Contemporary African American Fiction

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?

No matter how many times she promised herself she wouldn’t go there, Reign couldn’t resist Jahiem, her best friend’s brother. Now caught between her friendship and her relationship, Reign is forced to prove where her loyalty lies. Jahiem had no intentions of ever starting a relationship with Reign because he was already in a relationship with Samantha. Now that he’s broken things off with her, Samantha shows up, and she’s not alone. Jahiem finds himself in a difficult situation when he realizes he’s torn between two women who have more in common than he thought.

What would you do if you were close to hitting rock bottom? Would you exhaust every possible option to better your situation? Or would you accept defeat and throw in the towel? Meet Pete and Terrence. Both fathers are of a similar age and live in the same city, but their lives are profoundly different. Though they share the unquestionable love a father has for their children, what challenges await them? Will they end up making the right decisions or make their situation worse?

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.

When you’re sitting in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on the biggest sporting stage in the world and see the man of your dreams, he’s nothing more than a distraction. But there’s nothing like this type of distraction. And nothing like a little mental motivation to show up and show out when someone has their eyes on you. At least that's what my sister thinks when I meet professional basketball player Devin Grant, a two-week distraction that could turn into forever.

His ability to launder money has him on the payroll of some of the city's most notorious criminals. When his father was sent to prison for life, Jagger's uncle made it his business to ensure that Jagger didn't suffer the same fate. He sent Jagger to college with plans to keep him on the cleaner side of the business, but unforeseen circumstances put Jagger in the midst of his uncle's empire.

Love continues to fail Nia and with the arrival of her daughter she doesn’t have the time or energy to pour into her failing relationship with East. Money is no longer the only thing on her mind; her daughter is. Nia realizes that family is above everything else and so she steps back from the demands of being a boss and running her own company. Torn between pride and his past, East uses the poor excuse of “not being enough” for his beloved Nia as the reason why he’s not around.

DaVinci is a fighter, fighting for more than just a title, but to stay out of the shadows of a family he didn't choose. Fighting was all he had until he encountered a woman just as driven and unfulfilled. Aria has never believed in happily ever afters or that mushy love that turned people into whole different folks. Instead, she was grounded, photographing by day and cuddling up with her bulldog by night. Surely that isn't a life, but it and her on and off again fling with an ex seem to be enough. That is until the fighter finds himself jabbing into her life.

During his career of drugs, murder, and dirty money, Clifton Brick never expected to find, nor was he looking, for love. He was accustomed to fast money and even faster women. But when he met Kiana “Ki” Bradshaw, a woman with her own lucrative criminal enterprise he knew that he found the love of his life. After years of a blissful union and building their empire, Clifton and Kiana’s loyalty to each other and their dynasty are at risk when enemies posing as friends decide that they’ve been on top long enough

In this day and age, one would believe that skin color would not matter, but in this coming of age novel, Sandra Ray learns that it still matters in a painful way. Although she is twenty three, attends college full time and works as a sales associate, she has a little growing up to do. She realizes she can't live with her sister and brother-in-law forever and is angry and bitter from feeling a lack of control of what happens in her life. When her sister and brother-in-law try to set her up with a successful Pediatrician she resists with all her might.

Yazmeen Franklin is as green as they come. Her only real friend is her older sister, who raised her after their mother died. Because of their father’s poor example, Yazmeen has little trust in men, so dating is foreign to her. During her sophomore year of college, she lets her guard down and finally gets close to a man. However, he is a known womanizer, and she keeps him in the friend zone to protect her heart.

Adonis "Drayko" Loving had been trouble since he learned to walk. Living a risky lifestyle finally catches up with him, forcing him to suddenly leave Ohio and find a fresh start elsewhere. After relocating, he finds himself struggling with adjusting to his new surroundings. Living a single, drama-free life by getting money and staying out of the way comes to an abrupt end when Nyoka crosses his path. Her slanted, sly eyes pull him in and make him rethink and reevaluate his entire life.

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.

Unsettled… That is the word Desire Chambries uses to describe how she feels. Although her preschool students bring her joy, her personal life needs resuscitating. She’d love to get married, but the dating scene lacks quality men. Most were barely boyfriend material and definitely not fit to be someone’s husband. At thirty-five years old, her hope of finding the man of her dreams and becoming a wife is fading fast, as is the idea of having children of her own. One lonely Friday night, after being stood up for the third time, she sees an ad for Arranged Hearts on social media.

Suvi Summers never had luck in the love department. Failed relationship after failed relationship leads her to an unforgettable interview with the matchmaking service. Blaze Snow was a ladies' man. He’d never had any trouble finding a woman, but keeping her was a different story. When his best friend signs up for a matchmaking service, he goes for moral support but ends up in an interview of his own. Neither of them expects to gain much from the service, but when they meet at the alter a few weeks later, they are forced to come to terms with feelings neither of them were prepared to reveal.

Kachelle Lewis is tired of waiting for love. As a successful pediatric orthodontist, she has everything else going for herself, but the one thing she desires most seems to be just out of reach. Coming home to an empty home has gotten old, and Kachelle longs for companionship. After dating every wrong man, she’s decided to put the fate of her love into the hands of Arranged Hearts, a professional matchmaking service, but there is a catch. While she’ll be paired with what she hopes is the man of her dreams, she will know nothing about him until she meets him at the altar.

In the world of creativity, Lore Reed shines as a beacon of boundless imagination, her sculptures and paintings capturing the essence of emotion and beauty. Raised in a household where freedom and exploration reigned supreme, Lore’s carefree spirit knows no bounds. Yet beneath her artistic façade lies a longing for stability and family. With a daughter to nurture and a heart ready to embrace love’s allure, Lore sets out on a journey of discovery that promises to redefine her life forever.

Contentment is a luxury, and for the first time in Amon Black’s life, all the pieces have fallen into place. His role in the Powers family is solid, and he has the woman he can’t live without. Brie Barnes has what most would perceive as the perfect life. Things have always been family first—but this time, she’s the one who’s living the dream. Not only is everyone she cares about happy and healthy, but she’s madly in love. Amon and Brie are meant to be. However, life has a way of challenging even the strongest bonds.

They are in the midst of wedding planning when a blast from the past returns, threatening to tear down everything they've worked so hard to build. They pray their relationship is strong enough to withhold the troubles, but are the actions too heartbreaking for them to bounce back one last time?

Giselle King refuses to wait for time to pass her by without obtaining everything she desires. After fulfilling her goal of becoming a dental hygienist and having financial stability, she knows she’s ready for a family. Years of dating proved to be a waste. An arrangement was made to bless her with two beautiful children, who keep her busy, but she’s still not totally happy. She wants a loving relationship with the man of her dreams… a man that’s perfect for her. Impatience with the dating process causes her to make another arrangement.