Contemporary African American Fiction

When Sam is stuck sharing the streets for Chicago’s summer festivals with a man she can’t stand, she’ll find it’s often a bumpy road that leads to love…. As office manager of the city’s leading luxury boudoir and pinup photography studio, lovable grump Samantha Sawyer has...

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.

Amara Johnson has spent her life following the rules, always choosing stability over risk. But when she returns to Memphis for her estranged grandfather’s funeral, she inherits more than just his crumbling house. She inherits his unfinished story. A once-renowned blues musician, his name has been nearly erased, his legacy buried beneath family silence and years of regret.

Pascha St. Claire has nothing to live for. After five years, her once-loving husband, Raymond, decides to end their marriage. He’s unable to deal with her mental health, significant weight gain, or the idea that she cannot seem to birth him a child. She returns home one night to find her belongings on the curb and the locks to her home changed. Her pleading falls on deaf ears as Raymond has made the decision to end their marriage. With no other option, Pascha is forced to leave and never look back.

Seven years ago, a knife-wielding stranger left socialite Ava Camden for dead on the sidewalk of an upscale Atlanta restaurant. She survived, but her face was brutally scarred. The police, the courts, and the powerful Camden family pinned the assault on only one suspect: Joel Sapphire, a twenty-year-old star athlete on the cusp of a pro football career. Too drunk to remember any details, Joel was found over Ava's body, holding the bloody weapon.

On the surface, Corinne Thomas has the world at her fingertips. Adventurous by nature, her daring persona allows her the freedom to take risks and live her life, at times, in complete anonymity. But there is something that lingers deep down that, if brought to light, could stir the masquerade Corinne's built for herself. For the past few weeks, exchanges with a certain someone wreaks havoc on her ability to maintain a solid pretense.

After a close friend commits suicide, Faith, Monique, and Shannon head to the beach cottage on Hilton Head Island. Determined to heed her advice and make the most of their lives, they make a pact to spend the summer embracing new adventures. They also embrace new men and a new best friend along...

Peace. That's what Synovi now had and cherished more than anything. Free from all the disturbances his chaotic life once ensued, he wanted nothing more than to keep it that way. With a thriving business and relationship, almost nothing could take him back to that dark place of no love. His Love didn't reside there. His world is still hers, and she is still his. Without warning, Torin inserted herself into Synovi's life and remained. She's the person he can run to when everything begins to fade, but there's a price to pay when you have a good heart.

Lyra Hart, a teacher’s assistant working her way through college, lives a simple life. Her sister Natalie is a constant reminder that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. After a lifelong trail of arrests and stints in rehab, Natalie lands on her sister’s doorstep with a promise not to end up like their mother, who overdosed just a few years prior. Lyra’s first mistake was trusting her younger sister. Her second was the one-night stand she thought would drown her sorrows.

Janae McEntire has suffered enough loss to not want love again. Even without the desire to love, Janae can’t help but consider how much better her life would be if she allowed the right man to love her. While her heart tells her that man is Tyreek Roberts, Janae’s mind tells her to steer clear of him. After seeing his brother, Kahlil, find happiness and love, Tyreek decides he’s ready for the same. Mister Teacher has a past that demands he tie up a few loose ends before he can obtain his happily ever after with Janae.

Aspen is used to getting whatever and whoever he wants, and he doesn’t expect that to change when he meets Malaysia, the sister of the woman his brother is pursuing. Though the attraction and chemistry between Aspen and Malaysia are immediate, there is one thing standing in their way—Malaysia’s boyfriend. When things grow toxic between Malaysia and Peyton, Aspen steps in as her protector. Protecting her physically provides the opportunity for Aspen to prove he can protect her heart and mind as well.

The New York Times bestselling author checks in to the hotel of readers’ dreams for an ardent romantic adventure that lasts just One Night. For one night, a couple checks in to an upscale hotel. The pair seem unlikely companions, from opposing strata of society, but their attraction is...

Claiming to only want the best for her, they are often overbearing in their tactics to ensure her safety. Now that she's approaching thirty, she feels like it's time to branch out and find a life and a love of her own, but not without much protest from the men in her family.

Tressie faithfully prayed every night that God would send her a thug. It wasn't long before her prayers were answered and she met a handsome ex-convict named Payce Boyd. Payce is a fine roughneck and everything Tressie ever imagined and more. That is until Tressie experiences firsthand the reality of being a thug's girl. Seeking solace and comfort in the sanctuary, Tressie soon learns valuable lessons and shocking truths about herself and others.

Celeste Styles is starting over. After losing her cherished salon in a suspicious fire, she has finally left her adulterous relationship and her drama-filled life in Brooklyn for the peace and tranquility of Atlanta, Georgia. But when Rah-Lo heads down south after deciding to leave his wife Asia, Celeste is floored and isn't quite sure if she wants to rekindle their affair.

There's always a reason to try...if you look hard enough.

I wasn't supposed to take on any new clients. All my current couples were already a handful. A marriage therapist with a failing marriage. If only they knew. That is until Kami Lynn walked into my office without her husband. I only treated couples. I was supposed to help save her marriage, instead I was the main reason for its destruction. I did everything the way I was supposed to. I graduated college. Went straight into my career. Got married and had a few crotch goblins and even accepted an outside baby for that man.

The unexpected always had a way of finding Orielle, and at this point in her life, she was drained. After a betrayal that fractured her heart and eroded her mental peace, she redirected her energy to what grounded her the most. As a rising, talented R&B singer with a growing fan base, there was nothing like heartbreak that made her unleash her best work. Or maybe it was the man who'd unintentionally become her muse? Fresh out of jail and on a mission to redeem himself, Najee unknowingly became the inspiration behind Orielle's passionately raw lyrics.

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.

Attorney Jack Newlin comes home one evening to find his wife, Honor, dead on the floor of their elegant dining room.Convinced that he knows who killed her -- and determined to hid the truth -- Jack decides to make it look as though he did it. Staging the crime scene so that the evidence...