romance – Zakiya N. Jamal

How Leni Kauffman Became the Romance Cover Girl

Posted on May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you’re a lover of romance novels you’ve probably heard of cover artist Leni Kauffman. Or, at the very least, you’ll recognize her work. Since being commissioned to do her first romance cover for Mimi Grace’s Along for the Ride, Leni has done many covers for indie authors and traditionally published authors alike, including Hannah Grace, Becky Albertalli, Danielle Jackson, Lily Chu, and Ashley Herring Blake, to name a few.

I was so excited when Leni agreed to sit down with me and discuss her journey into become one of the most well known cover illustrators in the romance genre, and what she’s working on next. Enjoy our full interview below!

Zakiya: Hi Leni! I’ll just dive right in. Obviously, a very easy simple straight forward question. How did you become a book cover artist?

Leni: I’ve been a freelance illustrator since 2012 or so. I was doing lots of different odd jobs so things like background illustration for animations, or the odd book cover, or a couple of editorials, but it was lots of very little different jobs. Nothing that I sort of stuck to. Then, back in 2019 or 2018, an author called Mimi Grace contacted me and she said, “I saw your work.” She was a romance author. Still is! She was my first romance cover that I did. From there, I did that cover and it was released into the world. After I did that particular cover I got more and more requests for romance novels, and sometimes [young adult] novels, and things kind of snowballed from there. So I kind of fell into it, a little bit. I didn’t set out to be just a cover illustrator, but that’s how things turned out.

ZJ: That was literally one of my questions. What was the first cover you did?

LK: Yeah it was that one. Actually that’s not the first book cover I ever did, but it was the first romance cover I ever did.

ZJ: What was the first book cover you ever did?

LK: That’s a really good question. It was about Venice. Someone’s life in Venice. It was called The Politics of Washing Real Life in Venice so I think it was autobiographical. Not fiction.

ZJ: Was that just something that someone came to you for? Was it commissioned?

LK: Yeah somebody approached me. So, in that case a small publisher in the UK approached me. It was just a one off. And after that I didn’t really see any more book projects come in.

ZJ: Did you always have an interest in doing book covers?

LK: I guess as an illustrator, especially as a freelance illustrator, I’m still open to all sorts of projects. And I think book covers was one of the areas that I did want to see my work on, but I’m still open to doing all sorts of projects. Whether that’s packaging design or children’s books or editorial. But I think a lot of illustrators want to try a few different things. But I’m very happy book covers are checked off my list now.

ZJ: So, what’s your process for creating these covers?

LK: With an independent author, it’s maybe slightly different to working with a publisher. But in both cases the publisher or the author will reach out to me and they’ll say, “Can you work on this?” And then we’ll have a chat about what the project’s about. So they’ll initially send me a brief. That brief is sometimes very specific. Sometimes they’ll give me photo references for things like, “I want the characters to look like this. I want them to be interacting like this. I want the background to look like this with minimal color or lots of color. And I want this type of color palette.” And then other times the brief can be very open and they’ll let me do my thing. They’ll say, “As long as the characters look vaguely like this I don’t mind what you do with the rest of the cover.”

After that I’ll look at the references and send over a sketch based on what I think they want and then it’s a process of going back and forth with the client about what changes they want, what kind of requests they might have, what kind of tweaks. And then once the sketch stage is done they’ll approve me to move on to color and that’s when I render the illustration to full cover and I’ll add things like shadows and highlights and make it fully rendered. From that stage they’ll usually just give me feedback on specific colors. If I’m working on the design I’ll then move on to the design part of the book. So, picking a typeface for the title or I’ll draw out a typeface by myself. Or draw out the lettering by myself. Then, do the rest of the design of the cover. The back cover, the spine, all that stuff.

If it’s a publisher usually they just ask for the illustration. So, they have a whole design team that does that side of things. I really only do the design if I’m working with an independent author. So, yeah that’s the sort of general process for both.

ZJ: Oh wow I didn’t realize you design the whole thing for indie authors. That’s awesome! Okay, this is probably a hard question but what has been your favorite cover to create so far?

LK: Oh that is a hard question! (laughs) I think I have a few favorites based on different reasons. The first romance cover I did with Mimi Grace still means a lot to me because it opened up this whole world of book covers. I think the cover I did for The Stand In by Lily Chu. That really meant a lot to me because that was the first cover I was asked to draw an Asian character and I’m half-Japanese so that meant a lot to me because I was drawing someone from my background. And then I would say the cover I did for Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. That’s still one of my favorites. And that was one of the first big publishers I worked with. That was a milestone for me. And I really like working on Olivia Dade covers. She’s a lovely person.

ZJ: Kind of related to that, your covers include a variety of people who are different races, ethnicities, body sizes, etc. How do you ensure you capture these characters the right way with your art?

LK: So, I mentioned photo references from authors. That’s really important, especially for capturing accurate body sizes or hairstyles or skin colors. I think working from not just one photo reference but a variety of references is really helpful. Especially if I’m drawing someone from a culture I’m not very familiar with. I think it’s super important to do my research into all sorts of things. What would be the appropriate clothing for this person? What would be the appropriate hairstyle? And then depending on the process I’ll run that by the author or the author will send it to me in the first place. If I’m working by myself and I don’t have many references I try to ensure that I do my research first and then I’ll work really closely with the author on the sketch phase just to make sure things are accurate and represented properly.

ZJ: I feel like there’s a lot of conversations about lack of diversity in publishing so I was wondering if that’s something you feel exists in the art world as well. Are most cover artists white and do you feel we need more diverse artists?

LK: I would agree. There’s not much diversity in the book cover world. Within the book covers that I get commissioned to do it’s overwhelming white and very heterosexual. Even before I started to work on book covers, it was really important to me to draw people from different backgrounds with different skin colors. That was a personal mission of mine. And that was just because within illustration all I was seeing represented was a very specific body type: very skinny, only one skin color, usually white. And I wanted to help break that. It’s not just one way we all have to look. As with any other industry I’m sure the book cover world could do with a lot more diversity and a lot more different types of artists working within it.

ZJ: There’s been a lot of conversations about AI covers lately. Unfortunately, I think it’s becoming more prevalent. Is there anything you’d like to say on that especially to authors and publishers who are using AI? Why do you think it’s a bad idea or bad for artists?

LK: For people who don’t know, AI generated images are created by all sorts of AI generator machines, such as Midjourney or DALL·E or all of these different companies. Essentially how they create these images is they feed thousands or even millions and millions of images into these machines and the machine essentially copies all of these images and supposedly creates its own version, but it’s really not. It’s been proven to be a hodgepodge of existing art that has been stolen from artists. The reason it’s ethically bad is because it’s mostly been taken from artists and illustrators without their permission. It’s an issue of consent. And if you are making money off it, (which these companies are making money because a lot of them have subscription services,) then you are making money off of the backs of stolen artwork without the artists’ consent. This goes for photographers, and all sorts of people who’ve made images.

So, to authors who use AI generated images. They might sort of think they’re using some silly program that creates a profile picture in the style of Pixar, I’m seeing a lot of that these days. And they think it’s harmless fun, but even those things are created off the back of artists and stolen work. And to those authors I would say how would you feel if someone fed all of your books into ChatGPT and created a book in the style of your writing. Would that make you feel okay with it? Would you be okay with your work being stolen?

For publishers, they’ll have their reasons for using AI. I think maybe some of them might have trouble spotting it. But I think there has been enough of a backlash when we see a cover that’s AI generated that it’s pretty clear a lot of people are not happy with publishers using AI for their cover. I think it’s a huge area and I could talk on and on for ages about this. But I am firmly against any AI generated images. I think it’s ethically terrible.

ZJ: Okay, back to fun stuff! You mentioned you know other book cover artists. Are there any that you love and want to shout out?

LK: I’m going to start with Monika Roza. She’s @monikarozaa on Instagram. She has a mixture of illustrations for more children’s books style illustrations but she’s also done a couple romance covers that are really beautiful. I think she should definitely be much more booked. There’s another cover artist called Jacqueline Li (@jacqlnli). She already works in [young adult] and romance covers. Her work’s stunning. There’s another artist called Charlot Kristensen. (@zolwia). She also does beautiful illustrations and she also wrote her own graphic novel. Also, on Instagram is Charis Jackson Barrios (@charisjb.studio). She’s a really talented illustrator, and I think she wants to take on more cover art as well. I recommend taking a look at her work. It’s really colorful. Her characters are incredible. There are so many artists I could recommend. There are so many artists I’m inspired by but that’s just a small handful.

ZJ: Is there an author you haven’t created a cover for yet that you’d love to work with?

LK: This is a pivot but I’d love to take on a horror cover. I read a lot of horror fiction so I’d like to do something completely different and unexpected and do a horror cover at some stage. I’m open to working with a few authors, but that would be a dream of mine.

ZJ: I am so curious to see what a horror cover would look like from you! Per you reading horror, you do romance covers so do you have a favorite romance novel you’ve read?

LK: With a lot of the covers I do, I often draw them at the same time the book is being written so I don’t get a chance to read the book before I draw anything for it. So, I’m very late to the party on this one, but I recently read Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert and that was wonderful. It really moved me. It reminded me of difficult relationships between myself and one of my parents. It really meant a lot to me and it was a brilliant read. And I feel really bad that it took me years to read it but I have now!

ZJ: I work on a lot of books and don’t get to read them all so that’s very relatable! My last question for you is what are you working on next? If you’re allowed to say…

LK: I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share if I’m working on something. It’s maybe something I should ask. (laughs) I’m going to go with an indie author because I think that won’t get me into trouble. I’m working on a new cover for Nicole C. Moon and I’ve worked with her before on one cover. The reason I’m excited for this one is it’s my first romance fantasy cover. It’s a little bit of a different vibe to my usual covers, so I’m excited for that to be revealed. With publisher covers, I’m not quite sure if I’m allowed to talk about them, but there are exciting covers coming out in the future.

ARC Review: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Posted on March 21, 2019June 25, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.

Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.

Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from Gallery Books via NetGalley. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on May 14, 2019.*

I didn’t think I’d ever love a Christina Lauren book more than I loved Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating but The Unhoneymooners came pretty damn close.

I love a good hate-to-love story so I was already pretty onboard with this book when I read the synopsis. The novel follows Olive who believes she’s cursed with bad luck. While her twin sister, Ami, has a knack for winning things, Olive has always gotten the short end of the stick, until Ami’s wedding. At the reception, everyone gets food poisoning except Olive, who’s allergic to shellfish, and Ethan, Ami’s new brother-in-law, who avoids buffets at all costs. Thus, Ami enlists Olive to take her place on her honeymoon and Ami’s husband, Dane, enlists Ethan to take his and the pair are off, though they both agree they hate each other, to which I say, “Sure Jan.”

Naturally, the pair start their vacation on a rocky start but when Olive runs into her new boss at the hotel and tells him she’s there with her “new husband” Ethan and Olive have to place nice to keep up the charade, and then continue playing nice when they then run into Ethan’s ex, until suddenly they’re not playing anymore.

I loved these two. Their easy banter was hilarious and I loved how they messed with each other, especially when they called each other the wrong names. Their chemistry was there even when they “hated” each other and it was so fun seeing them figure out what was so obvious. Additionally, I loved that their romance wasn’t the major plot of this book. Besides a terrible misunderstanding, there was another major factor involved in why Ethan and Olive didn’t get together and when that’s revealed it not only affects Ethan and Olive but their siblings as well.

I read this book while on vacation and I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t sleep until I finished it because I needed to know how it would end, and it was totally worth the lost sleep. It was amazing to see Olive grow as a person and also stick to her guns even when it seemed like everything and everyone was working against her. I also loved that Ami and Olive were Mexican and came from this big family filled with cousins because I could totally relate. Their family made this book even more enjoyable and I loved how they went to the end of the Earth and back again for each other.

Overall, I highly recommend picking this book up when it comes out. It’s definitely one of, if not the best Christina Lauren book I’ve ever read (and I’ve read almost all of them!). I’ve already reread this book and I’m sure I’ll do so again before it’s released. It’s a must read!

Borrow or Buy: Buy it!

Stars:

Other Reviews
Star-Crossed Book Blog
Gen the Bookworm
L. M. Durand

ARC Review: Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Posted on January 8, 2019January 6, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free digital advanced reader’s copy of this book from Simon and Schuster UK. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on April 16 in the U.S. and May 16 in the UK.*

I became a fan of Jenn Bennett when I read Alex, Approximately and absolutely fell in love with her writing. The way Bennett writes romance and handles various different issues from mental health to familial conflict with a gentle touch, I can never get sick of her writing and that remained true with Serious Moonlight.

At first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fall into this book like I had with her other books because I wasn’t connecting with the main character, Birdie, but that changed pretty quickly. The novel begins with Birdie getting ready for her first day—night, actually—of work at a hotel. This is Birdie’s first real job, because her grandmother, who recently passed away, was incredibly strict. Birdie has lived a pretty sheltered life since her mother died when she was 10 and she went to live with her grandparents on an island near Seattle. However, Birdie is ready to put herself out there…kind of.

She may have gotten a little excited the first time she discovered freedom when she was looking for a job a little while before where the novel begins. It was then that she met Daniel Aoki at the Moonlight Diner. Instantly attracted to him and feeling daring, she ended up losing her virginity to him in the back of his car. Naturally, as soon as it was over Birdie freaked out and she ran, determined to never see him again. That was until she realized the guy driving the van during her shift at the hotel was Daniel himself. Awkward.

Though Birdie wanted to do everything but talk about that night or even interact with Daniel at all, Daniel had different plans. Knowing that Birdie was obsessed with mysteries he enlists her to help him solve a mystery at the hotel. Unable to resist, Birdie agreed to be partners with Daniel and sleuthing ensued. Together, they looked for clues about a mysterious guest at the hotel and along the way Birdie was forced to confront her feelings for Daniel and what they did in the back of his car.

Thankfully, Birdie had the help of her Aunt Mona, who wasn’t really her aunt but her mom’s best friend, and her Grandpa to help her figure out the mystery as well as her relationship, or lack thereof, with Daniel. Still, figuring out what she wanted was one thing, but actually doing something about it was something totally different.

Besides the adorable romance in this novel and the mystery, I was fascinated by Birdie’s struggles with undiagnosed narcolepsy. I can’t remember ever reading a book about someone, particularly a teen, struggling with narcolepsy and I thought Bennett handled it perfectly. In addition, Bennett also discussed mental health issues in a way that I would love to see more of. I won’t go into it because spoilers, but I really liked how everything was discussed between the characters.

All in all, this was another win for Bennett in my book. She has yet to disappoint me and at this point I doubt she ever will. Make sure to pick this book up when it’s released.

Borrow or Buy: Buy it, obviously!

Stars:

Other Reviews
Literary Dust
shelovestoread

ARC Book Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating

Posted on July 12, 2018July 10, 2018 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free digital advanced reader’s copy of this book from Gallery Books via NetGalley. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on September 4, 2018.*

On Monday I saw Christina Lauren post about this book on Instagram and asked if there were ARCs. That same day I requested it on Netgally, got the eARC, and then proceeded to stay up until 6 a.m. reading it. Yeah, it was that good. And I have a problem, but that’s neither here nor there.

Anyway, this novel is told in the dual POVs of Josh and Hazel, and I love them both but I might love Hazel just a tiny bit more. She was hilarious. I literally laugh out loud at so many points because of the things she did and said. I also shook my head a few times and said, “Oh Hazel,” but with the same kind of fondness Josh had for her. Hazel’s just the best.

Then we have Josh and my God he definitely tops the book boyfriend list. As Hazel likes to say he’s “the blueprint for Perfect.” First of all, I love that he’s Korean and that his culture was explored in this book. We got to see his Umma (mom) who was constantly cooking food for Josh and his sister, Emily, and then of course also Hazel, who’s also Emily’s best friend. (Side note: All the food descriptions made me hungry and want Korean BBQ) Christina Lauren did a good job exploring Josh’s culture and traditions and I loved getting to see that in this book.

Now, Josh and Hazel together. They were so cute and funny, and I loved that they spent the majority of this book setting each other up on pretty awful double blind dates. The number of times I wanted to jump into the book and yell at them, “Why are you wasting your time? The love of your life is right there!” was a lot. That said, I love a good slow burn and this book totally gave me that and while I always expect a happy ending from Christina Lauren this book still managed to surprise me.

Thus, I must highly recommend this book and I’m truly mad you have to wait until September to read it because ALL I WANT TO DO IS TALK ABOUT IT. Alas, that’s just how this goes. But preorder it so you can get it immediately and we can gush about Josh and Hazel as soon as the book comes out. K, thanks!

Borrow or Buy: BUY!

Stars:

Other Reviews

A Quaintrelle in the City

ARC Book Review: One Small Thing

Posted on June 26, 2018June 25, 2018 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo of The Royals and When It’s Real comes a sensational new novel about a girl falling for the one boy she should never have met…

Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems like a small thing, just for her.

Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get.

Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free digital advanced reader’s copy of this book from Harlequin Teen. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel was released on June 26, 2018.*

I loved Erin Watt’s When It’s Real so when I heard they were releasing another contemporary romance novel I knew I had to have it, and it did not let me down. Unlike When It’s Real, One Small Thing is told in only one POV that of Beth, who’s sister, Rachel, died three years ago. After Rachel died, Beth’s parents became overly protective of Beth in suffocating ways. They wouldn’t let her go out with her friends and her mom took her college applications out of the mail, refusing to let her go to school out of state. Additionally, they still acted as if Rachel was still alive. For example, Rachel’s room looked exactly the way it did when she died, Beth’s mom got mad at her for putting her stuff on “Rachel’s bench,” and Beth wasn’t allowed to get a pet because Rachel was allergic.

It was a lot and I was on Team Beth from the very beginning, and was throughout this novel, even when she developed feelings for Chase, the one boy everyone wanted her to stay away from. Every one in Beth’s town hated Chase, including Rachel’s former boyfriend, Jeff, who also recently returned to town. Despite everyone telling her to stay away, Beth just couldn’t and neither could Chase. The friendship they developed gave me all the feels and I was rooting for them throughout the story, wanting Beth to honestly give the finger to everyone who told her it was wrong.

However, as the novel went on the author did a good job of showing all sides of this situation, and I did end up feeling sympathy for Beth’s parents, though they still made a lot of mistakes. What I loved most about this novel, was how it surprised me. There were of course things I expected from the novel, but there was plenty that truly surprised me.

Watt did an excellent job of drawing me into this story and looking at grief, forgiveness, and guilt. The novel also looked at issues of class and abuse. In sum, though this book isn’t large it tackled a lot of topics in a way that never felt heavy handed, but instead pushed the story forward, so much so that I read it one sitting. So definitely pick this book up if you’re looking for a quick read that will tug on your heart strings, and also infuriate you a little because really I just wanted Beth to catch a break throughout the whole novel and punch a few people in the face. Just saying.

Honestly though, do yourself a favor and get this book today, because it’s now on shelves. You won’t regret it. Trust me!

TW: Sexual assault

Borrow or Buy: Seriously? Buy this book! Do it, now!

Favorite Line:

“Rachel’s gone. And I have to let my broken heart heal instead of pretending I’ve been fine.”

Stars:

Other Reviews
Literary Dust
Nerd Problems
Slow Readers Blog

Book Review: Clipped Wings

Posted on August 1, 2017July 28, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Their body art is hot. Their chemistry is even hotter.

From her dark hair sweeping below her waist to her soft, sexy curves, Tenley Page intrigues tattoo artist Hayden Stryker in a way no one else ever has…especially when she asks him to ink a gorgeous, intricate design on her back. Yet for all her beauty, there is something darkly tragic and damaged about Tenley that Hayden is everything.

Covered in ink and steel, Hayden is everything Tenley has never dared to want, awakening a desire to explore more than the art adorning his stunning body. Trapped by a past that leaves her screaming from nightmares, Tenley sees Hayden as the perfect escape. Although he has secrets too, if they both keep themselves guarded perhaps their intense physical connection will remain only that.

But nothing, not even passion, can keep them safe from their pasts…

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

Clipped Wings took me by surprise. I was given this book and it’s sequel and decided to randomly give them a try because I was in the mood for a romance and I absolutely loved them.

The novel is told in alternating points of view of Hayden and Tenley, both of whom have dark pasts. Hayden has made a family out the people he works with in his tattoo shop, Inked Armor, and his Aunt Cassie, who’s more like an older sister to him than an aunt.

Tenley works at Cassie’s bookstore, across the street from Hayden’s tattoo shop. Tenley just moved to Chicago in attempt to move on from a terrible plane crash that took the lives of those closest to her. She’s also trying to get her degree at Northwestern, which comes with it’s own complications because her advisor is the absolute worst.

When Tenley goes into Hayden’s shop with an idea for a back tattoo, the chemistry between the two of them is palpable. Eventually, they let their lust for each other overwhelm all their senses and start to get to know each other on a very physical level and then an emotional one. However, they’re both keeping secrets and unfortunately, all secrets eventually come to light.

I really liked the relationship between Hayden and Tenley and I could understand why they weren’t being completely honest with each other, though it still frustrated me. The smut scenes were great and not repetitive like some other romance novels I read. I also really liked the side characters. Besides the awesome people at Inked Armour, Tenley’s neighbor, Sarah, was the best. Cassie and her husband were also really cute and fun.

Clipped Wings gave me serious Confess (by Colleen Hoover) vibes but there were enough differences that it still felt like it’s own book to me. Still, if you loved Confess as much as I did, I’m confident you’ll love this book. There’s even an antagonist named Trey and an asshole cop, though in this book those characters are two different people.

My point is, you should definitely give this book a read if you’re looking for a dark romance that will give you all the feels.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Hope was a dangerous emotion; it gave false confidence and made a person do unconscionable things.”

Other Reviews
Aestas Book Blog
The Honest Book Club
Badass Book Reviews

Book Review: Insta-Hate

Posted on June 27, 2017June 21, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

When Alexandria Ray’s romance series becomes an overnight sensation, the world and its demands close in on her. After years of struggling to maintain the pace her publisher, agent and the world expects, she needs a break. Enrolling as a student at Columbia University is step one to finding herself again. Finding Arsen Daniel was not on her list.

Arsen Daniel, along with his best friend, built an empire in the form of an exclusive, psychology-based dating service. When an old friend invites him to teach a course at Columbia, he accepts. The course? The Psychology of Love. Sounds simple enough and the publicity alone will make it worth his time.

Arsen didn’t expect to meet his match in the form of a sarcastic blonde, hell bent on holding to her belief that true love doesn’t actually exist. After all, what woman, especially a world-renowned romance writer, doesn’t believe in happily ever after?

Something in Alexandria’s eyes tortures him. She reminds him of someone from his past and that is a very bad thing.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

Honestly, I was thoroughly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this novel. I discovered Insta-Hate through my daily BookBub ebook deals email and books I’ve discovered on there have really been hit or miss. I’ve been burned by the past two books I got from there so I was hesitant to give this book a try but I am so glad I did.

Insta-Hate is told in alternating point of views of Arsen and Alexandria (Lex), and I loved both of these characters pretty much as soon as they were introduced. Lex is a best selling author who’s agent is the worst. When Lex is offered this huge book deal that will basically make her insanely wealthy, she decides to pass it up, realizing she needs a break to figure out what she really wants. Since Lex never went to college she decides to take a class at Columbia where her best friend just happens to work in admissions. It’s always good to have a friend on the inside when you’re trying to start college in your mid-twenties.

Anyway, it’s at Columbia, specifically at a frat party, where Arsen and Lex bump into each other. Arsen runs this site called Instant Gratification, which is basically eHarmony but better somehow. The point is, Arsen’s pretty well off as the company is incredibly successful, which is why he let his friend convince him to be a guest lecturer at Columbia, teaching a class about love. Of course, that’s the class Lex is taking. However, they don’t know this at first when they bump into each other.

Instead, Arsen mistakes Lex for someone else and thus begins their love story and it’s pretty great. Even though the novel is titled Insta-Hate, it’s not a hate turned into love story. Sure, Lex definitely isn’t Arsen’s biggest fan at first (she threatens to tase him), but that’s not really what this novel is about. In fact, the novel took a turn that I kind of suspected but was also very surprised by, which I loved.

My only issue with this novel was some things went unexplained and I wasn’t sure why. For example, Lex ends up getting into this writing groove later on in the novel and writes this book that is supposedly amazing and yet I could not tell you what this book is about. I’m assuming it’s about her life story but that was never explicitly said and that confused me. Also, there’s one point in the novel when Arsen starts acting really stupid and on the one hand I could kind of understand why but the whole time I just wanted to shake him and say, “Stop being this way!” Thankfully, he did, in fact, stop being that way.

Overall though, this book really surprised. I was pretty hooked from the very beginning and I think I read the whole book in a day. Insta-Hate is definitely a quick romantic read that does have a few steamy scenes but it’s definitely not erotica. It includes a love of funny characters. In particular, I loved Lex and her friends Ave and Jillian. They were hilarious.

Definitely give this book a chance if you’re looking for a cute and quick read. I highly recommend it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Lust was a liar and I couldn’t afford to trust that slut.”

Other Reviews
Books & Boys Book Blog
The Book Curmudgeon

Book Review: Trusting You & Other Lies

Posted on June 22, 2017June 21, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

Phoenix can’t imagine anything worse than being shipped off to family summer camp. Her parents have been fighting for the past two years—do they seriously think being crammed in a cabin with Phoenix and her little brother, Harry, will make things better?

On top of that, Phoenix is stuck training with Callum—the head counselor who is seriously cute but a complete know-it-all. His hot-cold attitude means he’s impossible to figure out—and even harder to rely on. But despite her better judgment, Phoenix is attracted to Callum. And he’s promising Phoenix a summer she’ll never forget. Can she trust him? Or is this just another lie?

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from First in Line and B-Fest. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel was released on June 20.*

It’s officially summer, which means it’s time to pull out those contemporaries and get into a summer time vibe and Trusting You & Other Lies is the perfect book for that. Set at a family summer camp that was giving me serious Dirty Dancing vibes (the original, not the remake), we find Phoenix, her little brother, Harry, and their parents trying to pretend their family is way more functional than it actually is.

Phoenix is pissed at her parents because they’re in dire financial straits, but rather than tell Phoenix and Harry the truth they’ve been hiding it, though Phoenix has discovered their dirty little secret. Of course, rather than confront them she decides to be passive aggressive and has decided from the get go that she will not like this camp she’s being forced to attend.

Of course, that’s when Callum steps in. Callum is cute, mysterious, and everything you’re looking for in a summer fling. While Callum trains Phoenix to be a counselor it becomes more and more obvious that there’s an attraction between them, but Phoenix has serious trust issues, and not just because of her parents; her ex cheated on her right before she went to camp. As Phoenix tries to figure out her feelings for Callum (and his feelings for her), she also has to decide if she’s willing to forgive the ones who’ve betrayed her trust and learn to trust again.

While there were definitely some cute and swoonworthy scenes in this novel, I wasn’t all that impressed with Phoenix and Callum’s romance. Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of Phoenix or Callum. They both annoyed me a lot throughout the novel and I just wanted to shake them and ask, “Why are you like this?” Harry was honestly my favorite character.

I was also kind of annoyed about some things that were mentioned and then never explained, mainly about Callum’s brother. I know Callum’s supposed to be mysterious but he’d just drop these tiny bombshells about his brother and then never say another else about it, which I found so irritating.

Besides that though, this was a decent romance and it was a pretty quick read. I probably wouldn’t read again but I didn’t hate it. Basically, it was meh.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“You are the porterhouse [steak]. The best. All those other girls, any other girl, they’re packing popcorn.”

Other Reviews
Slow Readers Blog
Breanna Reads Berks
Happily Ever Chapter

Book Review: The Distance Between Us

Posted on March 14, 2017March 15, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Money can’t buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom’s porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he’s tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander’s loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

I can’t believe I forgot to review this book. I read it a while back and I really liked, even though it wasn’t my all time favorite Kasie West novel. Let’s dive in.

First, if you’re making your way through Kasie West’s books like I’ve been doing recently I recommend reading The Distance Between Us before On the Fence because they take place in the same town so there’s some overlapping characters and The Distance Between Us was released first. Truthfully though it doesn’t really matter, which order you read them in since nothing’s given away but I would’ve preferred if I’d read them in order.

Moving on, I loved Caymen and Xander. They were so cute together and made me swoon. I also liked that we got to see their relationship play out. A lot of romance novels wait to the end for the characters to get together and then there’s only like a chapter where they’re actually together but this book wasn’t like that. You actually get to see their romance play out, which was nice. I also really liked Caymen’s humor. She’s super sarcastic and witty and I loved how Xander played off that but could also see through it when she was using her humor to deflect.

My biggest issue with this novel was Caymen’s mom. I found her to be super irritating but thankfully she’s not around that often so it didn’t bother me too much. Other than that I really like this novel and want to buy it so I can read it again. Once I finally read By Your Side I plan on doing a full ranking of all of West’s romance novels and I’m pretty sure The Distance Between Us will be close to the top. Definitely give it a read if you haven’t already.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Sometimes it’s the little things that bring that special someone back to us in some small way.”

Other Reviews

Pop! Goes the Reader

Read Breathe Relax

Cuddlebuggery

Book Review: P.S. I Like You

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

While spacing out in Chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk, and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters — sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery, and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

I am such a Kasie West fan now. I want to read all her books. They’re so good!

P.S. I Like You was the perfect romance novel and I wish I owned it so I could read it again. The story is told from Lily’s point of view and although I loved her I also liked that she had flaws. She knows how to hold a grudge and sometimes misjudges people but always apologizes when she realizes she’s made a mistake. Besides Lily though, I also really liked her family and her best friend, Isabel.

Although the person who Lily was writing the letters to was pretty obvious to me I was still really happy with the romance of this novel. Lily figures it out about half way through the novel and I like how that wasn’t the end of the story. It was kind of just the beginning actually. Lily was forced to come to terms with the fact that her letter writer wasn’t who she hoped it was but also that there’s more to some people than meets the eye.

I really liked the relationship between Lily and the letter writer and he was absolutely swoon-worthy to me. I also like that just because Lily liked the person in the letter she didn’t just automatically decide she was in love with him when she found out who it was. She had to grapple with her feelings and figure out how she felt about the whole situation. I also liked that there were other small conflicts in the story that didn’t take away from the romance but added to the main plot as well.

Overall, this is definitely a buy and I can’t wait to get it after my book buying ban is lifted. I’m literally counting the days because I plan on rereading it as soon as I get it. Definitely give this book a chance if you haven’t already.

Stars: