Review: One Night with Cinderella

One Night with Cinderella by Niobia Bryant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Monica has worked as the Cress family housekeeper for 5 years. The Cress family (5 adult boys with the eldest married with a child and the patriarch and matriarch) is tight-knit and all live together in a huge NY home. She's had a huge crush on the middle brother, Gabe for years. He has never noticed her. Until now.
One night Monica and Gabe give in to passion and have a passionate one-time affair. Then nothing and they tiptoe around each other. It is only after Monica has a change in fortune do they get together- for real. Both characters are likable, Monica more so. I thought the family was very spoiled and I didn't care for some of them.
I did have some WTF moments. Monica does daily sheet changes on all the beds. Why? Do they wet the bed? Sweat profusely? In this day in age, that seemed such a ridiculous waste of water. Phillip's daughter spills her beverage. Okay, kids do that. Did the parent clean it up? Nope! Raquel (Phillips's wife) interrupted Monica doing her daily chores to clean it up. The Cress family is a family of chefs, but they have their own private chef (because they are too busy). I felt for Monica, it seemed like she was on 24/7.

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Review: Winds of the Storm

Winds of the Storm by Beverly Jenkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"You bitch," he spat at Zahra.  She responded easily, "But I'm an armed bitch."

And that is Zahra.  Strong, confident, intelligent.  Zahra was a spy during the war.  Now she is back home in the swamps of South Carolina.  She is asked to do one last job.  That job is to set up shop in New Orleans as a high class brothel owner and sniff out the individuals who could be causing trouble.  President Grant wants to pull the remaining Union soldiers from the South.

Archer and his family call New Orleans home.  Archer's older brother had his story in Through the Storm.  He and Sable do make an appearance in this one.  Archer was a soldier for the Union during the war.  Unbeknownst to him, he and Zahra have a history.  As "The Butterfly," she rescued him from a Confederate barn during the war.  

I liked the interplay between Zahra and Archer.  He finally meets his match after deciding to never fall in love.

As always Beverly Jenkins books are a wonderful love story with a history lesson.  She covers things that were glossed over, minimally discussed, or not taught in history class.  She covers how dangerous it was to be Black in Reconstruction South.  How traitors to the country got their land back and got the Freedman to sign Indenture agreements that made the slaves again in everything but name only.

Mother Jones published an excellent article this summer that talked about some of the things mentioned in this book.  Here is the link:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/06/40-acres-methodology/

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Review: Even The Score

Even The Score by Kate Meader
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tess is a struggling actress.  Hunter is a businessman in need of a fiance.  They agree to help each other.  Hunter will pay Tess some $$ and Tess will play the fiance.  A little hiccup?  They hate each other.  Tess's best friend was Hunter's fiance who left him on their wedding day.  Tess was the maid of honor and supported her friend's decision knowing that she was cheating on him.  So, Tess got the blame.  

This was a nice, enemies playing at a fake relationship to lovers. 

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Review: Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft

Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Jessica Spotswood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

15 short stories about magic.  This had a good mix of time periods from the past, present, and future.  As with most anthologies, some stories are excellent and others okay.  Highlights are "Afterbirth" and "Why They Watch Us Burn."

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Review: We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement

We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice look at feminism's history (like it was once okay to fire a woman for being "too pretty" and a threat someone's marriage). And later branding. Once a dirty word, it was later embraced to sell shit. Written prior to Trump's 2016 election, feminism is once again a dirty,"woke" word among some groups of people. And for others it means what it has always meant.
Feminism: to believe in women and men's equality in economic, social, and political matters.

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Review: Just Add Water: My Swimming Life

Just Add Water: My Swimming Life by Katie Ledecky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Katie Ledecky made history again in Paris. This was interesting; she wasn't the best swimmer when she started, but loved it. She talks about the level of sacrifice someone goes through for elite level training. As a teen, no hanging out with friends, etc. Fun reading about her relationship with her brother (and parents).
She also talks about Title 9 and the opportunities that came from it the woman athletes of yesterday did not have. She also points out the difference in coverage women's sports get vs men's sports. Overall, an interesting book from an interesting person.

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Review: Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle by Tessa Bailey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


At 28, Rita is at a crossroads. She has always been compared to her famous chef mother and found lacking. So when her mother's restaurant burns to the ground, she decides it's time to do something else. One of her mother's last wishes was her children to jump in the Ocean in Coney Island NYC on New Year's Day. So Rita and her somewhat estranged sibling go on a road trip to NYC.
Jasper has a reputation as the town bad boy. He is trying to overcome that reputation and has been a respectable bar owner for the last several years. He is also building a restaurant next to his bar. He comes to the Clarksons's aid when they break down just outside his town's limits.
It is instant love for Jasper when he meets Rita. I liked them together, but Rita was a bit annoying. For 28, she read younger. Anyway, they fall in love after 3 days.
I am interested in Aaron's story, maybe Peggy and Belmont too. We shall see.

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