Contemporary African American Fiction

Spade Spencer's life seems to be coming together. He's engaged to be married to the love of his life, Bria Murray, and he's an up and coming rapper who recently signed a major record deal. When Spade gets diagnosed with cancer, rather than lean on his fiancee for strength, he calls off the wedding, leaving Bria feeling alone and rejected. In an effort to move on with her life, Bria pours her energy into running her new company, The Spa Factory. Kerryngton Kruse, CEO of the record label that signed Spade, begins to pursue Bria romantically.

Dealing with the aftermath of her husband’s affair has not been easy for Sylvia Blackwell. When she vowed to stay by his side for better or for worse, she never imagined that would mean becoming a parent to Jordan, his troubled teenaged love child. Now, Sylvia is facing a new dilemma that could not only be the final straw that breaks her fragile marriage, but could also shatter her already strained relationship with her sister, Janelle.

Tiffanie has lived a sheltered life in a very strict household with her pastor grandfather and her grandmother in Washington, DC. But when she meets Damon, she falls for the successful entertainment businessman despite his history as a drug dealer. Everyone sees a bright future for the couple - yet when Tiffanie meets Trey, her lustful feelings leave her confused just days before her wedding....

For Saundra Smith, life is seemingly perfect. With a home of her own on the horizon, her teaching career set to begin soon, and a loving relationship with her longtime love, Langston, life couldn't be any more perfect...until she's blindsided by news that turns her perfect world upside down. Langston made a mistake - a costly mistake. As if cheating on Saundra wasn't devastating enough, he also confesses to having fathered a child with the other woman.

From the day he was born, Martavious “Tank” Young had to fight for what was his. No parents, no family, mentally and physically abused throughout his childhood. The challenges he endured only made him stronger and soon, the man who grew up with nothing had it all. Now, Tank is the man running the streets and the city, both legal and illegal. His money is long, his patience is short, and his reach is far.

Ten years ago, Sheila Moore pushed Nicholas Washington out of her life because of her need to control and her inability to believe that she was worth loving. In the last book of the Prodigal series, Sheila returns more mature and the mother of two teens. Nicholas returns to Charleston to teach and reclaim the woman of his heart, but is she ready to accept his love?

Mita "Sweet Lips" Cruz never had much chance to enjoy her youth because of her drug-addicted mother’s attraction to lowlife men. After she survives a vicious assault at the hands of her stepfather on her 14th birthday, Mita desperately searches for the meaning of unconditional love in the streets of North Philadelphia. When she discovers that she is carrying the child of her rapist, it’s too much for her damaged soul to bear. With an ugly future ahead of her, Mita puts the newborn up for adoption, vowing to seek revenge for the violations against her.

After a deadly domestic dispute nearly takes both parents away, his mother’s self-sacrifice is followed by a sudden move to Philadelphia to Camden, New Jersey which offers an opportunity for a new life and a clean slate. Then he comes face to face with the family “business”...integrating mainstream business principle and integrity with the raw rules and politics of the street don’t come easy. At lease, not without a little dirty work to ensure problems disappear and their enemies can’t draw another breath.

In cosmopolitan Johannesburg, three high-flying couples form the core of the elite Khula Society: part investment group, part social club, with meetings where the champagne flows, the dresses are designer and the one-upmanship is off the scale. Noma, Moshidi, Lerato and their husbands are living the dream—or so it appears from the outside. In reality, the cut and thrust of ‘keeping up with the Khulas’ is taking its toll on all three couples.

Derek Harper, a young African American man who dreams of becoming a successful songwriter, pursues his ambitions amid the colorful fast lane of the 1980s music industry, with only his parents to act as his conscience during his odyssey.

When the term serial killer is used, names like Bundy, Ramirez, and Jeffery come to mind. Xavier a.k.a. Killa has more bodies then all of them combined! Travel with Killa on his murderous rampage down the East Coast from New York to Georgia. Now facing the death penalty for an Atlanta murder, Killa undergoes psychiatric evaluation that causes his doctor to go from skeptic to fan and finally his ally as Xavier details his chronicles of a killer!

Confident and determined, video vixen Koreen Wilson has it all: money, fame, supportive friends, a loving daughter, and an adoring fiancé. What happens when Koreen continues to risk it all to for her insatiable sexual appetite? Meet Koreen's closest friends: Ivonka Roux is the finest attorney money can buy. With her 38th birthday looming, Ivonka is desperate to find Mr. Right and start a family...even if it means ignoring red flags.

After taking one look at May Roberts, Ben knows he has to have her. But he's a player known for breaking hearts, and May is tired of playing games. After a night of the hottest sex she's ever experienced, May promises herself it won't happen again. But something about Ben awakens kinky cravings she never knew she had.

The girls are at it again and have taken revenge to the next level. Dana has gone through an ultimate test of will and faith, but she refuses to sit still and live her life being dependent on others. Stephanie is in a world of her own and wants to transition away from Dana and Brittany. Jeryca's future keeps her visiting her past and remembering how Farrah was there for her, which sets her teeth on edge. She is going to make everyone involved pay dearly - even the ones currently in her circle.

Vera Wright-Turner thinks she has it all under control until she meets and greets herself. Born on the flip side of the hustler's game, she is the child of a 15-year-old drug addict who places her in a trash dump with a note that read, "Please forgive me...my mother's only 15...." Well, that is of little consolation to Vera as she lives her gold-diggin' life full speed ahead, only to come to a crashing halt when she realizes that facing up to the flip side of the game is the only way she will survive.

Midori Hunter has it all, and on the outside looking in, one would think Midori is happy, but it's another story when you don't marry for love. Tired of her cheating husband and with being lonely, Midori takes a liking to Jaydah B., the sassy best-selling author. They appear to be a match made in heaven. When the lies that both women have told threaten to be exposed, who decides who stays and who goes? Midori and Jaydah have a lot on the line, and both could lose everything they've worked for. That's why their love affair has to remain their little secret.

Blu thinks she knows all there is to know about the dope game. She's watched her momma serve out of the same place they lay their heads since she was a little girl. Then her brother's best friend, Budz, shows her that there is more to the game than just selling drugs. With love, loyalty, and wealth on her side, what more could she want? Blu finds out when she is introduced to Black, and Blu is determined to make him her reality. Torn between two men who have secrets and motives of their own, Blu has no idea what she's gotten herself into, but she knows there is only one way out.

Two-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist Bernice L. McFadden has also been twice honored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. One of Library Journal's 25 Key Indie Fiction Titles, this heartbreaking tale follows two damaged but hopeful souls as they struggle to find love despite the ravages of their pasts.

Alexis Fletcher hasn't had a merry Christmas in five years - not since her mother passed away. Every December she remembers the joy her mother brought to everyone during the holiday season and feels the pain of her absence, even more so now that she and her sister are barely speaking. More than anything, Alexis wishes her family could be whole again.

Essence best-selling authors Kiki Swinson and Noire have attracted huge audiences for their sexy, anything-goes fiction. Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless features a novella from each author. Swinson’s electric “Shamelessly Rich” showcases a spoiled bad girl facing a life-changing choice. And in Noire’s “Puttin’ Shame in the Game,” three gorgeous ladies set their sights on a wealthy cop.