Showing results for "The" in African American

Trapped in a relationship that has become her prison, Adelle Roberts has learned to survive by making herself invisible. Alonzo controls every aspect of her life—who she sees, where she goes, even what she wears. His charm conceals a monster who punishes the slightest perceived betrayal. When Alonzo forces Adelle to join a gym to lose weight, she stumbles across a kickboxing class and glimpses a possible escape. Except Latifa, her trainer, seems to be harder on her than Alonzo has ever been. What's more is that Latifa seems to be holding a few dark secrets of her own.

Light-skinned Black woman Irene Redfield encounters an old childhood friend - Clare - who is now "passing" as a White woman. Clare is married to a racist White man, who doesn't know she has African American blood. In spite of the danger of being found out by her husband and society at large, she finds herself helplessly drawn to Irene's world.

I always knew marriage for me would never be to a man of my choosing. As a young girl, I was all too aware of the power I wielded in a world where men were supposed to be the superior gender. To the underworld, I was just a mafia princess. To my family, I was an equal. To my soon-to-be husband? Well, that was yet to be determined. But I prayed Enzo Bianchi was ready for me because I was damn sure prepared for him.

Professional quarterback Austin Riley has always been smitten with his childhood "enemy," Sommer Hayes. Having known each other their entire lives, the majority of their relationship exchanges have been sneers, insults, smirks, and jeers. Now, 10 years have passed since he last stepped foot in his hometown. Austin and Sommer run into each other again only to discover that they both share the same secret: their hatred toward one another was merely a cover-up for the true feelings they'd kept hidden.

Kaycee's life is full of scandalous secrets. On the outside, she's a bright, well adjusted young woman about to embark on a blessed future with the love of her life. On the inside, everything that's happening is part of a much darker plan. One she hopes no one will find out about because if they do, it could bring deadly consequences. She's on the brink of her future, but on the morning of her wedding, she suddenly disappears. Where is Kaycee? No one knows. But they are about to find out. And what's more is that Kaycee isn't the only one holding secrets.

William Wells Brown's Clotel (1853), the first novel written by an African American, was published in London while Brown was still legally regarded as property within the borders of the United States. The novel was inspired by the story of Thomas Jefferson's purported sexual relationship with his slave Sally Hemings. Brown fictionalizes the stories of Jefferson's mistress, daughters, and granddaughters, all of whom are slaves in order to demythologize the dominant U.S. cultural narrative celebrating Jefferson's America as a nation of freedom and equality for all.

In her life, there have only been three lovers. But Leslie doesn’t lament the meager number, she only truly mourns the second one. In her youthful arrogance, she turned him away, thinking there would be many more chances. Now, she lives two lives—one in the present, and another plagued by bittersweet memories of the past. But maybe, even now, it will be possible to reconcile the two.

Stella Jackson loves being the youngest mayor of Hickory Falls, Michigan, a charming town she's turned into a Christmas destination. But when her ambitious plans to host a holiday movie shoot spiral into chaos, Stella finds herself juggling frustrated citizens, delayed production schedules... and a growing attraction to the movie’s leading man.

After losing their beloved mother to ovarian cancer, identical twin sisters Jessie and Belle Brown’s world is shattered to pieces. Their mother poured out her soul to help others, but in her time of need, the only ones who pitched in were strangers. Their deadbeat father refused to lift a finger in their direction. Seething with rage over their father’s absence, coupled with pain and agony over their mother’s passing, the sisters need a place to channel their pain. Their selfish father seems to be the perfect target.

Touré Wallace and Niomi Spencer were close friends at Finley College, the prestigious HBCU they attended. The attraction that simmered between them every semester was a question they never got to ask or answer before soaring ambitions launched them to opposite corners of the world. Both chased their dreams of grit and glamor as high-profile journalists. They got it all...except a shot at being more than friends. Years later, Touré is an award-winning investigative journalist and Niomi is America's most popular morning-show host, but they both feel like something’s missing.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

Andre Monroe is ready to move on from heartbreak, and the first step is bringing home his rescue pup. He’d bonded instantly with the playful Zeus and was already planning their first adventures. But one thing he definitely hadn’t daydreamed about was Zeus accidentally being promised to someone else - or that he might go home empty-handed and brokenhearted all over again.

Ashira, a belle from the suburbs, is the wealthy acting CEO of her father’s booming building firm. That's when she’s not the dancer on the Gram and TikTok, dating the latest Black Hollywood shooting star. To her, Jas, a construction laborer, is a walking conundrum. He’s fruitlessly ambitious yet steadfast in his spiritual convictions. He’s enigmatic, well-read, regimented, and poor. Oh, and a felon. An incredibly disarming parolee who wants no connection to her. Until he does.

Five years ago, Harbor Wilson walked away from 137 Briarfield Lane, the place she'd once called home, with no intention of ever returning. Oh, how plans change. A phone call. A bit of pleading. And a promise to return home for just one week. Just one. That's all it took for Harbor to return to a place that harbored, every pun intended, all her emotional baggage. If she can get through this week of surprises without breaking down in a torrent of tears when the past demands to have its say, that will be a miracle. Harbor only hopes God is still in the miracle-working business.

Emery Thompson hates Calvin Chamberlain. From the way he acts like he’s better than everyone to the way he moves through the world thinking his podcast is the cream of the crop, every little thing about the man gets to him. Even that dashing, oh-so-confident smile. He’d rather be caught dead than be around the man any longer than necessary—or admit that last part out loud.

Jamison Jareau has suffered a terrible loss. His wife of eighteen years passed away the day she gave birth to their son. Consumed with grief and guilt over her death, Jamison has thrown himself into work and raising his four children without her. Two and a half years have passed since he lost his soulmate. The kids are growing up and Jamison realized he needs a little more help with them than he wants to admit. At the urging of his mother-in-law, he seeks a live-in nanny to alleviate some of the stress of being a single parent.

Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves is an origin story in the true American tradition. Before Bass Reeves could stake his claim as the most successful nineteenth-century American lawman, arresting more outlaws than any other deputy during his thirty-two-year career as a deputy US marshal in some of the most dangerous regions of the Wild West, he was a slave. After a childhood picking cotton, Reeves became an expert marksman under his master's tutelage, winning shooting contests throughout the region. His skill had serious implications, however, as the Civil War broke out.

Whether weaving family life and history into dark fiction or writing speculative Afrofuturism, American Book Award winner and Essence best-selling author Tananarive Due’s work is both riveting and enlightening. In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by otherness. Featuring an award-winning novella and 15 stories, Ghost Summer: Stories is sure to haunt and delight.

Nicholas always strived for perfection, but he never could measure up to his mother’s unreasonable demands. His hopes of passing the prerequisites for the pre-med program at the prestigious Plankton University are dashed when he fails out. Until he encounters Professor Jackson. For an introductory class, her standards are way too high. Maybe Nicholas can reason with Professor Jackson. Maybe he can make her see his point of view. Maybe they can come to an agreement about his grades? Because the only other alternative is to kill her.

When Sariah Simmons accepts a week-long babysitting position for the affluent Rodwell family, she sees it as the perfect opportunity. But behind the pristine walls of their suburban home, she discovers disturbing signs that something isn't right. Caroline Rodwell, a traveling nurse, keeps everything under strict control. Her husband Richard maintains their picture-perfect image. But basements hold secrets, and perfect families often hide the darkest truths.