Valentine’s Day is almost here, and if there’s one thing I love, it’s African-American authors—for me, the Blacker, the better. This month is the perfect chance for you to fall in love with some old favorites and to find a few new authors. Here are a few authors I believe you’ll love. Please note, this article contains affiliate links.
Stacy Hawkins Adams
Why you’ll love her: She has a way with words and storytelling.
Check out: Winds of Change series, including Coming Home
Rochelle Alers
Why you’ll love her: She’s one of the pioneers of Black romance.
Check out: Her latest, A Winning Season
A.C. Arthur
Why you’ll love her: Her romances offer intriguing plots, and her young adult novels take on the paranormal.
Check out: Her Legions Afrofuturist paranomal romance, including her latest Tempt the Dragon
ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Why you’ll love her: She consistently delivers great stories.
Check out: Her latest life, A Little Bit of Karma
Niobia Bryant
Why you’ll love her: Her books are sexy, funny and oh so real.
Check out: Her latest life, One Night with Cinderella
Francine Craft
Why you’ll love her: Her contemporary romances will make you happy.
Check out: Never Without You Again
Angie Daniels
Why you’ll love her: She’s not afraid to write what’s on her mind.
Check out: Her latest release, Trouble Loves Company
Delaney Diamond
Why you’ll love her: She writes sweet, sensual, passionate romance.
Check out: Book 1 of her Plan B series, Until Now
Sherron Elise
Why you’ll love her: She empowers and inspires women through entertaining Christian Fiction stories.
Check out: Quarantine Quarrel
Natasha Frazier
Why you’ll love her: She inspires readers one page at a time,
Check out: Her Love, Lies and Consequences series, including Out of the Shadows
Sherelle Green
Why you’ll love her: She offers sexy, sassy, and sophisticated stories with a touch of drama.
Check out: Her Social Experiment series, including her latest, Still Single AF
Pat G’Orge-Walker
Why you’ll love her: She turns her observations of church life into side-splitting humor.
Check out: Her latest, Fire in the Water
Bettye Griffin
Why you’ll love her: She shows us real-world romance.
Check out: From this Day Forward
Vanessa Davis Griggs
Why you’ll love her: She deftly incorporates the spiritual into real-life issues.
Check out: Blessed Trinity series, including The Other Side of Divine
Linda Leigh Hargrove
Why you’ll love her: Her books build bridges.
Check out: Her Newland Road series, including her most recent addition, Cooking School
Carolyn Hector
Why you’ll love her: She finds the romance in every situation.
Check out: Preorder her upcoming release, Cocoa Dreams
Donna Hill
Why you’ll love her: Whether you’re interested in romance, women’s fiction, chicklit or mysteries, she’s got you covered.
Check out: Her latest, Confessions in B-Flat
Alexandria House
Why you’ll love her: She writes real black love for mature adults.
Check out: Her Them Boys series, including Shu
Jacinta Howard
Why you’ll love her: Love is beautiful, humans are messy. She writes about the space in between.
Check out: The Prototype series, including the first book in the series, Happiness in Jersey
Piper Huguley
Why you’ll love her: She brings African-American history to life with her 20th century tales.
Check out: Home to Milford College series, including The Representative’s Revolt
Brenda Jackson
Why you’ll love her: She creates stories about families that make you want to fall in love.
Check out: The Wife He Needs
Norma Jarrett
Why you’ll love her: Her books will remind you of hanging out with your girlfriends.
Check out: Preorder her Valentine’s Day release, Rosie’s Cupid Cake
Beverly Jenkins
Why you’ll love her: She’s the pioneer and queen of African-American historical romance, and her modern-day stuff will hook you
Check out: Preorder Wild Rain
Christina C. Jones
Why you’ll love her: She seamlessly weaves the complexities of modern life into captivating tales of Black romance.
Check out: Her latest, Maybe Next Time
Wayne Jordan
Why you’ll love him: He’s one of the few men writing romance, and he does it oh so well.
Check out: The Knight Trilogy, including One Gentle Knight
Sherri Lewis
Why you’ll love her: Her characters are flawed and seeking salvation.
Check out: Finding Mrs. Wright
Michelle Lindo-Rice
Why you’ll love her: She enjoys crafting fiction centered around faith, friendship, family and forgiveness.
Check out: The first book of her Lovetown series, Small Town Love, which she coauthored with Michelle Stimpson
Sheryl Lister
Why you’ll love her: She writes sweet, sensual contemporary romance
Check out: Closer to You
Lutishia Lovely
Why you’ll love her: She chooses her words wisely.
Check out: Her first single title ever, Saving Her Shadow
Tia McCollors
Why you’ll love her: Her Christian fiction stories have a realness that is unmatched
Check out: Days of Grace series, including Monday Morning Joy
Rhonda McKnight
Why you’ll love her: Her Christian fiction stories just seem to get better and better.
Check out: Her latest, What She Wants
Vanessa Miller
Why you’ll love her: Her stories minister to readers.
Check out: Her Let’s Stay Together series, including her 50th release, Forever
Tyora Moody
Why you’ll love her: She writes soul-searching mysteries with a dash of romance.
Check out: Her Serena Manchester series, including Bittersweet Motives
Stephanie Perry Moore
Why you’ll love her: She is one of the few authors writing Christian fiction for kids and young adults.
Check out: Swoop List series, including Give It Up
Victoria Christopher Murray
Why you’ll love her: She has a gift for storytelling and a way with words.
Check out: Seven Deadly Sins series (soon to be Lifetime movies), including her latest, Wrath
Kendra Norman
Why you’ll love her: She pens stories that could happen every day.
Check out: Her Solomon series, including Song of Solomon
Unoma Nwankwor
Why you’ll love her: She shares faith and romance with an African spice
Check out: Preorder her latest, To Breathe Again
Vanessa Riley
Why you’ll love her: She writes historical fiction and historical romance (Georgian, Regency, and Victorian eras) featuring hidden histories, dazzling multi-culture communities, and strong sisterhoods.
Check out: Rogues and Remarkable Women series, including A Duke, the Lady and a Baby
Kimberla Lawson Roby
Why you’ll love her: She delivers powerful stories of family and friendship
Check out: Her first nonfiction project, The Woman God Created You to Be
Farrah Rochon
Why you’ll love her: Whether you love the hustle and bustle of the big city, or the quiet serenity of small towns, you’re sure to lose yourself within the pages of one of her romance series.
Check out: Preorder her upcoming book, The Boyfriend Project
Kennedy Ryan
Why you’ll love her: She writes romance in real life.
Check out: Her latest, Queen Move
Patricia Sargeant
Why you’ll love her: Between Sargeant and her alter egos Regina Hart and Olivia Matthews, there’s a story to match your every mood.
Check out: Her Monarch series, including Keeping Score
Toni Shiloh
Why you’ll love her: Her books are soulfully romantic
Check out: Her latest, An Unlikely Proposal
Pat Simmons
Why you’ll love her: Her inspirational romances are big on faith and well-researched genealogical subplots.
Check out: Her Family Is Forever series, including the first book, Lean On Me
Maureen Smith
Why you’ll love her: She writes several genres, and she does them all well.
Check out: Denver Rebels series, including her latest Sin Bin
Michelle Stimpson
Why you’ll love her: Her books are relatable and will have you laughing out loud
Check out: The first book of her Lovetown series, Small Town Love, which she coauthored with Michelle Lindo-Rice
Chandra Sparks Splond (that’s me!)
Why you’ll love her: She writes real, relatable reads, mainly for teens and tweens
Check out: Her latest young adult novel, Speak
Kim Cash Tate
Why you’ll love her: She does not shy away from tough subjects and tells them in a way that leaves you wanting more—of a relationship with God and more of her stories.
Check out: Her Promises of God series, including her latest, As Long As I Cling
Jacquelin Thomas
Why you’ll love her: She writes Christian fiction and romance in a way that no one else can.
Check out: Phoenix
Joan Vassar
Why you’ll love her: She has always had the in-depth ability to astutely relate, interpret and bring words to life.
Check out: The Black Series, including the first book, Black
Denise Walker
Why you love her: Her Christian fiction will encourage, educate and restore.
Check out: Barren Womb, Book 1 of The Redemption Series
Alexandra Warren
Why you’ll love her: She loves to write contemporary romance, and it shows in her work.
Check out: Complacent, the latest in her Building 402 series
Tiffany L. Warren
Why you’ll love her: She writes great characters and plots.
Check out: All the Things I Should Have Known
Lisa Watson
Why you’ll love her: Her characters are memorable and fun.
Check out: The Match Broker series, including Love by Design
D.L. White
Why you’ll love her: She writes warm romantic fiction.
Check out: The Never List
Elle Wright
Why you’ll love her: Her books are on the edge of romance and drama
Check out: Her Pure Talent series, and preorder the latest installment, The Way You Love Me
Pamela Samuels Young
Why you’ll love her: Her legal thrillers spotlight people of color in a way rarely seen.
Check out: The Dre Thomas and Angela Evans series, including her latest, Failure to Protect
Sean D. Young
Why you’ll love her: She crafts heartwarming and passionate family love stories that deal with forgiveness, promise, romance and redemption.
Check out: Her Love Connection series, including the latest, Caught in His Webb
What authors have you fallen in love with and why?