The Biblio Files by Reference @ WPL: Celebrating Black Romance Authors

The romance industry is finally seeing a growth in diversity. While this is long overdue, romance readers are eager for this change and ready to read new stories. Even though Black romance authors like Beverly Jenkins and Brenda Jackson have been publishing books for decades, the industry still remains predominantly white, female, and heterosexual. The #OwnVoices movement has helped to overhaul the publishing industry by providing stories written by authors from the same backgrounds as their characters.

While some may consider the romance genre frivolous, it is important to recognize that in addition to portraying relationships from multiple perspectives, romance novels today are also tackling topics such as race, toxic masculinity, mental illness, and abuse. By telling these stories, romance authors show that healing is possible, love can grow from trauma, and that happily ever after is not out of reach. It’s time to give romance a chance!

Check out these books and resources by Black romance authors to learn more about how the romance publishing industry is changing for the better.

Recommended Reading

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a list of seven directives to help her "get a life.” Chloe needs help, and she knows just the man for the job. Redford Morgan is a dangerously handsome handyman with tattoos and a motorcycle. But when Chloe enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns what really lies beneath his rough exterior.

About Talia Hibbert

Confessions in B-Flat by Donna Hill

Follows the 1964 Civil Rights-era relationship between a protégé of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a supporter of Malcolm X.

About Donna Hill

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

When Likotsi and Fab meet on a stalled subway train months after their breakup, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Fab slowly reveals why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wonder if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.

About Alyssa Cole

A Duke, The Lady, and A Baby by Vanessa Riley

When heiress Patience Jordan questioned her husband's mysterious suicide, she lost her son, her fortune, and her freedom. When the Widow's Grace gets her hired as her own son's nanny, she learns that her son's new guardian, the Duke of Repington, is an ex-rake of unswerving honor and unexpected passion.

About Vanessa Riley

The Business of Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey

Brothers Dwayne and Brick aren’t looking for romance. When Dwayne tries to reconnect with his son, he finds himself fighting his attraction to his son's mother. When Brick's job as chauffeur/bodyguard to three female escorts opens up a world of possibility, the two brothers must decide if they're ready to love again.

About Eric Jerome Dickey

Jeremiah by Jayce Ellis

Collin hates his job, but he doesn't know what he wants to do long-term and he won't figure it out by swooning over Jeremiah. When Jeremiah's faced with losing all he's worked so hard to build, he reluctantly accepts Collin's help. They're both determined to stay professional, which is easier said than done.

About Jayce Ellis

Articles

Shondaland: Black Romance Novels Matter Too

NYT: In Beverly Jenkins' Romance Novels, Black History is Front and Center

O Magazine: Stacey Abrams Has Been Pivotal for Voter Turnout—But She's Also a Romance Novelist

Texas Monthly: Vivian Stephens Helped Turn Romance Writing Into a Billion-Dollar Industry. Then She Got Pushed Out.

NPR: For These 3 Writers, Black Love And Black Joy Take Center Stage

Podcasts

Black Romance Podcast

Black Chick Lit

The Nod: What's Wrong with a Little Romance? (Feat. Jasmine Guillory)

Momentum: Black Romance Literature