I feel like I’ve been waiting for more stories like this to hit in romance. In it, we meet Black country music star Luke Randall, whose career is on its last leg. He’s stuck performing “Another Love Song,” over and over again, which he hates, but bills need to be paid. Then he gets the chance to open for JoJo Lane, another Black country star, who is about to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Thing is, opening for her means going back to Arcadia, Arkansas, the hometown he left a lot of his dark past in. It’s also where August Lane is, JoJo’s daughter, and the real writer of his hit song. August threatens to expose the truth about his song, lest he write a new song with her so she can finally come out of her mother’s shadow, but the two have a history that is a little hard to get over.

This is giving Seven Days in June, but make it country, and I am absolutely sat.

It’s always interesting to see monsters and lore we’re familiar with used to tell a story from a different perspective, and here, vampires + the Transatlantic slave trade are given yet another interpretation. It’s 1710 in the Province of Carolina, and life for Willie, Gertie, and their unborn child seems doomed. They live under the brutal enslaver James Barrow with no hope for escape. That is, until Rafazi offers Willie something dark and beautiful. He’s the only survivor of the Ramanga, a vampire tribe from Africa, and he is looking to restore his clan’s power. As Willie sets out to free his people and enact bloody revenge, Gertie warns that nothing good can come from Rafazi’s solution. Whatever choice Willie makes, we know one thing for sure: the Barrow plantation will be soaked in blood.

Feminist philosopher Lindsey Stewart tells the story of the Black conjure woman in America, and it is a long one. Since the time of slavery, Black conjure women have used their skill and knowledge as Mammies, Voodoo Queens, and even Blues Women during Reconstruction. They intertwined ancestral magic with ingredients they could source in order to support themselves and their communities, often in secret. Their influence, though not talked about, is undeniable—it’s because of them that we have things like Vicks VapoRub, the 2023’s The Little Mermaid, and even American blue jeans.

 Isla Bestia is like nothing you’ve ever seen. It tempts visitors from around the world, who are treated to an ever-changing cavalcade of beautiful monsters, lavish feasts, and stunning performances. Thing is, it’s all so pleasing that no one ever leaves. But Sofía is there for another reason. Born enslaved, she is now a free Mestiza woman who has virtually nothing to her name, save for her intelligence, and the desire to find a brother who disappeared five years ago. On the island, she finds her former enslavers engaging in the revelry to be had, but she finds something else too—the island whispers in her people’s native tongue. The nights pass, and her mind begins to unravel despite herself. There’s almost a sentience to the island, and she can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her.

This super messy thriller/mystery is set in South Korea. It starts off with Jae-young, who is looking for a fresh start after saying goodbye to a crappy job, apartment, and boyfriend…who she leaves dead on the kitchen floor. If she can make it to Seoul, she can maybe blend into the multitudes and become invisible. On the train there, she meets a mom with an infant son who is telling her her whole life’s story. She’s also looking for a fresh start—also away from a crappy man—and is looking to find freedom and safety with the in-laws she’s never met. But after Jae-young leaves the conversation and comes back, she finds just the baby there with a note attached to him, pleading with Jae-young to take him to a remote province. His mother is gone. So Jae-young goes, and when she gets to the address on the note, she’s surprised to find a gated manor and an overall very bougie residence. The grandparents have never met their daughter-in-law, so this may be an opportunity for Jae-young to disappear into someone else’s identity. But both women are running from things in their pasts…

Nadatani’s other cat-filled manga is among my favorite of the iyashikei genre—which tells healing slice-of-life stories—and this latest seems just as cutesy and life-affirming. It follows high schooler Kensuke Fuji, who finds a kindred spirit in “the Ultimate Cat Whisperer,” whom he decides to study under. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but it’s also cute and relaxing—something I need more and more of these days.