Book picks similar to
Sweet Jazz by Ursula Renee


romance
ir-bwwm
historical-ir
historical-fiction

Nicademus: The Wild Ones


Sienna Mynx - 2014
    Her only desire is to become a healer like her dead father once was and to protect the people she loves. Life is sweet. That is until an outlaw by the name of Jeremiah ‘One Finger’ Polk was found unconscious on her land. Annabelle’s initial curiosity over his presence and desire to heal him from his serious wounds blooms into a forbidden encounter that will threaten the towns’ very existence and even her own. Jeremiah Polk is a wanted man. Driven by the need for vengeance and retribution, he barely escapes the hangman’s noose and gun. When he wakes and finds a beautiful brown skin woman nursing him back to health, he thinks it’s a dream. He soon learns of the free people of color and the hidden town at the foot of the mountain that could be his sanctuary. He also finds himself drawn to the promise of redemption. But will his demons, both real and imagined, rob him of the chance? Can love survive the racial tensions between Annabelle and him post-civil war? Miss Kitty is what they call her. However, her Christian name is Cora, and she runs the saloon and whores of Nicademus. Escaping New Orleans and the chains of a placage, she has founded a home and thriving business in Nicademus. However, the unwanted desires of the town’s sheriff, her passionate affair with her Chickasaw lover, and the new threat of the dangerous man who hunts her from her past all collide in Nicademus and threaten to destroy her. Red Sun, Chickasaw, and the lone survivor of his tribe out of White Rock Mountain, trusts no one. He brings the orphaned Annabelle and himself to the town of Nicademus for a chance to start again. Ten years later the bitter memory of his slain people keeps him locked in the past. However, his new love affair for his ‘soiled dove’, Cora, keeps him sane. Nicademus is his home. He will risk it all to protect the town and the woman he loves. In 1866, a town run by freed slaves, called Nicademus, is the promise of the future. The story of the town and the passionate, dangerous, and infamous exploits of its citizens are still whispered from the lips of people today. This fictionalized tale reflects some of their story. You will search for truth in it.

Plucking the Pearl


Afton Locke - 2012
    The successful widower is the “oyster king” of the island, but his intense desire for his forbidden new employee, a woman of color, threatens everything he’s built.What begins as a private sexual liaison flowers into strong feelings that don't fit the social mores of the island. When their secret is discovered, they risk losing everything. They dared to pluck the pearl, but will their love be strong enough to keep it forever?

Zoe


T.A. Ford - 2008
    The product of une petite liaison between her French father and his African mistress, Zoé lives a life of comfort and love. However, Zoé's stepmother, jealous of the affections showered upon her by her father, has long resented having to raise a mulatto as her own in French society.At sixteen and the younger by two years, Zoé's sister, Marianne, has reached the age to marry. Thus the girls are presented to the mysterious, philandering Comte Julien La Roque de Toulouse. Soon Zoé herself falls prey to the Count's charms. Seduced by a glimpse of the man behind the title, Zoé finds herself deep in a passionate liaison beyond her youthful understanding.Desperate to cover her foolish lapse in judgment, Zoé races against time to keep her secret affair from being uncovered. When caught by her cruel stepmother, her hopes of rescue by her father cannot be realized, and she is forced into a bitter bargain. But even as she tries to return the attentions of the Count to her sister, Marianne, and her impending betrothal, she must fight the truths underneath her own feelings. Her only salvation is to trust the one person who has created the labyrinth of betrayal and tragedy she cannot escape.A Cinderella fairytale for all time, Zoé takes the reader beyond color and shares the true nature of humanity and passion in a page-turning erotic tale that will keep you reading—and believing that true loves knows no bounds.

Ain't No Sunshine


Leslie DuBois - 2010
    Those words adorned every building in Livingston, Virginia during the summer of 1963 confusing and angering five-year-old Stephen Phillips. Those words told him that what he felt for his colored neighbor Ruthie was wrong. As a teenager, Ruthie becomes the only ray of sunshine in his abusive life and he is not willing to let her go without a fight, a fight that could lead to murder.

Gutter - Part 1: The Rise


Tiana Laveen - 2021
    Considered one of the most unique and gifted artists in the entertainment industry, he is a hot commodity and has taken the music world by storm for over a decade with his distinctive musical style and talent. With back-to-back, sold-out tours, cash to burn, number one songs on the billboard charts and Grammy nominations, his wildest dreams have come true tenfold. However, behind all the money, women, and paparazzi is a life full of strife and struggle. Dark secrets, too. His back against the wall, he must return to his roots to unravel the truth. While in his hometown of Red Hook, Brooklyn, Gutter unearths a Pandora’s box of epic proportions. The past has returned to collect its due, and it all centers around his estranged mother, and himself.Promise Bradford is Assistant Funeral Director of Horizons Funeral Home, Mortuary and Chapel. As of late, the families of the deceased aren’t the only ones that feel as if they’ve run out of time. Promise is determined to get her mojo back after a difficult past year full of ups and downs. Starting over is the hardest thing she’s ever had to do, but she is determined to get her life on track. One fateful day, she meets the musical superstar and just like that, an amazing chance encounter turns into something much more. Gutter and Promise are touched by the poignant finger of fate, and chemistry ignites. However, Promise harbors a secret, one that can destroy the newfound love she’s found.Can a man consumed by darkness ever find happiness outside of the limelight?

Chad: A Rockstar's Redemption


Shani Greene-Dowdell - 2018
    Ladies love him and men envy him. A wealthy rock star, he is known for his magical fingers on his guitar strings and his melodious voice. Linked to several sex scandals, Chad has sworn several times on TV never to settle down even ‘til his last breath. He has said it so many times, his life as a single man is as much as one of his trademarks as his guitar. Tiana Hendricks, Chad’s best friend, is the only woman he ever loved. She walked away with his heart after graduation. She, however, had a reason, a secret. Her father is one of the most hated men in the USA. Getting involved with Chad would only bring her past back into the tabloids, and she dreads the exposure. But when Chad walks into their class reunion, just one look and she knows she can’t resist their connection. Chad and Tiana secretly want to be together. However, Tiana is not willing to let all he has worked for go down the drain. They can be together, but no one can know. Once a nosy journalist exposes their new love affair, and Chad reverts to his old media tactics, their world is turned upside down, once again. Will Tiana walk out of his life for good this time? Or will their love prove stronger than any obstacle they may face?

Eyes Like Mine


Lauren Cecile - 2015
    He is a Jewish lawyer who fled Nazi Germany. When Justinia and Julius meet at an NAACP convention, they defy family and societal expectations and change each other's lives forever. Their story, told in alternating viewpoints with insightful wit and humor, reveals their experiences involving race and class and sacrifices they make while living and surviving the turbulent 1930s.

The Duchess of Rochester


Karyn Langhorne - 2021
    She’s determined to connect her unusual ideas about Victorian multiculturalism to one of the most famous novels of the era, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.All Layton Charles Fairfax--the 34th Duke of Rochester-- wants is to be left alone-- especially from those who have attempted to connect his old family name to the famous Bronte novel.Their colliding desires and deepening attraction to each other set the staid old English aristocracy aflame in this smart and sexy re-telling of the classic novel of romance and suspense.

Escape


Maria McKenzie - 2012
    Lori was born a slave in North Carolina, yet by chance was raised alongside Daniel in a wealthy abolitionist household. The sudden death of Daniel’s mother catapults Lori back into bondage. Relegated to chattel on a rice plantation, Lori lives in constant fear under the tormenting scrutiny of Daniel’s wretched Aunt Lucinda. After Daniel fails to convince his relatives to free Lori, he is compelled to devise a daring escape. Although a life threatening endeavor for both of them, Lori’s freedom is priceless to Daniel, and he’s willing to pay such a price for her love.

Mick Sinatra: Not In My House (The Mick Sinatra series Book 11)


Mallory Monroe - 2019
    It will take every ounce of power Mick has to beat back the tide, and even that may not be enough. And although his marriage to African-American actress Rosalyn Graham-Sinatra is strong, Roz is going through her own difficulties and is in need of the kind of attention he can’t give. But for the love of her man and her family, Roz put aside her own wants and needs and work to beat back that tide right alongside her husband. But how long can a woman neglect herself in service to a greater good, and can her marriage survive the onslaught? In the latest fiery installment of the Mick Sinatra Interracial Romantic Suspense series, Mick and Roz love hard and fight hard, and stretch their once-unbreakable bond nearly to its breaking point.

Second Chance Marquess


Jessica Jefferson - 2017
     When Wilhelmina Turner’s younger sister runs off with a young Lothario, she has no choice but to turn to the notorious rake who broke his promise and her heart, for assistance. George Bartlett, the Marquess of Chesterton, hasn’t forgotten the woman who hurt him so many years ago, but can’t deny her request, knowing that his brother’s reputation and fortune is at risk. A series of misfortunes leave the straight-laced widow and committed bachelor stranded, sharing both close quarters and old secrets. But when morning comes, will this unlikely pair find a second chance at love?

A Knight's Vow


Aliyah Burke - 2004
    That's what. When Kit wakes in the past she has no choice but to go with the knight that stands before. The sword at her throat determines that. With absolutely no idea on how to return home, Kit will be called upon to use every bit of strength and love to stay alive long enough to do so. Even with Marcus' help it might not be possible. Will these two lovers find a way to be together for all time? Can Kit trust that once made, it will never be broken? Perhaps. It is after all, A KNIGHT'S VOW.

Highland Betrayal


Anna Markland - 2017
    Hannah Kincaid is a Royalist spy who spirits away Scotland's crown jewels from under Cromwell's nose. Is it love that blossoms between them, or a deadly game of cat-and-mouse?

I Heard You, Baby


Shara Azod - 2011
    The man drove her wild with want and if she couldn’t have him, the least she could do was irritate the hell out of him. Ross wasn’t sure whether Miss Morgan understood what she was asking for, but the longer she talked, the more he became convinced he was the man to give her exactly what she needed.

Passage Through Time


William Newell - 2015
    During a day tour to Glasgow, they visit a medieval museum on a whim – something Katie is not so excited about. As John falls in love with the medieval displays, Katie can't help but notice a strange, squirmy little man seemingly following her. “Can I help you?” The squirmish man – startled, looks up at Katie. “I am Dr. Oscar Wellesley.” He introduces himself and invites both Katie and John into a vault in the basement, to pick out a love story which describes two ancient Picts – a startling resemblance in looks to both Katie and John. They were involved in fighting off the Romans and, according to the story, were key to the withdrawal of the Romans from Southern Scotland.  “What the hell.” As the two are shocked by what they read in the book, they find themselves losing grip on reality. As they come back to consciousness, there is no museum, no vault – just mud, grass and an ancient battlefield. During this time and era, Katie and John discover their true past and begin to realize who they are and what they have become. What happens to Katie and John as they make their way through time? Will they ever make it back to present day? Do they find the love which had once bonded the two together? Find out in this heartwarming Scottish Historical Time Travel Romance.