Book picks similar to
Secrets Within Her by LeTresa Payne


fiction
african-american
drama
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Dying For Cake


Louise Limerick - 2004
    But these circumstances have changed their lives irreversibly, and each woman begins to look for something to satiate the cravings that she had never allowed to surface before...Joanna is dying for cake. Clare is longing to paint again. Susan want's to claw back all the time she's lost. Wendy is trying to forget the past. And Evelyn? Well, nobody knows what Evelyn wants. But how can she not want her baby back?

The Reluctant Time Traveler


Lynda Eymann - 2006
    Before she can complete her task, she may need to resort to a little murder and experience a bit of Hellfire, but that's to be expected when the threads of time are ruled by sexist Thraeder pigs. Fortunately, a certain irresistible man (who happens to be the ultimate feminist) makes everything worthwhile in the end. CATEGORY: Time Travel Romance. (Not, in general, for sexist Thraeder pigs.)

She's the One


Sandra Kitt - 2001
    After receiving guardianship of Stacy, the biracial daughter of an old friend, Deanna comes to terms with her own goals and identity as an African-American woman as she and Patterson Temple join forces to protect the frightened child.

Yellow Crocus


Laila Ibrahim - 2010
    Thus begins an intense relationship that will shape both of their lives for decades to come. Though Lisbeth leads a life of privilege, she finds nothing but loneliness in the company of her overwhelmed mother and her distant, slave-owning father. As she grows older, Mattie becomes more like family to Lisbeth than her own kin and the girl’s visits to the slaves’ quarters—and their lively and loving community—bring them closer together than ever. But can two women in such disparate circumstances form a bond like theirs without consequence? This deeply moving tale of unlikely love traces the journey of these very different women as each searches for freedom and dignity. Revised edition: This edition of Yellow Crocus includes editorial revisions.

I Choose You: Hood Love at Its Finest


Diamond D. Johnson - 2014
    They have been married now for two years but that’s been her man since she was in the 6th grade. Lani has already gone through her share of fighting sideline chicks over her man. After all these years of being together, things for them are fine because Ka’lani has made it clear that she will not play about Tyrone!Now meet Tisha Monroe. Tisha was a woman who has been scorned for years due to her previous relationship with her ex Mike. That all changed when she finally gave Otis Jackson a chance. She worships the ground that man walks on. She loves her man and he loves her back. Along with loving him comes a price to pay. There are a few chicks lurking, determined to do anything to take Tisha’s spot, but there just happens to be one in particular that is willing to do anything to have Otis on her side. What happens when other females try to get in the middle of what you and your man are building? Do you let them take him? Do you give up? Or do you still choose him? In this book relationships are tested and you end up asking yourself “Am I making the right choice?” Take a ride with the hood's hottest couples Ka'lani and Tyrone and Tisha and Otis, and their two best fiends Tamika and Kyla for a tale filled with drama, thug love, sex, and a little bit more drama.

Love Unexpected


Ritu Kakar - 2020
    

Destined


Patricia Haley - 2009
    But after three years of self-imposed exile, he has returned to take over DMI at the gentle urging of beautiful Abigail, who was once his father’s assistant. His brother, Joel, plagued by a slew of illicit affairs and poor judgment, is plunging the business into ruin, and Don’s plans to secretly assume control of the ministry come into question when his estranged sister refuses to help him. Don must decide whether to face down his power-hungry brother to save the ministry his father worked so hard to build—and take a chance on an unrequited love he never dreamed Abigail would reciprocate—or return to South Africa to find refuge in his own thriving company and the budding romance he left behind. After much soul searching, Don comes to realize that his destiny is inescapable. Patricia Haley’s evocative modern-day interpretation of these popular biblical tales will keep readers riveted until the stunning conclusion.

Noble Norfleet


Reynolds Price - 2002
     A few days before Noble Norfleet's eighteenth birthday, his family suffers a violent catastrophe. The sole survivor, Noble throws himself into a reckless affair with his Spanish teacher, whose husband is fighting in Vietnam. When Noble graduates, he enlists as well and, while serving as an army medic, experiences a mysterious vision that seems tied to uncanny events in his recent past. Not until thirty years later -- after a life short on friends and troubled by a compulsion to worship women's bodies -- is Noble challenged to rethink the decades-old mystery of his family tragedy. Faced with an ominous choice, Noble finally comes to accept an enormous duty he's long tried to ignore. Soon, perhaps for the first time, his future seems hopeful.

Sweet Home Carolina


T. Lynn Ocean - 2006
    She is enjoying life in the fast lane when, all of a sudden, she's put in charge of her firm's annual pro bono project. Her assignment: to devise a plan for revitalizing the coastal town of Rumton, South Carolina. Years of declining population, lack of industry, and a poor economy threaten to leave Rumton broke and hopeless. But Jaxie doesn't "do" small towns, much less know how to pull off saving one. She arrives in Rumton to discover that the lack of shopping and day spas is the least of her worries. There isn't even a hotel, and she must bunk down with an old man named Pop in an even older house. Determined to succeed---if only to get back home as quickly as possible---Jaxie sets out to meet the townsfolk and work on a plan. Just when she decides that Rumton is dreadfully uneventful---and her coworker is painfully boring---things heat up pretty quickly. It turns out that there is an interesting man beneath his ever-present suit and tie, after all. And there is much more to Rumton than meets the eye. A charismatic businessman arrives on the scene offering to buy up land---a development that Jaxie feels is too coincidental. A town resident is murdered, an intriguing history of piracy is uncovered, and a massive storm brews offshore. Although Jaxie is surrounded by danger, she hunkers down to complete the assignment she started, and in the process, she learns a thing or two about life and love.   Advance Praise for T. Lynn Ocean and Sweet Home Carolina "City girl meets small town in T. Lynn Ocean's captivating Sweet Home Carolina. Sassy, sexy, sunny, and sure to please."---Carolyn Hart, author of Dead Days of Summer "A sassy city girl who's allergic to small towns suddenly finds herself living and working in one, the perfect setup for a great story. Jaxie Parker's adventures and misadventures make this a hilarious and highly entertaining book not to be missed!" ---Cassandra King, author of The Same Sweet Girls "Take one sophisticated ad executive, drop her in the middle of a small Southern town, and get ready for surprises galore. Sweet Home Carolina mixes memorable characters, great humor, small-town Southern culture, history, and mystery for a delightful romp of a read."---Emyl Jenkins author of Stealing with Style "T. Lynn Ocean's novels give us characters to root for and laugh with. In Sweet Home Carolina, it's the spunky and intelligent Jaxie Parker who rethinks her career path after pushing a strappy Cole Haan sandal into a pile of horse dung, in the middle of a town that's in the middle of nowhere.… A fun and entertaining read."---Susan Reinhardt, author of Not Tonight, Honey, Wait 'Til I'm a Size 6

Wishful Romance: Volume 3


Kait Nolan - 2019
    When a major gas line breaks, leaving them with no heat, no hot water, and no way to cook for Christmas, Jace Applewhite invites Tara and her sibs out to his family's Christmas tree farm. Will a good old fashioned farmhouse Christmas be enough to get Tara to give him a second glance?See You Again (Book 8)Mayor Sandra Crawford has survived divorce and cancer, but she's not at all sure she'll survive the discovery that her town's benefactor is actually the man she nearly left her husband for almost 30 years ago. Gerald Peyton, III didn't fight for Sandy back in college--a decision he's regretted ever since. Now Trey's older, wiser, and determined to win the heart of the woman he's never forgotten.The Christmas Fountain (Book 9)After finding out her Mr. Right was actually Mr. Wrong, Mary Alice is taking a break from love to chair her favorite holiday charity. Chad thinks volunteering is the perfect way to get to know his Christmas crush. Will he manage to overcome her once bitten, twice shy caution?

Living a Lie: A Novel Based on a True Story


Rachel San - 2020
    A charming and mysterious man. And a life teeming with secrets. Nicole is a young divorcée who finds herself in a new relationship with a partner who is seemingly perfect in every way.Razi is well-educated, a wealthy and successful businessman, and a man of the world, who manages to deceive her and everyone else around him, thanks to his uncanny charisma.Six months into their relationship, Nicole discovers that Razi is married. She then finds out that his former business partner committed suicide under dubious circumstances.Despite everything, Nicole and Razi get married and raise a family, and life looks more promising than ever.However, over the years, Nicole’s inner voice repeatedly warns her that bigger things are happening behind her back. She decides to find out who her husband and the father of her children really is.Her search leads her to discover new and shocking information about Razi’s life. Now she must do whatever it takes to save herself and her children from a destructive relationship, and a life of deceit which defies the imagination.

That Devil's No Friend Of Mine


J.D. Mason - 2009
    . .but he was also manipulative and controlling, especially to those he loved.  His death begins to unravel deep secrets and shocking desires among the people he cared about the most. . . His daughter, Kristine, feels that with her father’s death she is finally free.  His best friend and business partner, Lamar, feels that now can finally have what he has longed for all these years: Kristine.  His protégé, Cole, the boxing champion and rising star, married a woman Bishop never approved of and may have been right about.  Rayne, the blues singer and ex-junkie relied on Bishop to keep her clean and is now slipping down a dark path without him.  And Rhonda, Lamar’s wife, is determined to ignore what has been unfolding in front of her if it means that her predictable life will go unchanged.  And then a newcomer steps onto the scene and threatens to turn everything upside down. Five very different people whose lives are only connected by Bishop suddenly find themselves up close and personal as desires, dreams and passions collide.

Three Minutes More


Edward R. O'Dell - 2010
    Severely injured, he does not know if he will survive the night. Reflecting on the evening's dreadful events, wondering if he could have done anything to alter them, his thoughts begin to drift. He begins to contemplate his remarkable life, his dysfunctional family, and the unfortunate prospect that he may have to soon answer for his life to God. While vividly recalling the most amusing, distressing, bizarre, and disturbing events of his life, he soon comes to realize "the monster you know is far easier to deal with than the monster you don't!" Will he get the miracle he needs to make it through the night? If so, will he finally find peace? Author's Note: This book deals with sensitive topics, and is intended for mature audiences only.

Show of Force


Charles D. Taylor - 1980
    David Charles and Alex Kupinsky are worried because, as the admirals of these fleets, they may be responsible for all-out nuclear war. They are also concerned because once, a long time ago, they were the best of friends…As Admirals Charles and Kupinsky face imminent disaster, forced to make their moves on the chessboard of modern warfare, we look back over their pasts as men of peace and men of war. David Charles learned the hard way in the tragic Bay of Pigs, on the treacherous rivers of Vietnam, and in the backrooms of embassies around the world. Alex Kupinsky was raised by the man who watched his father die in World War II–the same man who has since become Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union.Moving from the real past to the possible future, from romantic memories of the women left behind to hard action on the high seas, SHOW OF FORCE is the story of men turned warriors, of a world turned battlefield. And as communications break down between Washington, Moscow, and the fleets themselves, it becomes the story of two men with the power to stop that ultimate folly of the mighty, World War III.

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?