Contemporary African American Fiction

After a disastrous attempt at a one-night stand, Eliott Rayne is content with never seeing the wildly confident and ridiculously handsome Dane Clarke again. Two years later, she's mostly pushed him from her mind when he barrels into her life once more as the best man at a wedding she's been hired to photograph. Her first instinct is to run, cancel the job, and get as far away from Dane as possible. But Dane has other ideas. When Eliott reveals the embarrassing reason behind their failed night together, Dane is undeterred

Phox Bello is a fearless, headstrong, high-stepping bombshell of a boss who will do just about anything to secure her empire. The thought of having to collaborate or partner with anyone makes Phox itch with contempt. Hades Metellus is a man who reigns supreme. Everything he touches turns to gold or ash if he so desires. Hades controls everything from his mafia throne, and the power feeds his soul. The thought of having to share space at the top is a concept that he could never wrap his head around, but he better be prepared to get spun. What happens when the two bosses link up?

Aphrodite Greer is finally starting to see better days. She's slowly accepting that she can have a beautiful life despite her daughter being dead without feeling guilty. That beautiful life has a name and it's Goal Navarro—the persistent head of the Navarro Cartel. Goal Navarro sees what he wants and goes after it. Being a man who's always on the move, he's finally found the lady that keeps him grounded. Running the Cartel that was snatched from his father and handed to him by his Abuelo, nothing can stop the sexy Colombian.

Holland Davenport is ready to go beyond her small-town existence. Her plan involves moving into an apartment in Charleston—not inheriting a run-down brownstone in Brooklyn from a relative she never knew. Yet in a burst of daring, Holland meets the challenge head-on, moving to New York to learn more about her family and renovate the place. Add to that a gorgeous next-door neighbor who turns out to be a board member at her new job, and she’s definitely out of her depth.

Teagan Williams knows how to take a loss—especially a big one. After the spectacular collapse of her tennis career and her romantic relationship (note to self: betrayal does not go with tennis whites), she put down her racket, picked herself up and started her life over. But now Teagan’s been asked to compete in her country club’s tournament. And she’s considering it. Because what’s the worst that could happen? Her ex. The spotlight-stealing almost love of her life. That’s what could happen.

With the amount of lows that happened back to back in this series, you would think that the worst is now over, but it's honestly just begun. One of the biggest lows of this series has to be Emilia's and Ramonte's betrayal of Carmen. We all know that Carmen is very short-tempered, and it doesn't take much for her to lash out. To know that a cousin of hers, who's also her best friend, is pregnant by Carmen's baby's father is a situation where Carmen will be well within her rights to handle it however she wants to.

Unsettled… That is the word Desire Chambries uses to describe how she feels. Although her preschool students bring her joy, her personal life needs resuscitating. She’d love to get married, but the dating scene lacks quality men. Most were barely boyfriend material and definitely not fit to be someone’s husband. At thirty-five years old, her hope of finding the man of her dreams and becoming a wife is fading fast, as is the idea of having children of her own. One lonely Friday night, after being stood up for the third time, she sees an ad for Arranged Hearts on social media.

Kachelle Lewis is tired of waiting for love. As a successful pediatric orthodontist, she has everything else going for herself, but the one thing she desires most seems to be just out of reach. Coming home to an empty home has gotten old, and Kachelle longs for companionship. After dating every wrong man, she’s decided to put the fate of her love into the hands of Arranged Hearts, a professional matchmaking service, but there is a catch. While she’ll be paired with what she hopes is the man of her dreams, she will know nothing about him until she meets him at the altar.

Giselle King refuses to wait for time to pass her by without obtaining everything she desires. After fulfilling her goal of becoming a dental hygienist and having financial stability, she knows she’s ready for a family. Years of dating proved to be a waste. An arrangement was made to bless her with two beautiful children, who keep her busy, but she’s still not totally happy. She wants a loving relationship with the man of her dreams… a man that’s perfect for her. Impatience with the dating process causes her to make another arrangement.

A.J. Grayson has come a long way from adopted orphan to fast-rising executive at a cutting-edge technology firm. Now an anti-terrorist agency wants to use the revolutionary artificial intelligence system she developed to thwart a plot against Jafir's monarchy—and handsome, dynamic Damon Toca, the region's newly crowned king. In six short months, Damon has gone from gallery owner to controversial politician. When his cabinet hires A.J. Grayson—without his consent—he gets ready for a battle.

I think my best friend just proposed to me . . . am I tripping? How could he remember, he can't be serious. A pact that we made when we were only teenagers couldn't still ring true . . . could it? I promised my best friend that we would get married if we were both thirty-five and still single. At the time, I was a teenager and believed that I would be married long before that age. But I was wrong. So very wrong. I'll be thirty-five on my next birthday and still single.

For a place that just won an award for Best Small Town, Peachtree Cove sure has a big rumor mill. And Tracey Thompson is tired of being at the center of it. She’s worked hard to make her bed-and-breakfast a success—only to have her soon-to-be ex’s very public affair with her business partner result in a shocking pregnancy…and the biggest scandal around.

When it comes to business, Mr. Black Los Angeles, Dante Powell believes in planning down to the smallest detail, and that includes the Juneteenth festival he's spearheading. His personal life is another matter, however. He lives by one simple rule—no strings, only flings. But he didn't count on the one night of explosive passion he shared with Jayana Cole or seeing her again.

Bruce was threatening to expose a big secret of the Yoshida family—he wasn't Lee's biological father. Aside from Lee's CEO title on the line, the real hurt was the identity of his real father. That was about to shake the entire family upside down. Also, Lee has been keeping certain details about himself from Constance. Eventually, he'll have to come clean which terrifies him that he could scare her off for good.

They are in the midst of wedding planning when a blast from the past returns, threatening to tear down everything they've worked so hard to build. They pray their relationship is strong enough to withhold the troubles, but are the actions too heartbreaking for them to bounce back one last time?

One thing about me? I don't play games. Another thing about me? I don't waste time. In my role as Mr. Black Detroit, my focus is supporting my community and planning the city's annual Juneteenth celebration. Again, my time is valuable. I should've ignored the text. But . . . there's something about Daphne that makes me want to engage. Maybe it's the way she commands a room and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Or maybe it's the glimpse of vulnerability in her eyes. It's probably just her. Whatever it is in the beginning quickly morphs into something else entirely, though.

Aphrodite Greer was born and raised in the bricks—projects in Jagoda Bay. She met the love of her life, Baguette, on that very soil. The ghetto goddess had her entire life mapped out for her, and just like most life plans, things took a turn for the worse. Infidelity, losing her baby girl Athena, and constant fights with her lover's mistress turned her from a rigid, dope boy's queen to a soft, put-up businesswoman. With five years between their failed relationship, Baguette and Aphrodite remain best friends, and since Baguette has moved on, his current girlfriend has also joined their circle.

Knowledge Toussaint was exposed to a fast life of grittiness. Being forced to maneuver through a life based on survival at the tender age of ten, he depended on a mother whose life was driven by addiction. All it took were two bullets to change Knowledge's life forever. When he was forced to leave his mother behind, he was taken in by one of the most prestigious hit men in Miami, Booney. As Booney leads Knowledge through an underworld of darkness, he also shines light by teaching him how to play the game of life called 'Chess.'

After opening a cultural community center in the heart of Chicago, Porter Crowne is determined to make The Blackout Fest the best Juneteenth celebration yet. Especially when chosen as Mr. Black Chicago. Partnering with influential members of the community will ensure its success. However, if you aren't following the plan, you're in his way just like the curvy, feisty vlogger who argues with every suggestion he has.

I’m coming for the children. Minister Jude Morgan has a strong relationship with the Lord but doesn’t know what the latest message means. He is determined to intercede for his young mentee, Carlton Oliver, and children worldwide. Nine-year-old Carlton wants to get to know his estranged dad, but at what cost? He’s about to discover many things he doesn’t know about the man who fathered him, and he’s on a mission to worship the Lord. Sinclaire Oliver regrets getting her ex, Harrison Wakefield, involved in her life and that of his son Carlton.