Contemporary African American Fiction

Ebony can't believe her good fortune when her paper husband wakes not remembering the temporary marriage arrangement with no intimacies he'd proposed, but is now the adoring husband she's always dreamt of. She plans to make the most of the passion blossoming between them. However, would he still feel that way when he regains his memory and realizes she's been keeping secrets - and their marriage is not what he thinks it is?

Nothing invigorates the five Carter brothers more than an honest day's work - and the right women to come home to at night. Douglas Carter never expected the summer job he took at the post office 10 years ago to become his career. But now, at 28, he has zero regrets. He's happy to have a regular paycheck, good friends, and a sweet plan for retiring early. If only his cute but oh, so uptight new coworker felt as content as he does.

Nationally best-selling author Lutishia Lovely spills sin and sizzle in The Eleventh Commandment, part of the Hallelujah Love series. Members of Kingdom Citizen’s Christian Center are up to all sorts of no good. Frieda’s juggling her husband, new baby and boy toy, while Hope is struggling with the return of her husband’s old flame and Stacy’s deciding if joining her ex in a moneymaking scheme will reunite them.

Meet Orchid, a goal-oriented good girl whose origins began in the hood. The very same hood she craves, but it's off limits to her after the death of her father, one of the state's biggest kingpins. Released from the reins her mother kept hold of, she finds her way back to the hood and is attracted to one of its most eligible ballers. Demonte is every woman's wet dream: tall, dark, handsome, and paid. When he crosses paths with Orchid, he's determined to make her his.

Sassy, successful Faith Brown has earned her place in the boardroom through hard work and sheer ambition. Making family is not on her agenda when there are businesses to develop and competitors to outdo. So when a casual affair with smooth and irresistible tycoon Mark Essien leads to an unplanned pregnancy, she's determined not to make the mistakes her mother made by living with a man just for the sake of her child.

Los Angeles talent manager Benita Hawkins has returned to tiny Trinity Falls, Ohio, to visit her elderly great-aunt Helen - and hopefully convince her to move to assisted living. But that's not the only move Benita hopes to inspire. After years of hometown hookups with her childhood sweetheart, university band director Vaughn Brooks, Benita wants more: for Vaughn to move to LA and settle down with her. She even gets involved in his work, planning to lure him to the City of Angels....

Fortysomething and still single, music-video exec Pia Jamison has given up her grandiose ideas on men and marriage - but not motherhood. Her biological clock is on red alert, but after years of self-imposed celibacy she has no clue how to attract the man she needs to get the baby she wants. Help comes in the form of Pia's savvy assistant, who tricks her boss into attending, under the guise of a business conference, a flirting workshop called Weapons of Mass Seduction.

Essence best-selling author Vanessa Davis Griggs is not afraid to tackle controversial subject matter in her faith-based fiction. Forever Soul Ties follows Butterfly and Ethan - two high school friends mired in unhappy marriages. After a chance encounter, they embark on an illicit affair. But when Butterfly is found out, stress is placed on her already struggling marriage and her standing in her church.

Andrea Warren pushed her hand through her thick, dark hair and sighed. The project was not going how she wanted it to go. Her partners were well-intentioned, but they really had no idea what the neighborhood they were working with needed. Everybody she was working with was white and gave little to no thought to the needs of the black kids or understood what their lives were like.

Dr. Cade Mathis learned early that he was not the son of the man who raised him. His adoptive father, a cruel, bitter man, had always been quick to tell him that he was a bastard and an embarrassment to the rich society family whose daughter got pregnant with him. So when Cade received a full scholarship to college, he was only too happy to leave the only home he had ever known behind and never looked back. Now a successful doctor and one of the best neurosurgeons in the state, the only thing he still wants are answers about where he came from.

Treasure was betrayed by the person she loved. Sound typical? Add to that the fact that she was sent to prison for murder by the person she loved; and then the person she loved got with her best friend! Treasure escaped prison, and launched a blood campaign in Me and My Bitch. Now she has an entire organization of like-minded associates. Truly a mind-blowing trilogy. You will enjoy each and every page!

After a taste of Broadway stardom and a failed marriage, Francine Tanner is rebuilding her life back home on Cavanaugh Island. She's done with acting - and anyone who isn't genuine about real life and true feelings. But the mysterious newcomer who's bought land outside her hometown of Sanctuary Cove is as down to earth as he is handsome...and he may be her second chance for the real thing.

When middle-aged divorcee Emily Yancy moves home to be with her ailing mother, she's not expecting to find romance. But Aaron Merritt is a handsome doctor with all the right moves - except when it comes to the bedroom. Then there's Teddy Simms, her former crush whose only skills seem to lie between the sheets. What will Emily choose - happiness or sexual fulfillment?

Momma's Baby Daddy's Maybe is an Essence best seller by popular author Jamise L. Dames. This steamy tale revolves around the lives of the three Jacobs siblings: wild Kennedy, corporate Simone, and handsome Derrick.

Driven by the need to avenge the rape of her nine-year-old sister at the hands of drug lords, Monica Deitrich has spent a decade training for a career in law enforcement. When she is hired by the DEA, she receives her first assignment: Infiltrate and bring down King Kochese, a ruthless killer who controls the Texas drug trade. She soon finds her job is not so simple. Never mind the danger of working undercover—the simple fact is that King Kochese is a virile, complicated man whose attractiveness distracts her from the job at hand.

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.

Romulus St. Claire operates under the guise that he’ll never marry. In the back of his mind, he knows it’s a lie. He would marry if the woman was special enough—someone like his best friend, Siderra Monroe. He’s in no hurry to make her his. He’s still in limbo with his feelings, and he doesn’t believe he’s ready for a woman like her, even though he has a feeling she’s in love with him.

Sophomore Kalvin Shmelton has finally perfected his underground candy-selling hustle at school. He keeps his prices reasonable, his inventory fresh, and himself out of the drama. But when a heartbroken Sterling Glistern—Kal’s longtime crush—barges into the storage closet where he keeps his candy supply, a new source of income unexpectedly presents itself: relationship therapist. He only meant to help Sterling realize she’s dating a jerk—and maybe win her over—but news spreads fast that Kalvin’s not just the master of sweets…but hearts, too!

Cameo Rawlings, the sexy new CEO of Palmer Innovations is determined to represent the city and The Mr. Black Organization with class. With his not-so-pristine past, it was imperative that he succeed in raising awareness of the rich Black culture of the city. He was going to need a polished look and a professional event planner to make the Juneteenth celebration a success. He knows who he needs, but . . . the last encounter with the woman was less than pleasant.

Isaiah ""Ice"" Abernathy has always worshiped his older brother, Seth. For years they’ve been not just brothers but best friends—and as Seth starts his senior year, Ice is eager to spend as much time with his brother as he can, making memories before Seth goes to college.