February may have been short, but it was filled with lots of sweet books. Check out these February black fiction releases.
Soul Love (audiobook)
Aja
Zoe comes from a line of clairvoyant, empathic women. Each one, including Zoe, is deeply connected to the world around them. Zoe’s gifts are much more intense and hard to go unnoticed by those who get close to her, so she often hides what she knows to avoid being seen as unstable. She’s always known who the love of her life was going to be, she just hadn’t met him yet. He could live halfway across the world for all she knew. But if she saw him…or if she met him…she would know she was meeting her soul mate. The man for her. Her man to love…Rashaad.
Rashaad only wants two things: to play his music and explore the world, and women, while he does it. So far, he’s been managing that very well, until he is pulled to the less than bustling, more like unassuming, city of Pittsburgh. He figures he can just get in and get out and move on, but getting in is more about love, and getting out would be about leaving it. He doesn’t know how to make that decision when it involves Zoe, his someone new. His once in a lifetime.
Contains mature themes.
Jayne Allen
In this highly anticipated second installment in the Black Girls Must Die Exhausted series, Tabitha Walker copes with more of life’s challenges and a happy surprise – a baby – with a little help and lots of love from friends old and new.
For Tabitha Walker, her grandmother’s old adage, “Black girls must die exhausted” is becoming all too true. Discovering she’s pregnant – after she was told she may not be able to have biological children – Tabitha throws herself headfirst into the world of “single mothers by choice”. Between her job, doctor’s appointments, and preparing for the baby, she’s worn out. And that’s before her boss at the local news station starts getting complaints from viewers about Tabitha’s natural hair.
When an unexpected turn of events draws Marc – her on and off-again ex-boyfriend – back into her world with surprising demands, and the situation at work begins to threaten her livelihood and her identity, Tabitha must make some tough decisions about her and her baby’s future. It takes a village to raise a child, and Tabitha turns to the women who have always been there for her.
Bolstered by the fierce support of Ms. Gretchen, her grandmother’s best friend, the counsel of her closest friends Laila and Alexis, and the calming presence of her doula Andouele, Tabitha must find a way to navigate motherhood on her own terms. Will she harness the bravery, strength, and self-love she’ll need to keep “the village” together, find her voice at work, and settle things with Marc before the baby arrives?
ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Raising four very different daughters on her own in rural Arkansas wasn’t easy for Miss Pearly Bell. And she’s always regretted that the sisters went their separate ways for good—and never wanted to see each other again. But when Pearly is stricken with a terminal illness, she summons them all home—determined to somehow help them get right with each other and forgive. . . But that means dealing with past secrets and lies first.
As the oldest sister, pastor’s wife Maxine took her responsibility way too seriously—and never fails to judge everyone else. But a secret she can no longer keep will explode everything she stands for. Youngest sister Leslie is all about making a very different life with her new love—but she didn’t expect a shattering past truth to be suddenly revealed and uproot everything she ever thought she knew. Elegant PR professional Stella and her earthy twin, Star, don’t see eye-to-eye on anything—and now a long-ago deception could wipe out their last chance at a relationship.
Soon each sister must confront the illusions they’ve taken refuge in for so long and deal with each other woman-to-woman. But can building an all-too-fragile trust repair the damage done—and help them come together when they are needed most?
Destiny O. Birdsong
In this glittering triptych novel, Suzette, Maple, and Agnes, three Black women with albinism, call Shreveport, Louisiana home. At the bustling crossroads of the American South and Southwest, these three women find themselves at the crossroads of their own lives.
Suzette, a pampered 20-year‑old, has been sheltered from the outside world since a dangerous childhood encounter. Now, a budding romance with a sweet mechanic allows Suzette to seek independence, which unleashes dark reactions in those closest to her. In discovering her autonomy, Suzette is forced to decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to make her own way in the world.
Maple is reeling from the unsolved murder of her free‑spirited mother. She flees the media circus and her judgmental grandmother by shutting herself off from the world in a spare room of the motel where she works. One night, at a party, Maple connects with Chad, someone who may understand her pain more than she realizes, and she discovers that the key to her mother’s death may be within her reach.
Agnes is far from home, working yet another mind‑numbing job. She attracts the interest of a lonely security guard and army veteran who’s looking for a traditional life for himself and his young son. He’s convinced that she wields a certain “magic”, but Agnes soon unleashes a power within herself that will shock them both and send her on a trip to confront not only her family and her past, but also herself.
This novel, told in three parts, is a searing meditation on grief, female strength, and self‑discovery set against a backdrop of complicated social and racial histories. Nobody’s Magic is a testament to the power of family – the ones you’re born in and the ones you choose. And in these three narratives, among the yearning and loss, each of these women may find a seed of hope for the future.
Daniel Black
As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob’s tumultuous relationship with Isaac’s mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob’s role as a father and his reaction to Isaac’s being gay.
But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.
With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is engaging, Don’t Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love’s hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.
Maya Blake
The result of their off-limits chemistry? A scandal nobody would suspect! Enjoy this surprise pregnancy story by Maya Blake.
A forbidden night…
A baby bombshell!
Atu Quayson is the rebel in a family that exudes power and influence. Unexpectedly pulled back into the Quayson empire, Atu must persuade Amelie Hayford, daughter of his father’s fiercest rival, to sell her family’s beach resort—to the enemy!
Why, wonders Amelie, does she feel such a wild attraction to the one man who is completely off-limits? Surrendering to the intense heat raging between them was inevitable. What they didn’t expect was the explosive consequences… And Amelie has to find the words to tell Atu she’s pregnant with his heir!
Mel Dau
Magdeline “Maggie” James Carson has lived a life of isolation. After tragedy strikes in her teen years, she views the world in a different light that is a definite shade of blackish grey. Even in her isolation she is a star admired by many. Will one admirer win her admiration, or will she slam the door in the face of potential love?
Jamison Justin Christianson Jr. “Oxy” is the heir to the Christianson Pharmacy throne. Following in his father’s footsteps he has continued the success of the family’s legal business. When his parents decide to go on a long excursion around the country, he is saddled with a responsibility that just may change his entire life. Will he be able to stick his foot in a door that has been closed forever and will it be enough room for him to squeeze in and bring love with him?
When love is involved will it be able to open the doors that holds one captive, or will it simply be locked out for good?
Akwaeke Emezi
After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the city of Lucille.
Bitter’s instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus . . . but her friends aren’t willing to settle for a world that’s so far away from what they deserve. Pulled between old friendships, her artistic passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn’t sure where she belongs—in the studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?
This timely and riveting novel—a companion to the National Book Award finalist Pet—explores the power of youth, protest, and art.
Ruby Yayra Goka
When Amerley is offered a job working for one of her mother’s old school friends, she knows she has to accept. Her wages will feed her family, help her sisters stay in school, and ensure that her mother won’t have to worry about them. Amerley’s move to Accra isn’t easy, but she soon settles into her new life away from her small village—until she is raped by the son of her employer. Torn between keeping quiet to keep her job and speaking up for herself and for justice, Amerley must decide how to live her truth, and the impact of her choice will be felt through her entire community.
Through the life of an ordinary girl from a small country village, Even When Your Voice Shakes exposes the damage wrought by institutionalized misogyny and poverty and reveals how even those who are most disadvantaged are never without their own power.
Kai Harris
An ode to Black girlhood and adolescence as seen through KB’s eyes, What the Fireflies Knew follows KB after her father dies of an overdose and the debts incurred from his addiction cause the loss of the family home in Detroit. Soon thereafter, KB and her teenage sister, Nia, are sent by their overwhelmed mother to live with their estranged grandfather in Lansing, Michigan. Over the course of a single sweltering summer, KB attempts to navigate a world that has turned upside down.
Her father has been labeled a fiend. Her mother’s smile no longer reaches her eyes. Her sister, once her best friend, now feels like a stranger. Her grandfather is grumpy and silent. The white kids who live across the street are friendly, but only sometimes. And they’re all keeping secrets. As KB vacillates between resentment, abandonment, and loneliness, she is forced to carve out a different identity for herself and find her own voice.
A dazzling and moving novel about family, identity, and race, What the Fireflies Knew poignantly reveals that heartbreaking but necessary component of growing up – the realization that loved ones can be flawed and that the perfect family we all dream of looks different up close.
Suzette Harrison
The dust cloud rolls in from nowhere, stinging our eyes and muddling our senses. I reach for my baby sister and pull her small body close to me. When the sky clears, we are alone on an empty road with no clue which way to go…
Oklahoma, 1935. Fifteen-year-old Faith Wilson takes her little sister Hope’s hand. In worn-down shoes, they walk through the choking heat of the Dust Bowl towards a new life in California. But when a storm blows in, the girls are separated from their parents. How will they survive in a place where just the color of their skin puts them in terrible danger?
Starving and forced to sleep on the streets, Faith thinks a room in a small boarding house will keep her sister safe. But the glare in the landlady’s eye as Faith leaves in search of their parents has her wondering if she’s made a dangerous mistake. Who is this woman, and what does she want with sweet little Hope? Trapped, will the sisters ever find their way back to their family?
California, present day. Reeling from her divorce and grieving the child she lost, Zoe Edwards feels completely alone in the world. Throwing herself into work cataloguing old photos for an exhibition, she sees an image of a teenage girl who looks exactly like her, and a shiver grips her. Could this girl be a long-lost relation, someone to finally explain the holes in Zoe’s family history? Diving into the secrets in her past, Zoe unravels this young girl’s heartbreaking story of bravery and sacrifice. But will anything prepare her for the truth about who she is…?
U.M. Hiram
Milan Alessia Jackson battled through the scars left in her life from a contentious relationship. Her grandaunt served as her protector and guardian angel until she took her last breath. International lawyer Vikkas Germaine was her childhood friend and true love. Life’s circumstances separated them, but his father served as the catalyst to reunite them.
As the couple settle into their new marriage and Durabia, unexpected challenges rise up and threaten to tear their relationship apart. Secrets from her past, an unexpected trip to South Carolina and family members primed to settle scores surface, leading to a whirlwind of upheaval in their lives. Can their love survive these storms or will forces in play destroy everything they’re building?
Alexandria House
You’ll never forget this emotional, steamy, funny new romance by rising star Alexandria House—available in audio first!
Brooklyn Dembélé is still piecing her life together after her divorce and the loss of a lifestyle she’d dreamed of since childhood. The single mother’s time is filled with work at the prestigious Historically Black University Romey U. But despite her focus on rebuilding her life, she can’t seem to forget the mistakes of her past.
Vann London is recovering from a health scare that not only affected him physically, but mentally too. He’s not the same man who spent his life traveling the world, and now he’s returned to his alma mater to seek comfort in family. What he doesn’t expect is to be drawn back into a past love affair with his sister’s beautiful friend. Brooklyn is the one woman he’s never been able to forget – and she’s been harboring complicated feelings for him too.
Their attraction is undeniable, but can these two broken souls embrace their second chance and finally find lasting love?
Back in the Day (audiobook)
Katrina Jackson
2010 – Helping pack up his childhood home was going much easier than Amir expected. The only sticking point is the record collection his father Alonzo refuses to put in storage. When Amir asked his father why he needs to keep all those records with him, Alonzo offers to tell him a story instead.
Monterey Pop Festival – In 1967, Alonzo was a baby music reporter at the Village Voice on his first big assignment. By his side is photographer Ada Carr who is all brown skin, big afro, and sharp tongue. He should be worried about his story, but all he can think about is the way Ada looks dancing to the music in the dusk, the stage lights illuminating her form. He knows love when he sees, or better yet hears, it.
Over the course of two weekends, over 40 years apart, Alonzo imparts a soundtrack of love and life to Amir that bridges the past and present and they both learn how to say goodbye.
Content warnings: Parental death, grief, and recreational drug use.
Zoey Marie Jackson
Separated at birth
and determined to become a family.
“She looks like me!” When her orphaned niece utters those words, Kelsey Harris is shocked—not only that Morgan has a long-lost twin but that the grieving five-year-old spoke at all. Overjoyed by Morgan and Mia’s instant connection, Kelsey and Zach Johnson, Mia’s widowed adoptive father, agree to be friends—and only friends. But can they ignore their growing feelings when the matchmaking sisters put their plan into action?
Marlon James
In Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Sogolon the Moon Witch proved a worthy adversary to Tracker as they clashed across a mythical African landscape in search of a mysterious boy who disappeared. In Moon Witch, Spider King, Sogolon takes center stage and gives her own account of what happened to the boy, and how she plotted and fought, triumphed and failed as she looked for him. It’s also the story of a century-long feud—seen through the eyes of a 177-year-old witch—that Sogolon had with the Aesi, chancellor to the king. It is said that Aesi works so closely with the king that together they are like the eight limbs of one spider. Aesi’s power is considerable—and deadly. It takes brains and courage to challenge him, which Sogolon does for reasons of her own.
Both a brilliant narrative device—seeing the story told in Black Leopard, Red Wolf from the perspective of an adversary and a woman—as well as a fascinating battle between different versions of empire, Moon Witch, Spider King delves into Sogolon’s world as she fights to tell her own story. Part adventure tale, part chronicle of an indomitable woman who bows to no man, it is a fascinating novel that explores power, personality, and the places where they overlap.
Norma L. Jarrett
Vivienne Adams was a teacher who’d reached her limit. Normally, she’d go home and drown in ice cream and Netflix. But this time she went to happy hour with her younger colleagues. On the way home, she had an accident, which could have been much worse. Vivienne prayed, made a few cursory promises to God and was given grace. She soon learns how serious God is about promises when she unexpectedly becomes guardian to Bronwyn.
The Legend of the Curl Girl: Split Ends
H.D. Johnson
After the showdown in Salon City, things were anything but typical. Jada was now a star and the city’s new hero. There were too many changes to count. With the loss of her best friend and the new giftings of another friend, Jada struggles to find out the true meaning of strength as she has an internal battle against herself. She’s is shocked when she finds out a new nemesis has risen to tip the scales in favor of the WIVU monsters. Jada must find a way to accept herself, see the truth and help others to save the city.
Christina C. Jones
Predators.
A name – a definition – that was never supposed to be triumph, but a condemnation. A reminder of a certain place in the world – of a responsibility to the other living beings in the ecosystem.
As second-in-command of the Predators MC, Tatiana Tate is well-versed in both the expectations and reality of sustaining her way of life. In the wake of a tragedy that shook the whole organization, she’s had no issues stepping into power beside her lifelong friend – her brother. But even in the midst of their efforts to rebuild, the need for revenge against an unknown hunter looms in the shadows.
Good thing the shadows are more than familiar to Onyx – he thrives there on the fringes, with no place to truly call home. Orphaned by cruel decisions made before he was born, he’s the perfect secret weapon in the club’s struggle against an unidentified foe with a mostly ambiguous agenda.
They want the Predators wiped out.
That much is clear.
But nobody with Predator ink goes down without a fight.
Even the strongest prey isn’t immune to a determined predator.
But wise prey studies, until they are no longer afraid.
A Very Intimate Takeover (audiobook)
LaQuette
She’s ruthless in business but vulnerable in his arms.
Trey Devereaux is out to prove her corporate mettle to her skeptical father. When she sees a chance to take control of Devereaux Inc. from her estranged grandfather, she pounces. But Jeremiah Benton, his second-in-command, is fiercely protective of the Devereaux patriarch…and absolutely enticing.
The intensity of their attraction overwhelms her defenses, and Trey even finds herself warming to her grandfather under Jeremiah’s influence. Can Trey maintain her resolve – or is Jeremiah winning this high-stakes merger? The fate of a billion-dollar Brooklyn legacy lies in the balance….
Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Kristen R. Lee
Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sights were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face to face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then Clive Wilmington’s statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale’s most popular student and son of a local prominent family. Soon Savannah is unearthing secrets of Wooddale’s racist history. But what’s the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale’s past cost Savannah her own future?
B. Love
Honey Williams doesn’t trust men. Between her father and last lover, a part of her struggles with resenting the entire species. She’s spent the past six months hidden in the safety of her parents’ home hoping her kind heart will never be the cause of pain and misfortune again. That seems possible until a cranky client causes chaos… which leads to her meeting Mr. Librarian.
A natural protector, Kahlil Roberts feels like less of a man if he can’t serve those in need. When he finds the honey complexioned beauty sobbing in his library, there’s no question of if he should help her or not. What Kahlil doesn’t expect is for her presence to help him as well. For years, Kahlil has struggled with feeling guilt over not being able to save the person who needed him most. Finally, he believes he has a chance to make things right.
While both Honey and Kahlil have voids the other can fill, there are also reservations and past fears keeping them apart. As easy as their connection was, it proves to be a bit more difficult to keep their secrets and skeletons from ripping them apart. Throughout their journey for one another’s hearts, an enemy from Kahlil’s past threatens their lives. Will Mr. Librarian be able to save Honey again, or will she become another person he fails when they need him most?
B. Love
For Raffiel and Monroe, both life and love are crumbling underneath them. When they meet, their similarities motivate them to rebuild their foundations. To do that together, they must first release old ambitions and reservations. Will their weekend together lead to a lifetime of love, or will they part ways and force their memories of one another to be enough?
Tina Martin
Dare and Deja are back and showing you their lives after their first happily ever after. Follow their journey into forever!
PLEASE NOTE: These characters originally appeared in ‘Snowed in Shenandoah Valley‘. You MUST read this novel before reading these episodes. This box set contains the following short stories:
Episode 1 – Reception Romance
Episode 2 – Long Distance Troubles
Episode 3 – Back to the Valley
Episode 4 – Into Forever
Kelly McWilliams
As infants, twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while White-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia.
Magnolia knows nothing of her racial heritage, but secrets are hard to keep in a town haunted by the ghosts of its slave-holding past. When Magnolia finally learns the truth, her reflection mysteriously disappears from mirrors – the sign of a terrible curse. Meanwhile, in Harlem, Charlie’s beloved grandmother falls ill. Her final wish is to be buried back home in Georgia – and, unbeknownst to Charlie, to see her long-lost granddaughter, Magnolia Heathwood, one last time. So Charlie travels into the Deep South, confronting the land of her worst nightmares – and Jim Crow segregation.
The sisters reunite as teenagers in the deeply haunted town of Eureka, Georgia, where ghosts linger centuries after their time and dangers lurk behind every mirror. They couldn’t be more different, but they will need each other to put the hauntings of the past to rest, to break the mirrors’ deadly curse – and to discover the meaning of sisterhood in a racially divided land.
Tay Mo’Nae
Rerelease
4 Ever Down With Him + His Love Got Me On Lock = Valentine’s Short
Stephanie Nicole Norris
An irresistible encounter in the forest of Charlotte, North Carolina, turns into Nicole Franklin’s deepest desires.
Stephanie Nicole Norris
With her due date drawing near, Allison Valentine quickly feels the excitement and anxiety of giving birth to her first child. But never one to leave Allison to rest in those worries, Lance holds her hand every step of the way in this update from Give Me a Reason.
Note: This is a follow-up story to Give Me A Reason. I encourage you to read that book first before reading A Love So Sweet.
Tracy Reed
Gabriella was different.
She didn’t want my money. All she wanted was the one thing I was terrified to give…myself.
Now I have to go all in to win back the love of my life.
Malay Renee
Stop expecting you from other people – a hard lesson Jahcin Manning has come to face. When it comes to the men he calls his friends, Jahcin’s loyalty to them is unmatched. The idea of crossing them is far from his mind and deemed unacceptable… Until a rare opportunity presents itself and Jahcin finds himself stuck between doing what looks right versus what feels right.
M’siya Newsome has always been a mom first and wife second. She’s always putting herself on the back burner when it comes to her family. After an unexpected divorce, M’siya finds herself in a position where only she matters. She finds herself going up against something society deems uncanny, and for once she doesn’t care what the world has to say about her.
With boundaries crossed, loyalties questioned, and true happiness being on the line, can Jahcin and M’siya achieve a love they so badly desire, or will the world around them tear them to pieces? Sometimes, your future husband might be your boyfriend’s best friend, but who can be the true judge of that?
Laila Sabreen
In this compelling and thought-provoking debut novel, after a terrorist attack rocks the country and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths.
Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.
Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.
NiaShanta Ross
When Salem Shaw locked eyes with Natalia McClinton roughly four years ago, he just knew that he had to have her as his wife. He’d picked wrong in his first marriage, but figured he’d learned, and that the second time would be the charm.
No matter how hard Natalia McClinton tried to keep Salem Shaw at an arm’s reach, she still managed to fall hard for him. So hard that she opened her mangled heart up to him, and allowed him to change her last name.
What could go wrong with a love that was worth the wait?
Fast forward to the present day, and needless to say, the ink has officially dried on their marriage license, the googly eyes have subsided, and the Shaws are in the thick of what it truly means to walk out the vows that they recited to one another.
When both Salem and Natalia are tempted to return to skeletons in their pasts, will they forfeit the love that they’ve grown accustomed to, or will they realize that they have something worth fighting for?
Toni Shiloh
It seems like a dream come true . . . until it forces her to question everything.
Brielle Adebayo is fully content teaching at a New York City public school and taking annual summer vacations with her mother to Martha’s Vineyard. But everything changes when her mom drops a bombshell–Brielle is really a princess in the island kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, off the coast of Africa, and she must immediately assume her royal position, since the health of her grandfather, the king, is failing.
Distraught by all the secrets her mother kept, Brielle is further left spinning when the Ọlọrọ Ilé Royal Council brings up an old edict that states she must marry before her coronation, or the crown will pass to another. Brielle is uncertain if she even wants the throne, and with her world totally shaken, where will she find the courage to take a chance on love and brave the perils a wrong decision may bring?
A.E. Valdez
Kyrell Knight believes life is a game to be played and thoroughly enjoyed. He rarely takes anything seriously, lives in the moment, and indulges in as much pleasure with women as possible. But the sarcasm, money, and women are an attempt to erase the memories of his past as he tries to forget what he came from. It works until his past wants to be a part of his present.
Kyrell reconnects with Quinn Halifax at their mutual best friend’s engagement party. They spark up a friendship that quickly turns to flames when it becomes a superficial, no strings attached relationship.
Kyrell is struggling with his past while Quinn is trying to secure her future. Neither is looking for more, but fate has other plans.
What happens when two people collide with fate?
Content Advisory: child abuse, death, mentions of suicide
Charmaine Wilkerson
We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child, challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage, and themselves.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
Caught in His Webb (audiobook)
Sean D. Young
Sara Simmons has no desire to go into law or politics, so her brothers will continue the family’s legacy of prestige and honor. Making her mark on the world with high fashion has always been her dream. Taking her shot, she is threatened by a situation that could not only ruin her career, but her family’s reputation. There’s only one person she can run to for help and keep her secret too…Derrick “Spyder” Webb.
Being the man of the house at the age of 12 when his father died unexpectedly caused Spyder to grow up quickly. It made him a little unforgiving and demanding, but it also made him one of the greatest problem solvers this side of the Mississippi. Now, when people are in trouble, they come to him, but Sara is another story. He’d helped his best friend’s baby sister one night so many years ago. What he didn’t expect, however, was pulling her in his arms to comfort her and feeling things he hasn’t since. Now, she’s older, more mature, and gorgeous as hell. The problem is she’s off limits, but lately he can’t deny that her presence makes him want to pull her inside of his web of protection…into his web of desire.