African American Contemporary

Fifteen years ago, he left without saying a word. Now he's back. And as much as she hates it, the sparks haven't died... Jennifer Banning is happy with her life as a travel nurse. It takes her mind off the fact that she is over thirty and still hasn't found one man she shares that special spark with. The kind of spark she felt in college with Gavin Daniels. But that is now water under the bridge, and Jennifer has decided she will enjoy singlehood and play happy Aunty to her sister's children. Gavin Daniels is on vacation with his sister's family when he spots Jen Banning looking more ...

Nicole Whittaker finds herself battling deep insecurities and her struggles with self-love while being haunted by a terrifying past. Ensnared in the web of her cheating boyfriend’s dark secrets, Whitney’s caught up in the midst of fighting for her life. Beautiful and successful, Tyra appears to have it all. However, beneath the façade there’s someone weighing her down. Someone that should be uplifting her the most. Can these three make it through the storms that are brewing? Or will they end up losing both their hope and lives along the way?

Eighteen years have gone by since the separation, and now Journal is an adult. She's struggling out here in the real world, and in a very unhealthy relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Hakeem. Everything in her life changes the day that she meets Mr. Genesis Banks, better known as Slick.

Loving Simone Garrett Hallowell and Simone Williams were college sweethearts. Their promising future came crumbling down because of a drunken mistake, causing Simone to walk out of his life. Garrett moved across the country on a journey of self-discovery after losing the love of his life. Simone had no choice but to move on after their breakup. She focused on raising her daughter, working, and getting her master’s degree. An unconventional meeting has Garrett on a mission to make Simone forgive him and their love a second chance. Will he be able to make Simone his again, or will she ...

Essence best-selling authors of Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, the husband/wife team of Chiles and Millner use a dramatic “he said, she said” approach in a novel that carries listeners right into the hearts of two lifelong friends. Aaron and Nina grew up on the same street and have been best buddies for 25 years. Now they wonder if they might ruin their relationship if they make room in it for passion and romance.

“Call me Miss B*tch. Yes, I screw married men, so what? I love my life. I worked damn hard to get to where I am. I’m a lawyer in a huge law firm and I pay my own bills, besides the ones they pay. Yes, I enjoy what I do and who I do.” Tracy is single and living her best life in California. Coming from a small town in South Carolina, it’s a welcomed change of scenery. It’s also an escape from her past. She is no longer the small town girl with a broken heart; she’s the corporate attorney with several players on her team. Rich, successful players at that. Though her life is ...

What do you do when you’ve made the BIGGEST mistake of your existence? Veronica Bell was once a woman after God’s own heart, but when she thinks she’s found the love of her life, she puts everything that has to do with serving the Lord in her rearview mirror. Yes, she’s walked away from the church and the Bible, but when things don’t go exactly as she’d planned, she comes to realize that maybe God was the answer to true happiness all along. In walks Nicholas Cooper, a successful business owner with a checkered past. As an ordained minister, Nick puts God first in his everything....

Mita "Sweet Lips" Cruz never had much chance to enjoy her youth because of her drug-addicted mother’s attraction to lowlife men. After she survives a vicious assault at the hands of her stepfather on her 14th birthday, Mita desperately searches for the meaning of unconditional love in the streets of North Philadelphia. When she discovers that she is carrying the child of her rapist, it’s too much for her damaged soul to bear. With an ugly future ahead of her, Mita puts the newborn up for adoption, vowing to seek revenge for the violations against her.

It looks like the chickens have come home to roost for someone. Kalysha is on a warpath and is set to destroy any and everyone that has done her wrong. Will Kalysha succeed in her revenge? Cherish is trying to move on and move forward. But will a shocking allegation cost Cherish her freedom? Dracy is falling deep and has no plans on moving backward to his ex. All he wants is to be a good father to his son. But is it really his son? Ginny and Greyson are becoming a street power couple. They are making moves and taking no prisoners. But will jealousy take them out the game permanently? There ...

When 26-year-old Reese accepts a position as a grad assistant, she has no idea an unpleasant encounter with a student will lead to the discovery of what she calls "the trifecta": fine, intellectual, and a little bit rude - three qualities she finds irresistible in a man. She has no intention of doing anything with that discovery. But everybody knows what happens to best laid plans. Jason is a grown man. He's at Blakewood State University to finish his degree and move on. The last thing he's interested in is the female population on campus...Reese might be a notable exception.

I am a king. A man with blood on my hands. I take what I want and never have regrets about it. Until Nevada. She is pure and beautiful on the inside and out, but she is not to be had by a man like me. A man that takes the lives of my competition. For small moments in time, I can stand in the warmth of her light, and then I am forced back into this cold world. A darkness that I was used to, until her. Now I dream of the time when I can have her close to me, but not too close, because people that stand in my darkness don't always survive. Sometimes I stand next to Kyle just to breath him in. ...

In the chilly dawn of a new life, Shenita finds herself navigating unfamiliar territory. As she grapples with anger and disillusionment, unexpected footsteps herald the arrival of Gabriel Neary, a figure both enigmatic and unsettlingly familiar. Offering coffee and cryptic conversation, Gabriel presents Shenita with a choice: succumb to her rage or channel it into a purposeful path. Drawn into a world of clandestine mentorship and hidden agendas, Shenita—now rechristened Helen—faces a journey fraught with uncertainty. With Mr. Slow as her guide, she embarks on a quest for redemption, ...

*FULL STANDALONE* Jacquelyn loves her job as a book publisher. She began working with her partner Harrison after her first book was a best seller and she lost the passion for writing. The only problem is she just wishes that she could be more than a partner to Harrison, but he's married. Seeing him every day just intensifies her desire to be in his bed. She never wanted what she can't have, but she can tell the feelings are mutual. How can she continue to work with him knowing that she would give anything to make him hers? Harrison can't hide his desire for Jacquelyn. He never had a thing ...

She watched him fight like a monster and kissed him like a man. But in a world of blood and shadows, even love can be a weapon. Nia never meant to fall for a Bratva enforcer, especially not one with fists like thunder and secrets sharp enough to slice her in two. She is a teacher, not a pawn, yet Roman pulls her deeper into a criminal world where trust is poison and desire feels like drowning. He is brutal, calculating, and obsessed. But when their kiss ignites in the middle of a bloodstained ring, the rules crumble. Roman never expected to want her. Protecting her means unraveling ...

Jacqueline E. Luckett’s debut novel was heaped with critical acclaim and selected as a “recommended read” by the Essence Book Club. Set in the City of Light, her second novel, Passing Love, is a tender tale of love and discovery. After Nicole-Marie Handy leaves a marriage proposal behind to travel to Paris, she discovers that her father had a secret affair with a woman there many years before.

Award-winning novelist Tayari Jones delivers a story based on the 1979-1980 Atlanta child murders. Told from the perspective of three fifth-grade classmates, Leaving Atlanta is a vividly disturbing, but hopeful novel.

In the finale, Auburn has finally gotten the fairy tale love that she has always desired with the man of her dreams. Feeling on top of the world, nothing can bring her down— or so she thought. When a secret comes to surface, she quickly finds out how painful love can be. Everything has fallen into place in Eric’s life, both professional and personal. With this being the final year of him playing in the NFL, he plans to go out with a bang. But what he didn’t expect was a blast from the past, scheming her way back into his life with some life-altering news that could potentially destroy...

Bridget Blade abruptly awakens from forced hibernation and is crushed to find that everything's changed: she's officially dead, and her husband, Jeremy, has given the government rights to her body. To make matters worse, he's moved on with another woman who's a better fit for him. But when Bridget, a reincarnated god, stumbles on a dangerous international scheme, she realizes that Jeremy's life is at risk. Bridget must now travel into the heart of Africa with no support but her own burgeoning powers to save the man who didn't choose her.

What Happens When a Person Compromises when it Comes to Faith? Nikki Walton has had a true love for Christ for as long as she can remember — since childhood really. But sometimes, she can’t help but think that her narrow walk with the Lord has prevented her from attaining some of the things she wants in life — mainly a soulmate. Things backfire in a major way for Nikki when she puts her faith on the back burner for a few minutes, thinking that doing so will help her snag a husband, the man of her dreams. The man she ends up with turns out to be a true devil in disguise. Realizing that...

Today is the day I marry a complete stranger. I don’t know anything about him as he was matched with me by the producers of the dating TV show, Marrying a Stranger. As I walk down the aisle, I am shocked to find out he’s white. As a black woman, I never expected to marry a white man, however the more I get to know him, the more I fall for him. Our wedding day was beautiful, but our wedding night was even hotter. This steamy BWWM interracial romance is 3,500 words long and is for mature readers only.