In the Mood for Love: Black Romance Books
It's the month of love—enjoy these romance novels from both established and beloved Black authors as well as new voices on the scene. Whether you're looking for something sweet or something saucier, these stories, including contemporary romance, romcoms, and historical romances, are sure to seduce you.
And don't forget to explore NYPL's Best New Romance Books to fill your romance reading list!
While We Were Dating
by Jasmine Guillory
Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. But when his ad agency lands a huge campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, Ben finds it hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is on a mission: to make herself a household name and book her next big movie. She didn't expect Ben to be her biggest distraction, but when a family emergency brings them together they need to decide whether their fling can have a Hollywood ending.
I Almost Forgot About You
by Terry McMillan
Dr. Georgia Young's wonderful life—great friends, family, and successful career—aren't enough to keep her from feeling stuck and restless. When she decides to make some major changes in her life, quitting her job as an optometrist, and moving house, she finds herself on a wild journey that may or may not include a second chance at love.
Rebel
by Beverly Jenkins
After the Civil War, Captain Drake LeVeq, an architect from an old New Orleans family, is drawn into an irresistible intrigue when he encounters a rebellious young woman who is on a mission to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish.
The Love Con
by Seresia Glass
Joining the reality show competition Cosplay of No Way, gamer Kenya Davenport, required to have a significant other, and asks her best friend to role play as a couple in love, but when real feelings get involved, it could cost her the best friend she’s ever had.
The Business of Lovers
by Eric Jerome Dickey
While a father struggles to reconnect with his estranged son and spiteful ex, his bodyguard brother is invited by three women escorts to consider a job as a male prostitute. Eric Jerome Dickey paints a powerful portrait of the family we have, the families we create, and every sexy moment in between.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown
by Talia Hibbert
Danika Brown isn't looking for romance. She asks the universe for the perfect friend-with benefits instead. When security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill and a video of the heroic rescue goes viral, Dani agrees to go along with a fake romance to help his sports charity. Her plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes—but it turns out that Zaf is a hopeless romantic. The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now more complex—but maybe the universe is just waiting for her to take a hint.
How to Find a Princess
by Alyssa Cole
Makeda Hicks has lost her job and her girlfriend. The last thing she’s in the mood for is to rehash the story of her grandmother’s infamous fling with a runaway prince from Ibarania. Yet when sleek and sexy investigator Beznaria Chetchevaliere crashes into her life, tasked with searching for Ibarania's missing heir, Makeda finds her irresistible. When a threat to her grandmother’s livelihood pushes Makeda to agree to return to Ibarania, Bez takes her on a transatlantic and Makeda must learn what it means to fight for what she desires and not what she feels bound to by duty.
A Dash of Salt and Pepper
by Kosoko Jackson
Xavier Reynolds just got dumped, was passed over for a prestigious fellowship, and is back home in Harper's Cove, Maine. The last thing he wants to do is to work as a prep chef in the kitchen of the hip new restaurant in town, especially since the hot, single-father chef who owns it can’t delegate to save his life. Logan O’Hare doesn’t understand Xavier or why every word out of his mouth is dipped in sarcasm. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to hire him—he needs more help in the kitchen even if it's a recipe for disaster. Stuck between a stove and a hot place, Logan and Xavier discover an unexpected connection. But when the heat between them threatens to top the Scoville scale, they’ll have to decide if they can make their relationship work or if life has seasoned them too differently.
Token
by Beverley Kendall
Two years ago, Kennedy Mitchell was plucked from the reception desk and placed in the corporate boardroom in the name of diversity. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps “diversity-challenged” companies and celebrities. When Kennedy’s ex shows up needing help repairing his company’s reputation, things get even more complicated. She knows his character is being wrongly maligned, but she’s reluctant to get involved—professionally and emotionally. But soon, she finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.
In It To Win It
by Sharon C. Cooper
After several failing business ideas, including a professional cuddling service and a short-lived pet motel, an entrepreneur starts a non-profit to help teens aging out of foster care and finds herself competing for real estate space against her ex.
A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby
by Vanessa Riley
Created by a shrewd countess, The Widow’s Grace is a secret society with a mission: to help ill-treated widows regain their status, their families, and even find true love again—or perhaps for the very first time.
Getting His Game Back
by Gia de Cadenet
Feeling like his old self after a rough patch of depression and therapy, barbershop owner Khalil Sarda meets customer Vanessa Noble who thought she was too busy building a multimillion-dollar tech company to be distracted by a relationship.
Freedom's Embrace
by Kianna Alexander
Jonathan is the only doctor within several days' ride of Graham, Pennsylvania, and he's desperate for a nurse to assist him. His salvation comes in the form of Naomi, a runaway slave who shows up ill on his doorstep. When she agrees to be his nurse in exchange for treatment, his world lights up. Unfortunately, not everyone in town approves of Jonathan's new nurse. His mother and some of his patients express their distaste, but she's captured Jonathan's heart, and he'll defend her at any cost. When Naomi's former master rides into town, Jonathan discovers just how far he'll go to keep the woman he loves from being torn from his arms, and from freedom's embrace.
Where We End & Begin
by Jane Igharo
Returning to Nigeria for a friend’s wedding, Dunni, engaged to a man she doesn’t love, runs into her high school boyfriend, Obinna, and has a passionate affair with this now sophisticated, confident man until secrets are revealed and the reckless actions of the past bring new challenges.
A Lowcountry Bride
by Preslaysa Williams
A talented dress designer leaves New York to care for her father in Charleston, South Carolina, and accepts a job at a local wedding gown shop only to find herself falling for the store's owner.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.