All posts by Jo-Anna W

#Review – Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

4 starred reviews!

Orange Is the New Black meets Walter Dean Myer’s Monster in this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home.

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

I was looking on TikTok about a week ago, for some disturbing books. I couldn’t find anything that struck my fancy, so I went on Pinterest and came across a pin about this book, along with a few others. So of course, I bought it.

First, I 100% suggest going in blind – if you can of course. I know a lot of us need to read the blurb but with this book, it was so much more fun, going in with no information at all.

Now I will preface this by saying that this is NOT a romance, while there are some romantic elements in it. It’s YA and packs quite the punch. It’s like Orange Is The New Black but with younger characters. Also, the main premise of this book is that the lead character “killed a baby”, so if that’s a trigger, please read with caution.

This book is raw and gritty in the best of ways. It’s dark, written well and kept me engaged from the first few chapters in to the end. I will be honest and say that it did take me about 3 chapters to get fully invested in this story but once I did, wow. Just wow.

Mary…oh Mary. I really couldn’t predict the outcome of this book. I was a mixture of feelings when it came to this girl. And I say “girl” because she is just a kid.

Mary was accused of killing a baby and this book recounts what actually happened. It’s a “did Mary actually kill this baby?” kind of story. We don’t even know exactly who Mary is until the very end of the book. Now I did glance at some reviews saying that they lowered their star rating based on the last chapter but I honestly thought it ended perfectly. I was left in shock and I sat there for a few minutes after turning that last page and thinking “wow.” Now that’s a job well done on the author part.

I won’t give much away because like I said, I do suggest going in not knowing much about this book at all.

So if you like stories filled with grit, mystery, family drama, and “who dunnit” moments, I highly reccommend reading this one!

One-click now: Amazon

#YABook #Review – Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

“Jackson’s characters and their heart-wrenching story linger long after the final page, urging readers to advocate for those who are disenfranchised and forgotten by society and the system.” (Publishers Weekly, “An Anti-Racist Children’s and YA Reading List”)

From the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly, Tiffany D. Jackson, comes a gripping novel about the mystery of one teenage girl’s disappearance and the traumatic effects of the truth.

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried.

When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

I had absolutely no idea what this book was about. Like most books anymore, I like to go in blind and not read the blurb. I find it more exciting that way. But this book…man. Just…wow.

Claudia and Monday are not just best friends. They’re more like soul sisters. Monday is the only friend that Claudia truly has. They spend every minute they can together. They go to the same school, are in the same grade, have known each other for years. Even Claudia’s parents love Monday. Claudia can’t picture her life without her best friend. They even planned on going to the same high school. So when Monday goes missing…

…no one seems to notice. Not like Claudia does.

Claudia starts asking questions. Gets herself into trouble quite a few times. You know, the typical way one gets into trouble when your best friend suddenly disappears.

When questions start getting answered, Claudia’s world is turned upside down. Or right side up. Depending on how you look at it.

I 100% recommend going into this story without reading the blurb.

This book was captivating from the start. Although it’s more age appropriate for teens, it wasn’t written that way. I also wish that I could have read this author back when I was in highschool.

Just like Allegedly, this author weaves a story of teen troubles, a teeny bit of romance, family drama and more.

Kudos to the author because I am obsessed!

I think I’ve found my favourite genre for 2023.

#BookPromo – Tangled in Tinsel: a holida novella (a holidates series) by Trilina Pucci

Imagine being snowed in with four hot successful men.
P.S. they’ve all played the hero in too many of your naughtiest dreams.
Problem is, you work for them, and that makes them off-limits.
Except now they’re looking at you like you’re Santa’s cookies.

And they definitely want to take a bite.

Talk about making you reconsider your life choices.
These four are aiming for Santa’s naughty list, and I’m pretty sure I’m getting:

Jace
Reed
Alec
…and Cole
for Christmas.

It might’ve started as a decorating job.
But it ended Tangled in Tinsel.

I haven’t read this yet but I keep seeing it everywhere. A book with one female and four males? Yes please!

#NewRelease #BookPromo – The Act of Trusting (Braxton U Book 1) by Lexi Bissen

There was a sadness in her clear, gray eyes that I could see she tried to hide. A fight with her inner demons she didn’t want to show anyone…

Camden Collins
Life was going well for me. I was on the right track: captain of the soccer team, grades were passing, and I had the respect of my team. Girls threw themselves at me. It was every twenty-year-old’s dream.
Then I saw her…
One look at her, and it all changed. Something about her drew me in. A sense of protectiveness to guard this small, sad girl. In her eyes, I could see the fight she had within herself…and I wanted to be there for her. To protect her and be someone to lean on while she fought whatever it was. Nothing else seemed to matter but the dark-haired, beautiful girl I couldn’t stay away from.

Blaire Wentworth
I wasn’t the same girl I was four years ago. My life was stolen from me one night and I’d never have the chance to get old me back. Now I was just existing, not living. I went through the motions of my everyday routine, staying quiet and keeping to myself. Trusting and letting people in was a constant struggle.
Until he showed up…
I’d never seen someone like him before. Not once had I described a guy as beautiful, but that’s what he was. He struck something in me, and I didn’t know how to handle that. I was chasing nightmares no one knew about. Ones I kept to myself for a reason. Could I let this new person into my life that I had kept closed off from many for far too long? What if I let my guard down and he ended up destroying me?
And that became my greatest fear…

#WOTR23 #PromoPost – The Torn Series by J.M. Walker

Binge The Torn Series now!

Book 1 ➡️https://www.aboutjmwalker.com/possessed-by-you

Book 2 ➡️https://www.aboutjmwalker.com/revealed-by-you

Book 3 ➡️https://www.aboutjmwalker.com/perfected-by-you

Book 4 ➡️https://www.aboutjmwalker.com/bound-by-you

Brett MacLean Duet ➡️https://www.aboutjmwalker.com/brett-maclean-duet

✅ Rich/broken hero

✅ Grumpy/Sunshine

✅ Lots of 🔥

✅ Mild BDSM

Blurbs:

-POSSESSED BY YOU-

Releasing control is relief…

I was warned about men like Brett Maclean.

He was dark and thrilling, intense and controlling. And he captivated me from the very start. He unleashed something inside of me like no other. His bad rep and troubled past drew me to him like gasoline feeding a flame.

With just one taste, I felt the danger in him, the uncontrollable power that left me breathless. The passion consumed me. Fast and hard.

Temptation couldn’t guard my heart. I should have known a man of such raw and wild desires came with competition.

~

-REVEALED BY YOU-

The sharp edge of love…

Brett MacLean was possessive. Even more since I became his. He was my desire…my ultimate pleasure…he was mine.

As each day passed, he revealed a part of himself that had lain dormant. A broken childhood. A troubled man. One I was determined to help.

After months together, I thought I knew him. But soon realized I was wrong. His dark secrets were only the beginning. The past was more disturbing than I ever could have fathomed.

His deep seeded need for me came with a price that could have consequences. I needed him just as much. Because of this, we would be tested. My greatest fear was that it would take us beyond the limits of our love.

~

-PERFECTED BY YOU-

An all-consuming need…

Evvie Neal was my addiction. The love I felt for her

controlled me and it brought me to my knees.

She was my one. My only.

Destroyed as a boy, healed as a man, she was my saving grace. The first person who knew the real me. Because of her, I became stronger. Whole.

A true warrior in my own personal Hell.

As time went on, demons from my past haunted me,

threatening to ruin what I had worked so hard to become. Strong.

The ultimate sacrifice was giving up a piece of myself to be perfect. For her.

~

-BOUND BY YOU-

Bound by a love stronger than us…

Years have passed since I married him. Brett MacLean. My one. My only.

We became comfortable. Our lives a form of habit. But something was missing.

That connection. That undying want. That need for each other. It was gone.

While he asked me to trust him, he was keeping a secret.

I didn’t know how long it would last before I gave up. On us.

~

-REFLECTED BY YOU-

Just when you thought you had it all…… It can be ripped from you in the most devastating way. Will you be prepared to fight?

It started without trust. Passion. Lust. An all-consuming need; that was all we had in the beginning.

Lies. Betrayal. Deceit. We moved past it all and fell in love anyway.

Over ten years later, with a family of our own, our little world was perfect. Happy.

But then that happiness faded away when she came into our lives.

No control. No power. Just heartbreak and unwanted submission.

We were forced to our knees at the sight of her. The words falling from her lips were like nails digging at our soul because we knew.

We would have to go through hell to get out of this.

And even then, I wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

Possessed is Possessed by You written in Brett’s POV

https://www.aboutjmwalker.com/torn-series-boxed-set

*AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED*

#BookPromo #Poem #SelfCare – The Princess Saves Herself In This One (Women Are Some Kind of Magic) by Amanda Lovelace

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Poetry (2016), the princess saves herself in this one is a collection of poetry about resilience. It is about writing your own ending.

From Amanda Lovelace, a poetry collection in four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The first three sections piece together the life of the author while the final section serves as a note to the reader. This moving book explores love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, and inspiration.

the princess saves herself in this one is the first book in the “women are some kind of magic” series.

#BookPromo – The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

  • New York Times bestseller for over a decade
  • An international bestseller translated into 50 languages worldwide

“This book by don Miguel Ruiz, simple yet so powerful, has made a tremendous difference in how I think and act in every encounter.” — Oprah Winfrey

“Don Miguel Ruiz’s book is a roadmap to enlightenment and freedom.” — Deepak Chopra, Author, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

“An inspiring book with many great lessons.” — Wayne Dyer, Author, Real Magic

“In the tradition of Castaneda, Ruiz distills essential Toltec wisdom, expressing with clarity and impeccability what it means for men and women to live as peaceful warriors in the modern world.” — Dan Millman, Author, Way of the Peaceful Warrior

________________

About the Authors

Don Miguel Ruiz is the bestselling author of The Four Agreements (a New York Times bestseller for over a decade), The Four Agreements Companion Book, The Mastery of Love, The Voice of Knowledge, The Circle of Fire, and The Fifth Agreement (with don Jose Ruiz). The teachings of Ruiz are best known for transforming complex human issues into simple common sense — a talent that has earned him millions of fans and international acclaim.

Janet Mills is the founder and editor of Amber-Allen Publishing. She is the co-author, with don Miguel Ruiz, of six books in The Toltec Wisdom Series, creator of “The Four Agreements for a Better Life” online course, and editor of Deepak Chopra’s bestselling title, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Her life’s mission is to publish books of enduring beauty, integrity, and wisdom, and to inspire others to fulfill their most cherished dreams.

#Review – Any Man: A Novel by Amber Tamblyn

“An explosive, shapeshifting piece of literary real estate, Amber Tamblyn’s arresting debut offers a scathing portrait of American celebrity culture and the way in which it transmutes human tragedy into a vicious circus; victims are forgotten as likes and shares swirl, and ‘news’ becomes a squalid orgy, a lurid feast. Tamblyn takes every risk in this astonishing and innovative work, and succeeds, gloriously.”
   — Janet Fitch, bestselling author of The Revolution of Marina M. and Paint It Black

Vanity Fair’s Summer Ultimate Fiction List

Entertainment Weekly Summer Preview List

In this electric and provocative debut novel, Tamblyn blends genres of poetry, prose, and elements of suspense to give shape to the shocking narratives of victims of sexual violence, mapping the destructive ways in which our society perpetuates rape culture.

A violent serial rapist is on the loose, who goes by the name Maude. She hunts for men at bars, online, at home— the place doesn’t matter, neither does the man. Her victims then must live the aftermath of their assault in the form of doubt from the police, feelings of shame alienation from their friends and family and the haunting of a horrible woman who becomes the phantom on which society projects its greatest fears, fascinations and even misogyny. All the while the police are without leads and the media hound the victims, publicly dissecting the details of their attack.

What is extraordinary is how as years pass these men learn to heal, by banding together and finding a space to raise their voices. Told in alternating viewpoints signature to each voice and experience of the victim, these pages crackle with emotion, ranging from horror to breathtaking empathy.

As bold as it is timely, Any Man paints a searing portrait of survival and is a tribute to those who have lived through the nightmare of sexual assault.

I was on TikTok one day and came across an account that said this book disgusted her, so of course, I had to grab it. Now I will admit that it took me a moment before I realized this author is the actress Amber Tamblyn. I’m a tad slow. Lol!

So I went into this book blind. I didn’t even bother reading the blurb. This book is also written in a way I’ve never read before, which I find very interesting and I quite enjoyed.

It’s told from 5 different male perspectives. All victims of sexual abuse – Also, please know that this book is filled with possible triggers, no matter what you identify as, so please read with caution. It’s NOT for the faint of heart. Also, this is NOT a romance. So if that’s not your thing, skip past this as well.

The villian in this story is a woman, which I don’t know about you but you don’t see that much, so it’s almost scarier in a way. She brutalizes these men in the worst way possible. Just reading these scenes made me feel icky. It’s highly disturbing what these guys go through.

The story is also about these men trying to heal from their abuse. They band together, form a support group, and so on. They just want to move on but how can you?

I started this review while reading this book and now that I’m done, I’m left feeling…just…wow. This was no easy book and definitely one that I’ll be thinking about for awhile.

I highly recommend it but please please please read with caution if you have triggers. I don’t but there were parts that made even me uncomfortable at times.

I hope Amber writes more books like this because just…wow.

#BookPromo – The Sun And Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry. A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honoring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself.

Divided into five chapters and illustrated by Kaur, the sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. A celebration of love in all its forms.

this is the recipe of life
said my mother
as she held me in her arms as i wept
think of those flowers you plant
in the garden each year
they will teach you
that people too
must wilt
fall
root
rise
in order to bloom

Amazon