If you’re looking for your next read, look no further. Check out these books released in July 2021.
Aja
“There’s a lot my children still don’t understand about the gifts given to the women in my family, but there was a time I didn’t comprehend it either. The consequences of my ignorance and my insolence, still haunt me. “
They didn’t know her story before, because she hadn’t told them.
She didn’t reveal how being so deeply tethered to a man who didn’t take care of that precious connection, had wrecked her body and soul, making it nearly impossible to breathe some days. She didn’t want them to know the ugly parts of her existence; had only hoped to give her girls the good in her, and on that, most days she’d failed.
But so much goodness surrounded her now, by way of self-healing and a good man, Solomon. His love, despite her attempts to keep him at bay, helped to pull her out of the darkness, into the light, and with it, the truth gets unearthed.
The good, the bad, and the ugly lay bare and vulnerable … and so does she.
Here is Zora Green’s story.
Brenda Barrett
His love for Dacy wouldn’t die.
Lee Wiley was patiently waiting for Dacy to get out of prison so that they could be together again, but they had a long wait. Dacy had fifteen more years on her sentence, and she had told him in no uncertain terms to move on with his life.
But Lee wasn’t having it. He could wait. He found it difficult to move on without her and he would grasp at any means to set her free so that they could be together once more.
Kalynn Bayron
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.
Iris Bolling
The investigation into the death of Prosecuting Attorney Alex Burnett leads to the discovery of other crimes which garner huge headlines for the Richmond Police Department. For the brass, the number of closed cases is a triumph, however, it does not solve the murder of the friend and mentor of Nathan ‘Nate’ Reigns, a detective in the Major Crimes Division.
As a one-time top criminal defense attorney turned detective, Nate uses his insight from his previous occupation to solve his cases. No case leaves his desk marked solved until he has filled every hole a defense attorney could use to free their client. Nate vows justice for his friend. That path leads to an organization with plans that will have far-reaching impacts on justice departments across the country.
Therese Beharrie
Friendship is all she can offer…
…but he makes her want so much more!
The incredibly attractive man on Brooke Jansen’s doorstep is definitely not the new housekeeper she’s expecting. CEO Tyler Murphy is filling in temporarily, yet within days he’s turned Brooke’s carefully curated life upside down! Suddenly she’s living—and feeling—again. But her connection with Tyler is dangerous, exciting and strangely familiar… After losing everything once already, can Brooke risk her damaged heart again?
Shakirah Bourne
Eleven-year-old Josephine knows that no one is good enough for her daddy. That’s why she makes a habit of scaring his new girlfriends away. She’s desperate to make it onto her school’s cricket team because she’ll get to play her favorite sport AND use the cricket matches to distract Daddy from dating.
But when Coach Broomes announces that girls can’t try out for the team, the frustrated Josephine cuts into a powerful silk cotton tree and accidentally summons a bigger problem into her life . . .
The next day, Daddy brings home a new catch, a beautiful woman named Mariss. And unlike the other girlfriends, this one doesn’t scare easily. Josephine knows there’s something fishy about Mariss but she never expected her to be a vengeful sea creature eager to take her place as her father’s first love! Can Josephine convince her friends to help her and use her cricket skills to save Daddy from Mariss’s clutches before it’s too late?
Parker J. Cole
No one knows that rough, tough stagecoach driver Par Pen is really Purity Pennington. She ran away years ago to escape an unwanted marriage. So it’s a complete surprise to her when she discovers she’s engaged to a man she never met! The last thing she wants to do is go back to Last Chance, but someone back home has a lot of explaining to do.
Livingstone ‘Caspar’ Smith can’t wait to meet his future bride — a sweet, God-fearing frontier widow in the far-off land of Nebraska. They’ve corresponded for months and he’s already in love with her. Well, at least that’s what he told her. Really, he just wants to get away from his uncle’s controlling ways and if marrying some sweet, gentle backwoods woman is the way to do it, so be it!
When the stagecoach is robbed, Caspar is forced to spend several days with the surly, but manly Par Pen. But there’s something odd about the man he can’t quite figure out. Purity wants nothing to do with the scared, squeamish back East Negro man who doesn’t know a horse from a dog. But they’re stuck together for the time being. Surely, she’ll be able to keep her secret for that long and not shoot him in the process.
Can’t she?
Mel Dau
Manu Phillip Leota is a man about his family and the octagon. Being married to Tonia and being a father is one of the biggest prides of his life. With changes in their lives, will he allow his ego to get the best of him and make a detrimental mistake that could impact multiple lives, or will he stand on the honor of being a Leota man?
Tonia Sharee Leota is the hardest working wife and mother you will ever meet. She is about her family and her journey to becoming a pediatric surgeon. When a storm is overcast in her marriage, will there be enough space underneath her umbrella to shield her from the droplets of pain that are to come?
Find out whether Manu and Tonia will be able to survive a storm with catastrophic winds that threaten to blow everything they have worked for away. Will they stand tall together in the fight of love, or will this be the last fight?
Mel Dau
Flemming Marie Anderson just wants to have her son, be loved, successful, and happy. She thought she had that in the bag when she moved from California to North Carolina, but life has a funny way of humbling you. After the decision of someone else affects everything in her life, she has to learn how to pick up the pieces and be okay for her and her baby boy. When a knight in African-Polynesian armor comes to save her during a mommy meltdown, will he be able to save her from her broken heart as well?
They say if you want to make God laugh tell Him your plans. Well, God is having a hearty laugh at Flemming but like always, His promises are absolute. Will Flemming allow God to bless her cup until it overflows, or will the lid be placed on the cup prematurely?
His Love Is More Than Enough: Kalypso and Bellatrix
Mel Dau
A father’s love is an amazing thing but is it enough to love what others deemed flawed?
For Kalypso (Kal) Jenkins, life has taken many turns but as his Mama Jillie says, “It’s all a part of his life Story”. When his life story determines he will be a single father to his autistic son, Kalypso Junior (KJ), he makes the decision to be the best father he can be to KJ. All his moves are to make a comfortable life for
KJ and himself. When tragedy strikes he is left to pick up the piece of his life and adjust to the changes in his and his son’s life. Will he be able to manage the changes that could very well break him or will a beautiful stranger to him but friend to KJ be his saving grace?
Bellatrix (Bella) Anderson has been the light for many people all her life. After a tragic lost brings her from Orlando, Florida to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina she allows that light to be caste in the life of KJ. With a light so bright, will it be able to cast out the darkness that will soon loom over the heads of Kalypso and
his son? Will she be able to share her light to give strength for others to turn on their own or will her light be snuffed out.
Find out what happens in this Novella when light meets darkness. Will love be enough to tear down the darkness that threatens to damage all that Kalypso has built for his son or will Bellatrix be the light that changes the direction of this chapter and all to come after it in Kalypso’s life story?
Janice L. Dennie
Private investigator Jason Thomas “JT” Sutton, an ex-Navy SEAL, gets a tip on his cell phone about a dead body buried in an apple orchard on Highway 12. He sets out to search for the body, and is shocked at what he discovers. He embarks on an investigation that takes him from the Bayview–Hunters Point District in San Francisco to the streets of Oakland and Stockton, to San Joaquin Valley’s rural orchards, to a homeless tent city, to the walls of San Quentin, and the headquarters of a powerful politician. He confronts violent gang members, a beautiful woman, and a rival sheriff, any one of whom could be the key to solving the orchard murders.
Delaney Diamond
For years, English professor Dana Lindstrom has been crushing on her friend, ex-NFL football player Omar Bradford. When another man sparks her interest, she embarks on a new relationship to help her get over those feelings for Omar.
To Omar, Dana is a prize he’s held at arm’s length for years, stifling his long-held feelings for her to preserve their close relationship. When Dana’s new love interest stirs intense jealousy, he’ll risk their friendship to show her once and for all he’s the only man she’ll ever need.
Ryan Douglass
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can’t decide what’s worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student—the handsome Allister—and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.
Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he’s a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game—one Jake is not sure he can win.
Carolyn Ferrell
Fern seeks refuge from her mother’s pill-popping and boyfriends via Soul Train; Gwin finds salvation in the music of Prince much to her congregation’s dismay and Jesenia, miles ahead of her classmates at her gifted and talented high school, is a brainy and precocious enigma. None of this matters to Boss Man, the monster who abducts them and holds them captive in a dilapidated house in Queens.
On the night they are finally rescued, throngs line the block gawking and claiming ignorance. Among them is lifetime resident Miss Metropolitan, advice columnist for the local weekly, but how could anyone who fancies herself a “newspaperwoman” have missed a horror story unfolding right across the street? And why is it that only two of the three girls—now women—were found? The mystery haunts the two remaining “victim girls” who are subjected to the further trauma of becoming symbols as they continuously adapt to their present and their unrelenting past.
Maxine Green
Ruth Elizabeth O’Meade, née Jackson, will stop at nothing to make her marriage to the man of her dreams work. She believes they are a match made in Eden. But the bitter fruit of infidelity is threatening to destroy their paradise. The harder she fights to keep him, the more difficult it becomes.
When Ruth Jackson began dating Troy O’Meade, Esquire, it was to the disdain of Troy’s overbearing mother, Caroline O’Meade. But Ruth and Troy’s love for each other was stronger than Caroline’s hatred towards Ruth, so they got married. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, Ruth was unable to have children, and that was a deal breaker for her powerful lawyer husband.
The harder Ruth fights to keep the man she loves, the deeper his mother pushes him into another woman’s arms to fulfill his desires, causing Ruth to flee. Blinded by rage from Troy’s infidelity, Ruth is rendered temporarily insane, and is involved in a fatal accident.
That tragedy forces love to grow wings and fly. The howling surge of her emotional wind propels her to fly away and land serendipitously into the muscular arms of forever, aka Blake Alexander Walker, a celebrity pastor.
But she is a fugitive in love, bound by the sins of her past, so she runs to God for solace, only to discover that God was a God of love but also a God of Justice. Her sins are sure to find her out, and the raging power of her past returns with a cruel demand…then all hell breaks loose. It seems like even God has forsaken her when the law comes knocking on her front door and her true love goes flying through the back door. But little do her past and present know, that whom God had joined together, come hell or high water, no man or law can put asunder.
Sins of a Saint (audiobook)
Sherelle Green
Ever lock eyes with someone from across the room and know it was sinful?
Him
Deliciously dangerous and addictive. That’s how I felt when I kissed her.
Jasmine Guillory
Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little…
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?
But their light-hearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them.
When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
Janay Harden
It wasn’t until she held his remains that she knew she was in big trouble.
Indigo Lewis is counting down the days until high school graduation. As editor of the high school newspaper, she’s put in her time and hopes it’s enough to get her away from her troubled family life. Her father is constantly struggling to pay the bills and her mother is locked away in a mental hospital. Even with an after school job it doesn’t seem like she will ever get enough money together to go to college.
Jaxon Green is a kid of wealth and privilege — but with a secret.
Used to gliding his way through life, he offers Indigo a simple deal: write a newspaper blog to help him get into college and he will use his family’s wealth and connections to get her into college too. He promises it will be a no-strings attached deal to get them both what they want after high school. Always used to pushing the envelope, Jaxon uses his position of power to get Indigo caught up in increasingly uncomfortable requests and eventually black mails her.
Cheris Hodges
Their family’s historic bed-and-breakfast in Charleston, South Carolina,is a legacy the four very different Richardson sisters are determined to protect at all costs. But sudden passion is a seductive—and dangerous—complication . . .
For fashion boutique owner Yolanda Richardson, coming home is a matter of life and death. Witness to a brutal crime, she’s terrified to put her family’s B&B in the crosshairs after she starts receiving death threats. Her only refuge is the protection of her reserved hired bodyguard, Charles Morris. But Charles is anything but safe. His icy cool-under-fire—and hidden intensity—is too explosive for Yolanda to resist . . .
Love always equals loss—Charles knows that hard equation all too well. Controlling his emotions keeps his clients from harm—and his heart safe. Yolanda’s beauty and headstrong spirit have him wanting her in all kinds of ways. But for her own protection, he has to do his best to keep her at arm’s length. Until unexpected danger and lethal misunderstandings put their survival—and any chance at a future together—on the knife-edge . . .
Piper Huguley
Althea Dailey has succeeded beyond her wildest dreams: she’s about to make partner at her prestigious law firm in New York. So why doesn’t she feel more excited about it? When she has to travel South for a case, she pays a long-overdue visit back home to Milford, Georgia. To her surprise, a white man she’s never met has befriended her grandmother.
Jack Darwent wasn’t interested in the definition of success dictated by Southern high society. His passion for cooking led him to his current project: a documentary and cookbook about authentic Southern food. Althea’s grandmother is famous for her cooking at Milford College, a historically Black institution. But Althea suspects Jack of trying to steal her grandmother’s recipes.
Despite Althea and Jack’s first impressions of one another, they discover they have more in common than they’d guessed…and even as they learn about one another’s pasts, they both see glimmers of a better future.
A Silken Thread (audio)
Brenda Jackson
For Erica Sanders, finding a soul mate was the easy part. Brian Lawson is the man she wants, and everyone agrees they’re the ideal couple. Almost everyone. The one exception is Erica’s mother, Karen, who prefers her daughter marry another man. Karen even hires a private detective to investigate Brian, but the truth he uncovers is the last thing she expected – a devastating betrayal that rips both families apart.
Convinced that her relationship can’t be salvaged, Erica ends her engagement. Yet she has lingering doubts over her decision, especially once Brian’s attractive single neighbor starts pursuing him. A chance meeting proves that the passion between Brian and Erica hasn’t dimmed – but neither has the determination of others to keep them apart or the shocking lengths Karen will go to in order to undermine her daughter’s relationship.
As secrets old and new are revealed, Erica and Brian find themselves caught between the bonds of the past and an uncertain future, each making painful discoveries about who to believe and trust. Masterfully told and laced with the sensuality and drama that Brenda Jackson does best, this is an unforgettable story of relationships at their most complex and how hard it can be to choose between living separate lives – or holding fast when love hangs by a silken thread.
Candice “Ordered Steps” Johnson
Sisters Avery and Blake Valentine share more than a mother…they share the same man. The Valentine family matriarch insisted her feuding daughters move past the self-inflicted wounds that has ripped their family apart, but when she suddenly dies, the sisters are free to WAR. Dealing with family sometimes takes a full glass.
Lakisha Johnson
On the morning of her 50th birthday, Wondah Jennings wakes up excited to celebrate her golden jubilee year. Instead, she’s in for the shock of her life when she finds out her husband no longer wants her as his wife.
Devastated, speechless, and stunned are emotions soon replaced with anger, confusion, and grief, leaving Wondah to spiral out of control. In front of family and friends, she appears the strong, confident Wondah they know. The one who has helped hundreds of couples save their marriage as a licensed therapist. However, when they’re gone, the lights are off, she’s broken, struggling and the God she once served becomes her enemy.
Will she find the strength to overcome this dark season in her life or will this golden year be anything but?
Leah Johnson
Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her.
Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward.
When the two arrive at Farmland, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for. Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined.
Packed with irresistible romance and irrepressible heart, bestselling author Leah Johnson delivers a stunning and cinematic story about grief, love, and the remarkable power of music to heal and connect us all.
Save Me If You Can (audio)
Christina C. Jones
Deception and betrayal always carry a price, and sooner or later, someone has to pay.
For a long time, Terry King and Damien Wolfe have dodged those debts while the people around them paid – in loneliness, grief, constant fear, and the loss of innocent lives.
But no more.
It’s time to settle up, and though the difference between victim and villain isn’t always clear, this familiar band of hackers, spies, and federal agents are holding nothing back. In this final installment of the “If You Can” series, questions are answered, hidden motives are revealed, secrets are brought to light, and this dangerous adventure comes to a conclusion.
Partnerships ruined by betrayal.
Lovers tested by secrets.
Families broken by lies.
With everything around them in shambles, which relationships will endure?
And when the story comes full circle… who will come out alive?
Nella Larsen
Nella Larsen’s fascinating exploration of race and identity—the inspiration for the upcoming Netflix film directed by Rebecca Hall, starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga.
This Signet Classics edition of Passing includes an Introduction by Brit Bennett, the bestselling author of The Vanishing Half.
Irene Redfield is a Black woman living an affluent, comfortable life with her husband and children in the thriving neighborhood of Harlem in the 1920s. When she reconnects with her childhood friend Clare Kendry, who is similarly light-skinned, Irene discovers that Clare has been passing for a white woman after severing ties to her past—even hiding the truth from her racist husband.
Clare finds herself drawn to Irene’s sense of ease and security with her Black identity and longs for the community (and, increasingly, the woman) she lost. Irene is both riveted and repulsed by Clare and her dangerous secret, as Clare begins to insert herself—and her deception—into every part of Irene’s stable existence. First published in 1929, Larsen’s brilliant examination of the various ways in which we all seek to “pass,” is as timely as ever.
Chelsea Maria
When we burned, we burned.
When we scorched, we scorched.
In my lifetime I’ve met an array of men. Men from all walks of life. Some gave me the best pleasure, some gave my heart the best love kisses, and some left me more destructive. But Dre…All I cared about is trying to relearn how to breathe again. He snatched my ability to do it on my own the first time he kissed me and left me breathless. ~ Courtney “Coco” Knight
Coco and I were a dark moment fairytale. That once-in-a-lifetime type of love that would change us for the better before it ruined us for the bad. Parallel souls that built a foundation on the commonalities of our past. Looking through her eyes I saw our future. A future where love and happiness doesn’t coexist with pain. ~ Andre “Dre” Joseph
Landon loved me more than I loved him. Never had I ever questioned his devotion to me, and I knew I never would because I knew his heart. The way Landon made me feel felt like a chapter out of my favorite romance novel. His chase, his ambition, his whole persona made those desires a reality. Yet, here we were divided and entangled in marriage woes that knew no boundaries. ~ Andrea “Drea” Carter
Noelani and I were stuck in this game of love vs. manipulation. We built the sandcastles. We left the footprints of chaos. Our lust turned into greed. Greed turned into betrayal. No longer two weary souls but one infatuated with turning our love into cruel punishments of death. ~ Cassian Kalmin
Jessie Marie
He wants her to stay; she wants her space. But what happens when one plus one equals three?
Catalina
When we separated, all I felt was relief.
I’d get my space, find myself.
Fight my own battles instead of his.
This would be the worst time to get pregnant, right?
Tell that to my uterus.
Jeremiah
When Catalina asked for a separation, I left.
I had to; I had no choice.
I thought that was the end of our lives together, the end of us.
So what do I do when Catalina gets pregnant and I get a second chance?
Sugar Women II: It Ain’t All Sweet
Angelia Vernon Menchan
Alton watched Celeste feed AJ, their six weeks old son. He was fascinated by how her body stored their son and was currently the sole nourishment their child received. AJ was a thriving baby who he even admitted looked amazingly like him. He never experienced that intimacy with Audrey because they weren’t together when Delilah was born, and she would have never breastfed.
Feeling Alton’s eyes on her, Celeste looked up with a dreamy smile. She loved being Alton’s wife, AJ’s mom and was excited about the work she had done over the past year, blogging about Sugar Women or women who dated for money. Six months earlier Alton had done paintings of street women in the profession with disparate lives and Celeste had interviewed them in addition to two women who worked for her aunt. The women’s lives had been changed forever because he donated the half of the low six figures he received from the paintings to them with one caveat, a quarter of the funds would have to assist someone else, the remaining money was theirs to do with as they chose. They received half upon completion of the sales, the other half was pending until they gave away half.
Two of the women Simone and Riva were already in great position by working for Evangeline. But three of the women, Patsy, Shanice and Paloma had not been and they were where the work was for Celeste, the real work.
CaSandra McLaughlin
Clarice Jackson has devoted her life to satisfying everyone but herself. She’s married to a self-absorbed non-attention giving man which has led to a now sparkless marriage. With her marriage in shambles, adult children living their own lives, and feeling as if she has lost her identity, she finds herself in Wayland Springs, Texas starting over fresh. Here she hopes to figure out exactly what it is she truly desires in life, but will this new start truly bring about a genuine peace and happiness?
Deborah Fletcher Mello
She’s on the run with a baby
Only a cowboy can help her…
Fiercely loyal, Soledad de la Vega would do anything to help her loved ones. So when her best friend, Annie, is murdered, Soledad vows to keep little Lyra safe—by running from a killer…and hiding out in Palmer Colton’s barn.
The cowboy has never really wanted a wife and kids of his own. Something about Soledad and Lyra, though, tugs at Palmer’s heart like never before. Will he be able to keep his heart intact—even as he keeps them safe from a deadly threat?
Lost in Love’s Abyss (audio)
K.C. Mills
Flawed!
Damaged!
Cursed!
Embria Taylor is an expert on fixing the lives of others but can’t seem to make sense of her own. When a handsome stranger forces his way into her world, she quickly learns that being open to new possibilities just might be the missing ingredient to securing her happily ever after.
Rahshon Allen is a man that speaks his mind and makes no apologies for who he is or how he feels. Those characteristics are what land him right in the middle of the chaos that seems to be just what he needs to escape his dark past.
Rah and Embria both crave something different but can she love him past all his flaws and will he be able to prove that love doesn’t have to be perfect as long as its real!
K.C. Mills
Gray Jordan, former Chargers quarterback and franchise player, learned a lot of tough lessons throughout his career. However, the worst of all was that no amount of money and fame can protect your heart. After a very public scandal, he quietly walked away from the one thing he loved the most: football.
Skylar Addison is one of the best sports attorneys in the city, so when the firm she worked for “reallocated” her out of a job, she felt as if the rug had been snatched from up under her. Finding out that her ex had her terminated after she decided that she no longer wanted to be in a relationship, only made matters worse.
After a pity party at a local bar and grill, Skylar found herself falling for the type of man she swore she would never think twice about, because after years of cleaning up their careless mistakes, Skylar knew with certainty that pro-athletes and their philandering ways were a fast track to a broken heart.
Unfortunately, sometimes the universe has its own agenda and tests your resolve. There was no resisting Gray Jordan, and Skylar finds herself fighting a losing battle by trying to deny her heart. Gray has his hands full with a woman that proves to be his greatest challenge as of yet, but they both have to get out of their heads in order to prevent missing out on a good thing.
Dandridge Monroe
One man who can have it all. Except the woman who sets his soul on fire.
Midas Warren.
A name synonymous with wealth, power, privilege and perfection. He’s the financial guru, hotelier and son of Black royalty. But what else is hiding behind his bespoke suits and business prowess?
Nevah Savadogo.
The woman who turns gold and gems into beautiful creations. She can craft anything out of precious metals, but can’t seem to do the same with her life. Until she has one night with a man who breathes life into her.
They had their one night together but they walked away from one another for their own reasons. But fate steps in to give them another chance at forever.
Will the man with the golden touch find a way to keep the woman who owns his soul? Or will the darkness and ever present danger keep them separate forever?
Fatima Munroe
Why she wear that…Look at her…Somebody her size shouldn’t…She ain’t gonna never…
Kids can be cruel, but it was what their parents whispered about me when they thought I wasn’t listening that affected my self-esteem the most. – Justyne
Justyne was teased about her weight for the majority of her life. From the kids at school to her mother’s friends, she was constantly put down and berated by her peers and others because of her size. It became the norm for someone to judge her based on her looks, not what was in her heart. Discovering her boyfriend Josiah was using her for his own personal gain broke her spirit for the last time; she realized she’d been giving herself away for the sake of others for far too long.
Enter Leandré, the police officer who women loved to see in a uniform and on their arm. Dating had become too easy; he longed for THE woman that made him take a second look. Responding to Justyne’s cry for help when Josiah stole her car, Leandré ’s faith in love at first sight was restored. But would she reciprocate? Or would Justyne brush him off as yet another user?
Leandré and Justyne’s worlds collide on a steamy night in Jamaica when a one night stand turns into something much more life changing. Will the change bring this unlikely couple together? Or does Justyne let her insecurities about her weight stand in the way of her chance at happiness? Find out if Leandré ’s promise is one that he keeps and if Justyne chooses to love herself above everyone else.
AshleyNicole
Oh baby, you…
Being the only girl in a group of guys is hard work. It’s the equivalent to having multiple fathers who think they can dictate every detail of your life.
Harlowe’s been dealing with it for years, but as of late, she’s been wanting to venture out and find love. As expected, the guys think this is a terrible idea. That’s all well and good, but Harlowe is going to do it anyway.
Before she can, one of her guys starts looking at her differently, and she can’t help but look back.
Will they transition into lovers, or will he remain just a friend?
Nicki Night
Exes reunite at the wedding of the season in this she ended things with ex-fiancé Carter Blackwell, the last thing Phoenix Jones wants is to reunite with him at the year’s hottest destination wedding. But as the sensual tropical setting reawakens long-suppressed desire, a twist of fate forces Phoenix to walk down the aisle with Carter—as maid of honor and best man. She knows he’s used to sealing any deal. Will Carter seize this second chance and finally convince her to say I do?
Nana Prah
As head of palace security Prince Zareb Saene lives to protect the Royal House of Saene. Between his work and coaching competitive fencing, he has no time for relationships. That is, until he meets the beautiful and headstrong Malika Ahvanti. She scales his carefully constructed walls and lands squarely in his heart. If only he could shake this unwarranted, illicit pull towards her younger brother, the new fencing protégé that he’s been charged with training.
Malika dreams of becoming an Olympic gold medalist and is determined to succeed. Training with the Lion of Bagumi is her only chance, but after past deceptions, he refuses to coach females. Getting what she wants comes at an uncomfortable price. With great risk she presents herself as a young man with promising skill. The guilt of lying compounded by her undeniable desire for Zareb puts her future in jeopardy and her heart in danger.
Vanessa Riley
Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.
Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.
From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, Island Queen is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid eighteenth-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.
Kay Sharee
Harlowe Baylor is in control of her life and chief protector of her heart. After her first love proved he was unworthy, she moved on. What she didn’t expect was to fall fast and hard for another man so quickly. However, being who she is, a tough decision has to be made and goodbye is on the table, but not before they created something beautiful.
Quinn Parker has always struggled with his definition of love. When the one woman that had his heart rips it out of his chest, he’s convinced his definition of love doesn’t matter, and is done trying to figure it out.
When Harlowe and Quinn are reunited, fear and the need for forgiveness come to the forefront. Sparks fly, nevertheless. Still, there’s secrets and insecurities that won’t stay in the background. Although they are convinced the love is genuine and true, discovering it will take more than love to make it gives them both more than they bargained for.
Brian W. Smith
Robert Sumina, a successful entrepreneur, husband, and father, hates his own father, Enis, so much that he told his ten-year-old daughters their grandfather died. Why? Because Enis was so verbally and physically abusive that Robert’s mother committed suicide to escape his wrath.
When Hurricane Katrina demolishes New Orleans and sends thousands of residents fleeing from the city, Enis, now sixty-five years old, hobbled, and destitute because of the hurricane, lands—unannounced—on the doorstep of Robert’s suburban Dallas home. Robert’s lie is exposed. To make matters worse, Enis is nothing like the monster Robert described.
Robert’s daughters and wife are drawn to Enis like moths to a flame. He’s charismatic, kind, wise, and has them eating out of the palm of his hand. But Robert isn’t buying Enis’ act. So, when his wife and kids aren’t around, he gives Enis an ultimatum—leave in two weeks or be prepared to face the same level of abuse that he inflicted on Robert and his mother. Enis counters with a threat that will bring Robert to his knees and leaning toward what appears to be his only option…murder.
Thai
From the outside looking in, Erin seems to be in a perfect relationship with her long-term boyfriend, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Deeply rooted into the love and loyalty of her relationship, Erin wants to fight through their trying times, convinced he was her future. Wearing rose lenses, Erin finds herself wanting to start a family and have children, with marriage also in her vision.
A surprise birthday party reveals truths that have Erin facing harsh realities about a man she thought was her soul mate. Erin quickly learns that the love she thought was real isn’t. She begins to question everything, which leads to them breaking up. Crushed, pissed, and heartbroken, she decides to move in with her best friend to get away.
Far away from all the chaos of what used to be her world, Erin discovers herself and starts on a path to healing her broken heart. While putting the pieces of her life back together, she meets a man who’s running away from his own demons. The two will collide, changing each other’s lives forever.
Joan Vassar
Georgia, 1995–A gentle push from her sister causes Francine Adams to agree to one date with the handsome, Jalal Dorsey. When his ex-girlfriend makes an appearance, a perfect evening takes a turn for the worse. Blinded by humiliation and desperate to put distance between herself and the drama, Francine flees the upscale eatery. Unfamiliar with Atlanta, she wanders down a dark side street and encounters a series of unfortunate events.
Troy Bryant has spent seven years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Upon his release, he realizes the man he was before prison is gone. Now, he’s everything he was wrongfully accused of. After witnessing a young woman running from a restaurant in the heart of Atlanta, Troy follows her hasty retreat down an unlit side street, forever changing the course of both their lives.
Troy decides to keep her–no matter the cost, and Francine is forced to need the man who stole her from her life. Two souls collide, and a dark romance begins to bloom. Unfortunately Francine spins an erotic tale of anger, love and acceptance.
Monica Walters
Jenahra Henderson Monroe knows what it means to be pretentious but strong. While her religious behaviors come off as condescending and judgmental of others, it’s deeply rooted in pain, drama, and abuse. Not wanting to get members of her family in trouble, she chooses to keep secrets for over twenty years, drowning herself in God’s anointing. When the truth finally emerges, it comes with a cost.
Carter Wothyla thought he found forever when he met Jenahra. However, as with all good things, it comes to an end. He spends the next twenty years, wandering through the dating scene aimlessly, trying to find a woman that compares to her. Never marrying or having children of his own, Carter has found contentment in being alone. But as luck would have it, he attends a wedding that leads him back to the love of his life and he refuses to let go this time despite the obstacles before him.
Jenahra and Carter have a past that is riddled in secrets, lies, and passion, but their chemistry is undeniable. While Carter is full steam ahead to win her heart, Jenahra has life decisions to make. Will those decisions push Carter out of her life once and for all or will she choose to live for herself and possibly face ridicule for it?
Shanora Williams
A brutal tragedy ended Ivy Hill’s happy family and childhood. Now in her twenties and severely troubled, she barely has a life—or much to live for. Until the day she discovers the name of the woman who destroyed her world: Lola Maxwell—the mega-wealthy socialite with a heart, Miami’s beloved “first lady” of charity. Accomplished, gorgeous, and oh-so-caring, Lola has the best of everything—and doesn’t deserve any of it. So it’s only right that Ivy take it all away . . .
Little by little, Ivy infiltrates Lola’s elite circle, becomes her new best friend—and plays Lola’s envious acquaintances and hangers-on against her. But seducing Lola’s handsome, devoted surgeon husband turns into a passionate dream Ivy suddenly can’t control. And soon, an insidious someone will twist Ivy’s revenge into a nightmare of deception, secrets, and betrayal that Ivy may not wake up from . . .
A.S. Wilson
When a career-ending injury sends NFL-player Deshaud Pierce into a downward spiral, his friend Grayson Edwards is the person on whom he relies. Deshaud bounces back, starting up his own talent agency, and he is happy to do a favor for his friend Grayson when he asks him to give his girlfriend Kendra Knox a job at the Pierce Agency. Grayson and Kendra’s relationship crumbles, but Kendra flourishes in her position.
It seems that nothing will stop her from building the life of her dreams, until it all turns into a nightmare. Someone is leaving notes and gifts for her and declaring his undying love with every token of his affection. He already has access to her home, but he also wants access to her heart. Deshaud leaps into action, once he finds out that his star employee is in danger. In his effort to protect her, he finds it harder and harder to think of her as “just” an employee or his friend’s ex. He’s starting to see his future in her.
Will Deshaud and Kendra’s bond survive, or will the looming threat put an end to their story before it truly begins?
Leslie C. Youngblood
Georgie has no idea what to expect when she, Mama, and Peaches are plopped down in the middle of small town USA–aka Bogalusa, Louisiana–where Mama grew up and Great Aunt Vie needs constant care.
Georgie wants to help out at the once famous family diner that served celebrities like the Jackson 5 and the Supremes, but everyone is too busy to show her the ropes and Mama is treating her like a baby, not letting her leave her sight. When she finally gets permission to leave on her own, Georgie makes friends with Markie–a foster kid who’d been under Aunt Elvie’s care–who has a limb difference and a huge attitude.
Then Markie asks Georgie to help her find her mom, and suddenly summer has a real purpose. But as Georgie and Markie’s histories begin to entwine, Georgie becomes more desperate to find the truth. But words spoken cannot be taken back and once Georgie knows the truth, she may even find a way to right past wrongs and help Aunt Vie and Markie out after all.
This post contains affiliate links.