Love With You and Emma R. Alban. Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee.
My Heated Rivalry Book recs. Mochizuki and Xlato by Aelina Isaacs. Nicked by M.T. Anderson. Exhale by Joel Abernathy. Dark Moon Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton. The Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara. The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso. A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Swords and Seers by Luna Daye.
My Heated Rivalry book recs. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. Sink or Swim by Maz Maddox. The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi. Pretty Pretty Boys by Gregory Ashe. An Unnatural Vice by K.J. Charles. Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco. A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick. A Matter of Disagreement by E.E. Ottoman. Carry on by Rainbow Rowell.

Between watching Heated Rivalry and listening to Sorcery and Small Magics, I figured it was time to compose a list filled with rivals who love to bicker and work to a common purpose, and love each other.

Eventually, after all the bickering.

Vampstar

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A graphic captioned Vampstar, featuring an illustration of Archeon Mochizuki illustrated by Crossroad Art. Another caption beneath reads. “I am Dr. Archeon Mochizuki.” I announce to the room at large, marking my name across the chalkboard in a quick and efficient looping script. I underline my name with a harsh slash, then turn. Students watch me, eyes wide and ready to devour.“And if memory serves correctly, you are here to learn astrophysics. Not the nuances of my personal life. If you find yourself in the wrong class, now is the time to leave.”

I am back to indulging myself with this grumpy vampire and his newly appointed rival, my favorite sassy star.

Mochizuki and Xlato is the story of When A Vampire Falls in Love With a Star, and involves an overambitious professor and the mysterious stranger determined to upend his life.

Art by Crossroad Art