REVIEW: Sonora by Jenni L. Walsh

 

A fantastic historical fiction about one of the original women horse "daredevil" divers in a circus or amusement show.  She answers an ad in her late teens at the urgence of her mother. She goes to see the show and is enamored. Sonora loved horses. Now, she loved horses even more, and her death-defying act bolstered this love. She became a main attraction and loved every minute of it. However, after years of doing the act, she had an accident during a performance. Literally in the blink of an eye, she went blind in an instance. This would crush some but Sonora, but as soon as she was able to get up and "heal," she was back at it. She made a stellar comeback and continued her act while blind. This is not only an interesting story about Sonora Webster but one of endurance, self-sufficiency, independence, and perseverance. She found her calling in life, loved it, and did it on her terms. It's such a great novel. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, Harper Muse Audiobooks, and the author Jenni L. Walsh for a digital (audio) copy of #Sonora exchange for my honest opinion. Sonora will be published on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.

REVIEW: Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder

 

Orange Wine is a quiet, lyrical family saga about betrayal, endurance, and survival. Inés’s story—losing her husband to her sister just weeks after giving birth—unfolds with a kind of fated inevitability, more whispered family secret than melodrama.  Esperanza Hope Snyder's novel is tender, evocative, and beautifully penned, suffused with themes of feminine resilience, artistic freedom, and emotional rebirth. Snyder’s prose is gorgeous and precise, and the atmosphere reminded me of Isabel Allende and Elena Ferrante.

This is not a fast read—the pacing is slow, and Inés herself can be frustrating—but the language and emotional weight make it worth sitting with. Like the lingering scent of citrus, this one will stay with you long after the last page.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Esperanza Hope Snyder and Bindery Books | Mareas for a digital copy of #OrangeWine in exchange for my honest opinion. Orange Wine will be published on September 30, 2025. 

REVIEW: Untethered by Angela Jackson-Brown

                                                 

Untethered is author Angela Jackson-Brown's sixth novel and is a moving exploration of love, duty, and self-discovery in the late 1960's. Nineteen sixty-seven is a very pivotal year in  Alabama and finds Katia Daniels, a devoted caretaker at a group home for boys. Katia shoulders immense responsibilities while grappling with loss, imposed burdens, and yearning for a life of her own. Jackson-Brown portrays Katia's journey as she reconnects with an old friend, and begins to consider for the first time what her own wants and needs are, as a complex Black woman are in a world that demands too much from her. Jackson-Brown presents a deeply moving tale of faith, love, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Angela Jackson-Brown and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for an audio copy of #Untethered in exchange for my honest opinion. Untethered comes out this tomorrow December 3, 2024. 

REVIEW: Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat

 

The Black Panther movement and its struggle against injustice in the late 1960s serve as the backdrop for Fabienne Josaphat's novel Kingdom of No Tomorrow.  We explore this world through Nettie Boileau, a young woman navigating love, activism, service and self-discovery, Josaphat paints a vivid and nuanced portrait of the movement's triumphs and complexities. We get a glimpse into her world as a worker at a free health clinic run by the Panthers and her love for Melvin one of the Panther's captains. As Nettie learns more about the Panther's activism she is confronted by and witnesses the rising tensions that encompass social justice and gender equality, exposing the true demands of the  struggle that define this period in American history.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Fabienne Josaphat and Hachette Audio | Algonquin Books for an audio copy of #KingdomofNoTomorrow in exchange for my honest opinion. Kingdom of No Tomorrow comes out this Tuesday December 3, 2024. 

REVIEW: Pineville Trace by Wes Blake

 

Frank Russet, is a former southern revival preacher and confidence man who escapes from a minimum-security prison in eastern Kentucky. With only a cat named Buffalo by his side and a desire to leave his past behind, Frank embarks on a journey to or on the fringes of society. Pineville Trace is a flash-fiction novella or a  novella-in-flash by Wes Blake follows Frank as he navigates a shadowy world, encounters remnants of his former life that forces  him to confront his deepest regrets and desires. The prose is not only haunting but introspective and atmospheric at the same time. It vividly captures Frank's struggle for survival and his quest for redemption in short snippets, inviting readers to explore the fine line between salvation and damnation.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Wes Blake and Mindbuck Media Audio for an audio copy of #PinevilleTrace in exchange for my honest opinion. This novella actually comes out tomorrow September 3, 2024, so be on the lookout!!