Author Empi Baryeh's Blog

Season's Greetings, everyone! This time of year is usually action-packed for most regardless of whether you celebrate any of the many holidays in the season. So, thanks for stopping by my blog today. I officially began doing reading challenges two years ago (2017). I started small, because at some point, life and laziness happened and my reading habit took a hit. The reading challenge on Goodreads helped me keep up with reading since I had a tangible goal. After three years of doing this, I've managed to exceed my target! Twice I'm thrilled to say, I've read over 37 books this year (not including beta reads). I know, this number is nowhere near what some of you über readers have clocked, but this is huge for me. I've actually had to update my target a couple of times just because I've read more than I'd expected. The highlight of my reading year was the discovery of Kennedy Ryan when I read Hook Shot. Less than halfway through the book, I knew it wou

BLURB Newly separated Ogonna Moneke has come to Abuja to open a safe house for abused women. Luck is on her side when the perfect site falls into her lap...until she learns who owns it. The chances of Philip Adamu renting to her are slim to none. Why would he when she dropped her financially struggling college sweetheart like a hot potato to marry someone else? MY REVIEW Philip is dumped by his sweetheart, Ogonna, after 14 years (or so) of being together. Weeks later, she’s married to a governor. Heart-broken, he moves on professionally, but his heart never heals. Skip to seven years later - Ogonna has left an abusive marriage, and her search for a piece of property for a new project brings her face to face with Philip.

Anjola's boyfriend, Jimi, dies unexpectedly during their NYSC year. When his mother comes for the body, she warns Anjola not to darken the doorstep of their family house with a pregnancy she is not even sure is her son's own. After parents throw her out of the house, Anjola is determined to raise her daughter, Simisola, by herself. She does so for five years, till one of Jimi's brothers tracks her down. He convinces her to bring Simisola to meet their family.  Anjola is unsure what Jimi's mothers reaction will be, especially when the unofficial head of the family, Folarin, Jimi's older brother, hates her guts on sight. My Review The story starts with a scene where a pregnant Anjola is rejected by the mother of her unborn child’s father, who has recently died. Jump to five years later. Anjola has raised her daughter on her own when she’s found by her baby daddy’s family who now want to be involved in her daughter’s life. Naturally, she’s anxious and

A closet male sexual submissive. An unexpected encounter. Can he embrace what he truly is in Nigeria. Remi Olapade is a Nigerian bachelor enjoying his time mingling with his multiple casual hookups, after the unfortunate end of his engagement to the society girl Janet. An unexpected invitation to the ultra-secretive ‘Lekki Club’ leads him to a summons to Room 3, where he meets the mysterious Mistress Eve. Eve strips and chips away at the walls Remi has put up to fool others. Slowly she gets him to admit who he truly is and embrace what he truly wants. Can Remi be brave enough to accept what he has been hiding from his previous sexual relationships? Can he convince Mistress Eve to leave Room 3 and take their relationship into the real world? Is Remi ready to stop pretending and give up his other women for her? If you enjoy sizzling sex scenes, raw emotions and bondage, then The Lekki Club is for you. The Lekki Club is an erotic story of love, loss, the supernatural, lif

With Christmas only three days away, Carol Claus agrees to her father's request that she leave the North Pole on a mission to help save Christmas. Joining single father Ben Hanson and his children for the holidays seems an easy enough task until Santa informs her that Ben is the man behind the disturbing new book Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus Is a Bad Idea. Posing as Miss Kane, the children's new nanny, Carol pulls out all the stops to show Ben how fun Christmas can be, all the while struggling to understand how one man could hate the holidays so much. How could she, Santa's only daughter, be so attracted to a man who refuses to believe her father exists? MY REVIEW I enjoyed this story about Santa’s daughter, Carol Claus aka Kandy Kane being sent to help save Christmas by making a believer out of a man who doesn’t believe in Santa. I had a good laugh at the hero’s expense as Carol literally brings Christm

Blurb They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger... Calida Jokobi doesn’t see it that way. Surviving an abusive relationship with a sadistic, manipulative man changed her. She has spent the last two years carefully constructing her new persona with two goals in mind: to keep the remaining pieces of her heart safe and her deepest secrets buried. One man puts it all at risk. Malcolm has been a part of Calida’s life for as long as she can remember. A friend. Her first teenage crush. Now he's asking for something she swore she'd never give again: her heart. Calida must decide if she should risk the fragile façade she’s created and give Malcolm the chance he’s asking for. They say love can heal all wounds… Malcolm Frankel wants to prove to Calida it’s true. She survived a hell most people couldn’t fathom. He’s been by her side fulfilling whatever role she needs him to play. All except the one he wants most. It took nearly losing her to make Malcolm realize he couldn’t keep

What if a Billionaire is forced to clean toilets? "Kept me on the edge of my seat." - Pat W "Sweet, sweet story. Loved the characters... Can't get enough of sweet, clean romances." - Jo Ann Thompson "Original and super fun to read. I highly recommend picking out your favorite bottle of wine and curling up with this one!" - Hanna M Billionaire Damien Randall and his friend are on vacation aboard a luxury cruise ship. When Damien asserts his arrogant ‘can-do-everything’ attitude in front of his friend, his exasperated friend dares him to a challenge. The bet:  Pinch a crew uniform and become a crew member for a day. The stakes:  One million dollars. Damien knows better than to succumb to the challenge, but his elephant-sized ego wants to put his friend in his place and so he agrees. The only problem standing in his way: Kelly. Kelly Messina is the new Chief Steward aboard the ship. On her first day at the job, she wants to stamp her autho

I'm thrilled to announce that Unwrapping Hanie was featured on The Hive podcast this week with three chapters narrated by author, Lucy Eden. She did such a great job of it, I think I need to do an audiobook. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Don't forget to come back and leave me a comment about the reading. Better still why don't you join my Facebook Reader Group and where we can discuss further. Have a great weekend!

THE REBEL KING BY KENNEDY RYAN The Rebel King, the stunning, beautiful conclusion to the All The King’s Men Duet, from USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is available now! Get ready for a binge read!  Ambition. Revenge. Love. RITA® Award-winning author Kennedy Ryan delivers the gripping conclusion to the All the King’s Men Duet. Raised to resist. Bred to fight. Survival is in my blood and surrender is never an option. Though surrender is what Maxim Cade demanded of my body and heart, I had other plans. We were fast-burning fascination and combustible chemistry, but the man I trusted with everything was a trickster. A thief who stole my love. If what we had was a lie, why did it feel so real? The man I swore to hate will have it all, and wants me at his side. But power is a game, and we’re the pawns and players. Facing insurmountable odds, will we win the world, or will we lose it all? Start the duet with THE KINGMAKER today!  AMAZON | AM

TEACH ME BY ALEXANDRIA HOUSE An intoxicating new romance by Alexandria House - available in audio first! Stable, safe, predictable - all words that aptly describe Professor Nadia Day’s life. An existence she’s carefully crafted for herself despite her unconventional upbringing and what, to her, is an unseemly past. More than anything, she wants to forget her unstable history, and the last thing she would ever do is rock the boat when it comes to her life and livelihood. When retired football player and single dad, Nathan Moore, walks into her psychology classroom, all fine and dreadlocked, he does more than rock her boat - he rocks her world and causes her to question her buttoned-up existence. Will the professor give in to her desires and become a student of love? AVAILABLE ON AUDIBLE | AMAZON ENTER TO WIN Teach Me audiobook from Alexandria House a Rafflecopter giveaway

THAT CHURCH LIFE BY TERESA B. The Church Gal Crew is leading the way to Salvation at Mt. Zion Holiness Church. Feisty Natalia Freemon is the “head” of the crew. Rebellious and outspoken, she has no problems challenging the church status quo. Years later however, her loss of faith will tragically impact her life.  Michelle Hanks, a country girl from a hardworking farm family is the peacemaker and “soul” of the crew. Although struggling with self-confidence she is wise beyond her years and can’t wait to escape the farm life and find success; even if it costs her soul. Missy Jones, the “heart” of the crew, has the face of an angel and a voice sent from heaven. A pastor’s daughter raised in the church, Missy loves the ministry and her place in it. But the flesh is tempting, especially when it comes in the form of sexy church musician and Mt. Zion playboy Tommy.  In spite of her dedication to the word, Missy falls hard for Tommy, and then falls out of favor with the

  Kickoff to the Holidays Book Sale Black Friday November 29th ~ Cyber Monday December 2nd ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Lots of great books on sale! Scroll the big list and grab what you like! Synopsis, genres (in no particular order) and buy links are all included. Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!!

OFFICE POLICY BY A.C. ARTHUR Ambitious and tenacious litigator, Cienna Turner has just been assigned the city’s most high-profile sexual harassment case. Despite personal misgivings, her job requires her to provide a stellar defense and she’s ready to do that when she learns her colleague, the sexy and debonair, Keith Page, will be working with her. Now, Cienna not only has to bring in a big win for the firm, but also face the demons from her past that resurface when Keith makes his desire for her known. Keith Page has his eye set on becoming one of the city’s youngest black judges but stepping into this case involving a possible city contractor and several of the guy’s employees, might not be the way to get there. Working alongside one of the firm’s most successful attorneys is the highlight of this situation, especially when their first kiss promises more passion to come. When the tables turn and Cienna finds herself at the center of the harassment claims and office dr

EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH LISA BY LUCY EDEN Lisa Betancourt has been my neighbor for months, but I didn’t know she existed until the night she threatened me with a baseball bat. To be fair, I kinda had it coming. That was also the night my entire life changed—my biological mother passed away suddenly and mysteriously, leaving behind a surprise baby. The moment I laid eyes on CJ’s chubby face, I knew I would do anything for him. What I didn’t know was how to take care of him. Fortunately, Lisa turned out to be my salvation in more ways than one. She stepped in and changed everything. The more time I spend with her, the more I hope the change can be permanent. Unfortunately, the pressure at work and unraveling the mystery of my mother’s past makes me wonder how that could be possible… Cole Simmons lives in the brownstone next to mine and was an insensitive jerk, or at least I thought he was until he got custody of his baby brother, who’s just as adorable as he is.  As the o

FINDING KENNEDY BY JACINTA HOWARD When Kennedy James unexpectedly shows up at her grandma’s house in Tyler, Texas, no one knows what to make of her arrival—including her. The only thing Kennedy does know is that something in her life has to change, and it needs to happen right now. She’s been numb for much too long. Then she meets Travis Broussard, the perceptively cool guitarist of the indie soul band, The Prototype. The timing couldn’t be worse, but their attraction is instant, magnetic, and at times overwhelming, causing Kennedy to question if it’s possible to feel too much. As Kennedy attempts to embark on a new path, she finds herself at a crossroads. But if she chooses to follow her heart, is she prepared to deal with what she might find? AVAILABLE ON AUDIBLE | AMAZON ADD ON GOODREADS ENTER TO WIN

🔥 HOT NEW RELEASE 🔥 Yes! Unwrapping Hanie is out and should be available on all/most platforms today! I'm very excited and nervous about this release. If you're a regular reader, the excerpt in this post will tell you why I'm more than a little nervous about this story that took me outside my sweet romance comfort zone. Hanie Morrison has either completely lost her mind, or she’s finally taken charge of her love life when she starts a liaison with a man she meets online. Their friendship fast becomes more, and she’s having the best (cyber) sex of her life.⁣ ⁣ When her internet lover decides to travel halfway across the world to see her, she must make a decision of her own—book a one-way ticket back to reality or risk her heart and find love one orgasm at a time.⁣ (Buyer beware! The heat starts on page one) AMAZON US  (AMAZON WORLDWIDE) |  KOBO   BARNES & NOBLE | OKADABOOKS   ADD TO GOODREADS | LISTEN TO PLAYLIST 🔥EXCE

THE REBEL KING BY KENNEDY RYAN The Rebel King, the stunning, beautiful conclusion to the All The King’s Men Duet, from USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is available now! Get ready for a binge read!  Ambition. Revenge. Love. RITA® Award-winning author Kennedy Ryan delivers the gripping conclusion to the All the King’s Men Duet. Raised to resist. Bred to fight. Survival is in my blood and surrender is never an option. Though surrender is what Maxim Cade demanded of my body and heart, I had other plans. We were fast-burning fascination and combustible chemistry, but the man I trusted with everything was a trickster. A thief who stole my love. If what we had was a lie, why did it feel so real? The man I swore to hate will have it all, and wants me at his side. But power is a game, and we’re the pawns and players. Facing insurmountable odds, will we win the world, or will we lose it all? Start the duet with THE KINGMAKER today!  AMAZON | A

Blurb - "I'd do anything to keep her." Power. Passion. Betrayal. Rita Award-winning author Kennedy Ryan delivers the epic first installment of the All the King's Men Duet. Raised to rule, bred to lead and weaned on a diet of ruthless ambition. In a world of haves and have nots, my family has it all, and I want nothing to do with it. My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I'm determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her, and will do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied. And neither will I. My Review The Kingmaker is part one of a duet telling the story of Lennix Moon Hunter and Maxim Kingsman Cane. This is the fourth book from this author th