March was a rewarding month for reading! I finished six books by and about Black and South Asian folks. Here's what I read and my thoughts:

Looking For Love In All The Haunted Places by Claire Kann

• Black Asexual• Paranormal Romance •

Looking for Love in All The Haunted Places is about a woman named Lucky Hart who has an affinity for the supernatural but most people don’t believe her. That is, until she hears about a production company struggling to keep actors in a show that takes place in a notoriously creepy, sentient Victorian named Hennessee House.

This is Lucky’s chance to conduct the type of investigations she’s been dreaming of! It just so happens that this opportunity leads to an instant connection w/ Maverick Phillips, the show-maker whose voice soothes Lucky every time she listens to his podcast. Despite this easy connection between them & exciting experiences w/ Hennessee House, Lucky realizes that she might have to fully open up in order to win over both.

I’m in love with this book! It’s mysterious, cozy, whimsical, complicated, & deep. Lucky is hilarious & self-assured. Her approach to exploring this creepy house is what makes this story so cozy. I also love Maverick because he’s attentive, emotionally honest, & values open communication. This story is addictive!

Stuck In The Country With You by Zuri Day

• Black Contemporary Romance •

Stuck In The Country With You is a cute & sexy love story about second chances & growth.

When her great uncle passes away, Genesis returns to her hometown & finds out she inherited his farm. His sons are pissed, but their father made it clear he wanted Genesis to have it. While dealing w/ this complicated family drama, Genesis realizesthat her former fling lives next door. It’s not exactly a happy reunion when she sees Jaxson again, speaking w/ her uncles but she can’t deny the attraction that still simmers within her.

I kind of liked the messiness of Genesis & Jax’s story & their chemistry was good. I appreciate the way Jax carried himself, too. I also felt like the storyline was realistic. It made sense that her great uncle would bequeath her the farm since she was the one to spend the most time w/ him. I just wish there was more clarity on what the solicitor meant by the notion that he had to guard against the sons. The pace was a little awkward toward the end & the very last word seemed out of place, too. Aside from that, it was an entertaining read!

Goddess Of The River by Vaisnavi Patel

• Hindu Epic Re-imagining •

Vaishnavi Patel’s Goddess of the River is a fascinating re-telling of some of the Mahabarata from the perspective of the goddess Ganga. For context, the Mahabarata the longest poem ever written & is one of the two foundational epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas. Patel published a retelling of the other epic, the Ramayana before this one.

In this version of the story, Ganga & her beloved godlings are curse by a powerful sage, forcing her to give birth to each of them as humans after marrying the Kuru king Shantanu. To free each of the godlings from their earthly bodies, Ganga must do the unthinkable, but Shantanu stops her before she can finish her final task.

We follow Ganga and her only living child Devavrata, later known as Bhishma, through a series of events flowing from his choice to live as a human in a world of men constantly seeking power.

Goddess of the River was just as transporting as Patel’s 1st book Kaikeyi. Although the cast of characters was a little hard to keep track of at times, I never grew tired of the story & still thought about it after it ended.

The Marriage Narrative by Claire Kann

• Queer & Neurodivergent • Black Contemporary Romance •

The Marriage Narrative is a contemporary marriage-of-convenience romance w/ a twist. We’ve got Zinnia, a successful business owner who decides that she doesn’t have to wait for love if she treats her love life like a business, too. Her Plan: to get to know people through “trategic meetings” & choose someone to get to know & marry within 30 days. Zinnia’s besties think this idea isn’t going to work but then, Zinnia meets Jordan, the owner of a coffee shop chain & the shy one of his family’s reality tv franchise.

Since his only way to spend time w/ his family is to be on the show, Jordan agrees until production tells him to marry his ex for the plot. When Jordan meets Zinnia, he’s convinced that her marriage contract would be mutually beneficial. This isn’t Zinnia’s ideal way to start a marriage, but something about Jordan urges her to agree. Cue a much messier experience than either of them anticipated!

There’s something about the way that Clare Kann writes Romance that brings me feelings of joy, comfort, and validation. This is the second book I’ve read by her and I’m realizing that I love most of the characters because they feel real. They feel like people I might know and I also recognize some of my own tendencies and thoughts in Zinnia.

Zinnia is outgoing, adventurous, clever, silly, but she’s also thoughtful and patient. She has her own insecurities but, when confronted by hardships, she doesn’t give up so easily. I love all of these parts of her! Her connection with Jordan felt earnest, steady, sweet, and surprisingly steamy!! I’m kind of obsessed. None of the characters are perfect, but I love the Jordan does his best to learn from his mistakes as quickly as possible without losing sight of Zinnia’s perspective. That’s hard to do irl so he’s got my stamp of approval!

I bought a copy of this book as soon as I finished listening to it. I think you’ll understand if you pick it up, too!

Son Of The Morning by Akwaeke Emezi

•Queer Black • Paranormal Romance•

In Son of the Morning, we meet Galilee Kincaid, the black sheep of a matrilineal clan outside of the city of Salvation. For as long as she can remember, Gali felt something missing, until she meets Lucifer Helel.

Lucifer is the head of security for her friend’s wealthy Nigerian family & is guarding a relic Galilee & her besties hope to see. As soon as they speak, Gali senses that he’s not human, but that doesn’t staunch her growing desire for him. Lucifer knows that Gali is also not human, a fact she’s likely unaware of. When he tells his other guards aka the princes, they decide they should destroy Galilee Kincaid. Leviathan is especially hell-bent on eliminating this threat to Luci.

Despite knowing the danger their connection puts them in, Gali & Luci can’t let go which risks shattering their world’s existence.

As you may have guessed from that description, this book is wild! I love that Galilee is a powerful Black woman w/ ride or die friends who follows her intuition. Like many of the protagonists in Emezi’s novels, Gali’s ability to let herself be vulnerable is part of what makes her powerful. She’s allowed to feel everything & so is Lucifer. Emezi also gives us a fascinating retelling of Lucifer’s fall from grace. He’s no longer this 2-D rendering of an evil biblical figure, but someone who is curious & increasingly self-aware. It’s no surprise that their passion is scorching hot! Just be prepared for the story to pick up QUICKLY after the intro.

Devil Of The Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois

• Afro-Caribbean & Queer Historical Fantasy •

Devil of the Deep is a Black, queer tale you don’t want to miss!

Lu, a Lieutenant Fleet Officer is on a misson to find a powerful talisman which happens to be in the hands of a teen, runaway mermaid. On this voyage, he discovers that woman he thought dead for 5 years is alive & captaining a pirate ship. Lu is shocked that the love of his life is the notorius “Devil of the Deep” & she’s in possession of the very mermaid he’s been tracking: Pearl Highwater.

With her uncle’s help, Pearl has escaped the underwater cult followers of the sea god, unknowingly holding the key to finding her people’s lost island--A key that could unlock a world of hell for all.

Jean-Francois took me on an adventure I didn’t even know I was craving! If y’all have been searching for Caribbean/Haitian Fantasy, you need to pick up this book. It’s lush, action-packed, & has a transmasculine protagonist. Each mc gets space to grow, which I really appreciate. It’s also fantastic to read a book that depicts how diverse pirate crews were. Dive into this book ASAP!