Contemporary African American Fiction

Gutted, I was the day you left my side, but I understood it was no one's fault but mine. I pushed you away, wearing my pain on my sleeve while pursuing a passion that stemmed from that very pain. In the end, you decided to choose yourself, and I could never fault you for that. But it hurt, and still does 'til this day.

Kazimir, the head of the Bratva, has come to New York to find the person who murdered his loyal washer. Nicknamed The Russian Lion because he's credited with over 200 kills, the death of his washer is enough to start a dark and deadly war. Unfortunately, Emily falls on Kazimir's radar. Her brother is suspected of being involved in the murder, and she's determined to do everything she can to save him.

When the future of Grandeur nears the brink of collapse in the face of band rivalry, Tess finds to her chagrin that she must team up with Brandon in a desperate attempt to revive the company. As Tess and Brandon spend more time together, Tess begins to wonder if everything she thought she knew might not be so certain after all….

Sometimes, you just need someone to help you see things in a different light. A shift in the angle.

Giselle Doran is a daddy's girl - a sexy 18-year-old siren who's all about the Benjamins. Her father is a king in the drug distribution game, and she views him as the perfect man. When she meets Shawn, she thinks she's found the one. Mimi Gordon is not attracted to drug dealers, until Tony comes along. He provides her with a lavish lifestyle, and once she's had a taste, Mimi is hooked. Giselle and Mimi cross paths in the most unusual way. Eventually, both women will be forced to make life-changing decisions when they find out their men aren't who they thought they were.

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.

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.

The day Ximena Solomon met Hiram Moss, the last thing either of them was expecting was to find true love. Yet still, their connection ran deep, their attraction was undeniable, and what grew between them was nothing short of love at first sight. Ximena and Hiram cannot deny the magnetic pull they feel toward each other. They begin to spend more time together, sharing their hopes, dreams, and deepest feelings. With each passing day, their bond grows stronger, and they realize that they have found something truly special in each other.

There is a vampire war brewing in the underworld and at the center of it all is Damali Richards, spoken word artist and Vampire Huntress. But she is not just any Vampire Huntress, she is the millenium Neteru: a woman so potentially powerful that the vampire world is about to invoke a bloody battle that threatens to spill over onto her streets in order to possess her. It's just a matter of who will get to her first.

In his new position as head of the Baptiste family business, Saint faces many challenges. Nothing could have prepared him for the challenges that came with dealing with the alluring Naoki Childs. She was the insoluble problem his big brother, Jahad, talked about. A problem that couldn't be handled with a phone call, a meeting, or by simply emptying his clip. Saint thought he'd never be faced with a problem he couldn't handle, especially where a woman was concerned. But he quickly learned that Naoki wasn't just some woman. She was much, much more than that.

A menace, I was, the duration of my life. Unsure of what was next, who was next, or where I was headed next. The only for-sure shit in my world was my paper and my people. The ice around my heart was still intact, never being penetrated or as much as tapped.

Two years ago, Zara Miller found herself heartbroken and stranded in a New Orleans hotel bar with a sexy stranger named “Saint.” One thing led to another and to a night of unforgettable pleasure. Though contact info wasn’t exchanged—no strings attached—Zara hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him or that one scorching night ever since. Now she’s returned to her hometown of Catalina Cove only to discover that her brother’s new hire is Evans “Saint” Toussaint, the one-night man she can’t forget.

They call themselves the Blackbirds. Kwanzaa Browne, Indigo Abdulrahaman, Destiny Jones, and Ericka Stockwell are four best friends who are closer than sisters, and will go to the ends of the earth for one another. Yet even their deep bond can’t heal all wounds from their individual pasts, as the collegiate and post-collegiate women struggle with their own demons, drama, and desires.

Beautiful disaster. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of her. Who hurt you? The first question comes to mind when I open my mouth to greet her. Although it wasn't the easiest to reach, I knew her heart was pure. Gentle to the touch yet stubborn as a bull, she made it hard to resist her. Unintentionally, she sank her hooks in me. She was the calm before my storm. A thunderous, darkening storm with lightning that graciously exposed the paternity of my brother and me. Though the gloom of it all lingered above both our heads.

Dylan Monroe, our favorite shopaholic, is back! She’s three months pregnant and madly in love with the father of her child, sexy heavyweight champion Angel. The only problem is the long-legged Victoria’s Secret model standing in the way of getting him back. If that weren’t enough stress, her Jack Daniels-loving mother, Candy, returns to stir up even more trouble. Unsure of how to face her future as a single mother, Dylan reverts back to the only thing she knows to comfort her pain - shopping!

Widely hailed for her best-selling fiction, no one combines sizzle and sass like Lutishia Lovely. With their soul-food business firing on all cylinders, brothers Malcolm and Toussaint Livingston seem to have the world at their feet. But playboy Toussaint’s penchant for risk-taking is often more than not-quite-happily married Malcolm can stomach, and a particularly spicy blend of circumstances is about to turn up the heat to record-setting levels.

Between the fallout from his father's latest shady business dealings and his wife Charisse's alcoholism, Evan Murdoch has his hands full. But he should be most concerned about the scandalous affair Charisse is having right under his nose - with his half brother. Evan's being pushed to the edge, and no one knows that better than Leila Hawkins....

Jordan Gatewood's life is falling apart. Murder, sex, betrayal, suicide--the women in his world are paying him back for all the terrible things he's done, and they're bringing on the drama in spades. And now, with Desi Green bringing Jordan to the attention of the detective investigating his lover's murder, his tenuous grip on control threatens to unravel completely.

At thirty, eldest brother Byron hasn't dated seriously in a while--not since he became a single dad to his beloved baby girl. Besides, he's found that most women can't see past his job as a bus driver, and he's not interested in that type of superficial foolishness. When he meets Cynthia Hall, her disinterest is obvious. Still, there's something about her. . .

The narrator of Assembly is a Black British woman. She is preparing to attend a lavish garden party at her boyfriend’s family estate, set deep in the English countryside. At the same time, she is considering the carefully assembled pieces of herself. As the minutes tick down and the future beckons, she can’t escape the question: Is it time to take it all apart?