Book picks similar to
Slow Burn by Ebony Farashuu


adult-romance
african-american
african-americanfiction
chick-lit

The Other Side of Heartache


Sarah Jo Smith - 2013
    Summoned to her childhood home to sort through Penny’s belongings, the timing couldn’t be worse. Grieving over her losses and exhausted from a demanding teaching schedule, she worries that her marriage is collapsing under the pressure. While packing her mother’s closet, Grace discovers a box filled with mysterious keepsakes and old diaries written in Penny’s hand and takes them home. After reading pages filled with typical musings of a teenage girl from a generation ago, she stumbles upon a dark secret and is devastated to learn that what she believed her whole life about her family was based on lies.As Grace digs beneath the Rose family tree, she unearths more than one skeleton buried there. All the while, she must endure the wrath of her grandmother, Eleanor, who is determined to block her efforts to find out what happened when Penny was seventeen, as well as the underlying cause of her premature death. Yet Eleanor harbors a well-kept secret of her own, one more deceitful and calculating than Penny’s sin. Grace’s journey through an emotional labyrinth of passion, shame, and manipulation not only leads to more shocking revelations but also changes the course she had mapped for her life.Through a story told in alternating voices between the past and present where old morals and double standards from the historical 1950s and ‘60s clash with modern day values, Grace must decide if it’s worth taking an unforeseen risk to reaffirm her belief in the power of love. BOOK GROUP GUIDE INCLUDED.

Universally Challenged


Anna Bell - 2012
    Not only does she wake up in a stranger's apartment, but the company she works for claims never to have heard of her. Jess wakes up in a hotel room without her husband. She tracks him down and discovers he is married to another woman. When a stranger, Jake, tries to convince her that she is heading up a multi-million dollar deal, it is too much for Jess, the teacher, to take in. Trapped on the wrong side of a parallel universe, Jessica and Jess turn to Jake to help them work out who they really are and what they really want. Same woman: wrong parallel universe

FeMALE TRAITS "The Trilogy"


Lurea C. McFadden - 2011
    She is married to a successful, loving husband but somehow she requires more attention than this fine upstanding man can offer. She plays hard; in fact she is a playa in her own right. But Grace forgets that Game recognizes Game when she runs into Sonia, her husband’s best friend. This is the tale of Grace’s extra-marital love affair, love and support of good friends, and lessons learned along the way.

Single Mama Drama


Kayla Perrin - 2008
    Her ex-boyfriend thinks she's a booty call. Her fianc� was cheating on her--and his wife... And now he's dead.Twenty-eight-year-old Vanessa Cain had no idea that Eli, her husband-to-be, was already a married man. Or that he had a girlfriend on the side! Then, when Eli is killed by his mistress's husband, Vanessa's crazy world gets even more complicated. Now Eli's hostile widow, who happens to own the hip South Beach condo Vanessa and her young daughter shared with Eli, wants her out. Vanessa loves her home--it's the one stable thing in her life. But to keep it, she has to come up with money. Lots of it.Which means bringing in big business for her boss's motivational speaking agency. And Chaz Andersen is big, the biggest name in life coaching and the hottest man alive. So with a business plan and a bikini, Vanessa heads down to the Bahamas to convince Chaz to sign with her--unaware that this single mama is about to get herself into a whole lot more drama.

I'll Be Good to You


Chelsea Maria - 2019
    In fact, the hopeless romantic has been in love with the idea of love since she became a witness to the unmeasurable lengths her father dedicated to giving her mother a fairytale love every day. Yazlyn's infatuation with love guided her to become one of the most sought out Matchmakers in South Florida. Not only is she the go-to woman for all things love, but she has her own fairytale love story with the man that whisked her off her feet six years ago. The two have lived in such a bubble of bliss and utopia, that not even Yazlyn was prepared for the hurricane storm that tore down her veil of perfection. Now, she's faced with a tough decision - Do I stay, or do I go? What do you call a man that is wise above his years, strong-minded, determined, and sculpted in perfect chocolate? You call that man Kaalan Walker - a twenty-six-year-old who is returning back to his hometown after spending a year in Jamaica to handle some personal issues. Before he left the sunshine state, Kaalan was doing everything that young men his age do. Party, travel, and sow his wild oats. Now that he's back, he's ready to pick up where he left off, however, what he didn't intend to pick up was strong feelings that immersed themselves within his heart for a burgundy locs matchmaker. When it comes to Yazlyn, all is fair in love and war, and Kaalan stands by that oath. Regardless of the obstacles determined to keep them apart, Yazlyn and everyone else involved will quickly learn that when a man wants something, there is nothing or no one that can stop him from getting it.

A Child's Voice Calling


Maggie Bennett - 2002
    With poverty never far from the door, the battle to stay respectable is finally lost when the family breaks up in tragic circumstances, and Mabel is thrown upon the dubious mercy of her grandmother, the sinister Mimi Court, who has her own dark secrets. But faithful Harry Drover of the Salvation Army, in love with Mabel, gets an opportunity to prove his devotion when Mimi falls foul of the law and Mabel has to fight for her own survival...

BIG HAIR AND FLYING COWS


Dolores Wilson - 2014
    To say the least. She calls Sweet Meadow, Georgia, home, where she works for her father doing auto repairs. She also drives the tow-truck, although Sweet Meadow's rather colorful denizens tend to treat Bertie more like the local, free taxi service. You know, someone has to get to a doctor's appointment or pick something up at the dry cleaners. Bertie's favorite day of the week is Friday, when she leaves the wrecker with her father for the whole weekend and joins her friends at the Dew Drop Inn for a night of dancing. Her best friend, Mary Lou, sometimes fixes her up with dubious dates, although Bertie has to remind her friend not to tease her hair too high for those occasions. Like the time when they went to Carrie Sue's open house, and a ceramic cow with angel wings hanging from a ceiling fan locked its hooves into Bertie's big hair and refused to let go. She had to wear it all night, dangling chain and all. Bertie's nearly perfect life is about to take a downhill turn, however. It starts when her landlord, Pete, currently a resident in a nearby nursing home, starts showing up at her house. In his birthday suit. A very badly wrinkled birthday suit. And then she goes to her mailbox, a rubber large mouth bass, and finds a notice from the zoning commission saying she can no longer park the wrecker in her driveway. The notice is signed by George Bigham. But when she goes to the courthouse to take care of her little problem, it is only to discover George Bigham is deceased. And Mary Lou's pregnancy test just came up positive. Can it get any worse? In a word... yes.

A Player's Prayer: Baltimore's Most Wanted


Kellz Kimberly - 2016
    Thou shall not hit these clubs. Every night of the week lookin for some groupie love. Thou shall respect your heart. Thou shall not play you hard. Growing up with a mother who firmly believes that love will get you killed is something that has stuck with Chicago all of his life. The word love is foreign to him. He runs through chicks the same way that bosses run up checks. He was loving life in the fast lane & for a while that was okay for him, until he realized he wanted more than meaningless sex. Kapri is Chicago's best friend and one true love. However, she's not up for the games that Chicago plays. After being cheated on once by Chicago, she realizes that they are just better off as friends. Tahiem is Chicago's right hand while Nelly is Kapri's best friend. Both Tahiem & Nelly help their friends realize that they have a deeper connection than they are willing to admit. All the while Nelly & Tahiem form an interesting relationship of their own. Dive into the world of these four friends as they overcome obstacles such as deception, lies, & death. Get a glimpse into how they overcome fear and their insecurities while learning to love whole heartedly.

Every Last Secret: A Riveting Kidnapping Boxset


Robert J. Walker - 2021
    

A Piece of Cake


T.M. Franklin - 2013
    Well, at least not the hearts and flowers, see-your-soulmate-across-a-crowded-room-and-the-world-stands-still kind of love. No, Emily is a pragmatist and she’s abandoned her family’s tradition of matchmaking based on instinct and uncanny intuition for a more scientific approach to pairing people up. Emily believes love is more about compatibility and common interests than anything mystical.But a run-of-the-mill job turns her world on end when swoony cake designer Sam Cavanaugh pops up as a potential match for her newest client. The attraction she feels for him throws a wrench in her plans, but Emily’s not giving in without a fight.Emily is nothing if not practical. And reasonable. But she’s about to learn that sometimes the sweetest things in life…are neither.

A Time To Keep


Rochelle Alers - 2006
    Little does she realize the mystery and peril that await her in the small town of Bayou Teche when she begins to investigate an unsolved murder that happened decades before....Sheriff Shiloh Harper has lived in Bayou Teche all his life, comfortable with its simple, easy lifestyle. So when Boston-born newcomer Gwen Taylor arrives in town, he is surprised to find that he's not only attracted to her, but that she is the only one to stir his passion since his ex-wife. What he doesn't know is that their paths and their passions are destined to cross.

My Brother's Keeper


Bri'Monae - 2011
    That is until someone comes along and is all to determined to disrupt her happiness, causing Reese to step from within the shadows of her brother and his friends.Come along on Reese’s journey of unconditional Love, Life and Murder. As the protected becomes the protector all under the guise of being her Brother’s Keeper.

Villa Normandie


Kevin Doherty
    The Normandy coastal village of Caillons is under German occupation, its villagers struggling to survive. With her husband forced into compulsory service for the German Reich, Jeanne Dupré, mother of two adolescent daughters, risks everything to lead the local Resistance cell.Life becomes even more dangerous with the arrival of British agent Daniel Benedict. He needs Jeanne's help to complete his mission, vital to Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings. But Jeanne is suspicious that they are not fighting for the same outcome. Their joint foe is Jürgen Graf, a Nazi oberleutnant set on wiping out the local Resistance. Aware that a spy is at large, Graf is on a ruthless mission to hunt Benedict down. With the help of a network of Catholic priests, Benedict penetrates the heart of the Nazis’ defences against Allied invasion, the Atlantic Wall. As the lives of Jeanne and Benedict become increasingly intertwined can they stay true to themselves? Will they have to sacrifice all in their fight for freedom..? ‘Villa Normandie’ is a moving historical novel, presenting an accurate picture of life under Nazi occupation. It is thoroughly detailed, meticulously researched and vividly authentic - depicting the turbulent world of the French resistance and the struggle of the French people for freedom.

The Santa Suit


Mary Kay Andrews
    The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love--but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit--beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

Highlander's Burned Heart


Alisa Adams - 2020
    But she is the only one who can salvage his soul. Fiona Malloch feels completely lost. Only weeks after her forced marriage, the husband she hated dies of old age, and before she can feel relief, another man tries to prey on her! Fiona decides to risk everything and run away, seeking refuge in the nearby Ormond Castle, home of the infamous Laird Bhaltair Douglas.The young Laird has never been the same after the tragic loss of his brother in a fire. The scars on his body remind him daily of the tragedy and his failure to save his own blood. A failure that has alienated him from his family and spread rumors that the once-powerful clan is now weak.When the young lass arrives and asks for shelter, Bhaltair knows that helping her will mean war with the enemy clan she escaped from. They have been waiting for an opportunity, and Fiona has given them the perfect one.Her untamed character brings them into collision, but in an unexpected turn of events, Bhaltair decides to protect her. While staying in Douglas lands, Fiona seems to be the only one who is not afraid to defy the Laird and finds a way to penetrate his soul’s defenses. Bhaltair’s heart begins to heal, and he rediscovers emotions he thought he would never feel again.But by keeping Fiona, Bhaltair is losing the trust of his clan, and with his enemies at the doorstep, it seems that the girl who can save him is about to destroy his clan…