Book picks similar to
A Private Affair by A.C. Arthur


romance
contemporary
netgalley
author-of-color

Last Chance To Love


B. Love - 2020
    She’s spent the past ten years of her life devoted to making her brand a household name in the African American community. A year before her thirty-fifth birthday, Morgan realizes it’s time for her to focus on gaining friends and starting her family. Her initial plan involved a sperm donor so she wouldn’t have to waste time getting to know a new man, but that changes when her sister convinces Morgan to give herself one last chance at love.When Amaru Mitchell’s chance to make it to the NBA was shattered, he picked up an addictive spirit that sent him spiraling out of control. It took a few years, but Amaru eventually sought the help he needed to get back on the right track. Now, he’s the founder of a world-renowned street basketball league that allows him and men like him to do what they love and make money while doing it. Amaru has everything he’s ever wanted in life except a family to come home to. That changes when he loses a bet with his younger brother and is forced to meet with a matchmaker.Out of all the women Amaru could have been matched with, he never expected it to be Morgan Carter – the one who got away. Well… more like tossed him to the side. Morgan and Amaru’s shaky past makes them enemies when they first see each other in Giselle’s office, but those concrete walls around their hearts quickly begin to fall the longer they stay in each other’s presence.Will Morgan and Amaru realize they were right for each other all along and get what they want from one another, or will this be even more proof that they belong apart because they are detrimental to each other’s hearts?

At the CEO's Pleasure


Yahrah St. John - 2018
    John.Mixing business and pleasure burned her once. Now the man who broke her heart wants her back…Maya Richardson can’t believe she’s even entertaining rich businessman Ayden Stewart’s offer to return as his assistant, no matter how generous the compensation. He’d broken his “no office affair” policy once and lost his best assistant. But now he claims to need Maya Richardson back…at any price. Caving in to his demands, she takes the job.Maya tells herself the years apart have cooled their chemistry. So why are they breaking rule number one again…and again? Ayden still makes her want what she can never have—real love. Will it be different this time? The future of her heart is on the line.

Guarding Temptation


Talia Hibbert - 2020
    Obsessive. And rough around the edges. James Foster knows the rules: you don’t fall for your best friend’s little sister. Nina is too young, too reckless, and too busy saving the world to be tied down by the commitment he craves.If he was smart, he’d stop wanting her. But she’s the one thing on earth James just can’t quit. Fierce. Principled. And impossible to resist. Political campaigner Nina Chapman is sick of one-time things. She wants forever, and she wants it with her brother’s best friend—but James still sees her as a child to be coddled.So when a controversial article lands Nina in hot water, she finds herself under his protection and under his roof. It’s a shame James doesn’t want her in his bed, too.…Or does he?Warning: this red-hot novella contains one radical leftist heroine, one over-protective hero, one annoying childhood nickname, and a shared apartment with only one bed. Also, Brexit. But not too much, I promise.Please note:a version of this novella was previously published as Resisting Desire in the Rogue Nights anthology. This version has been revised and expanded to double its previous length.

Haven


Rebekah Weatherspoon - 2017
    When she shows up on Shep's doorstep again, she finds she isn't the only one who can't move on.…saved by bliss.The two begin an intense, passionate relationship of Dominance and submission, pleasure and pain, but with dark memories haunting them and decisions about the future rapidly approaching, Claudia can’t help but wonder...how long can they be each other's haven?*** WARNING: This book contains a sexual relationship between a fashionista and a cranky mountain man who are dealing with physical and emotional trauma. And a very big, cuddly dog.***

True Love for Christmas


D. Rose - 2019
    When her best friend, Chris, returned to town unannounced, her world was turned upside down and made better all at once. Chris was determined to shower Noel with holiday cheer by showing her the true meaning of Christmas And the true meaning of love.

The Reinvention of the Rose


Christina C. Jones - 2020
    Not in peril, or pain, but in dire need of the very normalcy she’s often emulated, but never been able to obtain.Now... there’s nothing in her way, except all those years of being everything except what she now has to become.Herself.As soon as she figures out who that is.

Let Me Be Your Motivation


Tay Mo'Nae - 2019
    What Jordyn wasn’t expecting was running into her high school crush. Newly single, NFL running back Amir Hamilton is the man most women would dream to have. When he takes a vacation to Cabo to let loose before the upcoming season, he didn’t expect to meet the shy beauty in a drunken state. What was supposed to be one night of pleasure for both quickly turns deeper and the two of them quickly learn it’s not easy to forget about the other. In this standalone join Amir and Jordyn and learn if the bond they form in Cabo is strong enough to ignore their ex’s from their past.

His to Defend


Sharon C. Cooper - 2021
    Cooper will be available Dec 28, 2021.

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes: A story of love, loss, and rock-and-roll


Xio Axelrod - 2021
    Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni's way out, promising they'd escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart, not to mention the key to her future.

Make a Scene


Mimi Grace - 2020
    Retta Majors is having a bad day. But that’s to be expected when your ex gets engaged to your cousin. Instead of (totally) freaking out, Retta decides to attend the wedding with her amazing, faithful, and handsome boyfriend. One problem. He doesn’t exist. Duncan Gilmore is living his dream. His boxing gym is open for business, and he’s focused on success. The last thing on his mind is a relationship. That is until the beautiful baker next door makes him an offer so bizarre he can’t refuse. One weekend of pretending to be Retta’s boyfriend should be easy.However, shared kisses and some flirting start to blur the lines in their fake relationship. When their performance draws to a close, will they go their separate ways or return for an encore?Note: This novel can be read as a standalone.

The Affair


Giana Darling - 2016
    But before beginning her new life, she travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico searching for a week of relaxation and reprieve before barreling into her turbulent future.She never expected to meet the handsome and enigmatic Frenchman Sinclair on the plane and she certainly never would have imagined herself accepting his proposal for a week long, no-strings-attached affair. Giselle has never experienced anything as heady as Sinclair’s controlled seduction and cool yet devastatingly erotic commands and she finds herself powerless to stop the ferocity of their passions, even when she discovers he has a partner back home. The last thing she needs in her life is another complication, yet as the week wears on, she finds it surprisingly easy to relinquish control to Sinclair, a man she knows nearly nothing about. And to her horror, the one thing she promised never to submit, her battered heart, is just as easily captured in the business mogul’s unyielding hands.

Hate to Want You


Alisha Rai - 2017
    No one will know. That was the deal. Every year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler would share one perfect night of illicit pleasure. The forbidden hours let them forget the tragedy that haunted their pasts—and the last names that made them enemies. Until the night she didn’t show up. Now Nicholas has an empire to run. He doesn’t have time for distractions and Livvy’s sudden reappearance in town is a major distraction. She’s the one woman he shouldn’t want . . . so why can’t he forget how right she feels in his bed? Livvy didn’t come home for Nicholas, but fate seems determined to remind her of his presence—and their past. Although the passion between them might have once run hot and deep, not even love can overcome the scandal that divided their families. Being together might be against all the rules . . . but being apart is impossible.

Charming Cinderella


Lana Love - 2021
    Little do I expect the curvy beauty I find in the copy room, humming a song that is familiar but obscure.Abby looks at me with daggers in her eyes, but when I find out who she is, I know I have to make things right (even if it's years too late).Every year, I take one of my assistants to the ball as my date. This year, I'm taking Abby. She seems to think I'm pulling a prank on her, but that's the last thing I'd do. I have a plan to win her over, but she might also slap me and walk out on me.But it's a gamble I have to make. I'm famously single and have never had a reason to change....but I do now. Abby's the one and I need her in my life forever.

Stay with Me


Alexandria House - 2017
    Unwilling to risk another broken heart, she resigns herself to being a perpetually single woman. Corporate man and self-professed womanizer, Ryan Boyé, doesn’t believe in relationships or love and thinks anyone who does is a fool. But there’s just something about Angela Strickland he can’t shake… When these two cross paths, their attraction to one another is undeniable. Will they find that the love they’ve both evaded is exactly what they both need?

And They Lived Happily Ever After


Therese Beharrie - 2021
    A USA Today Best RomCom of 2021A Goodreads Most Hotly Anticipated RomanceOne unexpected kiss . . .Successful romance author Gaia Anders has a secret: anything she dreams at night is magically written into her bestselling novels. After a lonely childhood in foster care, her dream life is the only one she trusts. Gaia’s waking life just can’t compare—until she gets caught in one utterly surprising, crazy-passionate, real-life kiss . . . One near-perfect guy . . . Workaholic businessman Jacob Scott has had a crush on his brother’s best friend, Gaia, since forever—but he never expected to literally share her dreams. Living out their magical nighttime fantasies is explosive, but it’s their waking desire turning his single-minded ways upside down. It’s making him want a future he didn’t think was possible . . . One dream that could come true . . . But Gaia has secrets from her past she won't reveal. And Jacob's attempts to keep the peace in his own fractured family puts him up against her deepest fears. Soon, they’re facing hard truths about who they are and what they’re running from. And the only way to break this curse is realizing true love's real-life power . . .