Contemporary African American Fiction

What do you do if people say you are born with the “mark of the devil,” especially in Jamaica where many believe in the spirits of good and evil? If you are Isabella “Bella” Pigmore, born with a birthmark so pronounced that she faces ridicule for most of her young life, you feel bad—very bad. Growing up feeling like a freak, Bella clings to the only support she has, her mother. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances and she is left alone with her abusive father, Bella suffers dearly at the hands of the man who should protect her.

Janiece is finally settled with her husband, Isaiah, after a whirlwind of drama with her ex-lover, K.P., and his wife. She is ready to live happily ever after, but Isaiah is called back to duty and has to serve eighteen months in Iraq. Janiece is left behind just when K.P. moves back to Chicago. Still not over Janiece, K.P. wants her back. He is shocked to find out that she is now married and expecting her first child, and there is no chance for them to start over. Unable to move on, K.P. decides to try to be a friend, causing drama and turbulence with Janiece's in-laws.

From a murderous Bonnie and Clyde stirring up a hornet’s nest to a drug war and the rise of heroin overdoses, Detectives Michael Acosta and Chris Emerson are tasked with investigating the rash of robberies and brutal murders happening in the borough. Queens is bubbling with heated violence, as rival kingpins vie for power in Erick S. Gray’s intense addition to the bestselling Kingpins Series.

Urban Books bestseller La Jill Hunt joins Monica Walters to bring listeners humorous, romantic stories of beautiful full-figured women navigating their sometimes complicated love lives.

Keena and Kim met in a group home and have been best friends ever since. They both have the mindset of money over men, and they don’t play where they lay. They set brothas up and rob them, disappearing without a trace. Keena, the brains of the two, sets up the biggest lick of their lives in Miami. If they can pull this one off, they can retire and live the good life. Peter, who everyone calls Black, is not an easy target. He is different from all the others that they have set up, and Keena is having second thoughts.

Keyon has been through more than enough drama in her young life. She tries to put as much distance between her and the past in Louisiana, taking the opportunity to move to Memphis with her longtime boyfriend, Casimere. Adjusting to their new home, Keyon thinks she’s finally getting the life that she deserves. But is she? Has she truly left behind all the things that caused her pain?

Ms. Nova sacrificed her childhood to be a teenage mother and provider for her family. Working a dead-end job barely pays the bills, but her luck is due to change when her homegirl suggests she shake her ass at a jumping strip joint. Weary and self-conscious, she is reluctant at first, but the money is fast and easy and makes her life a lot easier. Although she has more bread, her bedroom life is at a standstill. Thinking with her head and not her heart, she makes a boss move on the club owner and is able to wrap him around her pinky.

There’s a saying that if you come from my part of town, you're from around the way. Urban Books bestsellers Treasure Hernandez and Marcus Weber bring listeners a fast-paced look at the lives of some street-smart women who think they know it all.

Fate brought Terrence Montgomery and Tiffany Tate into each other’s lives. They seem like the perfect match. However, they couldn’t have met at a more inopportune time. Terrence is considering divorce from his wife, Patricia, who he’s never truly been in love with, while also struggling with the recent and sudden death of his father. Tiffany just got wind that her ex-fiancé, David, is battling cancer—supposedly. His dying wish is that she’ll give him another chance at love. Her heart wants to be there for him, but will this cost her newfound love with Terrence?

Aisha owns her own printing company, creating custom shirts, mugs, and other things. She's guarded and has a hard time allowing men to get close to her on a serious level. One heartbreak was enough for her. She eventually learns the only one who can heal that hurt she felt years ago is the same guy who caused it. But is that possible knowing the secret she's holding onto?

In the summer of 1985, Lisa Whitaker is a church kid headed to college on a scholarship while her best friend, Dana, is floundering in the wake of her mother’s latest eviction. Though Lisa tries to help, their paths diverge. Fifteen years later, Lisa has a beautiful family and is stepping into her dream job as the director for a social services organization. Everything is going right—until her future is snatched away by identity theft. Her life begins to unravel, and Lisa wants nothing more than to see the woman responsible pay for her crimes.

LaMeka and Gavin fell for each other fast and furiously, but will it fizzle before it has a chance to get off the ground? Although Lucinda is heartbroken over Aldris, she’s also tasted the forbidden fruit, and she wonders if she can now live with the decisions she’s made. Charice is living the dream. She has her life with Ryan and her love with Lincoln, but can she continue to have her cake and eat it too? As Terrence’s life hangs in the balance, Trinity’s happiness is as uncertain as her safety.

Left for dead, Tilo’s lover, Victória Mendoza, now wants revenge on the woman who broke her family...and her heart. Victória is ready to avenge the deaths of her family members - especially her brother. And she’s bent on destroying the woman who destroyed the Mendozas. As a new mother, she sees things a little differently, and she wants to make a good life for Moses and their daughter. But Tilo is still a complication. Private Detective Moses got played by Tilo, and he wants to settle that score.

For some, love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends in tears. For four friends from Queens, it's about to get complicated....

Der aufsehenerregende Bestseller aus den USA über Ungerechtigkeit, Rassismus und die Illusion, alles unter Kontrolle zu haben. Ist dieses Ferienhaus noch ein sicherer Ort für ihre Familie? Was ist in New York wirklich los? Amanda und Clay wollen mit ihren beiden Kindern eine unbeschwerte Ferienwoche auf Long Island verbringen. Doch mitten in der Nacht steht dort plötzlich ein älteres, schwarzes Ehepaar vor der Tür. Die beiden behaupten, das Haus gehöre ihnen. Sie berichten, dass ganz New York im Dunkeln liege, das Leben an der Ostküste komplett lahmgelegt sei.

Papio and Special are back! Their love for one another has withstood the drama and turmoil of their chaotic lives, but their thirst for the dollar has once again set them on a crash course for mayhem. They’ve accumulated a long list of enemies, and now it’s time to do battle. Calling on some strong allies to assist them, they insist that no one will be spared, and no one will get in their way. Papio and Special are going all out to get what they want and what they feel they deserve. Whatever it takes, their goals will be reached.

No one knows better than Kennedi Westbrook, that no amount of money, material possession, or success can protect one from the torment of a broken heart. She has always been haunted by the grief, disappointment, and pain forced upon her by those who should have loved her most. Sadly, the two people closest to her have been added to her list of adversaries. Now, with her heart exposed and mental stability tested, is love enough to save her sanity and relationships? Life is not playing out the way Sydney imagined.

Natasha Thompson has an MBA, but it only succeeded in landing her a job she absolutely hates. Her boss is sleeping with his assistant, and its Natasha’s job to cover for them every day. How much more lying can she do before she gets sick of deceiving for the likes of her horrible boss? Danielle Harris certainly has big dreams. She knows that if she can just find the right break, she can become a Broadway star. As the latest contestant on a Broadway musical competition show, she will have to show America that she’s got the talent to make it to the top.

Twentysomething and restless, Skye flits between cities and stagnant relationships until she meets Scottie, a disarming and disheveled British traveler, and Pieces, an enigmatic artist living in New York. The three recognize each other as kindred spirits - Black, punk, whimsical, revolutionary - and fall in together, leading Skye on an unlikely adventure across the Atlantic. They live a glorious, subterranean existence in 1990s London, until their existence is jeopardized by the rise of CCTV and policing.

Hip music critic Dwayne Robinson has two main gigs: defending rap's rightful place in the music industry and scoring as many women as possible. But this smooth-talking b-boy has yet to try working love into his lingo - until "buppie" Danielle Embry slides into and rocks his world. A Connecticut suburbanite, Danielle is as far removed from Dwayne's Brooklyn ghetto upbringing as it gets. Yet despite this clash, these unlikely lovers are drawn together.