Maya

💬: "The thought has the corners of my mouth twitching in the makings of a carefully repressed smile and just like that, hate slips so easily away. Love weighs so much less. Nothing at all. It is pure buoyancy."

Stephens, Elizabeth. Taken to Nobu: A SciFi Alien Romance (Xiveri Mates Book 2) (p. 294). Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, sci-fi, sci-fi romance, aliens, fantasy romance

📚Page Count: 358

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 15min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Body horror, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail</spoiler>

*I read this story because it was recommended by romance author, Katee Roberts*

Taken to Nobu by Elizabeth Stephens is the second book in the Xiveri Mates series. Kiki is on Nobu, a snow consumed planet, where she's stuck with no escape. The leader of the colony that she's on is Va'Raku and he claims that she is his Xiveri mate. She isn't sure what that is but she wants no part in mating with an alien and she definitely doesn't want to participate in "The Hunt", an event where she will be tracked and hunted with little to no options to save herself from the mating event. She knows one thing for sure, she's going to fight anyone who tries to touch her. Va'Raku knows that Kiki hates him but he also knows that she is without a doubt, his Xiveri mate, he's determined to win her over during "The Hunt" so she'll finally be his mate and rule the colony beside him. He's never met a warrior woman like her and while impressed, he suddenly realizes that Kiki is fighting him out of fear and not out of honor. Kiki has been hurt by an alien before and Va'Raku is willing to do anything to make that man pay, will Kiki trust Va'Raku enough to help get her revenge?

(TW - mention of sexual assault, rape, grey sexual consent lines)

I enjoyed this book as much, if not more than the first book in the series. The main character, Kiki, is a character we followed at the beginning of book one briefly, in this book we finally get to read about what happened to her after the events of book one. Kiki is a sexual assault survivor (the events are not shown on page, as they happened before the events of the first book, they are just referred to) and so at the beginning of the book when she gets the news that she'll be participating in "The Hunt" (where alien men chase and pursue woman so they can find their mates and produce children while fostering a relationship.) She goes into defense mode, she doesn't want to be forced to mate an alien against her will so she decides to fight. After defeating a few of these alien men, eventually, Kiki meets Va'Raku and Kiki's body and soul decide that they want Va'Raku (like fated mates, sort of). Kiki then changes her "No, I don't want to be touched" to a "Yes, touch me now Va'Raku".

I really enjoyed the narrators of this audiobook, just like I enjoyed the narrators of the first book in the Xiveri Mates series. Blaire Leblanc returns to voice Kiki and some of the other characters and she does a fantastic job, just like she did with the first book. Marquis De Sade voices Va'Raku and he does a really good job as well. This audiobook was published by Vitruvian Sound and overall, they did a nice job.

All but one of the spicy scenes were nice and enjoyable to read/listen to on audiobook. The first scene where the couple are together intimately for the first time is hard to judge because there is a misunderstanding between the Kiki and Va'Raku because of cultural differences. <spoiler>At first Kiki is determined to not be physically intimate with anyone, even though she is being perused by several alien men in "The Hunt". That changes when she meets Va'Raku. </spoiler> The rest of the spicy scenes were wonderful. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall, I think this story was really enjoyable. I did have issues with the one part in the book that depicted "grey or blurred consent lines", but other than that issue, it was mostly good. I enjoyed most of the characters, in fact, there were only two characters (out of a cast of about 10 main and background characters) that I didn't like. I also enjoyed the growing romance between Kiki and Va'Raku. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5 Stars

I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "The thought has the corners of my mouth twitching in the makings of a carefully repressed smile and just like that, hate slips so easily away. Love weighs so much less. Nothing at all. It is pure buoyancy."

Stephens, Elizabeth. Taken to Nobu: A SciFi Alien Romance (Xiveri Mates Book 2) (p. 294). Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, sci-fi, sci-fi romance, aliens, fantasy romance

📚Page Count: 358

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 15min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

----

TW - <spoiler>Body horror, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail</spoiler>

*I read this story because it was recommended by romance author, Katee Roberts*

Taken to Nobu by Elizabeth Stephens is the second book in the Xiveri Mates series. Kiki is on Nobu, a snow consumed planet, where she's stuck with no escape. The leader of the colony that she's on is Va'Raku and he claims that she is his Xiveri mate. She isn't sure what that is but she wants no part in mating with an alien and she definitely doesn't want to participate in "The Hunt", an event where she will be tracked and hunted with little to no options to save herself from the mating event. She knows one thing for sure, she's going to fight anyone who tries to touch her. Va'Raku knows that Kiki hates him but he also knows that she is without a doubt, his Xiveri mate, he's determined to win her over during "The Hunt" so she'll finally be his mate and rule the colony beside him. He's never met a warrior woman like her and while impressed, he suddenly realizes that Kiki is fighting him out of fear and not out of honor. Kiki has been hurt by an alien before and Va'Raku is willing to do anything to make that man pay, will Kiki trust Va'Raku enough to help get her revenge?

(TW - mention of sexual assault, rape, grey sexual consent lines)

I enjoyed this book as much, if not more than the first book in the series. The main character, Kiki, is a character we followed at the beginning of book one briefly, in this book we finally get to read about what happened to her after the events of book one. Kiki is a sexual assault survivor (the events are not shown on page, as they happened before the events of the first book, they are just referred to) and so at the beginning of the book when she gets the news that she'll be participating in "The Hunt" (where alien men chase and pursue woman so they can find their mates and produce children while fostering a relationship.) She goes into defense mode, she doesn't want to be forced to mate an alien against her will so she decides to fight. After defeating a few of these alien men, eventually, Kiki meets Va'Raku and Kiki's body and soul decide that they want Va'Raku (like fated mates, sort of). Kiki then changes her "No, I don't want to be touched" to a "Yes, touch me now Va'Raku".

I really enjoyed the narrators of this audiobook, just like I enjoyed the narrators of the first book in the Xiveri Mates series. Blaire Leblanc returns to voice Kiki and some of the other characters and she does a fantastic job, just like she did with the first book. Marquis De Sade voices Va'Raku and he does a really good job as well. This audiobook was published by Vitruvian Sound and overall, they did a nice job.

All but one of the spicy scenes were nice and enjoyable to read/listen to on audiobook. The first scene where the couple are together intimately for the first time is hard to judge because there is a misunderstanding between the Kiki and Va'Raku because of cultural differences. <spoiler>At first Kiki is determined to not be physically intimate with anyone, even though she is being perused by several alien men in "The Hunt". That changes when she meets Va'Raku. </spoiler> The rest of the spicy scenes were wonderful. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall, I think this story was really enjoyable. I did have issues with the one part in the book that depicted "grey or blurred consent lines", but other than that issue, it was mostly good. I enjoyed most of the characters, in fact, there were only two characters (out of a cast of about 10 main and background characters) that I didn't like. I also enjoyed the growing romance between Kiki and Va'Raku. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5 Stars

I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬:N/A

📖Genres: shoujo, romance, humor, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 192

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

TW - <spoiler>adults having crushes on teens, stalking</spoiler>

My Love Story!!, Volume 8 by Kazune Kawahara is mostly lighthearted like the other volumes in the series. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments, but I didn't like this as much as I liked the other volumes. I tend to not love the volumes with the character Ai in them, because the author likes to focus on that the fact that she, as a college adult student, has a crush on the main character, high schooler Takeo.

In the first part of this manga, Takeo meets Yamato's family, finally! The second part of the manga is about Ai being followed home for the summer by her college peer, Oda. (I get creepy vibes from Oda, it feels like he's stalking Ai. He definitely won't take no for answer either.)

The third part was about Takeo and Yamato getting summer jobs.

Overall, this manga was okay. It wasn't my favorite, I'm giving this 3.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: “And the next thing I knew, one of them grabbed Thalia and me, the other grabbed Zoë and Grover, and we flew straight up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below us and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains."

Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Three: The Titan's Curse (p. 219). Disney Book Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: mythology, action, adventure, middle grade

📚Page Count: 313

🎧Audiobook Length: 08h 48min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Percy Jackson - The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan is the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians middle grade series. In this book, Anabeth goes missing at the beginning with a mission that had just gone wrong. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover are tasked with helping two new half-bloods back to Camp Half-Blood. Will Percy and the gang be able to save Annabeth?

The Titan's Curse has a lot of action and adventure, this series is really a joy to read. This book was really entertaining, I'm really starting to love the growing cast of characters. There are honestly so many new characters in this book and reading about them and seeing their personalities and reactions to certain things is really exciting. There was a nice cliff hanger at the end of this, it makes me want to read the rest of the series immediately.

Overall, this book was exciting and entertaining just like the previous books in the series. I'm giving this 5 stars out of 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5

I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "Miles is sophisticated. We do the art shows, wine tastings. When I can’t sleep, he’s a phone call away. Deacon is funny and sweet, flirty and creative. And, well, Cassidy…” “Is bending you like a pretzel!” interrupted Alisa. Her response made Nadine cackle and give her a high five. Tatum rolled her eyes. “If you must know, yes, the sex is phenomenal. He’s aggressive, commanding, but he’s also really brilliant. If something is broken, he fixes it. My gas tank is always full because he fills it. He reads NK Jemisin with me, for God’s sake.” Tatum looked at her friends who said nothing. Alisa was wide-eyed, and Nadine simply stared, rocking EJ in her arms. “What is it? What did I say?”

Richardson, T.M.. The Oath: A WhyChoose Novel (The Secrets Series Book 1) (p. 223). TM Richardson . Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, contemporary, contemporary romance,

📚Page Count: 280

🎧Audiobook Length: 06h 23min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Sexual content, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment</spoiler>

The Oath: A WhyChoose Novel is a novel by T.M Richardson about a widow named Tatum who's husband has recently passed away from losing his fight with cancer. One of his dying wishes was that his wife, Tatum lean on and seek love from his three best friends. Miles, Deacon, and Cassidy along with Tatum agree to try the new arrangement after her husband's death.

These three men sound like a dream! Someone to read Octavia E. Butler and N.K Jemisin with, someone you could call at all hours if you couldn't sleep at night, and someone who's creative and funny. Wow, Tatum hit the jackpot with these three guys. They protected her against that <spoiler>nasty and pushy student!</spoiler> and they took care of her in all aspects possible!

There were two things I didn't like about this novel, <spoiler>the sexual harassment scene when the adult college student corners Tatum in her classroom and how the three men keep calling Tatum "mama".</spoiler>First, during and after the scene with the student, Tatum says <spoiler>she got "wet" during the sexual harassment, just because that happens doesn't mean you're not being sexually harassed. I don't know what the point of including that was. Tatum clearly denies the student's advances and is uninterested. Why emphasize to herself and her friends that it was a turn on to be harassed? </spoiler> Second, I HATED when the three male lovers called the main character "Mama". It was so distracting and annoying to me.

The audiobook narrator was okay, sometimes their voice was a bit off putting when they tried to read as one of the men but everything else was okay. I'm happy I finally got to enjoy this book on audio, that's my main way of consuming novels.

The spicy scenes were fantastic, and there were plenty of them and they ALL had varity!<spoiler>The group sex scene was so damn sexy! Whew, I was sweatin'!</spoiler> I'm giving the spicy scenes four point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall this was spicy, romantic, delicious, and overall a great time. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5 Stars

I own a copy of this audiobook, I didn't rent it from the library.

💬: N/A

📖Genres: sci-fi, fiction, adult, fantasy, space, robot, space opera

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 02h 33min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5

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All Systems Red written by Martha Wells produced by Graphic Audio is the dramatized adaptation of the first book in the Murderbot Diaries series of the same name, All Systems Red. This is the story of an android SecUnit named Murderbot who's hacked their governor module so they can watch their favorite show, or serial. Murderbot wants nothing more than to be left alone but when a mission goes sideways, they have to get involved with the humans they're there to protect.

I enjoyed the original novella, All Systems Red by Martha Wells. It was really interesting and a bit funny, I instantly liked Murderbot. The dramatized adaptation gives each character a voice actor and that adds so much charm to the story and the characters. I really enjoyed the story and the characters, it kind of makes me sad that <spoiler>Murderbot decided to leave and journey to a new place alone, even though I understand the idea of them wanting to be free and not controlled in any way. I was just growing to like the crew of characters, but I know we'll meet new characters down the line.</spoiler>

Overall, the dramatized adaptation was entertaining, action filled, and funny. I enjoyed the time I spent listening to Murderbot and their crew of specialists. I'm excited to hear about what they get into next. I'm giving it 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬:N/A

📖Genres: poetry, poems

📚Page Count: 104

🎧Audiobook Length: 01:32

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5

woke up no light: poems is a poetry collection by Leila Mottley, the author of "Night Crawling". This poetry collection is raw, amazing, and it honestly blew me away. The poems are about being Black in America, most are about being a Black woman in America. The author talks about race, social justice, police brutality, misogynoir, sexual assault, and much more. Mottley writes some painful truths in such an elegant and gritty way.

There are too many individual works that I liked or that resonated with me to list them all, but I particularly liked the poems in the two sections "girlhood" and "womanhood". The "neighborhood" section made me cry, I'm still processing what I've read overall.

Overall, this collection was moving and it was written with such grace. I definitely resonated with most of the poems in this collection.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Leila Mottley (the author), and Knopf (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy.)

💬:N/A

📖Genres: humor, manga, comics, shojo

📚Page Count: 217

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

TW - <spoiler>Toxic friendship</spoiler>

My Love Story!!, Volume 11 by Kazune Kawahara was so good, it made me feel so many emotions and it's one of the few volumes that made me cry. In the first part of this manga Sunakawa has befriended the new transfer student but Takeo gets word from an old friend that the new transfer student is not what he seems. The manga starts off with Takeo on his way to confront the new transfer student, in an effort to protect Sunakawa. In the second part of this manga Yamato has a secret that will change the course of her relationship with Takeo, how will they navigate the issue together? In the third part of this manga Sunakawa heads to a bookstore with Takeo to pick up a "practically sold out" rare book. In the fourth and final part of this manga Takeo and Sunakawa talk to their guy friends at school about "dark pasts" and who's had one.

This manga made me feel a range of emotions, from sad (I mean I was literally crying) to straight laughing the tears out of my eyes. I won't say too much, for fear of spoiling your reading experience, but I will say that I really enjoyed this volume. I'm nervous about the last volume, I honestly have no idea how the story is going to end.

Overall, volume 12 was amazing, like the earlier volumes of this manga. It was everything I want in a manga and more. I'm giving this 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬:N/A

📖Genres: horror, sci-fi, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 188

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

TW - <spoiler>Car accident, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Gore</spoiler>

The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezu is a horror manga from the 70's about an entire elementary school disappearing to a seemingly abandoned place in the middle of a desert. The only thing left in the school's place is a hulking crater. Will the inhabitances of the school be able to make their way back to their loved ones? Will they figure out where they currently are? When people start to lose their minds and thoughts to madness, can the others find ways to protect themselves?

This volume was wild! I didn't expect things to start happening the way they did. Like my last review, I don't want to say too much to spoil the story because this is a good story to go into blind.

Overall, The Drifting Classroom volume two was action filled, suspense filled, with wild horror-filled story telling. I'm giving this 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]