Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

Controversial #Reads from Bestselling Authors #BookReview @BeemWeeks @Torrenstp @Darynda


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This week’s book selections cover controversial subjects. In Beem Weeks Jazz Baby we’re introduced to a young teen with a dream of singing Jazz, but will the cost be worth the choices she’s forced to make?

Forbidden by D. G. Torrens is a love story between two people with wide cultural differences. Ones that could tear them apart in ways they never expected.

Betwixt by Darynda Jones is a fun, witty story about a divorced woman who inherits a haunted house and a legacy that’s hard to believe.

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“I’m going to New York City to sing jazz,” she (Emily Ann) brags to anybody who’ll listen. But the Big Apple–well, it’s an awful long way from that dry patch of earth she’d always called home.

It’s 1925 and the south is steaming under a relentless sun. Young Baby Teegarden is just discovering her body and an interest in boys when her dad is murdered by her mother and Baby (Emily Ann) is shipped off to her maiden aunt with her rigid rules.

Life has no beginning to the tales it weaves, no real end, neither―only additions and subtractions, is all. Papa became a subtraction the morning he died, erased from my life, never to return.

Jazz Baby- Beem Weeks

When a good friend of her father’s shows up with a plan to get Baby on a Speakeasy stage without her aunt’s knowledge, Emily Ann jumps on board, excited for a chance to sing the jazz she loves so much.

But there’s a price to pay for white girls in a colored town and Baby is about to learn she can’t trust anyone.

This is a coming-of-age story of a young girl’s calamitous journey to womanhood in the dangerous world of sex, drugs, and alcohol in the seedy south.

~~ Warning: This book contains triggers of child molestation and isn’t for every reader. ~~~

THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE ONES THAT CAN BREAK US…

Jessica never planned to fall in love, but Ajay is special, a man with values who sees his soul mate in her. But Jessica’s strict Christian parents and Ajay’s Hindu family will do anything to keep the pair apart- even if it means committing a crime.

Someone wants Jessica dead and will stop at nothing to ensure it happens. The story begins with her life in jeopardy and then we travel back to the beginning of their relationship. They know there’s no chance the families will ever accept their marriage but can’t resist the lure of the intimacy developing between them.

A trip to India brings the Hindu culture to life for the reader, however the book could have used a good editor.

Overall, a good read.

Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger.

On the heels of a bitter divorce, Defiance receives a letter bequeathing her a moody old mansion in Salem, Massachusetts. With nothing left to lose, she makes the drive and meets a very nervous lawyer down the street from the house, whose name is Percival (more on that later). Between a wind that gusts out of nowhere and the lawyer practically shoving the papers into her arms without explanation, Defiance finds herself the owner of a mausoleum she can’t afford.

I eyed the paper with a suspicion born of far too many deceptive relationships. “How about we go inside and talk about this?”

Her face, a face that had been rosy not thirty seconds earlier, paled at my suggestion. She backed away as though I’d just told her I was going to murder her and keep her heart in a jar on my desk.

I would never do such a thing. I’d keep it in a jar in the cupboard. I wasn’t morbid.

Jones, Darynda. Betwixt: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel (Betwixt & Between Book One) (p. 4). Feather & Leaf, LLC. Kindle Edition.

Soon, we’re introduced to Mrs. Goode, Dephne’s benefactor, and the deceased grandmother she’d never met, who just happens to talk to her through her laptop. An impossibly hot handyman in a kilt that turns out to be a shifter, and a variety of characters looking for Defiance to save their lost loved ones.

This was such a fun read!

Defiance learns she is a powerful witch, born into a royal family, and is in danger from those who wish to steal her legacy before she can figure out how to protect herself. There are many moments of snarky goodness, some fast-paced action, a whisper of sexual tension, and a wonderful cast of characters.

I picked up the next-in-series as soon as I finished Betwixt- a five star read from me!

Do you like controversial stories? I feel the best way to open our minds is to open our hearts. Have a great week, everyone 🙂

62 Replies to “Controversial #Reads from Bestselling Authors #BookReview @BeemWeeks @Torrenstp @Darynda”

  1. Thanks for the reviews, Jacquie. I love Beem Weeks’ writing and have been tempted by Jazz Baby multiple times, but the trigger warnings have made me shy away. Maybe I could skip certain parts. I know Beem always tells an outstanding tale.
    Congrats to all the authors!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. I love controversial stories, Jacquie! I read Jazz Baby years ago and it made me an instant and forever fan of Beem Weeks’ writing. In fact, I just may read it again. 🙂 Thank you for sharing these!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Thank you, Jacquie, for sharing your reviews. I read Jazz Baby a few years ago, and in doing so, I discovered a great writer — Beem Weeks. He tackles a difficult topic but manages it astutely. I’m looking forward to checking out the other books as well. 😊

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  15. I’m a big fan of stories where the stakes are so high. The first two are tales that have my full attention. Thanks for sharing, Jacquie.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. I do like controversial stories, Jacquie, but I have to be in the mood to take them on, maybe bookend them with lighter readers. If they’re well written, I’ll get emotionally involved, and sometimes that can wear me out. Thanks for the reviews and recommendations! Congrats to Beem, D.G., and Darynda. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Excellent reviews, Jacquie. I’ve had my eye on Jazz Baby ever since I read my first Beem Weeks work (The Thing about Kevin). But I hadn’t heard of the other stories. They all sound wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 2 people

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