Where Is Your Bookmark? (Romance Is in the Air)

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

Alexa Monroe walked into the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco that Thursday night wearing her favorite red heels, jittery from coffee, and with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne in her purse. [opening line of The Wedding Date]

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

Drew let out a sigh when he was finally alone again in his office. Great, just the place he didn't want to go. He jumped when Carlos poked his head back in the door.

"You should call her and tell her you'll be in town."

Drew got up and slammed the door in Carlos's face. [excerpt from 56% of The Wedding Date]

I thought a romance was in order this week leading up to Valentine's Day. I have heard good things about The Wedding Date (#1) by Jasmine Guillory since it's release three years ago. Having read the 4th book in the series, Royal Holiday, last year, I was eager to give The Wedding Date a try. 

The opening line immediately caught my attention--sounds like someone has something to celebrate! In the next sentence the reader finds out who she is meeting--which I thought I would leave that out to tease those who have not read the book yet. 

I'm not quite to the 56% excerpt I shared, and so am not sure what is going on. I take it our two lovebirds aren't on the best of terms right now. I cannot wait to see how this plays out!

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend...

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other...

They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century--or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want... [Goodreads Summary]

Originally a feature called Last Year I Was Reading created by Maria from ReadingMaria. 

I liked it enough to continue on my own, but have tweaked it

 to feature Five Years Ago I Was Reading. 

(I would have gone back ten, but I read so little in 2011)

Five years ago this week I finished reading The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, one of the postal group selections I was a part of in 2016. The book club was such fun--a small group of readers who each chose a book and each book would make the rounds through the mail for each member to read and jot down notes in a journal we would share. The books would rotate through the members until we all had read them and then the books and journals were returned to the original senders. I read quite a few great books that way, books I might not have read otherwise. The Chosen One was one such book, a young adult novel about a 13 year old who grew up in a polygamy cult. She's chosen to marry her much older uncle. It is an emotional and sometimes difficult book to read, but well worth it. Kyra is an amazing and brave character. 

What were you reading five years ago? Have you read The Chosen One?

Connect Five Friday is a weekly meme where readers share a list of five books,

 read or unread, or bookish things, that share a common theme.

 Hosted by the  Kathryn of of Book Date.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner and to celebrate Black History Month, I thought it would be fun to feature five romance novels by African American women that I am eager to read (besides just my current read by Jasmine Guillory). I have quite a few on my TBR pile and wish list, admittedly, and so narrowing it down to five was tough. All of the below books are authors I have yet to read but are on my must read list. 

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint? [Goodreads Summary]

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.

When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just...gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks off each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all? [Goodreads Summary]

Of Fear and Faith (Death and Destiny #1) by N.D. Jones

In a world where nothing is ever as it seems, the seeds of love take root on the precipice of chaos, danger, and a great destiny.

In the shadow of an ancient prophecy, two individuals will be drawn together to meet a dangerous calling--or die trying. For legends tell of a powerful Fire Witch and a legendary shapeshifter who will one day rid the world of the wrath of the Water Witch of Legend, and restore the world to peace and balance.

However, for Sanura Williams and FBI Special Agent Assefa Berber, their destinies will not be so easily won, as fear and faith will ultimately determine their fates. In the heat of battle and the chill of prophecy, Sanura and Assefa will weather the dual storms of lust and love. Are they prepared for the intoxicating swirl of danger and attraction? Can they overcome their fears of such a powerful prophecy? In the face of their foes, these legendary warriors must embrace their roles as heroes, side-by-side, and defend humanity against the coming doom. [Goodreads Summary]

Rebel (Women Who Dare #1) by Beverly Jenkins

The first novel in USA Today Bestselling Author Beverly Jenkins' compelling new series follows a Northern woman south in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War...

Valinda Lacey's mission in the steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life—and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.

As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda's determination. And he can't stop admiring—or wanting—her. But when Valinda's father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn't love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue. [Goodreads Summary]

The Seaside Café (The Book Club #1) by Rochelle Alers

For three decades, the Seaside Café has served delicious meals to locals and island tourists alike. Kayana Johnson has moved home to help her brother run the café—and to nurse her wounds following a deep betrayal. Between cooking favorite recipes—creole chicken with buttermilk waffles, her grandmother’s famous mac and cheese—and spending time reading, Kayana is trying to embrace a life free of entanglements, while staying open to new connections . . .

After striking up conversation with two customers, Kayana suggests a summer book club. Each week, they’ll meet on the patio to talk about their favorite novels. But there are plot twists awaiting them in real life too. For schoolteacher Leah, this two-month sojourn is the first taste of freedom she’s had in her unhappy marriage. Cherie, filled with regret about her long-term affair with a married politician, discovers a powerful new passion. And Kayana finds a kindred spirit in a reclusive visitor who’s ready to make his true identity known, and fill this summer with new possibilities . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? What romance novels by Black authors would you recommend? 

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What book or series can you see getting made into a movie and not being horribly re-written? (submitted by SJ @ Airin' My Dirty Laundry) 

 

I would love to see so many of the books or series I read turned into a movie. I can't think of just one. The issue with series being turned into movies though is that I generally want more than can be fit into a movie. I like the idea of a book series being turned into a series for the small screen more than a big movie fit for the theater, if you know what I mean. Whether it would be horribly re-written? Well, that depends on who is doing it, I suppose. Besides, so many things can come into play in translating a book to the screen. A certain amount of tweaking is necessary to draw in a larger more diverse audience (readers and non-readers alike), not to mention time constraints. Even if you have the best script, a low budget, poor CGI, the wrong director, or miscasting can have an impact too.

The truth is I enjoy watching small and big screen productions. I like seeing books come to life on the screen. I go in expecting there to be differences and drive my family crazy when I start comparing the two.  I find it fun to analyze the technicalities and can often (even if not always) appreciate why certain things were changed the way they were between the two. Sometimes the changes make no sense though. While almost always I like the book better than the movie or series, it does not mean I necessarily did not enjoy the other. Sometimes I like the way something is handled on the screen over the way it happened in the book. But sometimes it can go horribly wrong too. Do not get me wrong. There are movies out there that do not even come close to the book and which I find just plain bad. I can enjoy both mediums and do not expect a movie to exactly mirror the book it is based on if it is done well. The key there being done well, of course. 

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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