First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"It's been about three years since I started writing this book. Well, for starters, I'll put it out there that one of the reasons for that is that I felt it isn't worth being read by the world."

~ Things I Never Said to Myself by Duduzile Noeleen Ngwenya

Tilt

"Home so close, it beckons like a siren call." ~ pg. 161

A massive earthquake hits when Annie, who is nine months pregnant, is shopping alone at IKEA for a crib. With no way to reach her husband and a city in chaos, she realizes there is nothing to do but walk home. As she walks, she encounters strangers helping strangers, a grocery store riot, kindness, rudeness and hope. She uses the walking time to reflect on her marriage, career and anxiety of becoming a mom.

It took me quite a while to write this review of Tilt. I wasn't sure how to rate it based on the content and abrupt ending. The story did not have a lasting effect other than its incomplete ending that was unnecessarily left open-ended. I even double-checked the page count to be sure I was not missing an ending chapter. And once I finished the story, I wondered whether the author's intention came across to readers. Was there a lesson to be learned? Was it a happy ever after? Or was it simply storytelling set in the course of one day? If so, Tilt is satisfyingly okay and fits into the genre I call Reflection Fiction.

Happy Early Pub Day, Emma Pattee! Tilt will be available Tuesday, March 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Tilt
Author: Emma Pattee
Published: March 2025
Pages: 240
Edition: Galley
Genre: Reflection Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤

I Lived to Tell the Story

"The good news is that I lived to tell the story, but lord knows I was bruised and broken in the process." ~ 59%

Triumph over tragedy is the theme of a new powerful memoir from Tamika D. Mallory, social justice leader and co-founder of the Women's March. She is a trailblazing force from the early days of protesting with Black civil rights activist parents in Harlem to present-day work in America.

The beginning of Tamika's story reads like an urban novel reminiscent of The Coldest Winter Ever. She grew up in a solid two-parent household with doting overprotective parents that did their absolute best to raise her and not let the streets have an influence. As we know, sometimes it is the sheltered children that lash out. Her teen years were a product of that and led to rebellion. Tamika was the girl from a good home making bad decisions.

"Living, through trial and error, is the only way to get where we are supposed to be." ~ 45%

In a writing style that commands readers' attention, Tamika takes us through the details of her upbringing, consequences to decisions, young motherhood, addiction, romantic and professional relationships, faith in God, and journey to becoming the admirable woman we know today. One thing is abundantly clear: she was always fighting for the people, making her voice heard, organizing movements and an activist at heart.

Wow! Just wow! Tamika D. Mallory is unflinching in telling her life story. She bares it all with no apology, head rightfully held high, acknowledging missteps and celebrating achievements. She shares pain and blessings in great detail. It truly is a memoir of love, legacy and resilience. I Lived to Tell the Story is my best recommendation for nonfiction to read this Black History Month and beyond. Readers will feel inspired, motivated, heard, understood and called to action. Power to the people!

Happy Pub Day, Tamika D. Mallory! I Lived to Tell the Story is now available. MasterClass is in session.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: I Lived to Tell the Story
Author: Tamika D. Mallory
Published: February 2025
Pages: 281
Edition: Galley 
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: The Secret World of Maggie Grey

(Drew Collins #1) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is The Secret World of Maggie Grey, the first book in the Drew Collins series by Granger. It was also the January selection for the Sistahs Be Readin' Book Club. 

I admit that I judge books by the cover. And this cover is creepy AF. Along with the alternate book covers...all creepy AF. I like to display the book I am currently reading as my Kindle lockscreen. With this book, I kept my Kindle facedown and away from me as I slept. The red eyes. The vampire fangs. The white hair. That neck. The lifeless stare. Nope.

"What was once bad is now good." ~ pg. 52

So based on the cover, I expected a haunting tale. The premise sounds awesome. A witch, a vampire and a siren get accepted into a mystical magical HBCU. A cool setting. The friendships between the main characters are endearing. The minor characters have interesting back stories. Beautiful art within the pages. The pacing is very well done. Conflict at the right moment. I even started to overlook the many typos, grammatical and punctuation errors. I was pleasantly surprised how into the story I got. Until the very last pages...

I am all for bending the rules of genres. But be clear! We chose The Secret World of Maggie Grey based on it being a paranormal fantasy. 97% of the book fits this genre. Then in the last pages, you flip the script and proclaim it as your first murder mystery. Wayment...WHAAAAAAT?! Then you further confuse readers by working out the mystery in the Author's Notes as if you, yourself, do not know WTF is happening. As a result, I will not continue with this series. You lost me, Granger. Wish you luck in figuring it the fuck out.

Title: The Secret World of Maggie Grey

Author: Granger

Published: August 2024

Pages: 450

Edition: eBook

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy turned Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"While most people know me as a successful rapper, the truth is that, above all else, I'm on a path of self-knowledge and spiritual development."

~ Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace by Big Sean 

Famous Last Words

"This case continues to invert and invert, like a sand timer tipped this way and that, the grains falling one way and then completely the other." ~ pg. 293

June 21 is the longest day of the year. After months of maternity leave, new mother Camilla will drop off her babygirl at daycare for the first time and return to work as a literary agent. But when she wakes, her husband Luke is not around. In his place is a cryptic note. According to the news, there is a hostage situation with her husband as the gunman. It doesn't make sense. He is a doting father, eternal optimist and loving husband. There must be a misunderstanding, right?

Famous Last Words started off real rocky. It is written like a script, not a fictional novel with directives like, "Stage left." and "She touches the note, just once, sends a text, then leaves." Um, okay. It was very jarring and made it difficult to read. It was not until 100 pages in that I could push past the writing style. From there, it was on! Holy crappers twist, fast paced action and a storyline that was inverted so masterfully.

I recommend Famous Last Words to bookhearts that enjoy thrillers that read like a movie. Just when you think you know, McAllister throws a curve ball you don't see coming. A lot happens in this mystery thriller love story.

Happy Early Pub Day, Gillian McAllister! Famous Last Words will be available Tuesday, February 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Famous Last Words
Author: Gillian McAllister
Published: February 2025
Pages: 334
Edition: Galley
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Harlem Rhapsody

"Nothing a writer writes is just words. There's an intention behind every line." ~ 72%

Have you ever heard of Jessie Redmon Fauset? No? Then you are in for a Black history lesson when you read the new novel by Victoria Christopher Murray titled Harlem Rhapsody. Let's go back to 1919 when civil and social unrest gripped the nation. But there was a corner of the world where talented Blacks expressed their art, music, theater, fashion and writing. In the center is Jessie Redmon Fauset, literary editor of The Crisis magazine founded by W.E.B. Du Bois.

Harlem Rhapsody follows Jessie's task of discovering new writers and building the legacy of Harlem Renaissance. She had a dream of one day becoming the editor of the Negro magazine while overcoming sexism, racism, an ambitious drive and desire for her very married boss. Is love worth the cost of success?

It was uncomfortable reading Harlem Rhapsody. While I appreciated learning about the woman who'd discovered so many Harlem Renaissance writers, it was awkward reading about her affair with a historical hero, W.E.B. Du Bois. However, the author took great care in preserving their legacy. Murray proved that even our greatest have complicated lives and may fall short but we can still celebrate their contribution to Black culture. Well written!

Happy Pub Day, Victoria Christopher Murray! Harlem Rhapsody is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Harlem Rhapsody
Author: Victoria Christopher Murray
Published: February 2025
Pages: 400
Edition: Galley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤