Black Romance Authors
Celebrate February’s Black History Month with heart-throbbing romances!
February is Black History Month! Many of you little infinite readers mindfully prioritize reading Black romance authors in February to combine Valentine’s Day AND Black History Month. With many on social media mentioning that powerhouses like Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X are on their TBR. Social commentary is obviously a priority, but don’t overlook Black authors in other genres, too! NK Jemison’s The Broken Earth trilogy is a science fiction classic. Octavia Butler’s Kindred is a speculative fiction masterpiece. Samuel Delany’s short stories examine race, sexuality, colonization, and more, through an alien POV. Absolutely mind-bending!
But you’ve found your way here to us because you are a romance reader. We’ve put together a starter list of sweet and steamy reads by Black authors that will take you through February and beyond!
6 Black Romance Authors To Read Now!
I Think They Love You—Julian Winters
Denz Carter’s workaholic father surprises everyone when he announces his retirement, and the heat is on to find a successor. Denz wants to convince his family that he is mature and capable of commitment, so naturally he lies about having a pretend serious boyfriend as proof of his maturity.
Now Denz needs to FIND a fake boyfriend! He doesn’t even have anyone in the wings! He’s forced to turn to the last person he wants to be with: Braylon, the man who broke his heart.
Having Braylon back in his life in such close proximity is off-putting, because they broke up for a reason. But Braylon needs something, too. He needs Denz’s political connections in order to advance his own career, so the two men strike a deal and embark on a fake, temporary relationship. Denz used to love the man Braylon WAS. Can he learn to embrace the person Braylon is becoming? This celebration of queer love is definitely a must-read romance!
Julian Winters is an award-winning author of contemporary YA fiction, I Think They Love You is his first book for adults. His books receive accolades and starred reviews for their depictions of relatable diverse characters, and The Summer of Everything was one of my favorite books of 2020. Julian currently resides outside of Atlanta, where he spends his time reading (maybe comic books!) or watching volleyball or soccer. He’s also a big fan of rom-coms!
“A brilliant rom-com debut from one of my favorite authors! This book will stay with you like a last kiss goodnight.” – Ashley Poston, New York Times best-selling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip
Beautiful Broken Love—Shanora Williams
Not a whole lot of life experiences would turn you off of love forever, but your soulmate dying in your arms definitely qualifies. Davina simply isn’t sure how to carry on without her beloved husband.
In order to keep moving forward and to avoid a depression she knows she won’t come back from Davina throws herself into her business. Golden Oil Co. is her self-made, built-from-the-ground-up skin care line, but even the promise of a major endorsement deal is not worth celebrating without her Lew by her side.
Big things are happening at Golden Oil Co., and Davina lands a pitch meeting with the hottest NBA star of the moment. Deke Bishop is handsome, and gorgeous, and sweet, but even more importantly, he is a natural pitchman and might be the key factor to launch her skincare into the stratosphere.
And Deke is more than the flashy NBA player that he portrays to the world. Davina can sense that he has his own deep pain. Her feelings for him grow, but so do her feelings of guilt. How can she ever replace Lew? Can she put her doubts aside and give love another chance?
North Carolina-based author Shanora Williams has penned over 30 romances and thrillers! When she isn’t writing her next bestseller, she’s spending time with her big family (she has ten siblings!), reading, or binge-watching TV.
Don’t miss Shanora’s All Would Be Kings series, perfect for fans of Outlander!
Between Friends & Lovers—Shirlene Obuobi
In what definitely feels like the set up for a joke, an influencer, an author, and an actor are thrown together in a seriously swoon-worthy romance!
Josephine has thousands of Insta followers and her expert advice about acceptance and self-love speak to a lot of people. But when the camera is off, Jo fills with panic and feels a ton of pressure. A social outlet would be great, but she doesn’t have a love life because she is in unrequited lust with her best friend, heartthrob actor Ezra Adelman.
Enter the third side of our triangle: Malcom is the newest author du jour in the literary world, but instead of being wined, dined, and feted, Malcolm would much rather keep his introvert self at home. When forced to attend a high-profile Hollywood affair, he bumps into Jo, and the two of them quickly feel something sparking between them.
It is at that point that Ezra decides he might want something more with Jo, and she is completely torn between the familiar and the brand new. Are Ezra’s feelings real? Or is this just a knee-jerk, jealous response? The lines become blurred between the three of them, and each is left trying to decide whether or not they are ready for the next steps of romance!
Author Shirlene Obuobi is a cartoonist, an author…and a cardiologist! The Ghanian American Obuobi, who grew up in Chicago, loves talking to fans about romance books and women’s heart health, which definitely seem like complementary subjects. She’s also a regular contributor to The Washington Post.
Homebodies—Tembe Denton-Hurst
A Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by Elle, USA Today, Bustle, Ebony, Harper’s Bazaar, PopSugar, New York Post, The Skimm, and The Millions.
A Best Book of 2023 by Marie Claire, Esquire, Vogue, them, Autostraddle, Betches, Gay Times, and Cosmopolitan.
Mickey Hayward dreams about writing things that people want to read, but until she can support herself with Stories That Matter, she is stuck creating shlock about celeb haircare and making listicles about make up. She can deal with it for now! The job is decent, her girlfriend is her rock, and she’s finally far from the messy life she left behind when she fled Maryland.
And then, Mickey finds out that she is going to be replaced. She’s sad of course, and worried about money, but her primary focus is RAGE. She pens an op-ed piece that shines a spotlight on the realities of life as a Black woman in media that she thinks will change the world, but instead she receives overwhelming silence, even from her usually supportive girlfriend. Things get worse and worse until Mickey has to deal with the reality of her crumbling life, and she returns to her hometown in Maryland, a place she swore would never see again.
Life in her hometown is peaceful, simple, and insolated. Mickey feels herself falling back into the hometown trap, especially when an old lover reaches out. Can she break out of her rut and take back what is hers? When you lose everything, what exactly are you left with?
Tembe Denton-Hurst is currently a writer at The Strategist, covering beauty topics and books. She also writes the Substack Extracurricular, where she ruminates on what she is reading and shares her thoughts about a lot of different stuff. She lives in Queens with her partner and their two cats!
The Greene Sisters: The Love Lyric—Kristina Forest
This is my favorite book on this list! I love this series (and books about sisters), and this third installment checks all of the boxes for an excellent romance.
Iris Greene became a widow and a single mother at the age of 27. Afte the death of the love of her life, she’s raising Calla by herself while kicking ass as the Director of Partnerships at a beauty company. She has no free time, but she does have the opportunity to feel lonely. She just needs the opportunity to get her head together once and for all. Instead, she meets a man at her sister’s wedding who takes her breath away.
Angel Hughes is a successful musician on his way to breaking through at the top of the pop charts. But he’s not passionate about the music he’s producing, he wants to do more of his own thing. Not to mention the complete lack of a love life that is also bumming him out. Perhaps the new ad campaign at Save Face Beauty will get things going in a new direction!
When he visits company headquarters to kickstart the ad campaign, he’s surprised to run into Iris, the sister of his personal stylist. And the woman Angel has had a crush on for years.
Iris and Angel are desperately attracted to each other, but they vow to stay uber-professional throughout the life of the campaign. Can two completely different people find a way to dance to the same beat?
Kristina Forest’s most recent novel, The Partner Plot, was Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick of February 2024! She attended Rowan University and completed her MFA at The New School.
A Lowcountry Bride—Preslaysa Williams
First of all, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. Second of all, this romance builds like a seafood boil…heating up to the perfect temperature for romance!
Maya Jackson dreams of being the head designer for the popular NYC bridal gown shop where she’s works. She has the talent to run the show, she just needs one lucky chance to show her designs to the world.
When her father has a minor accident that requires her to return to her South Carolina home, Maya uses the time wisely. She creates an opportunity for herself at a local bridal boutique and winds up spending a lot of time with the very handsome owner of Always a Bride.
Derek Sullivan is a veteran, a widower, and the current proprietor of the family business. Desperate to connect with his daughter, heartbroken over the loss of her mother, Derek tries to avoid any emotional entanglement with the gorgeous Maya, who will only be in town for a short while. There’s no future for the two of them.
But you never know what the universe has in store for you. What is waiting for two lonely, heartbroken people searching for a connection? The character development in this lovely book is absolutely excellent, you will fall in love with Maya and Derek.
Of course you love her books, but you may also know Afro Filipina Preslaysa Williams from her on-screen roles in This is Us or Homeland! She’s also a writing coach who offers consultations for any phase of your writing career. Note: if you sign up on her website, Preslaysa will send you a free story.
Whether or not this list introduced you to someone new, remember to read diversely all year! Read one of the above Black Romance Authors to celebrate love and diversity within your next read. What Black authors will you be talking about during Black History Month? Want more diverse romance books? Check them out here!
