When love calls, Navada answers after the first ring. The problem with that is most calls become filled with empty promises or lack of effort. After another disappointing stint with dating, Navada swears men off. That is until an unusual encounter seizes her attention. She wants to pull back and stick to her no-men zone, but this particular guy is too intriguing to turn away from.
Navada finds herself stuck between a situation that not only involves her but her family as well. With her back against the wall, she’s faced with a decision that could possibly ruin the greatest love of all.
Navada is a lover of love. Sis has kissed a lot of frogs to try to find her king but, he is nowhere in sight. After her last relationship implodes, Navada throws in the towel and goes on a no men fast. Fast forward a few days later when a simple conversation with a stranger changes her tune real quick. Navada finally meets her king but, in the most unconventional way. Akhil was at the end of a three year bid, so looking for love was the last thing on his agenda. But, an unexpected phone call throws a wrench in his plans. Akhil became so smitten with the lady behind the voice that the five minute phone call turned into weekly phone calls and the weekly phone calls turned into a surprise pull up once he was released.
Akhil was on a mission to put a face to that melodic voice he became so besotted with. When these two meet, the stars aligned, the birds chirped, the butterflies fluttered. Love was definitely in the air and it landed on Navada and Akhil. She was the calmness and peace he needed so, he wasn’t tryin’ hear about her no men fast. Akhil put a pin in that shyt real quick. All is going well for the new love birds until that dreaded birthday dinner. Damn, damn, damn! Akhil takes Navada home to meet his parents only to find out their families have history neither of them knew about. The Cash and Avant families are the modern day Hatfields and McCoys with Akhil and Navada stuck smack dab in the middle. It’s family loyalty over love but, who will they choose?!!!
I really enjoyed the storyline but, the writing, not so much. The writing was bad. Like, really bad. Oftentimes, it came across as very juvenile. The Familia part of the storyline wasn’t developed well at all. Other than what Akhil did for them, there was no actual description given on what this “organization” is and what they do. I know good and damn well they weren’t just into chop shops. There was no real explanation given why Milano had such animosity towards Akhil. Being a rebellious teenager is not a good enough reason for this man to damn near hate his son. Because of the way Milano treated Akhil, there should’ve been a more plausible explanation given regarding their relationship.
There were certain things that were left unanswered. It would’ve been nice to know what happened with Navada and Slim’s lawsuit. Did she settle or did they go to court?!!! What happened to Milano after he got kicked out of The Familia?!!! So, he was able to just walk away still owing them money with no repercussions?!!! What happened to MJ?!!! What’s going on with traitorous azz Meako and Stasia?!!! These are questions I would’ve loved to have answers to. My Little Love had such potential but, the lack of character development, plot development, and bad writing did it such a disservice. This was my first book by Charae Lewis and, it more than likely, will be my last.
Navada is in love with love! I mean so much so that her family has a running joke that she falls in love within 10 business days of knowing a guy. Well after her last failed relationship ends with a bitter baby mama busting the windows out of her car she goes on a ninja free fast. Her fast only lasted for as long as Akhil was able to sink his claws into her. While the connection is clearly different with these two, no one takes her seriously when she claims to have found the love of her life.
Akhil was not looking for love at all. Navada pretty much fell into his lap when he least expected and after his recent release from doing a 3 year bid he had no idea that a 5 minute phone conversation would turn into him finding the love of his life. Akhil suffered from extreme anxiety stemming from childhood trauma and it only took a short time to realize that Navada was his peace and that he didn’t want to do life without her. After shooting his shot and Navada finally giving in, things couldn’t have been better for these two.
Things unfortunately take a drastic turn when Akhil uses his mothers birthday dinner to introduce his love to the rest of his family. The moment Navada’s family roots are revealed, the shït hits the fan when a long standing family war between Navada and Ahkil’s family is revealed. With neither of them knowing this history they are caught all the way off guard and are trying to figure out how to still be together while honoring their families. Whew the drama!!! This was such a good äss story that I didn’t want to put it down. When love comes knocking are you willing to sacrifice everything and everyone standing in the way of your happiness. This story answered that question for sure! I love me some Charae and per usual she did the dãmñ thang with this one!
Akhil is the definition of, “my man, my man!” Whew lord.. 😭🥰My Little Love was so freaking good! I loved the mysterious nature of Akhil; the way that he started talking to Navada was cute. He was a man on a mission and I was here for that energy. This book was more romantic than what we typically see from Charae. I was waiting for the ball to drop and it sure caught me by surprise! The story started unraveling and Navada and Akhil’s relationship was in question. I felt bad for both of them because they wanted to be together but their families were making it super difficult. This definitely felt like a modern day Romeo & Juliet. I was like the Montague & Capulet families need to chill, IYKYK! Lol
Overall, I enjoyed this story so much!! The chemistry between the characters was super sweet and believable. I loved their banter and how they were able to be themselves. There was just enough drama to the story but in the end love wins!
Listen! I owe Charae an apology for not reading her work sooner! Like this book had me up until 3am trying to get to the end! Nevada is a typical lover girl who wants it all and coming from her family its no wonder she wants to be in love and not bitter like her mom and aunts! Anyway we then have Ahkil who was applying pressure on Navada from jail! Baby where they do that at?!? All it took was Navada’s voice to have him gone?? Ahkil ended up doing time for something that his family is demanding him to come back into. He refuses to go back to jail or deal with his demanding and manipulating father. So with Navada having her family stuff and Ahkil having his family issues it's no wonder they find solace in each other. That is until his Mother's bday party and it is all hell from there! This book had drama for days so when the cousins Tiffany and Diamond and Ahkils brother Amoni added comedic relief I was here for it! Lol So many ghetto moments that I was even like oh nah that’s too much but I was soo enthralled I couldn’t stop reading! So many times my heart was breaking for Ahkil and Navada because their family bs was not worth the time they loss. In the end this books epilogue gave me everything I needed and a little hope that Amoni may get a book too! If you like a forbidden love, jail Bae, good 🍆, family drama, a light urban romance, and an HEA…Read this book!
Akhil was applying all types of pressure from jail but when he came out all BDE. Akhil wasn’t taking a no from Navada. Navada and Akhil feel hard for each other but here comes old family drama. Whew was there drama. Low key Akhil should have let his father be killed..fck him.
I loved this story because it touches on real life situations. Every day, parents woo their children into positions that they should not be in and Akhil’s father was no different. Sacrificing your children for your own personal gain is sad, but again, it is some people’s realities. Amoni, Akhil’s brother is a whole mess. He’s juggling two women but if the right one comes along, I believe he could change. The soft spot is there. He was my favorite character! Akhil’s and Nevada’s relationship was really cute. In the mist of their own individual trails and tribulations, they were each others calm. They completely one another. Even when situations appeared serious, I loved the laughter and smirks that they would give each other. Even family drama couldn’t keep them apart. This was a great read!
This book was really good. Very well written, great storyline and character development. I loved Ahkil and Navada. All it took was a few phone calls, and Ahkil just knew he found the one in Navada. This story reminded me of Romeo and Juliet with the history that the Cash and Avant family's had. It was upsetting that Ahkil and Navada were put in the position to choose family over their love for each other. Despite the drama that ensued, I was happy they found their way back to each other and did things according to how they saw fit versus going with the demands of the families. Love Wins!!!
The story was about two feuding family's feuding, a gangsta crew, and a romance. The author told this anecdote with so much attitude, and I loved it. That's it. You need to read it.
This book will have you going through a roller coaster of emotions, and even though a trope at the end of the novel turned me all the way off, I want to still review what I loved.
#Romeo&Juliet The major trope is a Romeo and Juliet romance. Honestly, the first 60% of the book I orgot the author gave us this heads up in the Author's Note. I love when conflict is external and when characters make smart choices. Out of the gate, Akhil is the type of brother you salivate over. He meets her and says "yes you are my future wifey." I lived their banter, and I loved how fresh their convos were. Ahkil was smooth with secretive layers due to his toxic family. Navada or Vada was also an interesting character. The introduction lets us know off rip that she's a ride or die family person, but in the midst of her Amazonian-style family, she wants love and a lasting relationship with a man who cherishes her. This sets the stage for their romance, and you get so sucked in the suvker punch that comes around 66% is like a gaping gasp. Even then, Akhil handled it and handled his fam.
#wrongsideofthetracks #neurospicyMMF
This is a contemporary romance with some connections to Black Crime families as a Mafia, but that wasn't the focus. The author built Vada as a party girl, but her open layers were so fascinating that it was nice to see where the author was going with her character arc. The Akhil having legit anxiety issues due to family stressors was smoothly presented in the story. Anxiety felt real, and I loved how it didn't diminish his masculine energy and vibe.
#smutty The smex was fire from the start, and Akhil knew how to handle Vada. The way his D! game, just shut it all down. It was nice
I'm not going to spoil what twist that came that turned me completely off, but I'll just say this. I'm tired of authors who come close to this topic and then chicken out. Then they have the MMC just completely cater to the FMC because "it's understandable," and his feelings and emotions on the issue are no longer valid or important. I know romance books are written for the majority female audience, but I truly hate how dismissive that messaging is of men and their roles with parenthood.
All in all, I enjoyed the storytelling and immersive world the author is creating.
Why couldn’t it continue on the path it was going😒😒😤😤
This started out so good but then Akhil had to do that and the story lost it’s stride. Everything was going so good and I was already dancing my way to the 5 stars mark but Akhil went ahead and did this which really put a damper on the story for me and since I couldn’t shave off 1/2 star, I could only give it a 4 stars instead of the 4 1/2 star that I wanted to give. Navada was cute and bomb though. I truly thought she agreed with Akhil too easily but oh well!!! I thought the story was dope even though the cover was very weird. In fact if it wasn’t for the Instagram post, I would have never picked it out, Milano Sr. Was the worst form of human while Meako and the gramps were a little less than senior. Mj was weak and Amoni was ok. Arene was pathetic. I just wished more karma had been given to Senior.
We are pulled into Navada's world - her family, her business, her friends and Akhil's entry into her world with his interesting background (to put it mildly) and his strong, male presence. I literally FELT Akhil enter the room when he showed up! His ability to truly observe and assess people showed true leadership qualities even if you want to dislike him due to his family connections and former address....Their connection is sweet yet entertaining not a boring minute since they're surrounded by strong, dominant personalities in both of their families and most of the characters - male or female...It's a fast read but not due to a lack of details - it just flows smoothly and you want to get to the bottom of things so I couldn't put it down....great read!
As we all know Ahkil is bae! His demanding ways wasn’t on no crazy stuff. I love a man’s man so I wasn’t mad at his character. He kept it real with Vada and owned up when he made a mistake. Vada’s comebacks and sass was some of why I like her. She’s relatable because she yearns for a real love. Who doesn’t want that? The modern day Romeo and Juliet storyline is cute. I couldn’t stand Milano Sr or Gramps. Low key didn’t like his moms either. They really didn’t take Ahkil feelings seriously, neither did Vada’s family when it came to how she felt. Overall, good read just wish there was a mention of Meako, Stasia and Slim in the epilogue.
Okay its been a minute since I've been compelled to write a review so bare with me. Once again Ms. Lewis did the damn thing on this book definitely gives off a Romeo and Juliet vibes. Navada and Akhil love story is not a conventional one with one party getting out prison another going on a male sabbatical. Throw in a old family feud and you got you some entertaining reading along the way. Akhil is really that ninja just clam, cool, collected, and fineeeeee watching him boss up and hold his family accountable was some boss man move. I really enjoyed the story and can't wait for the next book.
As sleepy as I am, I'm not mad I missed sleep to read this. Being a fan of Charae's work on showed me that she's meant to write books. Her pen continuously gets better. From tackling real life situations to writing a well thought out vivid sex scene, she can do it all. To end this book and lust over Akhil is how you know you got you a book bae! This book had me hooked from start to finish, especially with the quick witted jokes placed perfectly throughout the book. I loved this read!
Charae Lewis is becoming one of my new favorite authors. I’ve read a few of her books before and they didn’t disappoint. While reading this book I couldn’t help but get disgusted by both Akhil and Navada’s families 😆😆 But their situation was kind of relatable because I’ve experienced tons of drama within my family, too. I loved parts when Akhil and Navada would go on dates and how they talked so much shit to each other. It reminds me of how my man and I are at times. This book was so well-written—I look forward to reading more from Charae!
All I can say is aaawwww!!!! I am definitely a sucker for love for sure. To start the way these two met wasn't traditional but more accepting as time move on. I like the fact there was no real judgement from either of them. I can't believe this made me cry though but I just love real black love. The way that Ahkil faught for Vada just made me gush for sure. The way the healing was set up for then made this all the better. No one was without real problems and need to have their own healing journey. This story definitely one to read!!!
Akhil and Navada love story had me wanting to be apart of the family. After doing three years in prison Akhil was smart enough to save his money and open up a business. Navada already had her own business. The fact that their story started with a simple phone call was great. Akhil family pissed me off especially his father that disowned him at the end of the book. Akhil had no problems cut off family members that cause any harm to Navada. I did not know this author has a book about his brother Amoni. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author.
From that first unexpected phone call, Ahkil and Navada held each other captive. Add in the family drama and feuding, and this story had all the makings of what I’ve come to expect as the norm from my favorite, versatile literary author. This was a good story, with a few supporting characters that we may or may not love to hate, (cough* Milano Sr *cough, cough), and a book bae that checks all the boxes, whether or not Charae wants to classify him as such.
Another book boyfriend. I must say that this wasn’t the typical hood love story; this is different. Thank you Charae for presenting and dealing with Ahkil’s emotions and anxiety. This is one of the few books that deals with Black male mental issues. Nevada was relatable even though her family is nutty as Christmas fruit cakes. I would like to see Amoni’s story (if you’re so inclined).
This book was so good. I must be honest and say that it moved slowly in beginning, but it certainly picked up. Charae Lewis did not disappoint. As per usual, she had me ugly crying and falling apart from time to time. I loved the story and the characters. Akhil and Navada had a great connection and chemistry. I loved them. I highly recommend this read. I would love if it Amoni had his own story. Anyway, great job Charae Lewis!
Editing and writing could use some work. Someone used the word “juvenile” and that about sums it up. The story itself was okay. I enjoyed it enough to finish it.
However, I didn’t feel any deep passion or chemistry between the characters until the end really. Most of it felt forced / surface level. She managed to capture it by the end, but I wish their dynamic was written better from the beginning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It was a very interesting storyline. I had to put it down a few times and come back to it. You brought a few characters into the story and then they dropped off leaving us to wonder what happened. Could have been better but Charae is my girl so I'm rocking with her .....
I love another great book by one of my top 10 authors. This story line was different and very intriguing. I stopped reading for a few hours because I didn't want the story to end but I could stop thinking about Akhil and Navada. Family at times can be your worst enemy. If you want to know why, read the book. Charge Lewis your writing is superior!
This storyline was great. I loved how you showed not only Navada vulnerability but you allowed us to see Akhil also. I enjoyed how you showed the struggles they went through. That's a forever kind of love, when you can continue to build and grow together even with family beef.
Loved it. As usual. Akhil and Navada are something together. Their chemistry is crazy. I loved that ahkil was his own man and didn't cower or compromise himself for anyone. I'd love to read more about Amoni and Tiffney and Diamond. Navada, Tiffney, and Navada are hell together glad to see that they're close relationship didn't end.
Ahkil had it rough however I enjoyed how he stood his ground. I respect that. Sometimes you have to learn that you have to cut off the dead weight in order to flourish. Don’t let that weight drown you. The baby situation touched me because I know what Vada felt. It never goes away. Great read.
A good read with some crazy drama. Meeting the way that they did it didn't seem as if they would make it as far as they did. Then there is family dysfunction and a family feud. Taking a break because of the family feud nearly broke them both. Finally coming to their senses that get back together and start their lives together.
I hated that they missed 4 months without each other. Ahkil's dad to me was an adult bully with the way he treated his kids. I didn't really like their mom because she couldn't even tame her husband and appeared to be weak. I was so glad that Ahkil didn't fold under his father's demands. I absolutely love this book.