I normally don’t have a set TBR for every month, but with the #BlackLivesMatter movement more prevalent than ever, I’m pushing books to the top of my TBR especially ones written by black romance authors. I want to support where I can, continue to educate myself as well as to do my best to teach my daughter to be kind and that race should not be the grounds to judge a person’s character.
june tbr
On top of the few ARCs that I’ll be reading, here are the fews books I’m planning to read for this month.
I’ll try and share the tropes and will probably update this once I start reading them.
american dreamer by adriana herrera
tropes : m/m romance ; small town romance
synopsis
No one ever said big dreams come easy
For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.
Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.
An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both…if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.
big ben by nana malone
tropes: office romance ; suspense
synopsis
It began with betrayal.
And ended in murder.
She was never supposed to cross my path.
She was never supposed to know about the Currency of Secrets or the Oaths of Blood.
But like a thief in the night, she stole my soul even if she wasn’t mine to possess.
As a member of the Elite, I live by simple tenets. A gentleman above all. Private matters stay private. Secrets whispered are never revealed. Enemies and friends are of the same coin. And power is king.
My so-called brothers killed my friend. I intend to make them pay. And before it’s over, I’ll bend all the rules of morality, decency and legality. I will borrow and steal to set the scales right. But begging–begging, you can forget about.
My name is Ben Covington and I know my sins.
my darling duke by stacy reid
tropes: fake relationship
synopsis
Miss Katherine Danvers is a desperate wallflower. Her family is on the brink of financial ruin, and it is up her to save her mother and sisters from a life of indignities. So she transforms herself into the incomparable Kitty Danvers, the fiancée of the enigmatic and reclusive Alexander Masters, Duke of Thornton—once dubbed the mad, bad, and dangerous catch of the Season.
Ten years ago, society and the woman Alexander Masters loved called him a monster, after a tragic accident left him scarred and confined to a wheelchair. His heart exists in cold, lonely exile, until he learns he has a fiancée—a deceptive, clever, and utterly intriguing woman he’s never met. Miss Danvers will now learn the consequences of engaging herself to the beast, for Alexander is determined to make her his. Soon, they are involved in a chase, a clash of wills, and though he once vowed to never love again, he burns for the enchanting Miss Danvers. And denying his heart may cost him an exquisite love that happens only once in a lifetime.
get a life, chloe brown by talia hibbert
tropes: slow burn; enemies to lovers
synopsis
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?
• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.
But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…
intercepted by alexa martin
tropes: second chance; sports romance
synopsis
Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there’s a new player on the horizon, and he’s in a league of his own…
Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She’s definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There’s just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.
Gavin fights to show Marlee he’s nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team’s wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee’s return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.
Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin’s relationship to survive the season.
I have a long list of books, but I’m going to aim for reading/listening to 5/month. Because who knows if I’ll have another unpredictable month of reading.
my recomendations ❤
grip series by kennedy ryan
I can’t recommend this series enough! If you’ve read anything by Kennedy Ryan, you’re familiar with the fact that she incorporates some much needed topics to discuss. This series is about an interracial couple whose story that resonated so much to me. They go through soooo damn much together, so yeah, go read this series ASAP!
back to life & back to reality by danielle allen
When I first started blogging about romance books back in 2013, Back to Life and Back to Reality were some of the first books I talked about on my blog. I remembering messaging Danielle the whole time while I was reading these two books. What an emotional journey she took us on with Sahara, Ty and Emanuel. Yeah it’s a bit of a love triangle, but it worked for me in this one.
reasonable doubt serial by whitney g.
Uhm this series still goes down as one of my favorites by Whitney and I keep re-reading it over and over. This past year or maybe it was last year? I grabbed the audio for the series and just fell in love all over again. It’s an age-gap, office romance and relationship (of sorts) started online. Whitney packs in ALL the steam with her books.
cane series by shanora williams
If you’re a fan of taboo reads, look no further than Shanora Williams. I’m an absolute fan of her writing and the Cane series is my favorite. I’m normally a bit picky with my taboo reads, but I always chance it when it comes to her books.
I personally need to do a better job of being more diverse with my reads and I’m soooo looking forward to all the books I plan on reading this month.
xx Please share your book recommendations!
