Have you heard about Blackathon?  It is a readathon starting in February. You have plenty of time to think up a TBR list.   The challenges fit several of the books on my TBR so I’m going to make time for them now.

 
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (Reluctant Royals, #2.5)Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

“Alyssa Cole returns with a fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series!

While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy—so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.

When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.”

This story plays out in the background of A Princess in Theory. Likotsi is the Prince’s bodyguard and she grumpy about a relationship but you don’t know anything about it. This novella is the answer. I don’t imagine that you would have to read A Princess in Theory first, but it is really good so you should.

The graphic novel has to be:

Shuri (2018-) #1Shuri (2018-) #1 by Nnedi Okorafor

 

“The world fell in love with her in the movie. Now, the Black Panther’s techno-genius sister launches her own adventures — written by best-selling Afrofuturist author Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Eisner-nominated artist Leonardo Romero! The Black Panther has disappeared, lost on a mission in space. And in his absence, everyone’s looking at the next in line for the throne. But Shuri is happiest in a lab, surrounded by gadgets of her own creation. She’d rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them. But a nation without a leader is a vulnerable one — and Shuri may have to choose between Wakanda’s welfare and her own.”

Nnedi Okorafor writing about Wakanda? I’m in.

A work by any black/African author:

My Sister, the Serial KillerMy Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

“Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede’s practicality is the sisters’ saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her “missing” boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.
A kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works, is the bright spot in her life. She dreams of the day when he will realize they’re perfect for each other. But one day Ayoola shows up to the hospital uninvited and he takes notice. When he asks Korede for Ayoola’s phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and what she will do about it.
Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a deliciously deadly debut that’s as fun as it is frightening.”

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy fits in this category too since it is a lesbian romance. It totally isn’t cheating to use it here too since I might not fit in another book in the two weeks.

I’ve been wanting to read this book. I just started it on audio because it was my turn at the library.