Romance Books by Black Authors That Center Black Love

Lily Greene dreams of becoming a children’s books editor, but she’s been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship — until he ghosts her without a word. Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she’s determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date for her sister’s wedding. The perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for reasons she can’t explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author — her favorite fantasy author.

Risk-averse event planner Amerie Price is jobless, newly single, and about to lose her apartment. Half the single men in Houston claim to be astronauts, but Vincent Rogers turns out to be the real deal. For the three months leading up to his mission, Amerie will play Vincent’s doting partner in front of his loving but overly invested family. In exchange, she gets a rent-free room in his house and can put every penny toward her struggling business. What Amerie doesn’t plan for is Vincent’s gravitational pull. While her mind tells her a future with this astronaut is too unpredictable, her heart says he’s exactly what she needs.

An amateur online sleuth must enlist the help of a jaded PI to clear her name while taking down a shady tech start-up in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel. With every late-night stakeout and tension-filled interrogation, their partnership, rife with tension and unexpected chemistry, unravels a dangerous web of corporate crime and familial secrets. To bring the real killer to light, they’ll need to trust each other and that might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

A destination wedding in Tulum should be a breeze, but Dr. Janelle Cross — the sister of the bride and the ex-girlfriend of the groom — can’t catch a break. Between her maid of honor duties and her sister’s Bridezilla antics, Janelle is desperate to let off some steam. So, when the best man, Rome, proposes they give into their undeniable chemistry, Janelle agrees, under one condition: Their affair can only last a week … The buzzy, viral sensation features Black love, messy family dynamics, sexy banter, and is one spicy read!

Sometimes the power of love can be the most seductive weapon of all … A.J. Grayson is a fast-rising executive at a cutting-edge technology firm. Now an anti-terrorist agency wants to use the revolutionary artificial intelligence system she developed to thwart a plot against Jafir’s monarchy — and handsome, dynamic Damon Toca, the region’s newly crowned king. Someone in his inner circle is in league with a treacherous adversary who threatens his throne, his nation’s tenuous peace … and his future with a woman he’ll risk everything to have and to hold.

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes. Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed, and she’s not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.) These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her. But has too much time passed … or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

A playwright must grapple with her difficult year and writer’s block while falling for the single dad living next door in this emotional and spicy debut novel from Ashley Jordan. “Tender and sexy all at once, Once Upon a Time in Dollywood is a beautiful story about learning how to face who we truly are and what we truly want” (Ashley Herring Blake, bestselling author of Dream On, Ramona Riley).

A late bloomer thought a visit to a sex club might jump start her love life, but instead makes an instant connection that turns her whole world upside down, in this adult debut from author Zakiya N. Jamal.

Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is on a mission: To make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?

A floundering twenty-something, who’s sworn off romance finds herself roped into her meddling sister’s matchmaking business — in this sparkling debut rom-com that asks: Can we protect ourselves while falling in love?

”Marry or lose your inheritance.” A commitment phobic heir in Detroit, Michigan faces the ultimate challenge from his powerful grandmother and family company CEO in this charming, irresistibly fun and flirty new contemporary romance from award-winning author Elle Wright.

For Lydia, Jenny, and Selene, au pairing in Seoul is the opportunity of a lifetime. Lydia wants nothing more than to transform into a leading lady; Jenny is determined to swear off love for good 5,955 miles from her ex; and Selene is convinced working in Korea will finally lead her to her biological mother. During a combined family vacation with their host families, the women visit an enchanted waterfall on Jeju Island and make a wish under a full moon. Overnight, everything changes. But when they encounter unexpected consequences, the au pairs must confront the hardest question of all: Could it be that their friendship was the real magic all along?

Jesse Strong is known for two things: His devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts. When Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, he and his brothers have different plans for what to do with Strong Knits, their neighborhood knitting store. Jesse wants to keep the store open. His brothers want to close shop. Shop employee Kerry Fuller has kept her crush on Jesse a secret. When she overhears his impassioned plea to his brothers to keep the knitting shop open, she volunteers to help. Together they make plans to reinvent Strong Knits for a new generation. But the more time they spend together, the stronger the chemistry builds between them.

The beloved characters from The Best Man movies and hit television series reunite for a sexy and soulful, heartbreaking and hilarious reckoning of love. Book one of the trilogy follows Harper, Jordan, and Robyn as they try to establish lives away from the hurts of the past and come to realize that some love is impossible to break. With support from their close-knit crew of chosen family — Quentin, Shelby, Lance, Murch, and Candace — they fight for a future that proves one’s second act can be the extended chapter worth it all.

Fueled by a love of romance novels, Luna Starr was destined for a life with her head in the clouds. Her delusional tendencies serve her well … or at least they used to. When life throws her a curveball, she decides it’s time to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality and purchases a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas. There, she enlists the help of the town’s best (and only) handyman, Tate Jacobs. As Tate and Luna spend more time together fixing up her house, unexpected feelings and undeniable chemistry bubble to the surface. Luna might’ve moved to Celestial to make her cowboy dreams come true, but somewhere beneath the vast Texas skies, she discovers that love in the real world can be far better than she imagined.

It’s been months since aspiring journalist Kian Andrews has heard from his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, but an urgent text has them meeting at a café. Hudson wants Kian to pretend to be his boyfriend while his parents are in town, and Kian reluctantly agrees. The dinner doesn’t go as planned, and suddenly Kian is Hudson’s plus one to Georgia’s wedding of the season. Hudson comes from a wealthy family where reputation is everything, and he really can’t afford another mistake. If Kian goes, he’ll help Hudson preserve appearances and get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in media. This could be the big career break Kian needs. But their fake relationship is starting to feel like it might be more than a means to an end.

On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier Báez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn’t approve of. Now, almost a decade later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he’s been secretly pining for, is engaged — and Javi didn’t even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff she plans to marry. Now Javi has just six weeks to convince Mari this marriage is a flop. If that means he needs to ruffle some feathers to help her avert disaster, well, he’s up for the challenge. After all, isn’t that what best friends are for?

Exes Carmello and Olivia discover they’ve both inherited the restaurant they love in this sparkling, emotional new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of A Love Like the Sun. But while Carmello plans to buy Olivia’s shares in the restaurant, Olivia sees this as a chance to build a home after years on the move, and perhaps explore whether that home can be with the one that got away …