Book picks similar to
The Shirt off His Back by Parry Ebonysatin Brown


romance
african-american-fiction
repeat-reads
have-read

Something's Wrong with Your Scale!: A Romantic Comedy


Van Whitfield - 1999
    Nice Guy who's found companionship and comfort with Marsha.  The only problem is that he's become too comfortable.  Weighing seventy-five pounds more than when the courtship first began, the newly food-obsessed Sonny just can't stay away from Marsha's marvelous dishes, even in the middle of their breakup conversation.Determined to slim down and get his girlfriend back, Sonny joins the FutraSystem weight-loss center and meets potential love interest Kayla, as well as a host of other colorful characters. In a heartwarming tale that is alternately hilarious, wise, and ultimately self-affirming, Whitfield has created a thoroughly delicious and engaging novel sure to be enjoyed by those who have waged the battle of the bulge, or know someone who has.

Unbreak My Heart (Second Chances #2)


Rhonda McKnight - 2014
    show career is spiraling into an abyss. She’s desperate enough to do almost anything to keep a roof over her head and provide the financial support that’s needed for her daughter and ailing grandmother. When her estranged husband, Jacob Gray, reenters her life offering a lifeline she realizes she still loves him. Cameron has kept a painful secret that continues to be at the root of the unspoken words between them. She’s a woman of great faith, but regaining trust requires telling all and healing old wounds that she believes would destroy any chance for happiness they could have. Jacob Gray believed he’d spend the rest of his life loving his wife, that is until he discovered she was pregnant and there was no way it could be his child. He tried to put Cameron out of his mind and heart, but five years have passed and he still loves her. Jacob risks everything, including his fortune, in hopes of getting a second chance at love. Though he quickly discovers Cameron’s not interested in rekindling what they had years ago. Will Jacob convince her to forgive the mistakes in their past and allow each other to heal their broken hearts?

The Side Effects of You


Anna Black - 2014
    Although they've tried to keep it together, there comes a time when you have to move on. As they strive to start over and make new lives, there are hurdles to leap over, not to mention something about the ex that keeps pulling them back in. Will these women finally find happiness, or will the side effects of their exes, keep them stuck in an unhappy rut? Will they let the new opportunities to be free of their past into their lives, or slip through their fingers? See if they will they fight for their independence in The Side Effects of You

Indigo Haze: Thug Love is the Best Love


Aubreé Pynn - 2019
    Every time he pulls away, something goes array and sucks him back in. A natural born leader and peace maker, he gives himself two months to be free from the streets while saving every dollar he can to fulfill the promise he made to himself. Taj Ali Adams has a bright future ahead of her and an undeniable light that everyone around her wants to protect, especially her older brother. With tragedy lingering around her, the light that shined so bright goes dim. Taj is forced to adjust to a whole new world after her father packs them up and moves unexpectedly. In a haze, Taj questions everything. Then fate steps in and guides two souls to each other. But the question is, will fate play fair and bring back Taj’s light to be a guide or will it diminish forever? Find out in Indigo Haze: Thug Love is the Best Love.

Sparks of Temptation: The Proposal\Feeling the Heat


Brenda Jackson - 2015
    With one convenient proposal, he could have the Southern beauty in his bed and her birthright in his hands. That's only if Bella says yes… FEELING THE HEAT Their long-ago affair ended too abruptly. And Dr. Micah Westmoreland knows Kalina Daniels hasn't forgiven him. But now that they're working side by side, he can't ignore the heat that still burns between them. This time, there will be no question about his motive—he plans to make her his.

Dating Games


R.M. Johnson - 2003
    Hennesey, a brilliant straight-A student, is soon off to college on a full scholarship. She's in a strong relationship with Rafe, a recently released convict who's trying to turn his life around after being unjustly jailed. He took a drug rap for his old friend Smoke, who has since become the most ruthless drug dealer in Chicago. Rafe wants nothing more to do with his old friends -- especially when he falls for Hennesey. On the other hand, Alizé is perfectly comfortable relying on her undeniable sex appeal to get what she wants. When Livvy, the girls' mother, announces that they have to move out of her apartment because she is getting a smaller place to save up money and go back to school, Alizé panics as she is in desperate need of some money of her own. She and her girlfriends come up with an outrageous plan to score some fast cash -- persuading the men with fat pockets they meet at clubs to take the girls to a hotel and then drugging them and making off with their wallets and jewelry. Unfortunately for Alizé, one of their first victims is none other than Smoke, Rafe's old buddy. Once robbed, he's bent on revenge -- and the violent chain of events that follow will change the Rodgers family forever.

Secrets of A Housewife


J. Tremble - 2006
     A successful career. A beautiful wife and children...and his pick of the sexiest women in town. It seems Tarron has the best of both worlds as he manages to indulge in wild nights out with his lover and quiet nights at home with his family. But the party is about to end...When Tarron's cheating ways are revealed, his cool-headed wife, Secret, handles it like a pro. That's partly because, true to her name, Secret is hiding some bad behavior of her own. And now, as Secret starts to really live out her own fantasies, neither she nor Tarron may be ready for the explosive consequences... "A fascinating debut novel... There are so many exciting twists and turns to this story that you'll be begging for more once you read the very last page." --Urban-Reviews.com

Roadrunner


Trisha R. Thomas - 2002
    He’s married to his college sweetheart, Leah, and they have two children and a dream home in Los Angeles. But an injury has sidelined his hot career, and prescription medication and depression are pulling him into a downward spiral, leaving Leah feeling emotionally distanced and lonely. Their fighting escalates, and one night Dell commits an act of violence that changes the course of their lives forever. But Angel Lopez, the cop who arrests Dell, decides to take the law into his own hands. Determined to teach the famous athlete a lesson, he drives Dell to the worst part of town and tries to kick him out of the car. The men struggle and the car crashes. When Angel comes to, Dell is gone and no one knows if he’s dead or alive.Leah is grateful when a guilt-stricken Angel offers to chase the media away from her home and help out around the house, “just until Dell comes home.” She and her family grow to trust him, and Angel falls in love with the Roadrunner’s lovely, grieving wife. Will Dell find his way home? Will Angel replace him? And what really happened that dark night the Roadrunner disappeared?

Sunday Brunch


Norma L. Jarrett - 1999
    She seems to have it all together all the time until a seductive client topples her self-control. Then there’s Jermane, a devout Catholic who met her husband in law school and has never been with another man. But now her workaholic marriage is threatened by temptation.Angel, on the other hand, sees men merely as a means to sex. Her scorn for love of all kinds—godly or otherwise—is challenged by a serious health scare. Meanwhile, Jewel bases her dating choices on the size of a man’s bank account until she meets a new flame who causes her to reconsider her requirements. Finally, there’s Lexi, the link between the ladies, who provides sage advice while praying for Mr. Right. But what happens when depression hits hard? Through conversation and consolation, these dynamic characters provide one another with divine inspiration—encouraging readers to root for them along the way.

Three Is a Crowd


Chenell Parker - 2019
    For Jersi Bradford, there was no definition for payback. After having her heart broken by the man who she’d planned to spend the rest of her life with, Jersi decided to stop getting mad and get even. Blake was a man who was used to getting what he wanted. It just so happened that what he wanted was his first love back in his life. After hurting Jersi in a horrific way, he was ecstatic when she decided to give him another chance. The only thing standing in their way was Mariah, his wife and mother of his kids. Memphis Young knew all too well how it felt to have your happiness snatched away in the blink of an eye. After suffering through a tragedy of his own, he decided that love and happiness were obviously not meant for him. He dated casually without commitment and he was okay with living a carefree life. One chance encounter at the grocery store changed his mind and his perspective. Love fell into his arms and he wasn’t willing to let it go. Old habits die hard and some never die at all. When old flames get reignited and new ones start to flicker, lives are changed and some are completely destroyed. Join these complex characters to see why one is lonely, two is company and three is a crowd.

A Beverly Jenkins Romance Collection


Beverly Jenkins - 2018
    And when Jamal Watts hears the stunning songbird, he’s ready to sign her to his label. The love-burned producer isn’t prepared for the passion Regina unleashes in him. Suddenly they’re both hitting all the right notes. But Regina isn’t ready to trust her heart—unless this gorgeous, caring man can show her how, together, they can make the most beautiful music of all…. Holiday Heat For Eve Clark, winter usually means long cold nights spent alone, until she’s persuaded to attend a masked ball. Abandoning her inhibitions, she shares a blissful tryst with a mysterious partner. Though she runs from their hotel room the next morning, Leyton Palmer is determined to track Eve down and show her that the night neither can forget was only the start of something sensational…. I’ll Be Home for Christmas Three years ago, Broadway star Dina Caldwell and celebrity chef Morgan Caldwell were passionately in love. Now America’s onetime favorite couple are about to be reunited in Morgan’s Detroit hometown for the holidays. Is this the season for forgiving and forgetting? With sizzling kisses under the mistletoe, Morgan vows to make this a Christmas Dina will never forget! Hawaii Magic Workaholic attorney Anita Hunt is on the job 24/7. She’s looking to make partner, not party. While on a forced vacation in Hawaii, she meets gorgeous pilot Steve Blair. When engine trouble forces them to make a crash landing, the seductive airman shows her a side of the exotic island and herself she never expected—and a passion that could make them partners in paradise forever.… Overtime Love Drew Davis’s goal is to buy the semipro football team where he is general manager. But the owner’s grandaughter, Tasha Bloom, unexpectedly inherits it first. Still, Drew’s not brokenhearted, since their mutual passion for football runs second only to their attraction to each other. But can the team and their budding romance make it to the New Year’s Day championship?

The Flip Side of Sin


Rosalyn McMillan - 2000
    "The Flip Side of Sin" takes readers on a journey through the lives of a group of unforgettable characters who must overcome life's toughest challenges to find true happiness. It is a book in which worlds collide and people are forever transformed by the tumultuous changes that occur in one man's life. The story begins with Isaac Coleman, a man whose tragic mistakes cost him years away from everyone and everything that mattered to him -- especially his wife and son. Alone, confused, and bitter, Isaac can only become whole by learning to love again. But when he re-enters the world he left and attempts to get reacquainted with his now teenage son, Peyton, he finds heartbreaking rejection.As Isaac struggles to understand and change his plight, his only form of self-expression is found in the keys of his saxophone. When he later meets up with Miracall Lake, a woman with whom he shares a painful past, she surprisingly helps him to face his fears and reach for his dreams. In this case, love indeed conquers all -- or so it tries to in this tale of good versus evil and love versus hate. "The Flip Side of Sin" is a poignant and memorable work from a writer of immense talent.

A Taste of Reality


Kimberla Lawson Roby - 2003
    But when she applies for a promotion at work, she loses out to a white colleague who isn′t as qualified for the job. But Anise doesn′t give up and tries again. At the same, she discovers that her husband is having an affair. And her best friend at work is keeping dangerous secrets. As brave as she is determined, Anise finds out that she has the strength to deal with the heartbreak and stay her course. Ultimately, she will discover that what is worth having is worth fighting for--in her career and , most importantly, in her heart.

A Kingpin's Dream


Briana Crosby - 2015
    With loving men of power comes drama and jealousy. Can Briana and Persia handle everything that comes their way or will they crack under pressure? They say that love is forever but is forever enough?