African American

After fifteen years in captivity, Nova Lefleur is free, back home, and reunited with her Louisiana family. Through her ordeal, she never forgot them. They never forgot her either. But things have changed since Nova’s been gone. Nova and her encouraging seventeen-year-old daughter, Skye, are getting to know each other for the first time. Her husband, Quinton, is rebuilding a relationship with a wife he thought was gone forever. And Nova’s sister, Leah, is overjoyed—and overwhelmed.

After being in a relationship for three years, Noelle Frost is faced with the reality that she was definitely the better half. Her friends, ecstatic she's dropped the dead weight of a cheating boyfriend, urge her to get away for the holiday and take some time for herself. Not sure if that'll fix anything, but willing to try, she books a last-minute trip to the world-renowned Mistletoe Mountain Resort. Noelle boards the plane with the promise of peace and relaxation on the horizon.

How to Dodge a Cannonball is funnier than the Civil War should ever be. It follows Anders, a teenage idealist who enlists and reenlists to shape the American Future—as soon as he figures out what that is, who it includes, and why everyone wants him to die for it. Escaping his violently insane mother is a bonus. Anders finds honor as a proud Union flag twirler—until he’s captured. Then he tries life as a diehard Confederate—until fate asks him to die hard for the Confederacy at Gettysburg. Barely alive, Anders limps into a Black Union regiment in a stolen uniform.

Entertainment journalist Dawn Roberts has a lot to work through: a widow’s grief, betrayals of family and friends, and scandals that almost tanked her reputation. Not that Dawn dwells on the past. Well, hardly. When she returns to Baltimore with her husband’s ashes, she can’t avoid it. In fact, she’s diving into decades of backstabbing and treachery for her first trip home in years. She’s looking at you, Joe Perkins. Her former mentor, whose explosive exposé about big-city corruption is being turned into a slanderous movie, is also back in town.

"Hold tight. The way to go mad without losing your mind is sometimes unruly." So begins La Marr Jurelle Bruce's urgent provocation and poignant meditation on madness in black radical art. Bruce theorizes four overlapping meanings of madness: the lived experience of an unruly mind, the psychiatric category of serious mental illness, the emotional state also known as "rage," and any drastic deviation from psychosocial norms.

Camilla’s childhood was immersed in love and chaos, and steeped in perfection. As an adult she hasn’t looked back, refusing to acknowledge the people and places that scarred her so many years ago. But a cancer diagnosis forces Camilla to turn to the past, and all its pain, to save her daughter. As Camilla discovers the bittersweet limitations of motherhood and reconciliation, she also awakens an inspiring message about the mortality issues we all must face.

I had my chance at love and I threw it away. I don't deserve another. I've dedicated my entire life to my community. There's no time for anything else. But then I met her. Ciara Jeffries is everything I told myself I didn't want but she might be everything I need. If I can just hold on to her.

Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey have always struggled to relate, their familial bond severed after their mother vanished into the Thames. In adulthood, they are content to be all but estranged, until Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their mother on the streets of London. The catch: this version of Serene, aged not a day, has enjoyed a childless life.

In 1945, Charlie Trammell steps off a cross-country train into the vibrant tapestry of Los Angeles. Lured by his cousin Marguerite’s invitation to the esteemed West Adams Heights, Charlie is immediately captivated by the Black opulence of L.A.’s newly rechristened “Sugar Hill.” Settling in at a local actress’s energetic boarding house, Charlie discovers a different way of life—one brimming with opportunity—from a promising career at a Black-owned insurance firm, the absence of Jim Crow, to the potential of an unforgettable romance. But nothing dazzles quite like James “Reaper” Mann.

Since his mother’s death and his brother’s imprisonment, Maven Gold has been in a vicious cycle of sleeping with a different woman every other night to numb the pain. Frequenting a local sex club gives him access to various flavors to satisfy his palate. When a chance encounter with a blast from the past arouses more than his libido, he vows to make her his.

A critic explores the paradox of finding community in “the dozens” while grieving. A violent town ritual causes an all-too-familiar moral panic. An email thread between friends on why we need an updated Green Book but for public toilets. All across the nation, “Karens” become illegal overnight. These are just a few of the hilarious worlds contained in Damon Young’s groundbreaking anthology featuring the best, funniest, and Blackest essays, short stories, letters, and rants.

After a horrific incident, Nite and his twin Dai are left to fend for themselves. Living recklessly in the fast lane, the twins flirt with danger, not caring about the aftermath of their actions. Partying, popping pills, and getting money are just a few ways they cope with their untreated childhood trauma. Without the guidance of a strong male figure and the love of a nurturing mother, they can come off as rude and callous.

Percival Everett's long-awaited new collection of stories, his first since 2004's Damned If I Do, finds him traversing the West with characteristic restlessness. A deaf Native American girl wanders off into the desert and is found untouched in a den of rattlesnakes. A young boy copes with the death of his sister by angling for an unnaturally large trout in the creek where she drowned. An old woman rides her horse into a mountain snowstorm and sees a long-dead beloved dog.

Michelle and Kelsie have never had it easy, but the one thing that has remained consistent in each of their lives are each other. Both in their early twenties and with the stress of the world on their shoulders, they both manage to still be there for each other through it all. Michelle's dream is to be a top stylist, well her dream was a reality until she was fired from Naomi's shop because of her boyfriend. Tasheem is all Michelle knows, and that's being physically and mentally abused by the man she has loved since she was younger.

After the untimely death of his father, Rosier "Zoo" Boudreaux rightfully inherits Boudreaux Enterprises. Although he anticipated being in charge his entire life, he could have never prepared for the dark secrets, dirty money, and unethical practices that lived after his father's demise. Though thrown for a loop, he wastes no time claiming his seat at the head of the table and demanding the respect of his constituents. After all, Zoo was trained for it.

In this urban love story filled with betrayal, jealousy, shocking revelations, and forbidden obsessions, will the good girl and extra rude bad boy be able to develop a true love? Or will Camarih's negative outlook on life and love, continue to be true? But how easy is it for her to walk away when she gave him her all, and when there wasn't much left to begin with?

Gambino Nahtahn takes over the family organization with plans to take it to new heights. Before he can settle into his new position, an arranged marriage request is put at his feet. There’s no way he will approve the marriage for his ex. She’s the one who got away, and Gambino is determined to use his new position to secure a second chance.

One random encounter. One electrifying conversation. One night of passion. Is that all it takes for two strangers to fall in love?

These are the tenets that rule the De Santis family—until an arranged marriage potentially threatens all three. Born into the most ruthless crime family in the South, Azreal De Santis is bred to lead, dominate, and rule. When a strategic marriage forces him to take Natoi Kingston as his wife, Azreal learns power is not always defined by strength, blood is not the strongest bond, and loyalty isn’t always black and white. Sometimes there are shades of gray.

Independent businesswoman Trisha Maxwell has made good despite a difficult upbringing. She runs her very own escort agency, catering to New York’s elite businessmen. When billionaire Russian mobster Andrei Barinov enters her world like a hurricane the pair appear to have met their matches. Andrei demands every girl on the agency's books to accompany his entourage for one wild long weekend, with the whole deal hinging on Trisha herself shutting up shop to join the party.

She never imagined her quiet life as an ER nurse in Grey Falls would be shattered by the revelation that she’s a born werewolf, one whose late transformation on her twenty-fifth birthday marks her as a leader destined for more than she ever wanted. Awakening with no memory of the night before, she’s thrust into a hidden world of ancient packs, supernatural enemies, and dangerous secrets that have been kept from her since birth.

For most of her life, Crystal “CJ” Justine has been erroneously compared to her mother, Sasha Renee. Yet even as she struggles to escape Sasha’s image and legacy, she finds herself unconsciously acting out her mother’s (and grandmother’s) past mistakes. CJ’s relationship with men—although few and far between—is tainted by the thing she cannot say, and her faith is weakened by the emotional and spiritual blows she endures.

Miyori "Mimi" Young only knew one man her entire adult life. Being young, beautiful, and educated was a gift and a curse that Mimi was all too familiar with. After a life-changing event occurs in Miyori's life, she decides life is too short to stop holding onto familiarity and embrace the new chapter in her life. Out with the old and in with the new, Mimi was moving forward with her life, not taking it for granted. That is, until a knock at her door introduces her to someone new.

To be a client of Gwendolyn Montgomery—New York’s most powerful publicist, at Sublime Creative—is to be infused with a certain oomph, a mysterious glamour. She seems to have created the ideal life with her handsome new boyfriend, the perfect match. But Gwendolyn has a legion of long-buried secrets that could unravel everything. After a grisly, bizarre incident at the Brooklyn Museum, Gwendolyn begins to realize that something nefarious is happening tied directly to her past, right as Fonsi Harewood comes back into her world.

Nate Noble has it all--a thriving business, a loving fiancée, and a bright future. But his world takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with Marvin Waters, the childhood best friend he hasn't seen in thirty years. Marvin is a man beaten down by life, haunted by a troubled past and barely scraping by. Driven by guilt and a desire to do the right thing, Nate extends a helping hand, offering Marvin a job and a fresh start.