Book picks similar to
Blind Expectations by Jacinta Howard


romance
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african-american-romance
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Love Under Contract


Sharon C. Cooper - 2017
     Sumeera Robinson refuses to settle for less than she desires, even if what she craves is the sexy, smart, and charming Nicolas Jenkins-Moore. At her age, she wants marriage and a family, not the empty promises Nick offers. Yet, there is just something about the man that makes moving on nearly impossible. As the new senior manager of Jenkins & Sons Construction, Nick’s five-year plan is on track with marriage and starting a family at the bottom of the list. Sumeera is as beautiful inside as she is on the outside, but not even she can entice him to abandon his carefully plotted road to success. That is until she walks away without looking back, leaving him yearning for her presence in his life. Nick is determined to convince Sumeera that he wants the same things she wants. But will an unexpected development keep them from the life they desire? Or will fate bring them closer than they’ve ever been before? Love Under Contract is book 1 in the Jenkins & Sons Construction series.

Sweatpants Season


Danielle Allen - 2018
    It was the first thing I noticed that day until he stood. His grey sweatpants hung off his hips and I didn’t want to look. I really didn’t. I’m a feminist. I don’t believe in objectifying men. I don’t catcall men. I don’t ogle the bodies of men. I don’t view men as objects of my affection rather than complex people with feelings, wants, and needs of their own. I don’t treat men the way society often treats women. I treat men the way I want to be treated as a woman—with respect! So, when Carlos ran into me while I was reviewing my interview questions in the park, it surprised me to see my photography classmate out of context. I was also surprised to see as much of him as I did.It wasn’t just that it caught my eye. It was the fact that it held my attention.It wasn’t just that it was large. It was the fact that it was visibly large.It wasn’t just that it was Carlos Richmond. It was the fact that I am Akila Bishara.And I am not seduced by anything other than intelligent conversation, witty rapport, and meaningful actions.I am not seduced by a dick print. I am not. Seriously, I’m not.

Allow Me To Love You


Asia Monique' - 2018
    Like some of the most beautiful music ever written, Riley lives her life to the rhythm of no regret. Blessed with everything she could ever ask for—a loving and supportive family, and a fulfilling career—the only song Riley hasn’t been able to complete is one about love, which has yet to come her way. Being married with children is high on Riley’s priority list, and at the age of twenty-eight, she's starting to wonder if the family she’s always pictured isn’t in the cards for her. Just when she's ready to put down the pen, Riley meets Zaire, the father of a pair of precocious twins she teaches. With his uptight and serious demeanor, Zaire is the polar opposite of Riley, which proves to be a turn off at first. However, Riley becomes intrigued by the solemn Zaire, and is determined to find out why. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes that he could possess the love she’s always wanted.

 Zaire Holland is a revered graphic designer who has spent his entire life working hard to have it all, and at the age of thirty, his efforts prove to be successful. He has a beautiful wife, a set of beautiful twins, and is at the top of his field. Of course, no love story can prevail without tragedy, and Zaire is at the receiving end of it, losing his wife in a fatal car accident. Left to raise his one-year-old twins by himself, Zaire throws himself into taking care of them and making his job the spouse he sorely missed. His mother and brother attempt to make him slow down and heal properly, maybe even put himself out here, but Zaire refuses and spends the next four years of his life on autopilot. He doesn’t see himself dating or marrying ever again because he's already lost the love of his life. She was it for him. Then he meets Riley.

 Will Zaire allow Riley to break down that wall and love him like only she can? Or will he succeed in pushing her away for good?

Anything Goes (A Standalone Novel)


A.C. Taylor - 2019
    But he was the one thing that she didn’t mess around with…he was a cop. Law doesn’t care about Alauni’s attempts to stay away from him. He knows what he wants, and given the way that her body responds to him, he’s pretty sure that he can get it. But his need for her goes beyond the physical. He sees Alauni in a way that she doesn’t even recognize. He knows her heart, and he’s determined to convince her that he can take care of it. But when he finally steps into her world, he soon realizes that it might be more than what he bargained for. What happens when it’s no longer just fun and games, and things get real? Will Law be able to handle the challenge and be all in? Or will Alauni give him every reason to walk away and never look back?

The Chase


Mel Dau - 2021
    Now, she has to make a way for herself and her two young children. With goals in mind, she has absolutely no time for love, but what happens when an unexpected person comes along to show her things that she has never seen before? Will her heart be willing to open for love to enter?Avery Horry is a businessman all about his success. While he is not necessarily looking for love, he is open to it with the right person. This person has to be cut from a different cloth than the normal. When he runs into Rehtaeh, he thinks he may have found that person. Will he be able to break down the walls around her heart and show her what it’s like to be adored and loved?Let the chase begin...

Spend My Life with You


Donna Hill - 2011
    But being primary caregiver has meant putting her own dreams on hold. Preston Graham is about to change all that. From the moment they meet—at an estate in Baton Rouge—Lee Ann can't stop thinking about the ambitious, seductive junior senator from Louisiana.All his life, Preston has focused on only one thing: rising up the political ladder. Marriage isn't even on the ballot. Until Lee Ann. The passion she arouses is hot, irresistible…and all-consuming. Can he convince the senator's daughter to toss her hat in the ring—by giving her heart to him and a love that comes only once in a lifetime?

Connected to You


Endiya Carter - 2019
    With limited vision and assistance in the form of a walking stick, Keyara’s next step in adulthood isn’t the same as girls her age. Everything she once knew has been taken away from her, especially her independent spirit. In an effort to regain it, Keyara opts to attend Georgia Southern University, a prestigious university with a drive long enough to prevent her from having anyone to fall back on. Although he has reservations letting his daughter roam around a college campus with limited assistance, Keyara’s father relents under two conditions: one being that she must stay in an assisted living facility, and the other requiring her to employ a chauffeur. By chance, she’s paired with the handsome Marquez Richardson. Born to a superstar father, Marquez “Rich” Richardson has lived up to the hype surrounding his last name, using it to bend the rules and escape trouble. After his son was caught in another drag racing/drunk driving scandal, Marquez’s father has had enough of his son’s irresponsible ways. He revokes his driving privileges before the police can do so. To drill in the importance of safe driving, he piles on a lesson to pair with this punishment: acting as Keyara Henderson’s chauffeur. From the first day he begins walking her around, Marquez feels as if his social status is in jeopardy. The parties he once attended and the girls who would flock to him are put off by Keyara’s presence. Although this is a problem in the beginning Marquez warms up to the determined Keyara. The problem standing in his way, his girlfriend Cajua Taylor.

In Name Only


Vivian Rose Lee - 2011
    Now she was in a name only marriage with a man that hates her. USN Commander Benjamin Smith was floored when he see the beautiful dressmaker sitting at the family table at his sister wedding. He was instantly drawn to her in a way he had never experienced. He wants her to be his at least for a little while. After a night of unbridled passion Ben wasn't sure he could let her go. Until he thinks Sky has betrayed him, forcing him to do something he never wanted, and Benjamin is never forced to do anything he did not want. Now he is married Sky making it clear it the marriage will be in name only. As he and Sky begin to share a home, he begins to wonder was he wrong about her?

Play to Win


Ja'Nese Dixon - 2020
    Jayda’s a single mother uninterested in another relationship until she sees Kamal with her daughter.Every rejection will only make his victory sweeter. He plans to lick, taste, and devour her like the delicacy she is until the world, her ex, and Jayda recognizes his name tatted on every inch of her curvy body.Kamal never plays by halves, and Jayda has a thing or two to show this deviously handsome player. But when the past runs an interference, they’ll learn in matters of the heart there are no rules.

That One Missing Piece


Alida Alana - 2017
    Of course he wasn’t an established author back then, just the only man that has ever truly owned Jade’s heart. During the height of their passionate engagement, Jade made a decision that changed their lives forever. A decision she has regretted ever since. Unfinished business and a past seared with regret is what leads Jade to pay an unexpected visit to Ellis’s Brooklyn book signing event with a glimmer of hope that all isn’t lost. For Ellis, Jade was undoubtedly the love of his life. Seeing her again not only brings back memories of the love they used to share, it reminds him of the painful way things ended. Although it was so long ago, Ellis can’t help but wonder if he could allow himself to fall again. They’ve lived a life a part, both becoming successful in their own rights. And yet there’s always been that one missing piece to each of their happiness. Jade and Ellis, along with their charming and funny cast of friends travel through a roller coaster romance that proves love will always find its way back home.

I Don't Want You Back


Chenell Parker - 2017
    Although his mother had abandoned him and his sister as kids to be raised by their grandmother, he was determined to have the family that she never provided. He married and started a family with his high school sweetheart and they were happy, or so he thought. Landon’s wife, Malia, loved her husband and kids, but she loved herself more. She’d been a wife and mother for most of her young life and she began to feel like something was missing. After deciding to leave her two sons in the care of their father, Malia set out to find her own happiness. Faryn had a childhood that most girls her age couldn’t endure. Her drug addicted mother left her and her siblings to fend for themselves and that’s exactly what they did. Faryn wasn’t proud of some of the things she had to do, but it was necessary in order to survive. After putting herself through college, she settled into a comfortable, yet predictable routine. When a chance encounter allows Faryn and Landon to cross paths, their chemistry was undeniable. A friendship turned romance soon blossomed between the two and the possibilities were endless. Unfortunately, not everyone was thrilled about their newfound union. Foes, old and new, decided that they were better off apart. When inside and outside forces threaten to divide what they’d just put into place, will Landon and Faryn manage to come out on top? Will they overcome the many obstacles that are thrown their way or will they give up on love and each other altogether? These questions and more will be answered in I Don't Want You Back, a full length standalone.

A Special Summer


Victoria Wells - 2006
    Devastation rocks her very existence when handsome Nick Stiles walks out on her, leaving her to put the shattered pieces of her life back together again. Months later, out of the blue, Nick reappears and is in for the shock of his life A love that once was so pure is plagued by heartbreak, deceit, and betrayal. Will Summer and Nick find true love again?

The Temptation of a Good Man


Delaney Diamond - 2011
    One week later, as a favor, she attends a wedding with a friend as his date and is shocked when she sees Roarke again.Roarke Hawthorne despises cheating. Cheating tore apart his family years ago. When the physics professor sees the woman he spent the night with show up at his sister’s wedding on the arm of his brother, he knows he should keep his distance. But because of the night they set fire to the sheets in his hotel room, he can’t resist the urge to be close to her–nor can he resist the temptation to have her back in his bed.Word count: 30,700

How to Love


Sabrina B. Scales - 2018
    Fall enough times, you’ll learn how to walk. Bite your tongue enough times, you’ll learn to speak up. Lose enough times, you’ll learn how to win. Get burnt enough times, you'll learn how to avoid the flame. But what happens when two tormented souls suffer too many losses? Is it enough for fate to bring them together and let them to do the rest? Or will they find it impossible to learn how to love?

Love for Lease


Danielle Burton - 2020
    Falling is not a part of the plan. She's sure if she keeps her distance the bothersome feelings will go away. That task may prove impossible since he's her landlord.Keith has tried his hand too many times at love and it always seems to fail him. As his life begins to intertwine itself with Sasha's he can't help but to consider giving it one more try. However, winning her heart may be harder than he'd hoped.Sasha's spent her life longing for a place that feels like home. She wants to believe she's finally found it in Keith, but things never work out that easily for her.What Keith wants more than anything is a family. Things are finally falling into place, but it could all slip through his fingers.