Contemporary African American Fiction

She loved and lost. Losing him shattered her to pieces. She can be whole again. He’s the reason. He’s also the reason why her life fell apart. Now, she needs him more than she needs air to breathe.

As a charter-school director, Olivia Cameron is no stranger to everyday unexpected surprises. But when she finds money (and lots of it) hidden behind false walls in the home she inherited, an extremely unusual problem falls into her lap. Now, she's under the watchful eye of local FBI agent Sloan Kendrick as he investigates where the money came from. But with Sloan in her life, Olivia stumbles upon something even rarer than accidentally discovering millions of 1929 dollars: true love.

Chandler Gray never imagined during her journey to earn a nursing degree, she would encounter a distraction, in the form of firefighter, Moses Lawson. With the chaos of supporting her mother after her father’s passing and completing her internship and practicum, Chandler had no time for a relationship. However, Moses’ persistence, charisma, and rugged good looks made her think again. Perhaps a summer fling with no strings attached was just what the doctor ordered.

Krew and Navy Troy are brothers with the same blood but different paths. After looking death in the face, Navy spends four years struggling to get his life back. He did the work so opening his heart to the right woman finally feels right. Navy’s dance with death is a wake-up call for his brother, Krew. He failed at protecting his brother and he refuses to do that again. He spends four years building a foundation for the Troy brothers to have financial stability. Krew meets a woman that proves that timing is everything, and this time, he plans on making it work.

Upon finding out Belly has been unfaithful, Blaise realizes that bringing yet another child into the world with a womanizing manipulator isn't ideal, so she must act accordingly. In the second installment, Belly learns that Blaise is a far cry from the sit-by-the-phone women he's used to. His suave demeanor, charming ways, and calculated words fall on blind eyes and deaf ears when it comes to the heartbroken and now callous Blaise. However the ever so determined Belly is always up for a challenge.

Marquise "Que" Gates isn't just the typical reformed thug. He's refined in all ways favorably, still with an irresistible swagger and much more. Just when he switched the game and attempted to go legit and take a backseat to his operation, his world gets shaken up with a tragic event that leaves him heartbroken and with unexpected responsibilities he never knew he was ready for. That isn't until he meets Meleehia "Mel" Rush, who's laced with flaws and insecurities owing to a fragile past. Yet, her authenticity and vulnerability captivate him in a way he hadn't felt since…

Walker Jareau prided himself on being a player. Women came a dime a dozen, and he was like a revolving door... until he met the one woman who threatened to swipe his player card—Jorja Sandifer. The beautiful dancer captivated him from the moment he laid eyes on her. It didn’t take long for the friends with benefits to migrate into an unconventional relationship, laced with a bit of toxicity. Feelings developed, and neither wants to come clean until Jorja has had enough.

Cartel Jareau has always been the protector of his siblings. The handsome chef has a bit of a roughness to him. Aside from his family, very few people get to witness his sensitivity. When he met Adina Harold a year ago, he had no idea that intervening in an embarrassing exchange would lead to falling in love with a woman he could never truly have. She was spoken for. Forbidden, yet during turmoil brewing within her home, they somehow fell in love.

Zahi was young and living life to the fullest. Then, he was thrust into fatherhood and forced to change his outlook on life, love, and happiness. The self-proclaimed bachelor did not expect to be swept up in emotions he'd never felt. However, caring for his daughter, Zuri, charged a part of his heart that he thought was dead. The spark awakened a need for more out of life. From the moment he laid eyes on India, he was drawn to her. The pull was so intense, and no matter how many times he told himself to stay away from her, he just couldn't follow his own command.

Silk Bovan is head over heels for the infamous Kane Styles. In her eyes, they’re soulmates destined to be together forever. That’s until Kane suddenly dishes out a bone that Silk can’t chew. Ramifications which leave Silk in a world of smoke and mirrors. Will her and Kane’s undying love stand the test of time? Or will Kane prove to be the biggest dog of them all?

Juleena doesn't know who she can trust anymore. She is truly in a battle of her heart over family. Who does she choose, and what does she do? Her brother has always been her right hand, someone she could trust with her life. When that changes, who can she truly depend on?

Juleena always knew she wanted to go away to college; she just didn't know it would be in New York. That was until she met and fell in love with her boyfriend, Mooski, a few summers ago. Juleena knew she wanted to be close to him, so she applied to every college possible in the tri-state area just so she could be close to him. Ju's plan was to always attend NYU, so when she got accepted into Fordham University, she felt herself straying from her life's path. Juleena thought moving to New York would make her and Mooski closer. Instead, the two of them couldn't be further apart.

What do you do if people say you are born with the “mark of the devil,” especially in Jamaica where many believe in the spirits of good and evil? If you are Isabella “Bella” Pigmore, born with a birthmark so pronounced that she faces ridicule for most of her young life, you feel bad—very bad. Growing up feeling like a freak, Bella clings to the only support she has, her mother. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances and she is left alone with her abusive father, Bella suffers dearly at the hands of the man who should protect her.

Janiece is finally settled with her husband, Isaiah, after a whirlwind of drama with her ex-lover, K.P., and his wife. She is ready to live happily ever after, but Isaiah is called back to duty and has to serve eighteen months in Iraq. Janiece is left behind just when K.P. moves back to Chicago. Still not over Janiece, K.P. wants her back. He is shocked to find out that she is now married and expecting her first child, and there is no chance for them to start over. Unable to move on, K.P. decides to try to be a friend, causing drama and turbulence with Janiece's in-laws.

From a murderous Bonnie and Clyde stirring up a hornet’s nest to a drug war and the rise of heroin overdoses, Detectives Michael Acosta and Chris Emerson are tasked with investigating the rash of robberies and brutal murders happening in the borough. Queens is bubbling with heated violence, as rival kingpins vie for power in Erick S. Gray’s intense addition to the bestselling Kingpins Series.

Keena and Kim met in a group home and have been best friends ever since. They both have the mindset of money over men, and they don’t play where they lay. They set brothas up and rob them, disappearing without a trace. Keena, the brains of the two, sets up the biggest lick of their lives in Miami. If they can pull this one off, they can retire and live the good life. Peter, who everyone calls Black, is not an easy target. He is different from all the others that they have set up, and Keena is having second thoughts.

Keyon has been through more than enough drama in her young life. She tries to put as much distance between her and the past in Louisiana, taking the opportunity to move to Memphis with her longtime boyfriend, Casimere. Adjusting to their new home, Keyon thinks she’s finally getting the life that she deserves. But is she? Has she truly left behind all the things that caused her pain?

Ms. Nova sacrificed her childhood to be a teenage mother and provider for her family. Working a dead-end job barely pays the bills, but her luck is due to change when her homegirl suggests she shake her ass at a jumping strip joint. Weary and self-conscious, she is reluctant at first, but the money is fast and easy and makes her life a lot easier. Although she has more bread, her bedroom life is at a standstill. Thinking with her head and not her heart, she makes a boss move on the club owner and is able to wrap him around her pinky.

Life can be hard to navigate at times, but for Lazarus Mitchell, it’s been a constant battle. Marrying his high school sweetheart and putting his dreams on hold to help her fulfill hers, he kept pushing through life’s adversities in hopes of seeing better days. Throughout the journey, he realized that she didn’t have the tenacity he had or the wherewithal to look difficulty in the face and choose to overcome it.

There’s a saying that if you come from my part of town, you're from around the way. Urban Books bestsellers Treasure Hernandez and Marcus Weber bring listeners a fast-paced look at the lives of some street-smart women who think they know it all.