Contemporary African American Fiction

Chicago. Ezekiel Edmonds relishes silence. Wounded from his days in foster care and now a single dad to a deaf little girl, the talented mechanic prefers spending time with cars instead of people. But when he meets his child’s lovely new teacher, his emotional defenses run out of gas. Cheyenne Simmons is passionate about helping the hearing-impaired. Determined to win a grant to start her own school, the fierce deaf instructor is unprepared when a student’s shy father disarms her with his kindness.

During football season, when NFL coaches gear up for war on the gridiron, their wives are left to fend for themselves. NFL wife B.J. Almond has had enough. When she walks in to find her head-coach husband in bed with one of his assistant coaches' wives, she is livid. But what really sets her off is when she discovers the other wives knew about the affair all along. Now she's furious and hungry for revenge. And what better way to exact that revenge than to air everyone's dirty laundry in a juicy tell-all book!

Twelve years in America and Eziafa Okereke has nothing to show for it. Desperate to rewrite his story, Eziafa returns to Nigeria to find a woman he can mold to his taste. Eighteen-year-old Zina has big dreams. An arranged marriage to a much older man isn't one of them. Trapped by family expectations, Zina marries Eziafa, moves to Houston, and trains as a nurse. Buffeted by a series of disillusions, the couple stagger through a turbulent marriage until Zina decides to change the rules of engagement.

As the matriarch in one of Chicago's elite families, Bridgette Valentine has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Coordinating soirees for every season, along with pulling her weight as the co-owner of Valentine Media Group, Bridgette is left little time to indulge in the one person who rocks her world, Leslie Valentine.

Lyle DeLeone has always had the mentality of a hustler. Having grown up with a weak, drug-addicted mother and an ignorant, misogynistic father, she had to learn early on to protect herself and handle her own. Unfortunately, her ways caused those around her to deem her unlovable. So, it was no surprise that when she met the handsome Rashawn, she quickly snatched him up, hoping to prove that she, in fact, could be loved by a man. Married life with Rashawn isn't bad, but it isn't good either.

Ever had a man to put you first? Prioritize your presence. Emphasize your existence. Maintain his focus... on you? Over everything? As if it was nothing? I hadn’t either, not until him. Not until Harlem Knight.

Raising four very different daughters on her own in rural Arkansas wasn't easy for Miss Pearly Bell. And she's always regretted that the sisters went their separate ways for good - and never wanted to see each other again. But when Pearly is stricken with a terminal illness, she summons them all home - determined to somehow help them get right with each other and forgive.... But that means dealing with past secrets and lies first.

Alexis Marshall never meant to cause the accident that left Jon-Jon Robinson paralyzed—but though guilt plagues her, her husband hopes to put the past behind them. After all, he’s in the middle of selling a tech business—and if Alexis admits to texting while driving, the deal could collapse and cost them millions. Meanwhile, Alexis’s life is not as shiny and perfect as it may seem from the outside. She has secrets of her own. As she becomes consumed with thoughts of the young man she hit, can she reconcile her mistake with her husband’s expectations?

Hot on the heels of his summer blockbuster, The Other Woman, Naughty or Nice arrives in time to heat up the winter holidays. Eric Jerome Dickey's fans have come to expect a spicy callaloo, full of richly drawn relationships, subtly developed conflicts, and witty dialogue, served up in some of the hippest prose being written today.

Jaylin Jerome Rogers, an investment broker worth millions, lives a high-class life with plenty of women to share it with. Nestled in his lavishing home in Chesterfield, Missouri, he captures women with his wealth, charm, nine-plus inches of goodness, and amazingly good looks. Although his bed is never empty, his heart is. He feels nothing for the women who love him dearly and continues his search for the "perfect" one. When Scorpio Valentino, an attractive, seductive, and charming woman saunters into his view, she offers Jaylin a life of altering changes.

Daisy Baker has a kind heart, a fierce mind, and a brave spirit. Those qualities were what caught the attention of firefighter, Ayden Parker. Every Wednesday at noon for two years straight, they meet the same way, inside of Luxe Flower Boutique, where Ayden makes the same purchase each time. One question, complimentary flowers, and a promise was all it took to shift the dynamic between the two. And right before their eyes, a romance began to bloom.

Elias Omari exists in the darkness that clouds his mind. Cress Devereaux exists in the light that inspires her soul. Together, they create beautiful shades of gray. An arranged marriage forces two families to smooth the edges of their jagged past with the hopes of a new beginning. But can a union tainted with secrets and uncertainty promise an unbreakable alliance? The one thing that Elias and Cress share in common is family over everything, but should they continue to fight for family when that same family has never truly fought for them?

The lives of Frankie, Tommie, and Olivia (Livvy) haven't turned out quite as planned. Frankie has a pair of stalkers. The life that Tommie had dreamed of having with Blue has become anything but perfect, and Olivia, despite her efforts, hasn't been able to get over the psychological barrier caused by her husband's affair in Naughty or Nice.

In the wake of a devastating teen pregnancy that left her childless and heartbroken, Vashti Alcindor left Catalina Cove, Louisiana, with no plans to return. Now, more than a decade later, Vashti reluctantly finds herself back in her hometown after inheriting her aunt’s B and B. Her homecoming gets off to a rocky start when the new sheriff, Sawyer Grisham, pulls her over for speeding, and things go downhill from there.

Jessica Bishop has looked after Maddox Hadley for the past 18 months as his live-in housekeeper, so the reclusive billionaire's businesslike marriage proposal seems sound. After what she went through with an abusive ex-boyfriend, she has no interest in dating again. Besides, Maddox is sweet and sexy, and he would make the perfect husband.

Sydney Collins left the small Berkshires town of Rose Bend eight years ago, grieving her sister’s death - and heartbroken over her parents’ rejection. But now the rebel is back - newly divorced and pregnant - ready to face her fears and make a home for her child in the caring community she once knew. The last thing she needs is trouble. But trouble just set her body on fire with one hot, hot smile.

All she wants is to stay wrapped up in her lemon-scented love bubble with reformed playboy Caleb. But then her new boss turns up, the high-flying, high-maintenance Melissa, who has a mysterious history with Caleb. Suddenly Ariella finds herself working miles from home, fighting with Caleb, and wondering where it all went wrong? And just as they’re about to sort it out, real trouble comes knocking…

Alexis Monroe and Jaceon Palmer were college sweethearts. They’d planned their lives and were set to get married until Jaceon reveals a change in the plans they had for the future. Hit with the devastating blow that he no longer wants children, Alexis breaks things off. Years later, she is married with a beautiful daughter and pregnant with her son. Tragedy strikes when her husband is killed in an unsolved hit-and-run accident. After struggling through her pregnancy and dealing with her grief for a year, Alexis realizes she needs help.

I’m Denver’s unmatchmaker. Every city needs one. Why? Because people break up—and sometimes they should. But when I learn that entertainment attorney Cyrus Hart is someone else’s mistake, I can’t believe it. He’s smart, successful, and sexy as hell. When a chance encounter with Cyrus turns into something more, I can’t help but fall for him. Our chemistry is undeniable. But his ex used my company to send him that letter—and that’s a problem. Especially since he doesn’t know I own the company.

Rachel knew trying to stop the devil she once loved and called her husband would cost her life. But a mother's love is one of a kind, an unbreakable bond, and there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their children. Revenge for her son's murder was the only option, but she learned the hard way you can’t trust everyone that's part of your team. Even Jesus’ disciples crossed him. Find out what happens in the eighth episode of A Child of a Crackhead.