Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

 

My most anticipated read of 2021!

Vanessa Riley penned an insightful opinion piece for the Washington Post about the casting of Netflix’s hit period drama, Bridgerton, and the role that race plays in this series—and is set to release a new opinion piece regarding race and historical fiction soon!  ISLAND QUEEN has already been named one of the most anticipated publications of 2021 by Essence Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Parade Magazine and Oprah Daily.

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Monserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.

Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.

From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, ISLAND QUEEN is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid eighteenth-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.

Author Bio

Riley holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.  Riley lives in Atlanta.

A link to online retailers at the author's website. www.VanessaRiley.com 

Publisher: HarperCollins

Imprint: William Morrow

Hardcover

Release: July 6, 2021

Art Giveaway!! Click Picture for Details.

All The Cowboy Wants by Rhonda McKnight

 

Available Now!

Everything about him was big…big feet, big hands, big spirit, big laugh, big spender…big, big, big! ~ Addison Ingram 

He has something she needs.
She has something he wants.
Neither expected the complication called love.

Journalist Addison Ingram has yearned for more serious bylines and being assigned to interview Stone Bennett of the upcoming Bachelors of Atlanta series isn’t a part of her plan. She loathes rich, entitled men like Stone but interviewing him is a means to even meatier stories. However, Stone is not the man she thought he was and that discovery could lead to more than she bargained for.

Stone Bennett wrangles horses and women but he never gets attached. No woman has held his attention for more than a night and he doesn’t expect things to be any different with Addison Ingram. Then he hires her as a ghostwriter for his passion project and the chemistry between them makes him yearn for more than a business relationship. Stone thought he didn't need love, but will he discover Addison's heart is what he wants? 

 Available wherever ebooks are sold. Paperback coming soon. 

https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Wants-Bennett.../dp/B092TVMLTM

https://books2read.com/u/m2RGY6

 

Once Upon A Dream by Vanessa Miller

 

This book by Vanessa Miller is probably one of the prettiest covers I've seen in a long time. 

Growing up, Tamara Davison felt like a princess in the empire of her father's megachurch ministry. She never wanted for anything, and in her eyes, life was pretty near perfect. It wasn’t until her NFL bound boyfriend broke her heart and a sobering truth about her father's past was revealed that Tamara began to wonder about the perfect life she thought she had.

Jonathan Hartman loved Tamara Davison the moment he met her. Jonathan was brought up by a single mom who struggled to make ends meet. He had to work two jobs in college, but it all paid off. Now he is successful and rich beyond anything he ever imagined possible for a kid that came up the hard way like he did. It had been ten years since Tamara ran after a pro-baller rather than give Jonathan’s love a chance. Tamara is back in his life now and Jonathan must find a way to convince her that true love feels so much better than any fairytale she could ever dream up.

Once Upon A Dream is a reprint of Heaven On Earth with 25% new content, book discussion questions and a book club kit.

Available wherever ebooks are sold and on Amazon for paperback. Click Here. 

The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

 20 Word Review: This story was beautifully told. I could not put it down. 

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother’s position as the estate’s medicine woman and cherished by the Master’s sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.

She’d been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.

Available wherever books are sold and on Audiobook. Click Here. 

Bridgerton Fans Should Be Ready for The Island Queen This Summer

 

The Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

Based on a true story, Riley tells the story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas (“Doll”), the exceptional free woman of color who bought her freedom from her Irish father and built an empire that defied the odds in 18th century West Indies. The Island Queen ensures that Doll’s incredible story as a survivor, entrepreneur, and woman ahead of her time will not be forgotten.

Learn more at www.VanessaRiley.com 

Preorder Today at Amazon and other online retailers. 

New from Rhonda McKnight

 

Rhonda's Amazon page for all titles and paperback version https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B002C1UUZK

All She Wants https://books2read.com/u/boDdWa

All He Needs https://books2read.com/u/b5keXG

All They Need https://books2read.com/u/b5vw2O

All They Need by Rhonda McKnight

 

Available Now!

Their eyes connected and her stony heart softened a little. God help her. She was weak for him. ~ Harper Ingram

It was his second chance and nothing was going to keep them apart.

Harper Ingram

Harper Ingram needed the job her ex, Logan Bennett, had to offer. Without it, her design firm would be bankrupt in months. But working for Logan was proving to be more difficult than she imagined. Long hours, hot Vegas nights, and an irresistible attraction make her easy prey for his affection. Just when she’s ready to risk it all, an ugly accusation leaves her wondering if she knows him at all.

Logan Bennett

Logan walked away from Harper before and he’s never told her why, nor did she ask. He’s determined to get her back by any means necessary. A chance meeting opens the door for opportunity that neither can resist. Can Logan convince her to trust him again, and is he willing to tell her why he broke her heart the first time? 

Kindle/Nook/iBooks/Kobo/Other eReaders https://buff.ly/32LRdbI

All He Needs by Rhonda McKnight

 

Available Now!

People marry for financial reasons all the time, but it’s usually not to get their own money!

Marriage settles a man or at least that’s what Zeke Bennett’s great-grandmother believed. Only a settled man will inherit her millions. Fast forward 70 years and the only settling Zeke wants to do is on a business deal. The opportunity of a lifetime is dangling in front of him, but poor Zeke doesn’t even have a girlfriend. Well, he does, but she’s his best friend and he can’t marry her—can he?

Rachel Ingram is in love with her best friend, Zeke, but he doesn’t know it. Fortunately for her, she has a Team Ingram—five sisters with a plan for how to turn Zeke’s head and heart in Rachel’s direction. In a game that begins with lies and manipulation, Rachel must fight hard to flip her fake marriage to a real one. Will she discover God’s plan would have been better?

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WLZW38D

Other eBook retailers: https://books2read.com/u/b5keXG

All She Wants by Rhonda McKnight

 

Available Now!

He took Lenise’s hand and press the envelope into her palm.    

Examining it, Lenise flipped it over. “What’s in here?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Babysitting money.”

Lenise squinted and pushed it back into his hand. “This isn’t necessary. If I want to go out, I can pay my own sitter.” 

Cole raised a hand to his face. He stroked his freshly trimmed chin hair. “Yeah, but if I overpay her, she’ll be more inclined to be willing to sit for you again.” He put the card on the hall table.

Lenise cocked her head. He was a man who was used to getting what he wanted. That was obvious. “How can you be sure you’ll want to take me out again?”

He released a breath and took her hand. “I knew I wanted another date when you opened the door.”  

About the Book:

Homeless! Lenise Reid never thought that would be her story.

Widowed with a baby, Lenise was making it work as a single mother until a fraudulent transaction wipes out her balance at the bank leaving her with no money. Living paycheck to paycheck takes on new meaning as her world is turned upside down, and she ends up sleeping in her car.

Cole Bennett’s first date with Lenise was all he needed to know she was a woman he wanted to pursue, so when she ghosts him, he goes on a mission to find out why. What he finds is a woman so wounded that even in her most desperate state she struggles with his charity.

Cole has more to give than Lenise knows how to receive. Will past hurt keep her from accepting the most precious gift God has to offer?

Kindle http://bit.ly/3bg8Ohs-AllSheWants

Nook, iBooks, Kobo, etc. https://books2read.com/u/boDdWa