May 2012′s Bestselling African American Books

May 6, 2012

Here are the upcoming bestsellers for African American books (from Amazon.com).

The Reverend’s Wife (A Reverend Curtis Black Novel) by Kimberla Lawson Roby
(Grand Central Publishing, 2012-05-01, Kindle Edition)

From New York Times bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby comes the ninth installment in her award-winning Reverend Curtis Black series. It’s been months since Reverend Curtis learned that his wife Charlotte had affairs with two different men, and for now, he continues to be cordial and respectful to her. But he’s also made it clear that once their son Matthew graduates high school, he will be filing for divorce. Charlotte, on the other hand, continues to do everything possible to make amends in hopes of saving their marriage. Unfortunately, Curtis is ready to move on and is being propositioned by a woman who desperately wants to become the next Mrs. Curtis Black. When the situation heads down a path that is frighteningly shocking, could it be the final blow to this once blessed union?

Home by Toni Morrison
(Knopf, 2012-05-08, Hardcover)

America’s most celebrated novelist, Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison extends her profound take on our history with this twentieth-century tale of redemption: a taut and tortured story about one man’s desperate search for himself in a world disfigured by war.Frank Money is an angry, self-loathing veteran of the Korean War who, after traumatic experiences on the front lines, finds himself back in racist America with more than just physical scars. His home may seem alien to him, but he is shocked out of his crippling apathy by the need to rescue his medically abused younger sister and take her back to the small Georgia town they come from and that he’s hated all his life. As Frank revisits his memories from childhood and the war that have left him questioning his sense of self, he discovers a profound courage he had thought he could never possess again. A deeply moving novel about an apparently defeated man finding his manhood—and his home.

Dopeman: Memoirs of a Snitch: Part 3 of Dopeman’s Trilogy by JaQuavis Coleman
(Urban Books, 2012-05-01, Paperback)

Boss Bitch (Bitch Series) by Deja King
(A King Production, 2012-05-15, Paperback)

Precious Cummings and her daughter Aaliyah Mills Carter must protect the family empire as an unknown enemy tries to step in and take the throne. Can mother and daughter get past their differences and unite as one or will they stay at odds and risk having their loved ones torn apart? The saga continues to unfold in Boss Bitch.

God Don’t Make No Mistakes (God Don’t Like Ugly) by Mary Monroe
(Kensington Books, 2012-05-29, Kindle Edition)

In the sparkling conclusion to Mary Monroe’s bestselling God series, two forever friends face their biggest betrayals yet and learn the hard way that putting your trust in the wrong hands can change your life forever…These days, Annette Goode Davis has a pretty full plate–literally and figuratively. Although she’s trying to reconcile with her husband, Pee Wee, she’s still seeing other men on the side. A woman’s got to cover her bases, right? With her love life hopping, Annette should be as pleased as punch. Instead, the stress has her eating everything in sight and packing on the pounds along the way. Meanwhile, Annette’s best friend, Rhoda O’Toole, has her hands full–as usual–dealing with her wild child daughter. Jade has always been a cross to bear, but when her antics almost cost Rhoda her man, Rhoda throws Jade out on the street. But Jade soon finds a way to make Rhoda regret her choice…. Privately, Annette thanks her lucky stars that her daughter, Charlotte, has her head on straight. And she’s been doubly blessed to have a strait-laced neighbor look after Charlotte when she’s caught up in Pee Wee and Rhoda’s many problems. But when Annette’s world is rocked by a terrible revelation, she’ll discover that appearances can be very, very deceiving–and she’ll have to summon every ounce of strength she has to protect the ones she loves. “Monroe is a masterful storyteller.” –Philadelphia Inquirer

Seduced by a Stallion (Kimani Romance) by Deborah Fletcher Mello
(Kimani Romance, 2012-05-01, Kindle Edition)

Wealthy Texas scion Matthew Stallion is the playboy of the Western world. In the courtroom, he’s unbeatable. On a horse, he’s unstoppable. And in bed…he’s irresistible. But it may be time for the second eldest Stallion son to hang up his Stetson when he clashes with single mother Katrina Broomes. The widowed judge is the epitome of judicial calm and old-fashioned tradition. Until Matthew unleashes her wild passion.The charismatic, eye-catchingly gorgeous attorney is six feet plus of potent masculinity. Katrina doesn’t stand a chance against Matthew’s sensual onslaught. From the chic boulevards of Paris to the sprawling Stallion family ranch, she’s getting a lesson in seduction—Texan style. Because when it comes to love out West…the sky’s the limit!

Always in My Heart (Kimani Romance) by Kayla Perrin
(Kimani Romance, 2012-05-01, Kindle Edition)

The oldest of three adopted daughters, Callie Hart has always loved being the protector of the family. But now she is all grown up—with a young son of her own to protect. Callie can’t wait to show him off when she reunites with her two sisters in Ohio. But that also means coming face-to-face with the lover she left behind. Nigel Williams is even more irresistibly attractive than ever. But what will he do when he learns about the secret she kept hidden from him for ten years?Nigel has never forgiven Callie for fleeing Ohio—and the passion they shared. And when she shows up on his doorstep asking for forgiveness, the Cleveland cop is furious at her deception. But how can he deny the feelings Callie reawakens in him? Blindsided once again by the heat of desire, Nigel vows to fight for his future with the woman he has always loved.

Natural Born Liar by Noire
(Dafina, 2012-05-01, Paperback)

What happens when beautiful, twenty-year-old petty thief and ex-stripper Mink LaRue finds out she’s a dead ringer for the age-progressed photo of the missing oil heiress Sable Dominion?Harlem-born Mink LaRue makes a beeline to Dallas, Texas, pretending to be the Dominion’s long-lost daughter, Sable. She knows she’s hit the jackpot when she and her super ghetto partner in crime, Bowlegged Bunni, are admitted into the Dominion’s 20-room mansion, complete with all the trimmings of a luxurious family estate. But it’s not long before Mink’s newfound siblings grow suspicious of the ghetto princess, who has a rap sheet a mile long. If Mink is to worm her way into their pockets and get her hands on their dough, then she must tell enough lies to convince everyone that she really is the precious daughter who was stolen from their fold. But with a DNA test standing between her and a hefty inheritance, how long can Mink’s bag of lies keep her rolling in the Dominion’s riches? “Urban Erotica has never been hotter!” –Nikki Turner”Noire is Dickens for the age of dojah, donuts and dawgs.” –Publishers Weekly

Lost Without You (Kimani Romance) by Yahrah St. John
(Kimani Romance, 2012-05-01, Kindle Edition)

As the creative genius behind Georgia’s most fabled cosmetics dynasty, Shane Adams has a legacy to live up to. The freewheeling Atlanta bachelor also knows how to romance a woman, wining and dining the city’s most eligible beauties. Only Gabrielle Burton seems immune to his legendary charms. Yet Shane has never been able to forget his stunning rival, whose sweet desire is like a lingering perfume.…The hunky Adams Cosmetics VP has always held Gabby spellbound. But the workaholic perfumer never thought she could attract the sexy playboy’s attention. Until she undergoes a major makeover. Suddenly she’s on everyone’s A-list…including Shane’s. As intrigue swirls around the company, is the sensual scent of passion leading Gabby and Shane to love?

Aloha Fantasy (Kimani Romance) by Devon Vaughn Archer
(Kimani Romance, 2012-05-01, Kindle Edition)

Award-winning photographer Danica Austin is the essence of urban chic. But with her love life going nowhere fast, she’s more than ready to swap houses for a month in Hawaii. The minute her plane touches down on exotic Hilo, Danica can’t wait to check out the social scene and catch some breathtaking sunsets. Until gorgeous real estate investor Boyd Reed comes into the picture to stake his claim on the house…and her heart!If this stunning stranger thinks she can just move into Boyd’s jointly owned waterfront property, she can think again! Although he must admit: his temporary tenant is one irresistible woman. Sharing passion under tropical skies is making Boyd believe in the power of love. But Danica’s not sure she wants to make Hawaii her home. If only he can just persuade her to spend the rest of her days and nights with him in their one-of-a-kind island paradise.…

The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Reader by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
(Basic Civitas Books, 2012-05-01, Hardcover)

Educator, writer, critic, intellectual, film-makerHenry Louis Gates, Jr., has been widely praised as being one of America’s most prominent and prolific scholars. In what will be an essential volume, The Henry Louis Gates Reader collects three decades of writings from his many fields of interest and expertise.From his earliest work of literary-historical excavation in 1982, through his current writings on the history and science of African American genealogy, the essays collected here follow his path as historian, theorist, canon-builder, and cultural critic, revealing a thinker of uncommon breadth whose work is uniformly guided by the drive to uncover and restore a history that has for too long been buried and denied.An invaluable reference, The Henry Louis Gates Reader will be a singular reflection of one of our most gifted minds.

The Block by Treasure Hernandez
(Kensington, 2012-05-01, Paperback)

Samurai among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life (Critical American Studies) by Diane C. Fujino
(Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2012-05-02, Paperback)

An iconic figure of the Asian American movement, Richard Aoki (1938–2009) was also, as the most prominent non-Black member of the Black Panther Party, a key architect of Afro-Asian solidarity in the 1960s and ’70s. His life story exposes the personal side of political activism as it illuminates the history of ethnic nationalism and radical internationalism in America.A reflection of this interconnection, Samurai among Panthers weaves together two narratives: Aoki’s dramatic first-person chronicle and an interpretive history by a leading scholar of the Asian American movement, Diane C. Fujino. Aoki’s candid account of himself takes us from his early years in Japanese American internment camps to his political education on the streets of Oakland, to his emergence in the Black Panther Party. As his story unfolds, we see how his parents’ separation inside the camps and his father’s illegal activities shaped the development of Aoki’s politics. Fujino situates his life within the context of twentieth-century history—World War II, the Cold War, and the protests of the 1960s. She demonstrates how activism is both an accidental and an intentional endeavor and how a militant activist practice can also promote participatory democracy and social service.The result of these parallel voices and analysis in Samurai among Panthers is a complex—and sometimes contradictory—portrait of a singularly extraordinary activist and an expansion and deepening of our understanding of the history he lived.

From Slave Ship to Harvard: Yarrow Mamout and the History of an African American Family by James H. Johnston
(Fordham University Press, 2012-05-14, Hardcover)

From Slave Ship to Harvard is the true story of an African American family in Maryland over six generations. The author has reconstructed a unique narrative of black struggle and achievement from paintings, photographs, books, diaries, court records, legal documents, and oral histories. From Slave Ship to Harvard traces the family from the colonial period and the American Revolution through the Civil War to Harvard and finally today. Yarrow Mamout, the first of the family in America, was an educated Muslim from Guinea. He was brought to Maryland on the slave ship Elijah and gained his freedom forty-four years later. By then, Yarrow had become so well known in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., that he attracted the attention of the eminent American portrait painter Charles Willson Peale, who captured Yarrow’s visage in the painting that appears on the cover of this book. The author here reveals that Yarrow’s immediate relatives-his sister, niece, wife, and son-were notable in their own right. His son married into the neighboring Turner family, and the farm community in western Maryland called Yarrowsburg was named for Yarrow Mamout’s daughter-in-law, Mary “Polly” Turner Yarrow. The Turner line ultimately produced Robert Turner Ford, who graduated from Harvard University in 1927. Just as Peale painted the portrait of Yarrow, James H. Johnston’s new book puts a face on slavery and paints the history of race in Maryland. It is a different picture from what most of us imagine. Relationships between blacks and whites were far more complex, and the races more dependent on each other. Fortunately, as this one family’s experience shows, individuals of both races repeatedly stepped forward to lessen divisions and to move America toward the diverse society of today.

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by Colin Powell
(Harper, 2012-05-22, Hardcover)

It Worked for Me is filled with vivid experiences and lessons learned that have shaped the legendary public service career of the four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. At its heart are Powell’s “Thirteen Rules”—notes he gathered over the years and that now form the basis of his leadership presentations given throughout the world. Powell’s short but sweet rules—among them, “Get mad, then get over it” and “Share credit”—are illustrated by revealing personal stories that introduce and expand upon his principles for effective leadership: conviction, hard work, and, above all, respect for others. In work and in life, Powell writes, “it’s about how we touch and are touched by the people we meet. It’s all about the people.” A natural storyteller, Powell offers warm and engaging parables with wise advice on succeeding in the workplace and beyond. “Trust your people,” he counsels as he delegates presidential briefing responsibilities to two junior State Department desk officers. “Do your best—someone is watching,” he advises those just starting out, recalling his own teenage summer job mopping floors in a soda-bottling factory. Powell combines the insights he has gained serving in the top ranks of the military and in four presidential administrations with the lessons he’s learned from his immigrant-family upbringing in the Bronx, his training in the ROTC, and his growth as an Army officer. The result is a powerful portrait of a leader who is reflective, self-effacing, and grateful for the contributions of everyone he works with. Colin Powell’s It Worked for Me is bound to inspire, move, and surprise readers. Thoughtful and revealing, it is a brilliant and original blueprint for leadership.

The Beautiful Ones (Arabesque) by Adrianne Byrd
(Harlequin Kimani, 2012-05-22, Mass Market Paperback)

In a sequel to Unforgettable, successful businesswoman Ophelia Missler has never had time to look for Mr. Right—much less find him. Now she’s engaged to wealthy businessman Jonas Hinton and is about to have the wedding of her dreams. But for some reason, she can’t stop thinking about her longtime best friend, Solomon Bassett. She never suspected that Solomon has secretly adored her for years, and has been unable to tell her how he really feels. Now, with their friendship and future in the balance, Solomon and Ophelia will have to listen to their hearts and dare to follow, if they are ever going to discover an everlasting love.

Kehinde Wiley by Thelma Golden, Robert Hobbs, Sarah E. Lewis and Brian Keith Jackson
(Rizzoli, 2012-05-15, Hardcover)

Known for his oversize paintings of contemporary African-Americans in heroic poses inspired by the great history and portrait painters of the past, Kehinde Wiley’s clever and ironic “reversals” have provided rich commentary on the nature of race and power in our society. His work began primarily from photographs he took of young men on the street in Harlem that he remixed with a fusion of historic painting styles, including elements of the French rococo. As rich visually as it is conceptually, Wiley’s work has drawn attention since his earliest shows in 2001. In the last decade, he has become one of the most important artists of the moment, with work as relevant and resonant to the hip-hop generation as it is to high-end collectors and major museums.This volume—the only comprehensive monograph on Wiley’s work—offers an in-depth understanding of this important artist’s work. It chronicles both the earliest paintings and photographs and his recent forays into sculpture—bust portraits in bronze in the manner of Renaissance artists.

Mistress, Inc. by Niobia Bryant
(Kensington Books, 2012-05-29, Kindle Edition)

From the author of Mistress No More comes a sexy, exciting novel about an ex-mistress who’s doing her best to give up her bad-girl ways…When Jessa Bell revealed she was having an affair with one of her best friends’ husbands, no one would have predicted she’d soon be playing the part of the reformed mistress–least of all Jessa. But her experience–and ensuing remorse–has landed her on all the national talk shows and scored her a major book deal. Now that she’s pregnant with her ex-lover’s baby, Jessa’s determined to cash in on all the attention. Trouble is, she isn’t feeling much genuine regret. Shunned by her former friends, Jessa is still being propositioned by married men–and decides to start a business to help wives catch their cheating husbands. But when more secrets about her past are exposed, it’s going to be tough for her to stay on the straight and narrow–even if it spells disaster for her future…”Bryant is an author who definitely knows how to tell a story.” –APOOO Book Club Raves for Niobia Bryant’s Message From a Mistress”Grabs your attention from the first page.” –The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers”This novel is packed with unbelievable drama that will capture readers from page one.” –Books2Mention Magazine”…a fast-paced, sexy romp that is entertaining from start to finish.” –APOOO Book Club

Hanging Off Jefferson’s Nose: Growing Up On Mount Rushmore by Tina Nichols Coury
(Dial, 2012-05-10, Hardcover)

Growing up in the shadow of Mount RushmoreLincoln Borglum was a young boy when his father, the great sculptor Gutzon Borglum, suggested to a group of South Dakota businessmen that he should carve the faces of four presidents into a side of a mountain as an attraction for tourists. But Mount Rushmore would never be finished by Gutzon. It would be his son who would complete the fourteen-year task and present America with one of its most iconic symbols.

Reckless by Cydney Rax
(Dafina, 2012-05-01, Paperback)

Desire raises the stakes–and the danger. . .Desperate Housewife by Cydney RaxCarmen Foster thinks she has it all–a perfect house, kids, and marriage. Until she stumbles upon racy texts from her husband, Forrest, to his baby mama, Toni–who desperately wants Forrest back. Carmen is devastated and decides she can forgive Forrest if she just has an affair of her own. But when a scheming Toni gets involved and threatens to reveal Carmen’s secret, revenge takes an unexpected and explosive turnâ€¦Sinful by Niobia BryantA psychologist specializing in addiction, Brie Bailey is surprised to find that her work is affecting her personal life in unexpected ways. For the first time, she has something to hide. And when her impulsive actions lead her into a web of danger, Brie finds herself losing control of everything. . .L.A. Confidential by Grace OctaviaStevie Silver, Black Hollywood’s sitcom sweetheart, is in for a run of very bad luck. Her conniving assistant, Kristine, has her sights on Stevie’s career–and on her T.V. producer husband. Kristine will do whatever it takes to win, from blackmail to seduction. But when a series of lies and betrayals comes to a head in the canyons behind the Hollywood sign, more than stardom is at stake. . .

Author JavaNoir

Comments (0)

April 2012′s Bestselling African American Books

April 1, 2012

Here are the upcoming bestsellers for African American books (from Amazon.com).

A Wish and a Prayer: A Blessings Novel by Beverly Jenkins
(William Morrow Paperbacks, 2012-04-10, Kindle Edition)

Anyone worried that living in a small town could be boring certainly hasn’t lived in Henry Adams, Kansas. From the wealthy divorcÉe who saved this historic town founded by freed slaves to the romantic entanglements that have set tongues wagging and hearts fluttering (and everything in between), there’s plenty to keep the lovably eccentric townsfolk busy.Preston Miles is happy living with his foster parents, but an e-mail from his maternal grandmother is about to change all that. . . . Riley Curry, the former town mayor, is convinced his pet hog, Cletus, acted in self-defense when he sat on—and killed—a man. Now Riley just has to prove it in a court of law. . . . And as for Rocky, she has already had a lifetime of hurt. Will she risk opening her heart—and her life—to Jack? Warm, funny, poignant, and unforgettable, Beverly Jenkins’s latest excursion to Henry Adams is a true delight—a welcome return to a place that always feels like home.

Sultry Nights (Kimani Romance) by Donna Hill
(Kimani Romance, 2012-04-01, Kindle Edition)

Her RulesDominique Lawson lives life on her terms, making up the rules along the way. This beautiful Lawson twin and heiress to a glittering Louisiana dynasty goes after what she wants—and usually gets it. But Trevor Jackson seems immune to her charms. That’s until Dominique plots her all-out sensual assault on the blatantly sexy contractor, who’s as cool as they come. Now passion is heating up the Southern sky.…His PassionDominique may be his boss, but Trevor plans to show the pampered princess what desire is really about. Never mind that they clash on just about everything—it’s only a matter of time before the blue-blooded beauty is his. Can he convince Dominique that they belong together, now and for all the sensual nights to come?

RedBone by T. Styles
(Urban Books, 2012-04-01, Kindle Edition)

Where, oh where, have Farah’s roommates all gone?When Farah Cotton places a classified ad stating, “Cute redbone female looking to share a luxury apartment with another redbone female,” many women apply. One look at the lush apartment in Washington, D.C., and every fly girl around wants a chance to call Platinum Lofts her new home. The moment Farah lays eyes on Lesa Carmine, a pretty young woman with an active lifestyle and a sunny disposition, she knows she’s found the perfect girl for her ultimate plan. The two become fast friends—until Farah becomes intrusive and then her siblings move in, violating Lesa’s privacy. Farah seems dangerous when she’s around them, and Lesa attempts to sever ties without paying rent. Feeling overcome with blinding rage, Farah finds all kinds of ways to seek revenge. From poisoning to spreading vicious lies, she makes it known that she doesn’t take Lesa’s brush-off lightly. When Lesa snoops around in Farah’s past and discovers who she really is, she makes a grave mistake, one that could jeopardize her life. Brace yourselves, because just when you think you have it figured out, you’ll realize you don’t.

Payback Ain’t Enough by Wahida Clark
(Cash Money Content, 2012-04-24, Kindle Edition)

Picking up where the suspenseful ending of Payback With Ya Life left off, we’re plunged back into the hip hop drama, where the men are hot and dangerous, the women know their shoes from their Choos, and will stop at nothing to get what they want. In a game of power and intrigue where the stakes are high and the rewards are dazzling, the losers are gonna discover – there’s always a price to pay.

Pleasure Rush (Kimani Romance) by Farrah Rochon
(Kimani Romance, 2012-04-01, Kindle Edition)

In Hawaii for her birthday, Manhattan restaurateur Deirdre Smallwood has one mission to accomplish. She’s going to shed her humdrum image and do something totally out of character: seduce Thelonius Stokes, the gorgeous ex-linebacker for the New York Sabers.Theo is shocked by the sensual, uninhibited lover warming his bed. The pro-footballer-turned-TV-sports-analyst had Deirdre pegged for a girl-next-door type of woman. But she’s making his blood run hot and giving him a rush of pleasure he’s never felt before. This time around, Theo vows to score a touchdown on the only playing field that counts: the arena of love.

Diamond Dreams (Kimani Romance) by Zuri Day
(Kimani Romance, 2012-04-01, Kindle Edition)

As the only daughter of Southern California’s most famous wine dynasty, Diamond Drake devotes all her waking hours to the family business. Burned by love, she’s not sure she ever wants to fall in love again. But construction millionaire Jackson Wright is sweeping her up in a whirlwind romance. Is he the real thing? Or will the sinfully sexy bachelor prove to be all flash and no substance?From the moment he sees her, Jackson is dazzled by the stunning, sultry Diamond. He knows it’s dangerous to mix business with pleasure. If only Diamond will say yes to a future glittering with their passion and love.…

Taking Care of Business by Lutishia Lovely
(Dafina, 2012-04-01, Paperback)

Lutishia Lovely cooks up a riveting portrait of a trailblazing family expanding their booming soul food dynasty. . .After a long bout of misfortune, betrayal, and broken hearts, the Livingstons and their soul food empire are thriving. Toussaint Livingston is the Food Network darling, Malcolm Livingston’s BBQ Soul Smoker is still the toast of QVC, and Bianca Livingston’s brainchild TOSTS–Taste Of Soul Tapas Style–is a sizzling sensation on L.A.’s Sunset Strip. It seems that nothing can stop the progress of this third generation–until a dish called trouble gets added to the menu. Jefferson Livingston is the only sibling who feels he hasn’t made his mark, a fact for which he partly blames Toussaint. But with a recent promotion and a sexy new assistant, Jefferson is ready to show his cousin just how big a mistake he made. Then a fire breaks out, an old enemy rears his ugly head, and a stranger threatens the family’s legacy. Jefferson and Toussaint must now work together to keep the dynasty from falling apart. Can they put their differences aside long enough to take care of business? There’s only one way to find out. . . .”A great new taste in the literary world.” –Carl Weber

To Love You More (Kimani Romance) by Wayne Jordan
(Kimani Romance, 2012-04-01, Kindle Edition)

George Simpson has never had a problem wooing women. The sexy-as-sin attorney is as commanding in the courtroom as he is in his candlelit bedroom. He’s always told the truth and nothing but the truth about his personal life: flings with no strings attached. That way, no one gets hurt. Least of all him. Because George has been there, done that—and has vowed to never fall in love again.Rachel Davis can’t believe the playboy her first love, George, has become. When he broke her heart years ago, the accomplished lawyer wanted nothing more than to run away from Barbados—and from George. She knows there’s no place like home—and seeing George again sends her heart into overdrive. But Rachel has a secret that may destroy their passionate reunion. Will her confessions of the past lead to a trial by fire…or a verdict of intimate seduction?

Detroit: A Biography by Scott Martelle
(Chicago Review Press, 2012-04-01, Hardcover)

Detroit was established as a French settlement three-quarters of a century before the founding of this nation. A remote outpost built to protect trapping interests, it grew as agriculture expanded on the new frontier. Its industry took a great leap forward with the completion of the Erie Canal, which opened up the Great Lakes to the East Coast. Surrounded by untapped natural resources, Detroit turned iron from the Mesabi Range into stoves and railcars, and eventually cars by the millions. This vibrant commercial hub attracted businessmen and labor organizers, European immigrants and African Americans from the rural South. At its mid-20th-century heyday, one in six American jobs were connected to the auto industry, its epicenter in Detroit. And then the bottom fell out. Detroit: A Biography takes a long, unflinching look at the evolution of one of America’s great cities, and one of the nation’s greatest urban failures. It tells how the city grew to become the heart of American industry and how its utter collapse—from 1.8 million residents in 1950 to 714,000 only six decades later—resulted from a confluence of public policies, private industry decisions, and deep, thick seams of racism. And it raises the question: when we look at modern-day Detroit, are we looking at the ghost of America’s industrial past or its future?

White Lines II: Sunny: A Novel by Tracy Brown
(St. Martin’s Griffin, 2012-04-24, Paperback)

In her most stunning, riveting, unstoppable novel yet, bestselling and critically acclaimed author, Tracy Brown delivers the not-to-be-missed sequel to WHITE LINES On the surface, it appears that Sunny has got it all–looks, money, a beautiful home, a healthy daughter, and friends who love her. But Sunny has a secret—something she hasn’t even told her best friend. The truth is Sunny is unhappy. She still misses her beloved Dorian, and worries that no other man will evercaptivate her the way he did. She dated some very powerful and successful men since Dorian’s death. But will she ever find love again?It’s not long before Sunny is chasing those white lines again. And, when the truth finally explodes, willSunny abe able to put her life back together again?

No Citizen Left Behind by Meira Levinson
(Harvard University Press, 2012-04-23, Hardcover)

While teaching at an all-Black middle school in Atlanta, Levinson realized that her students’ individual self-improvement would not necessarily enable them to overcome their historical marginalization. In order to overcome their civic empowerment gap, students must learn how to reshape power relationships through public political and civic action.

Sweet Giselle by Karen Williams
(Urban Books, 2012-04-01, Paperback)

Giselle thinks she has the perfect life. Her fine and sexy husband, Giovanni, is obsessed with his perfect wife and gives her whatever her heart desires. Giselle thinks her husband can do no wrong. What she doesn’t know is that his lucrative adult film company is not as legit as it seems, and Giovanni’s seedy dealings put his precious wife in danger. Giselle is kidnapped by a vicious drug dealer named Bryce, who is hell bent on revenge after his sister comes up missing and he believes Giovanni is responsible. Bryce takes the thing he knows Giovanni treasures most. He plans to torture Giselle, but instead he finds himself falling in love with her. He reveals the truth about Giovanni and the news pushes her right into Bryce’s arms. Giovanni wages a war against Bryce and anyone close to him, leaving several dead bodies in his wake. Now that he has his wife back, Giovanni thinks things can return to the way they were. Giselle, however, can’t get Bryce out of her system, and continues to see him behind Giovanni’s back. As the war between these two men heats up again, Giselle has to decide if being with the man she loves is worth risking her life.

World Right Side Up: Investing Across Six Continents (Agora Series) by Christopher W. Mayer
(Wiley, 2012-04-10, Hardcover)

Invaluable insights into finding diverse investment opportunities in the emergent global economyFrom Brazilian farmlands to Colombian gold fields, from Chinese shopping malls to Indian hotels, from South African wine country to the boom/bust souks of Dubai, this around-the-world investing field trip explores the nooks and crannies for hidden investment opportunities. World Right Side Up: Investing Across Six Continents is packed with ideas to power your portfolio in the years ahead while teaching you a little fascinating history along the way. Fact is, the world’s markets have changed in a big way. For the first time since before the Industrial Revolution, the emerging markets now contribute as much to the global economy as their more well-developed peers. Far from being an anomaly, this state of affairs is more in line with the bulk of human experience. For centuries, China and India were the world’s largest economies. And so the world is turning…right side up.This change creates a wealth of opportunities for investors, in both the emerging markets and developed markets. World Right Side Up is your guide on how to take full advantage of this shift.Provides an entertaining view of various regions visited by the author, including South America, Asia, Africa, North America, and the Middle EastExplores specific investment ideas and themes, including opportunities in agriculture, water, energy, infrastructure and much moreIncludes five key takeaways from each region, an invaluable feature, offering resources to consult for more information and guidanceWhile some people fear the changes happening now, the reality is that for the forward-thinking investor, these sizable new markets will create extraordinary new opportunities.

Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick by Paul Dickson
(Walker & Company, 2012-04-24, Hardcover)

Relying on primary sources, including more than a hundred interviews, Paul Dickson has crafted a richly detailed portrait of an American original: baseball impresario and innovator, independent spirit and unflinching advocate of racial equality, Bill Veeck. Veeck (1914–1986) was born into baseball. His sportswriter father became president of the Chicago Cubs, and Bill later worked for owner Phil Wrigley, rebuilding Wrigley Field to achieve the famed ambience that exists today. In his late twenties, he bought into his first team, the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. As World War II intensified, Veeck volunteered for combat duty, enduring a leg injury that led to a lifetime of amputations and silent suffering. On returning, he bought the Cleveland Indians in 1946—the first of four midwestern teams he would own, preceding the hapless St. Louis Browns (1951–53) and the Chicago White Sox (twice, 1959–61 and 1975–81). Though foiled in an earlier plan to bring Negro League players to the majors, in the summer of 1947, Veeck integrated his team on field and off, signing Larry Doby, the American League’s first black player, and hiring the first black public relations officer, trainer, and scout. A year later, he signed the legendary black pitcher Satchel Paige, who helped win the 1948 World Series—Cleveland’s last championship to this day. His promotional genius was second to none, endearing him to fans in every city, while his feel for the game led him to propose innovations way ahead of their time. Veeck’s deep sense of fairness helped usher in free agency, breaking the stranglehold owners had on players; indeed, he was the only owner to testify in support of Curt Flood during his landmark reserve clause challenge. Bill Veeck brings fully to life a transformational, visionary figure who spent a lifetime challenging baseball’s and society’s well-entrenched status quo. It is essential reading for any fan and anyone with a fascination for twentieth-century America.

Alibi II: Nard’s Revenge by Teri Woods
(Grand Central Publishing, 2012-04-24, Paperback)

ALIBI II picks up where ALIBI left off. The year is 2006 and Diane Praeliou is happily married and living on a horse ranch in Arizona when she receives a letter that threatens her entire world. Someone knows her true identity.In 1986, Daisy was given a second chance at life when she received a new identity and a fresh start as a college student in Arizona courtesy of the witness protection program. Nard wasn’t so lucky. He was sentenced to twenty years to life in a western Pennsylvania facility and has endured things that no man should ever have to endure. All Nard can think about is Daisy’s testimony and how much he wants revenge. Diane goes on living life, finding love, and getting married until things slowly begin to spiral out of control. What makes matters worse is now Nard is out on parole and Diane is afraid for herself and her family. Feigning innocence, Diane can only turn to one person for help. But if she doesn’t come clean about her past secrets, her entire world can come crashing down and there will be no one to protect her.

Ran Away (Benjamin January Mysteries) by Barbara Hambly
(Severn House Digital, 2012-04-01, Kindle Edition)

A Benjamin January mystery – RAN AWAY. So began a score of advertisements every week in the New Orleans newspapers, advertising for slaves who’d fled their masters. But the Turk, Huseyin Pasha, posted no such advertisement when his two lovely concubines disappeared. And when a witness proclaimed he’d seen the ‘devilish infidel’ hurl their dead bodies out of a window, everyone was willing to believe him the murderer. Only Benjamin January, who knows the Turk of old, is willing to seek for the true culprit, endangering his own life in the process . . .

Scandals by Sasha Campbell
(Dafina, 2012-04-01, Paperback)

Learning to trust can be the hardest lesson of all. . .Newly divorced single mom Monica Houston needs to find a job. When her best friend suggests she answer an ad seeking exotic dancers, they both laugh. But with no work in sight, it’s no joke. Soon, Monica is dancing at Scandalous, and the money is flowing. But to hold on to her children, and her heart, she’ll have to keep it a secret from both her ex and her new man. Too bad someone in her life has other ideas. The baddest dancer at Scandalous, Robin Wright a.k.a. Treasure lives for herself and trusts no one. The last thing she wants is to take in her estranged sister Deandra’s little boy, Kyle. But with Deandra arrested for murder, she has no choice. There’s just one condition: Kyle’s hot “big brother” Lance has to babysit. With a man and a child in her life, Treasure’s heart opens. Soon she’s in love–and determined to prove Deandra’s innocence–though it means the greatest risk of all. “These characters leap off the page and make you want to join in.” –Lutishia Lovely on Confessions”Drama, drama and more drama!. . .It’s a good juicy read you won’t want to put down.” –Romantic Times on Confessions “This novel will heat your seat!” –Brenda Hampton, author of the Naughty series, on Suspicions”Keep your eyes on Sasha Campbell!” –Brenda Hampton, author of the Naughty series

The Peninsula Campaign and the Necessity of Emancipation: African Americans and the Fight for Freedom (Civil War America) by Glenn David Brasher
(The University of North Carolina Press, 2012-04-02, Hardcover)

In the Peninsula Campaign of spring 1862, Union general George B. McClellan failed in his plan to capture the Confederate capital and bring a quick end to the conflict. But the campaign saw something new in the war–the participation of African Americans in ways that were critical to the Union offensive. Ultimately, that participation influenced Lincoln’s decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation at the end of that year. Glenn David Brasher’s unique narrative history delves into African American involvement in this pivotal military event, demonstrating that blacks contributed essential manpower and provided intelligence that shaped the campaign’s military tactics and strategy and that their activities helped to convince many Northerners that emancipation was a military necessity.Drawing on the voices of Northern soldiers, civilians, politicians, and abolitionists as well as Southern soldiers, slaveholders, and the enslaved, Brasher focuses on the slaves themselves, whose actions showed that they understood from the outset that the war was about their freedom. As Brasher convincingly shows, the Peninsula Campaign was more important in affecting the decision for emancipation than the Battle of Antietam.

Abraham Lincoln and White America by Brian R. Dirck
(Univ Pr of Kansas, 2012-04-19, Hardcover)

As “Savior of the Union” and the “Great Emancipator,” Abraham Lincoln has been lauded for his courage, wisdom, and moral fiber. Yet Frederick Douglass’s assertion that Lincoln was the “white man’s president” has been used by some detractors as proof of his fundamentally racist character. Viewed objectively, Lincoln was a white man’s president by virtue of his own whiteness and that of the culture that produced him. Until now, however, historians have rarely explored just what this means for our understanding of the man and his actions. Writing at the vanguard of “whiteness studies,” Brian Dirck considers Lincoln as a typical American white man of his time who bore the multiple assumptions, prejudices, and limitations of his own racial identity. He shows us a Lincoln less willing or able to transcend those limitations than his more heroic persona might suggest but also contends that Lincoln’s understanding and approach to racial bigotry was more enlightened than those of most of his white contemporaries.Blazing a new trail in Lincoln studies, Dirck reveals that Lincoln was well aware of and sympathetic to white fears, especially that of descending into “white trash,” a notion that gnawed at a man eager to distance himself from his own coarse origins. But he also shows that after Lincoln crossed the Rubicon of black emancipation, he continued to grow beyond such cultural constraints, as seen in his seven recorded encounters with nonwhites. Dirck probes more deeply into what “white” meant in Lincoln’s time and what it meant to Lincoln himself, and from this perspective he proposes a new understanding of how Lincoln viewed whiteness as a distinct racial category that influenced his policies. As Dirck ably demonstrates, Lincoln rose far enough above the confines of his culture to accomplish deeds still worthy of our admiration, and he calls for a more critically informed admiration of Lincoln that allows us to celebrate his considerable accomplishments while simultaneously recognizing his limitations.When Douglass observed that Lincoln was the white man’s president, he may not have intended it as a serious analytical category. But, as Dirck shows, perhaps we should do so—the better to understand not just the Lincoln presidency, but the man himself.

Author JavaNoir

Comments (0)

March 2012′s Bestselling African American Hardcover Books

March 5, 2012

The following are the upcoming bestsellers for African American hardcover books.

Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World by Crystal McCrary
(Harry N. Abrams, 2012-03-01, Hardcover)

Inspiration shares the personal stories and unique voices of 30 extraordinary black women. Whether in the White House or on the courts of Wimbledon, in Hollywood or on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, these women have influenced the social, cultural, and political landscape of this country, and even the world. Luminaries such as Patti LaBelle, Venus Williams, Susan Taylor, and Judith Jamison speak about the challenges they’ve faced and the victories they’ve won throughout their careers. These inspiring black women pass their knowledge and lessons on to a new generation of women in intimate first-person essays and stunning color portraits.

Listen, Whitey!: The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 by Pat Thomas
(Fantagraphics, 2012-03-05, Hardcover)

A provocative collection of African-American cultural history.Noted music producer and scholar Pat Thomas spent five years in Oakland, CA researching Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975. While befriending members of the Black Panther Party, Thomas discovered rare recordings of speeches, interviews, and music by noted activists Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Elaine Brown, The Lumpen and many others that form the framework of this definitive retrospective. Listen, Whitey! also chronicles the forgotten history of Motown Records. From 1970 to 1973, Motown’s Black Power subsidiary label, Black Forum, released politically charged albums by Stokely Carmichael, Amiri Baraka, Langston Hughes, Bill Cosby & Ossie Davis, and many others, all represented. Also explored are the musical connections between Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Graham Nash, the Partridge Family (!?!) and the Black Power movement. Obscure recordings produced by SNCC, Ron Karenga’s US, the Tribe and other African-American sociopolitical organizations of the late 1960s and early ’70s are examined along with the Isley Brothers, Nina Simone, Archie Shepp, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Clifford Thornton, Watts Prophets, Last Poets, Gene McDaniels, Roland Kirk, Horace Silver, Angela Davis, H. Rap Brown, Stanley Crouch, and others that spoke out against oppression. Other sections focus on Black Consciousness poetry (from the likes of Jayne Cortez, wife of Ornette Coleman), inspired religious recordings that infused god and Black Nationalism, obscure regional and privately pressed Black Power 7-inch soul singles from across America. 90,000 words of text are accompanied by over 250 large sized, full-color reproductions of album covers and 45 rpm singles — most of which readers will have never seen before. 224 black-and-white illustrations

Low Down and Dirty: A Novel by Vickie M. Stringer
(Atria Books, 2012-03-27, Hardcover)

Vickie Stringer’s Dirty Red is back. This time she’s on the run. Having apparently wounded all of her enemies, and even her beloved Q, Red finds herself away from Detroit living the life of luxury in Arizona. She’s become a successful home broker with a bestselling book, and it seems as if all of her dirty tricks have finally paid off—from framing Detective Thomas to ruining Kera’s freedom. Unfortunately for Red, she’s made more enemies than she can count, and she soon finds herself running across the country in fear of them all while still being in love with Q. Everyone seems to have a reason to pay her the ultimate revenge, and even the most unlikely become partners if it means finally bringing an end to all of Red’s dirty schemes. In yet another fast-paced and spiraling edition in this bestselling series, Vickie Stringer writes about a woman who will do anything to save her life and the people who go so low attempting to stop her.

The Final Four by Paul Volponi
(Viking Juvenile, 2012-03-01, Hardcover)

Four players with one thing in common: the will to win Malcolm wants to get to the NBA ASAP. Roko wants to be the pride of his native Croatia. Crispin wants the girl of his dreams. M.J. just wants a chance. March Madness is in full swing, and there are only four teams left in the NCAA basketball championship. The heavily favored Michigan Spartans and the underdog Troy Trojans meet in the first game in the semifinals, and it’s there that the fates of Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and M.J. intertwine. As the last moments tick down on the game clock, you’ll learn how each player went from being a kid who loved to shoot hoops to a powerful force in one of the most important games of the year. Which team will leave the Superdome victorious? In the end it will come down to which players have the most skill, the most drive, and the most heart.

Multiplication Is for White People: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit
(New Press, The, 2012-03-20, Hardcover)

As award-winning educator Lisa Delpit reminds us — and as all research shows — there is no achievement gap at birth. In her long-awaited second book, Delpit presents a striking picture of the elements of contemporary public education that conspire against the prospects for poor children of color, creating a persistent gap in achievement during the school years that has eluded several decades of reform.

Delpit’s bestselling and paradigm-shifting first book, Other People’s Children, focused on cultural slippage in the classroom between white teachers and students of color. Now, in “Multiplication Is for White People,” Delpit reflects on two decades of reform efforts — including No Child Left Behind, standardized testing, the creation of alternative teacher certification paths, and the charter school movement — that still have left a generation of poor children of color feeling that higher math isn’t for them.

In her wonderful trademark style, punctuated with telling classroom anecdotes and informed by time spent at dozens of schools across the country, Delpit outlines an inspiring and uplifting blueprint for raising expectations for other people’s children, based on a simple premise: multiplication is for everyone.

Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King
(Harper, 2012-03-06, Hardcover)

Arguably the most important American lawyer of the twentieth century, Thurgood Marshall was on the verge of bringing the landmark suit Brown v. Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court when he became embroiled in an explosive and deadly case that threatened to change the course of the civil rights movement and cost him his life. In 1949, Florida’s orange industry was booming, and citrus barons got rich on the backs of cheap Jim Crow labor. To maintain order and profits, they turned to Willis V. McCall, a violent sheriff who ruled Lake County with murderous resolve. When a white seventeen-year-old Groveland girl cried rape, McCall was fast on the trail of four young blacks who dared to envision a future for themselves beyond the citrus groves. By day’s end, the Ku Klux Klan had rolled into town, burning the homes of blacks to the ground and chasing hundreds into the swamps, hell-bent on lynching the young men who came to be known as “the Groveland Boys.” And so began the chain of events that would bring Thurgood Marshall, the man known as “Mr. Civil Rights,” into the deadly fray. Associates thought it was suicidal for him to wade into the “Florida Terror” at a time when he was irreplaceable to the burgeoning civil rights movement, but the lawyer would not shrink from the fight—not after the Klan had murdered one of Marshall’s NAACP associates involved with the case and Marshall had endured continual threats that he would be next. Drawing on a wealth of never-before-published material, including the FBI’s unredacted Groveland case files, as well as unprecedented access to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund files, King shines new light on this remarkable civil rights crusader, setting his rich and driving narrative against the heroic backdrop of a case that U.S. Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson decried as “one of the best examples of one of the worst menaces to American justice.”

Blacklash: How Obama and the Left Are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation by Deneen Borelli
(Threshold Editions, 2012-03-06, Hardcover)

This country is at a crossroads. We can either reverse direction or nosedive into a cycle of dependency that is turning America into a welfare nation—a “government plantation” where the underclass are doomed to 21st-century servitude. Now, Deneen Borelli, one of the most visible and outspoken black conservatives in the country, is fighting back—taking action, not just talking—and speaking up for those who can’t or are too afraid to do so. Borelli’s argument is a solid one: the problem begins with President Barack Obama, whose policy overreach has frozen racial tensions in this country when he should have been thawing them. The Left, having introduced the race card to defend Obama from the massive unpopularity of his policies, has turned a blind eye to the leadership failures that have spread down through black career politicians—traitors to minority success—who are causing a cycle of oppression in America: specifically Charles Rangel, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson, each of whom has enriched himself at the expense of his community. Borelli also challenges the ninety-five percent of the black Americans who voted for Obama without caring about or vetting his dangerous politics. Borelli doesn’t stop there. She speaks out against the elites and crony capitalists who drive expensive government policies such as needless green initiatives and ObamaCare. She exposes government regulation and the NAACP as nothing more than a liberal front group. She points out each grave flaw in the current administration, big government, unions, and special-interest groups. She demands that new black leaders abandon the false rhetoric and inexcusable lies of so-called progressive politics.

Battle Hymns: The Power and Popularity of Music in the Civil War (Civil War America) by Christian McWhirter
(The University of North Carolina Press, 2012-03-19, Hardcover)

Music was everywhere during the Civil War. Tunes could be heard ringing out from parlor pianos, thundering at political rallies, and setting the rhythms of military and domestic life. With literacy still limited, music was an important vehicle for communicating ideas about the war, and it had a lasting impact in the decades that followed. Drawing on an array of published and archival sources, Christian McWhirter analyzes the myriad ways music influenced popular culture in the years surrounding the war and discusses its deep resonance for both whites and blacks, South and North.Though published songs of the time have long been catalogued and appreciated, McWhirter is the first to explore what Americans actually said and did with these pieces. By gauging the popularity of the most prominent songs and examining how Americans used them, McWhirter returns music to its central place in American life during the nation’s greatest crisis. The result is a portrait of a war fought to music.

Kehinde Wiley: The World Stage: Israel by Ruth Eglash
(Roberts & Tilton, 2012-03-31, Hardcover)

Kehinde Wiley’s acclaimed World Stage series inserts into the language of old master portraiture the very ethnicities and ethnic iconography that western art has most excluded from it, or that western art has portrayed solely in colonial, Orientalist terms. Among the countries and continents he has previously depicted in this ambitious traveling epic are Brazil, Africa, China, India and Sri Lanka. The rhetoric of Wiley’s paintings is powerful in its compositional candor, color palette and playfulness with constructions of visual meaning; as Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky) notes, “Wiley’s canvas surfaces are a mirror reflection of America’s unceasing search for new meanings from the ruins of the Old World of Europe and Africa.” This volume includes a selection of new World Stage portraits, focusing on contemporary youth from Jewish-Ethiopian-Israeli, Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli communities.

The Political Economy of Liberation: Thomas Sowell and James Cone on the Black Experience by Anthony B. Bradley
(Peter Lang Publishing, 2012-03-01, Hardcover)

James Cone and Thomas Sowell tower as African American intellectuals who have influenced ideas around the world for decades on issues such as poverty and justice. Although Thomas Sowell writes as a secular economist, his views harmonize more genuinely with classical Christian social thought than do the liberation theology of James Cone. In the traditional black church, theology and economics have always been partners in pursuing the means of liberation for African Americans. This is the first book to put a black economist and a black theologian into direct dialogue with one another in order to distill the strengths of each discipline, thus providing a long-term vision for the economic sustainability of the black community. The implications of the Protestant teaching of sphere sovereignty and the Roman Catholic principle of subsidiarity inform the disciplines of theology, economics, and political philosophy to cast a new vision for black liberation serving religious and political theorists alike. A provocative dynamism emerges because Cone and Sowell maintain alternative and competing visions that engage classical Christian theology in different ways. This book offers the opportunity for a new trajectory of dialogue between theologians and political economists about poverty, human dignity, and justice in ways previously unexplored. The Political Economy of Liberation is an invaluable resource in courses in African American studies, race and religion, political economy, social ethics, Christianity and society, Christian social thought, social justice, and theological ethics at the upper-level undergraduate or graduate level.

Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper
(The University of North Carolina Press, 2012-03-01, Hardcover)

Thornton Dial (b. 1928), one of the most important artists in the American South, came to prominence in the late 1980s and was celebrated internationally for his large construction pieces and mixed-media paintings. It was only later, in response to a reviewer’s negative comment on his artistic ability, that he began to work on paper. And it was not until recently that these drawings have received the acclaim they deserve. This volume, edited by Bernard L. Herman, offers the first sustained critical attention to Dial’s works on paper. Concentrating on Dial’s early drawings, the contributors examine Dial’s use of line and color and his recurrent themes of love, lust, and faith. They also discuss the artist’s sense of place and history, relate his drawings to his larger works, and explore how his drawing has evolved since its emergence in the early 1990s. Together, the essays investigate questions of creativity and commentary in the work of African American artists and contextualize Dial’s works on paper in the body of American art. The contributors are Cara Zimmerman, Bernard Herman, Glenn Hinson, Juan Logan, and Colin Rhodes.

The Morehouse Mystique: Becoming a Doctor at the Nation’s Newest African American Medical School by Marybeth Gasman
(The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012-03-15, Hardcover)

The Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of only four predominantly Black medical schools in the United States. Among its illustrious alumni are surgeons general of the United States, medical school presidents, and numerous other highly regarded medical professionals. This book tells the engrossing history of this venerable institution.The school was founded just after the civil rights era, when major barriers prevented minorities from receiving adequate health care and Black students were underrepresented in predominantly White medical schools. The Morehouse School of Medicine was conceived to address both problems—it was a minority-serving institution educating doctors who would practice in underserved communities.The school’s history involves political maneuvering, skilled leadership, dedication to training African American physicians, and a mission of primary care in disadvantaged communities. Highlighting such influential leaders as former Health and Human Services Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, The Morehouse Mystique situates the school in the context of the history of medical education for Blacks and race relations throughout the country. The book features excerpts from personal interviews with prominent African American doctors as well as with former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush, who reveal how local, state, and national politics shaped the development of Black medical schools in the United States.The story of the Morehouse School of Medicine reflects the turbulent time in which it was founded and the lofty goals and accomplishments of a diverse group of African American leaders. Their tireless efforts in creating this eminent Black institution changed the landscape of medical education and the racial and ethnic makeup of physicians and health care professions.

Blackness in Opera
(University of Illinois Press, 2012-03-01, Hardcover)

Blackness in Opera critically examines the intersections of race and music in the multifaceted genre of opera. A multidisciplinary cross-section of scholars place well-known operas (Porgy and Bess, Aida, Otello) alongside lesser-known works such as Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha, Clarence Cameron White’s Ouanga!, and William Grant Still’s Blue Steel to reveal a new historical context for re-imagining race and blackness in opera. The volume brings a wide-ranging, theoretically informed, interdisciplinary approach to questions about how blackness has been represented in these operas, issues surrounding characterization of blacks, interpretation of racialized roles by blacks and whites, controversies over race in the theatre and the use of blackface, and extensions of blackness along the spectrum from grand opera to musical theatre and film. In addition to essays by scholars, the book also features comments by renowned tenor George Shirley.

Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars: True Tales of Breaking Barriers, Umpiring Baseball Legends, and Wild Adventures in the Negro Leagues by Bob Motley
(Sports Publishing, 2012-03-08, Hardcover)

“An important step in revealing what has been for most Americans a ‘hidden history.’” —Ken BurnsThe Kansas City Monarchs, the Chicago American Giants, the St. Louis Stars, the Birmingham Black Barons, the Homestead Grays, and the Indianapolis Clowns; for over fifty years, they were the Yankees, Cardinals, and Red Sox of black baseball in America. And for over a decade beginning in the late 1940s, umpire Bob Motley called balls and strikes for many of their games, working alongside such legends as Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays.Today, Motley is the only living arbiter from the Negro Leagues. His personal account of the Negro Leagues is a revealing, humorous, and unforgettable memoir celebrating a long-lost league and a remarkable group of baseball players. In Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars Motley and his son Byron share the characters, adventures, and challenges faced by these amazing men as they enthusiastically embraced America’s pastime and made it their own. Filled with stories of talented heroes, small miracles, and downright fun, this unique memoir is a must-read for any baseball fan. 14 black & white illustrations

Words of Protest, Words of Freedom: Poetry of the American Civil Rights Movement and Era
(Duke University Press Books, 2012-03-27, Hardcover)

Poetry is an ideal artistic medium for expressing the fear, sorrow, and triumph of revolutionary times. Words of Protest, Words of Freedom is the first comprehensive collection of poems written during and in response to the American civil rights struggle of 1955–75. Featuring some of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century—including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Lowell, and Derek Walcott—alongside lesser-known poets, activists, and ordinary citizens, this anthology presents a varied and vibrant set of voices, highlighting the tremendous symbolic reach of the civil rights movement within and beyond the United States.Some of the poems address crucial movement-related events—such as the integration of the Little Rock schools, the murders of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers, the emergence of the Black Panther party, and the race riots of the late 1960s—and key figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and John and Robert Kennedy. Other poems speak more broadly to the social and political climate of the times. Along with Jeffrey Lamar Coleman’s headnotes, the poems recall the heartbreaking and jubilant moments of a tumultuous era. Altogether, more than 150 poems by approximately 100 poets showcase the breadth of the genre of civil rights poetry.Selected contributors. Maya Angelou, W. H. Auden, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, Langston Hughes, June Jordan, Philip Levine, Audre Lorde, Robert Lowell, Pauli Murray, Huey P. Newton, Adrienne Rich, Sonia Sanchez, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Derek Walcott, Alice Walker, Yevgeny Yevtushenko

The Glassell Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Masterworks of Pre-Columbian, Indonesian, and African Gold by Frances Marzio
(Museum Fine Arts Houston, 2012-03-20, Hardcover)

One of the world’s top hundred art collectors, Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. (1913-2008), was fascinated by gold, but not for its monetary value. Glassell valued instead the spiritual significance that gold held in many ancient cultures, particularly those of Africa, South America, and Indonesia. Over the years, he acquired an astonishing number of artworks, assembling the largest privately held collection of Pre-Columbian gold. From 1997 to 2004, Glassell donated works of African and Indonesian gold to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Upon his death in 2008, he bequeathed his collection of Pre-Columbian gold to the museum. Masterworks of Pre-Columbian, Indonesian, and African Gold explores two hundred of these dazzling works, many published here for the first time. Spanning from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 1600, these precious objects reflect a variety of cultures, such as the Calima, Quimbaya, Sicán, Moché, and Coclé, and a range of geographic locations, from Mexico to Argentina and from Africa to Indonesia. The book offers fresh insights into the enduring appeal of gold and its artistic manifestations in diverse cultures.

Nikki and Deja: Wedding Drama by Karen English
(Clarion Books, 2012-03-20, Hardcover)

Ms. Shelby is getting married! As the girls in Nikki and Deja’s class compete over who can plan the best imaginary wedding for their teacher, Nikki excitedly throws herself into preparations for the real thing. But Deja is not so enthusiastic. Her Auntie Dee has been temporarily laid off from her job, and Deja is worried. What will happen now that she can no longer afford a new dress and special hairdo? Will Nikki leave her best friend behind while she shops and primps? Will Deja be able to get over her jealousy and enjoy the celebration anyway? This is a charming entry in a chapter book series praised for its accessibility, authenticity, and humor.

Reading African American Experiences in the Obama Era: Theory, Advocacy, Activism by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas
(Peter Lang Publishing, 2012-03-01, Hardcover)

What does it mean to be Black in the Obama era? In Reading African American Experiences in the Obama Era, young African American scholars and researchers and experienced community activists demonstrate how to encourage dialogue across curricula, disciplines, and communities with emphases on education, new media, and popular culture. Considering what this historic moment means for Black life, letters, and learning, this accessible yet scholarly volume encourages movement toward thoughtful analysis today.

Author JavaNoir

Comments (0)

March 2012′s Bestselling African American Paperback Books

March 5, 2012

Here are the upcoming bestsellers for African American paperback books.

Coca Kola – The Baddest Chick by Nisa Santiago
(Melodrama Publishing, 2012-03-13, Paperback)

Steady Schemin’ Harlem honeys Apple and Kola are back and cutthroat as ever, and serving The City That Never Sleeps with a wakeup call. Now permanently disfigured, the once beautiful Apple’s future isn’t looking bright as the empire she worked so hard to build begins to crumble, brick by brick. The tables are turned, and Apple finds out that the ultimate betrayal cuts that much deeper when it’s perpetrated by blood. Meanwhile, Kola is lying in wait for Queen Apple to be dethroned. She stacks her paper and assembles her plan to take her twin out once and for all. But Apple isn’t bowing out gracefully.

Boss Bitch (Bitch Series) by Deja King
(A King Production, 2012-03-29, Paperback)

Precious Cummings and her daughter Aaliyah Mills Carter must protect the family empire as an unknown enemy tries to step in and take the throne. Can mother and daughter get past their differences and unite as one or will they stay at odds and risk having their loved ones torn apart? The saga continues to unfold in Boss Bitch.

Baltimore Chronicles Volume 4 by Treasure Hernandez
(Urban Books, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Scar Johnson is the biggest drug dealer in Baltimore, and with the help of his girlfriend, who happens to be a District Attorney, he has become the most untouchable. But is he really safe? The mysterious observer has come out of the shadows and infiltrated the Dirty Money Crew. Together with his accomplice, he plans to exact revenge on Scar. Meanwhile, Tiphani is plotting her return from Florida to claim her children and also get back at Scar and the mayor who left her for dead. After recovering from his injuries, Derek Fuller is out of prison, looking for redemption. Can Scar fend off all of these enemies and still control the Baltimore drug trade?

I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters by Bayard Rustin
(City Lights Publishers, 2012-03-20, Paperback)

Published on the centennial of his birth, and in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, here is Bayard Rustin’s life story told in his own words. Bayard Rustin has been called the “lost prophet” of the civil rights movement. A master strategist and tireless activist, he is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the U.S. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement and played a deeply influential role in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to mold him into an international symbol of nonviolence. Despite these achievements, Rustin often remained in the background. He was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era. Here we have Rustin in his own words in a collection of over 150 of his letters; his correspondents include the major progressives of his day — for example, Eleanor Holmes Norton, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Ella Baker, and of course, Martin Luther King, Jr.Bayard Rustin’s eloquent, impassioned voice, his ability to chart the path “from protest to politics,” is both timely and deeply informative. As the Occupy movement ushers America into a pivotal election year, and as politicians and citizens re-assess their goals and strategies, these letters provide direct access to the strategic thinking and tactical planning that led to the successes of one of America’s most transformative and historic social movements.

Recipe for Desire by Cherise Hodges
(Dafina, 2012-03-01, Mass Market Paperback)

A Party Girl’s Work Is Never Done. . .At twenty-seven, Marie Charles is still Charlotte’s number one party girl. But when she adds a DWI arrest and a totaled Jaguar to her list of tabloid news-making escapades, her daddy is done bailing her out. Sentenced to five hundred hours of community service at My Sister’s Keeper, a homeless shelter for women, Marie won’t have much time left for partying. . .Renowned chef and TV star Devon Harris volunteers at My Sister’s Keeper. And he’s not happy Marie is joining him. He may be single–and she may be gorgeous–but the last thing he’s interested in is a superficial southern belle. But as Marie outgrows the selfish girl she was, Devon is turned on by the woman she’s becoming. . .

And You Call Yourself a Christ (Still Divas) by E.N. Joy
(Urban Christian, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Out of all the divas at New Day Temple of Faith, Unique has to be the most colorful one–she and her mother Lorain, that is. Never one to hold her tongue in the name of keepin’ it real, it’s no surprise that Unique has not been saved all her life. It’s safe to say that Lorain wasn’t born on the church pew either. Let the church folk tell it, the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree when it comes to Unique. Lorain–once known as the tight skirt, V-neck blouse, too much makeup-wearing leader of the New Day Singles Ministry–claims she’s there to look out for her daughter and try to keep her in check. But how in the world does Lorain think she can even begin to keep her daughter on the straight and narrow with her own crooked life?Some might say Lorain has failed miserably as a mother when Unique ends up in jail for three counts of murder. One who would agree is the woman who raised Unique while Lorain was out living her life freely. As an all-out war takes place between Unique’s birth mother and the woman who raised her, will Unique have any support while she fights for her life behind bars? Will all forsake her while they are too busy with their own agendas? Only God holds the answer to this one.

Bi-Curious Volume 2: by Natalie Weber
(Urban Books, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Weber delivers the powerful and provocative tale of a woman whose bi-curious nature gets her into more trouble than she can escape.

Deception by Naomi Chase
(Dafina, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Sisters can share too much. . .Acquitted of murder, Tamia Luke is on a mission to reclaim all she’s lost, including her ex, Brandon, who saved her life. Brandon’s about to get married, but Tamia’s determined, even if it means resorting to deception–a family habit. Her sister, Fiona, betrayed Tamia to save her own skin. Now the two share a scandalous secret that may destroy both their plans to start over. . . Fiona’s hoping her glitzy new job will help her score a rich husband. It’s looking good, until the night she’s seduced by the one man who is truly unattainable–unless she can keep her past hidden. And both sisters will have to steer clear of someone who knows too much, and wants them to pay–with their lives. . .

On the Flip Side (Fab Life) by Nikki Carter
(KTEEN / Dafina, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Living your dreams is the hard part . . .Sunday Tolliver has a mega-smash album up for major awards–and her first few months as a college freshman are everything she hoped for. But juggling all this and her long-distance romance with boyfriend Sam is taking drama to mad-crazy levels. Hot up-and-coming video star DeShawn isn’t letting Sunday’s relationship keep him from getting close. And relentless online gossip is seriously shaking Sunday’s trust in Sam. On top of that, her jealous diva cousin, Dreya, just won’t stay out of Sunday’s face–especially now that she’s in the running for the same music awards. The only way Sunday can stop the madness and get back on track is to trust her instincts–and get a little help from her friends. . .

Man Swappers: A Novel by Cairo
(Strebor Books, 2012-03-06, Paperback)

Disturbingly sexy and devilishly delicious, Man Swappers explores the taboo topic of women openly sharing other women’s men. Man Swappers is about carefree and adventurous women who embrace their sexualities without embarrassment, guilt, ridicule, or shame. By day, bombshell sisters Porsha, Persia, and Paris do everything together. They work hard, travel far, and are always on the prowl for their next relationship. And getting the attention from the opposite sex has never been a problem for these vixens. In fact, they’ve had more than their share of men vying for their attention. But there’s a catch: You date one sister, you date them all. But what happens when two of them break the rules of engagement and want one of the men all to themselves? And what happens when they find out it’s the same man? A titillating story of sibling rivalry gone haywire, Man Swappers will thrill readers to a whole new level of satisfaction.

Thug Matrimony by Wahida Clark
(Dafina, 2012-03-01, Mass Market Paperback)

The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness by Kevin Young
(Graywolf Press, 2012-03-13, Paperback)

The first work of prose by the brilliant poet Kevin Young, winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize Taking its title from Danger Mouse’s pioneering mashup of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and the Beatles’ The White Album, Kevin Young’s encyclopedic book combines essay, cultural criticism, and lyrical choruses to illustrate the African American tradition of lying—storytelling, telling tales, fibbing, improvising, “jazzing.” What emerges is a persuasive argument for the many ways that African American culture is American culture, and for the centrality of art—and artfulness—to our daily life. Moving from gospel to soul, funk to freestyle, Young sifts through the shadows, the bootleg, the remix, the grey areas of our history, literature, and music.

We Have Been Believers: An African American Systematic Theology by James H. Evans Jr.
(Fortress Press, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Seeking to overcome the chasm between church practice and theological reflection, James H. Evans Jr., a major and distinctive voice in American religion, situates theology squarely in the nexus of faith with freedom. There, with a sure touch, he uplifts revelatory aspects of black religious experience that reanimate classical areas of theology, and he creates a theology with a heart, soul, and voice that speak directly to our condition. Edited and introduced by Stephen G. Ray Jr., the second edition, published on the twentieth anniversary of the first, includes three new essays that identify the value of the book for womanist, evangelical, and black church audiences. The new edition concludes with an Afterword by the author himself.

On the Flip Side (Fab Life) by Nikki Carter
(KTEEN / Dafina, 2012-03-01, Paperback)

Living your dreams is the hard part . . .Sunday Tolliver has a mega-smash album up for major awards–and her first few months as a college freshman are everything she hoped for. But juggling all this and her long-distance romance with boyfriend Sam is taking drama to mad-crazy levels. Hot up-and-coming video star DeShawn isn’t letting Sunday’s relationship keep him from getting close. And relentless online gossip is seriously shaking Sunday’s trust in Sam. On top of that, her jealous diva cousin, Dreya, just won’t stay out of Sunday’s face–especially now that she’s in the running for the same music awards. The only way Sunday can stop the madness and get back on track is to trust her instincts–and get a little help from her friends. . .

The Erotic Life of Racism by Sharon Patricia Holland
(Duke University Press Books, 2012-03-05, Paperback)

A major intervention in the fields of critical race theory, black feminism, and queer theory, The Erotic Life of Racism contends that theoretical and political analyses of race have largely failed to understand and describe the profound ordinariness of racism and how it operates as a quotidian practice. If racism has an everyday life, how does it remain so powerful and yet mask its very presence? To answer this question, Sharon P. Holland moves into the territory of the erotic, understanding racism’s practice as constitutive to the practice of racial being and erotic choice.Reemphasizing the black/white binary, Holland reinvigorates critical engagement with race and racism. She argues that only by bringing together critical race theory, queer theory, and black feminist thought into conversation with each other can we fully envision the relationship between racism and the personal and political dimensions of our desire. The Erotic Life of Racism provocatively redirects our attention to a desire no longer independent of racism but rather embedded within it.

She Ain’t the One by Carl Weber and Mary B. Morrison
(Dafina, 2012-03-01, Mass Market Paperback)

From New York Times bestselling authors Carl Weber and Mary B. Morrison comes this powerful, unforgettable novel about the ultimate player who has finally run into the wrong woman… After a rocky marriage, irresistibly seductive Jay Crawford is ready for a new woman–and a new challenge. It doesn’t take him long to discover both in one fine package: Ashlee Anderson. With a face and body that scream sex, she’s just what he’s looking for–hard-to-get, feisty, and freaky. But he’d never suspect just how freaky… Ashlee turns out to be every bit as sexy as Jay suspected. What should’ve been a one-night stand extends into months of lovemaking that’s too hot to give up and designed to burn him like never before. For Ashlee has no intention of letting their relationship ever end. Now Jay is in over his head with a woman who will go to any lengths to possess him. Trouble is, Ashlee’s psycho behavior turns him on like nothing else. Maybe they’re both crazy. But when Ashlee makes a shocking confession, Jay knows she definitely ain’t the one and he’s got to get away from her before she completely destroys his life…

Temptation Rising by A.C. Arthur
(St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-03-27, Mass Market Paperback)

Washington D.C. police officer Kalina Harper still dreams about that night, two years ago, when a huge cat-like creature saved her from a crazed attacker. Although she kept the truth to herself, Kalina can never forget the ferocious strength of the beast’s fangs and claws—or the raw animal hunger in its eyes. Until she meets Roman Reynolds…Muscular, magnetic, and all man, Roman is a high-powered attorney with a predatory smile and seductive charm. He is also a criminal suspect with suspicious connections to the Amazon jungle. But when Kalina discovers that Roman is linked to a secret race of shapeshifting jaguars—who hunt down maneaters—she is forced to put her trust in a man who unleashes her wildest fantasies and fears. A fierce creature of the night whose nature is to protect his female at any cost…

Author JavaNoir

Comments (0)

February’s Bestsellers in African American Romance

February 11, 2012

Private Arrangements (Kimani Romance) by Brenda Jackson
(Kimani, 2012-01-24, Mass Market Paperback)

No man has ever tempted her like this…Nikki Cartwright can’t believe Jonas Steele—the Jonas Steele—has chosen her for a high-profile marketing venture. It could make her career. But when she remembers the kiss they once shared, a kiss so intimate it sent their desire skyrocketing from simmering to blazing, Nikki knows she must guard her heart against the seductive Phoenix playboy as if her life depends on it.Jonas has no problem making their professional relationship personal. With the beautiful and talented photographer within his reach, he can erase her from his system once and for all. From a whirlwind Las Vegas affair to jet-setting across four continents, this Steele discovers getting Nikki out of his system is easier said than done, and now he wants her to belong to him heart and soul—as the woman of his most passionate fantasies.…

Sinners & Saints by Victoria Christopher Murray
(Touchstone, 2012-01-10, Paperback)

TEAM JASMINE or TEAM RACHEL? Bestselling and award-winning novelists Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley bring their favorite heroines together in a novel that will delight their legions of fans. Jasmine Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical first ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides. When a coveted position opens up—president of the American Baptist Coalition— both women think their husbands are perfect for the job. And winning the position may require both women to get down and dirty and revert to their old tricks. Just when Jasmine and Rachel think they’re going to have to fight to the finish, the current first lady of the coalition steps in . . . a woman bigger, badder, and more devious than either of them. Double the fun with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors.

A Seductive Kiss (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray
(St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-01-31, Mass Market Paperback)

YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON FRIENDSDianna Harrington is known throughout the world as “The Face”-the stunningly beautiful spokesmodel for her family’s fashion empire. She could probably have her pick of any man she wants. But Dianna would rather kick back and relax with a good friend-namely Alex Stewart, who she’s known, and harbored a crush on, her whole life…BUT CAN YOU TRUST YOUR HEART?Ever since they were kids, Alex has been Dianna’s protector and pal, a shoulder to cry on. But as the brother of her best friend, Alex always seemed untouchable. Now a handsome, successful New York lawyer, Alex never realized how lonely Dianna’s life has been-or how innocent she is in the ways of love. Alex wants more than anything to reach out to her, to heal her heart. But is his desire worth the risk? After a lifetime of longing building up between them, somethings gotta give. Maybe all it takes is just one kiss…

Real Wifeys: Get Money: An Urban Tale by Meesha Mink
(Touchstone, 2012-01-10, Paperback)

SUCCESS IS THE BEST REVENGE, AND LUSCIOUS WILL DO ANYTHING TO SETTLE THE SCORE. . . In the new novel from the author of Real Wifeys: On the Grind, rapper Make$’s wifey, Harriet “Luscious” Jordan, finds herself out in the cold financially after Make$ is imprisoned for his role in the brutal rape of Luscious’ friend and his business partner, Kaeyla “Goldie” Dennis–a misguided young woman who once ran a strip club out of her apartment. But Luscious is a first-rate hustler and soon becomes a successful party promoter. There is really only one thing on Luscious’ mind: destroying Goldie. Luscious has never forgiven Goldie for sleeping with Make$ behind her back before the rape, and she’ll stop at nothing to exact revenge. Yet how far can Luscious go in her blazing quest for payback without destroying herself, too? Real Wifeys: Get Money is the second installment in a fierce and gritty new trilogy from one of the most daring voices in street lit.

Sanctuary Cove (A Cavanaugh Island Novel) by Rochelle Alers
(Forever, 2012-01-01, Mass Market Paperback)

Sometimes love is the simplest choice of all.Still reeling from her husband’s untimely death, Deborah Robinson needs a fresh start. So she decides to pack up her family, box up her bookstore, and return to her grandmother’s ancestral home on Cavanaugh Island. The charming town of Sanctuary Cove holds happy memories for Deborah. And, after she spies a gorgeous stranger in the local bakery, it promises the possibility for a bright, new future.Dr. Asa Monroe is at a crossroads. Ever since the loss of his family, he has been on a quest for faith and meaning, traveling from one town to another. When he meets Deborah, the beautiful bookstore owner with the warm eyes and sunny smile, Asa believes he has finally found a reason to stay in one place.As friendship blossoms into romance, Deborah and Asa discover they may have a second chance at love. But small towns have big secrets. Before they can begin their new life together, the couple must confront a challenge they never expected . . .

Murderville 2: The Epidemic (Murderville Trilogy) by Ashley Coleman
(Cash Money Content, 2012-07-24, Paperback)

New York Times bestselling authors Ashley and JaQuavis are back with the second installment in the epic Murderville series. Love, murder, loyalty, and money fill this hood tale as they continue this international street saga.With Samad’s target on her back, Liberty must survive the harsh streets alone. But when a chance encounter pushes her into the arms of a new friend, Po, the two take on the California kingpin, and step full force into the game. As bullets and sparks fly the unlikely pair embark on a serendipitous journey back to where it all started, Sierra Leone. With a new overseas connection, Po sees an opportunity that is too good to pass up. When his pursuit of the American dream conflicts with Liberty’s past, will they be able to survive? Or will the drug empire that they’ve built together come crashing down?

A Dangerous Kiss (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray
(St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-06-26, Mass Market Paperback)

HE’S GOT SUMMER ON HIS MIND.Sexy, single sports consultant Payton “Sin” Sinclair has tackled the world’s most valuable players–and most eligible women. But ever since his two best friends found love, despite his dangerous secret, he’s tempted to take a chance himself. And that temptation is a woman named Summer… SHE’S GOT SIN IN HER HEART.A self-made restaurant owner with a painful past, Summer has always counted on Sin. Beneath his smooth charm–and hard body–lies a tender-hearted friend who always keeps her going when the going gets tough. But now, swept up in her cousin’s wedding plans, she’s trying not to let the champagne–or Sin’s innocent passes–go to her head. Because one dangerous kiss will only lead to another…

Dutch and Gina: A Scandal Is Born by Mallory Monroe
(Austin Brook Publishing, 2012-01-08, Paperback)

President Walter “Dutch” Harber and his African-American wife Gina thought the birth of their child and the exposure of those seeking to bring their marriage to its knees would have meant blissful times ahead for the interracial couple. But they quickly discover that their enemies have other plans, and blissfulness is the last thing they are about to experience. It all begins when the couple refuses to parade their child in front of cameras or release any photos in a concerted effort to keep him out of the limelight. A scandal erupts where Dutch’s paternity is called into question and where Gina is accused of not only engaging in illicit affairs inside the White House, but of criminal wrongdoing as well. Their marriage, once rock solid, begins to feel the strain of too many battles, too many lies and innuendo, too many people seeking to tear apart a couple that refuses to play political games or live by anybody else’s compass. And when the bombardment becomes too much, when Gina is castigated for simply being herself and is hauled before Congress to give answer to scurrilous attacks on her character, Dutch takes matters into his own hands. And when all is said and done, none of them, not Dutch, not Gina, not even their baby boy, will ever be the same again. In the third installment of the President’s Girlfriend series, the strong-willed couple is confronted by enemies from within and without that not only strains their marriage to the breaking point, but causes their own child to get caught in the blowback.

With Just One Kiss (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray
(St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-02-28, Mass Market Paperback)

IT’S NEVER TOO LATECicely St. John is not impressed by her friend C.J. Callahan’s so-called passion in life: running a New York City bar that he inherited from his uncle. So why can’t Cicely stop thinking about the dance they shared at their mutual friend’s wedding-or the mutual attraction she felt in C.J.’s arms?TO GIVE LOVE A CHANCEAs far as C.J. is concerned, Cicely is a snob whose “passion” in life-writing for fashion magazines-is as pretentious as she is. So why can’t he keep his eyes off her? C.J. has a business to run. And Cicely has a job opportunity in Paris. Neither of them even has time to think about romance right now. But maybe, just once, the two could test their friendship…with just one kiss.

Moth to a Flame by Ashley Antoinette
(Urban Books, 2012-01-01, Mass Market Paperback)

In the little city of Flint, MI, the good die young and the people left standing are the grimiest of characters. With reign over the city’s drug trade, Benjamin Atkins made sure that his precious daughter, Raven, was secluded from the grit that the city had to offer. But when Raven’s young heart gets claimed by Mizan, a stick-up kid in search of a come-up, there’s nothing Benjamin can do about losing her to the streets. She chooses love over loyalty and runs off with Mizan, but her new role as wifey soon proves to be more than she can handle.Puppy love always feels right, but things turn stale, and she soon finds that everyone she loves has disappeared. All she has is Mizan, but when hugs and kisses turn to bloody lips and black eyes, she realizes that Mizan is not who she thought he was. Raven becomes desperate for a way out, but this time, Daddy can’t save her. Every time she finds the courage to leave, fear convinces her to stay. Like a moth to a flame, Raven is drawn to Mizan, even though she knows he’ll be the death of her. When the hood life she chose becomes unbearable and the only way out is in a coffin, what will she do?

Sweet Southern Nights (Kimani Romance) by Rochelle Alers
(Kimani, 2012-02-21, Mass Market Paperback)

An Eaton too hot to deny The Kentucky clinic where Dr. Levi Eaton is volunteering is worlds away from his wealthy Pennsylvania roots. Still, the South has plenty of attractions—like his colleague’s captivating sister. Angela Chase is sexy, charming, and looking for fun, not commitment. That combination suits Levi just fine, until he begins to appreciate what lies beneath her Southern belle façade. Her fiancé’s betrayal destroyed Angela’s faith in men—and inspired a double life that would shock her prominent family. Hiding her true self from a man as charismatic as Levi isn’t so easy, and for once, she isn’t sure she wants to try. But without the courage to trust him with her secrets, their sultry Southern nights may soon be just a haunting memory…

Sinful Seduction (Kimani Romance) by Ann Christopher
(Kimani, 2012-01-24, Mass Market Paperback)

Skylar Lawrence isn’t looking for romance when she arrives at the Davies’ sumptuous Hamptons estate. But when Skylar meets her ex-fiancé’s twin brother, their chemistry is as tumultuous as the storm brewing outside. Sinfully handsome Alessandro Davies exudes the kind of animal magnetism that’s impossible to resist…and hazardous to a woman’s heart.Sandro desires Skylar from the minute the stunning veterinarian turns up at his door, but his honor forbids him from pursuing a relationship. But his plan backfires when he starts falling for the forbidden seductress. Until a shocking discovery threatens to tear Skylar from his arms and force Sandro to give up the woman he needs.…

When Morning Comes by Francis Ray
(St. Martin’s Griffin, 2012-06-05, Paperback)

New York Times bestselling author Francis Ray introduces a brand new series featuring long lost siblings who find family, friendship, forgiveness and love.

Escape to Paradise (Kimani Romance) by Pamela Yaye
(Kimani, 2012-01-24, Mass Market Paperback)

Desperate to flee the breaking scandal swirling around her ex, event coordinator Claudia Jefferies flies to exotic Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. As if being pampered at an exclusive spa weren’t enough, now a drop-dead-gorgeous man is showering her with attention! But Claudia’s too smart to get seriously involved, especially with a heartbreaker like Santiago Medina. If only her heart would listen to her head.…From the moment Santiago spots Claudia, he knows it’s more than lust at first sight. And this man is used to getting what he wants. He’ll wine and dine the stunning, soft-spoken Southerner with tropical nights of passion she’ll never forget. But once Claudia finds out who Santiago really is, can he turn a fleeting island idyll into a passionate escape to love?

Daddy Long Stroke by Cairo
(Strebor Books, 2012-01-31, Mass Market Paperback)

Dramatic, bold and racy, Daddy Long Stroke uncovers the shocking and painful reality of some men’s belief systems about women and sex. Cairo offers readers a voyeuristic look into the mind of a womanizer who manipulates and seduces women by using what he’s got—good looks, chiseled physique, charisma, and sexual prowess—to get what he wants without remorse, or regret. Sexy and thuggish, Alexander Maples, aka Daddy Long Stroke, is a womanizer. Arrogant and self-indulged, he is what every woman secretly craves in the bedroom—rough, rugged, and ravenous. And he is always happy to deliver. Alexander knows no boundaries when it comes to pleasing a woman, leaving no area untouched, not even her heart—or her wallet. But love is the last thing on his mind. Getting paid, and whetting his sexual appetite are the only things that motivate this salacious gigolo. And any woman trying to claim him finds herself on the receiving end of heartache, tears, and drama. Written in raw, graphic language, Daddy Long Stroke is a cautionary tale of one man’s insatiable thirst for sex and his quest to bed down as many women he possibly can—no matter the costs, and no matter who gets hurt in the process.

A Wish and a Prayer: A Blessings Novel by Beverly Jenkins
(William Morrow Paperbacks, 2012-04-10, Paperback)

Anyone worried that living in a small town could be boring certainly hasn’t lived in Henry Adams, Kansas. From the wealthy divorcÉe who saved this historic town founded by freed slaves to the romantic entanglements that have set tongues wagging and hearts fluttering (and everything in between), there’s plenty to keep the lovably eccentric townsfolk busy. Preston Miles is happy living with his foster parents, but an e-mail from his maternal grandmother is about to change all that. . . . Riley Curry, the former town mayor, is convinced his pet hog, Cletus, acted in self-defense when he sat on—and killed— a man. Now Riley just has to prove it in a court of law. . . . And as for Rocky, she has already had a lifetime of hurt. Will she risk opening her heart—and her life—to Jack? Warm, funny, poignant, and unforgettable, Beverly Jenkins’s latest excursion to Henry Adams is a true delight—a welcome return to a place that always feels like home.

Long Distance Lover (Arabesque) by Donna Hill
(Kimani Press, 2012-01-24, Mass Market Paperback)

World-class sprinter Kelly Maxwell doesn’t have time for romance. But when she suffers an injury on the track, she begins to reevaluate her life. Facing a difficult recovery at a physical rehab facility in New York, Kelly must decide whether she really loves the sport. But after meeting with her physical therapist, Dr. Alex Hutchinson, she faces yet another hurdle.Alex Hutchinson has fallen in love with the wrong woman before—another athlete just like Kelly. Now, years later, he doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice. He tries to back off, but the attraction is too strong. And when he realizes that Kelly’s coach has his own agenda, Alex tries to protect her even more. But is he ready to heal his broken heart?

These Arms of Mine (Kimani Romance) by Judy Lynn Hubbard
(Kimani, 2012-01-24, Mass Market Paperback)

When Alesha Robinson ended her torrid affair with Derrick Chandler, she gave up the love of her life. Now fate’s giving them a second chance. But when Alesha asks Derrick to save her brother, she never dreams what the scorned multimillionaire will demand in exchange: becoming his wife—in name only.Even after Alesha shattered his trust, Derrick never stopped loving her. His strings-attached proposition was supposed to be strictly business: revenge for her cruel betrayal as he rebuilds his public image. Until desire reignites—hotter than ever.As the ex-lovers give in to their passion, a marriage of convenience is about to become inconvenient. And Derrick realizes just how far he’ll go to keep Alesha in his bed, in his arms, in his heart—forever.

Diamond Life: A Novel by Aliya S King
(Touchstone, 2012-02-07, Paperback)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR . . . Set in the highest ranks of the music industry’s fame machine, Diamond Life is an intoxicating story of love, sex, ambition, money, betrayal, and the surprising realities of making it big. Alex Maxwell’s career as a journalist and celebrity ghost writer is taking off, despite the slightly embarrassing authorship of hip-hop super-groupie Cleo Wright’s memoir. And while Alex’s star is on the rise, it pales in comparison to her husband Birdie’s multiplatinum debut and world tour. Slowly but surely, everything they swore would never happen begins to come true, like leaving Brooklyn for a mansion in suburban Jersey and letting a reality TV crew into their home. Birdie is confronted time and again by the sexy groupies who pursue famous rappers like heat-seeking missiles and he’s forced to make some life-changing choices. Meanwhile, aging rapper Z, in recovery from drug addiction, is too busy trying to repair his marriage to leave much time for his son Zander, newly signed to Z’s label and struggling to maintain his appeal in the wake of a domestic violence scandal with his diva girlfriend Bunny. Record label president Jake is trying to deal with the death of his wife, multiplatinum R&B artist Kipenzi Hill, by drowning his sorrows in alcohol and women. When he meets Lily, a beautiful, quiet waitress, he can’t get her out of his head. But Lily has her own problems to handle and she wants nothing to do with the fame, drama, and baggage that Jake carries with him. This juicy follow-up to Aliya S. King’s Platinum is a scintillating roman à clef that takes readers behind the curtain once again for the real scoop on the biggest players in the hip-hop game—and the first ladies who hold them together.

Can’t Stop Loving You by Bette Ford
(Avon, 2012-01-31, Mass Market Paperback)

Temptation in paradise Smart, sexy, successful Laura Murdock never mastered the fine arts of loving and trusting. Taking a well-deserved vacation from her work at a Detroit women’s crisis center, she’s prepared for three glorious weeks in the Virgin Islands. What she’s not ready for is Wilham Sebastian Kramer. A brilliant artist, Wilham is pure magic—as bold and bewitching as his remarkable paintings. When Laura agrees to pose for him, she realizes she’s stoking a fire too hot for either of them to control. So she runs from his arms, driven away from quite possibly the perfect man by a lifetime of cruel lessons. But the flame will not die—and the memory of their sweet and sultry island magic haunts her sleepless nights, tempting her back. Yet Laura is far too wise and much too stubborn to admit she desires this man with all her soul. After all, she knows pain and heartbreak always follow surrender . . . don’t they?

Author JavaNoir

Comments (0)

February’s Bestselling African American Romances for the Kindle

February 11, 2012

Unrequited Love by Yvonne A Weems
(Romanic Persuasions Publishing, 2012-01-09, Kindle Edition)

Shavon and Tracy share a love no one can deny, and they are surely destined to spend the rest of their lives together. Tracy, an up and coming writer at Classic Magazine, wants to provide for his future with Shavon which means accepting a promotion and moving from Detroit to New York. With success comes sacrifice and unfortunately his family and friends–especially Shavon–get the short end of the stick. So consumed with work and getting his writing career off the ground, he is unaware of the wedge that he has driven between them.Shavon loves Tracy completely and continues to fulfill her promise of love no matter how bad things seem to be. They had gone through changes before and survived, but this time was different. She needed him now more than ever. In her darkest hour, she faces her pain without him. Will Shavon find it in her heart to forgive and forget? Will Tracy be able to penetrate her unrequited love?

Private Arrangements (Kimani Romance) by Brenda Jackson
(Kimani Romance, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

No man has ever tempted her like this…Nikki Cartwright can’t believe Jonas Steele—the Jonas Steele—has chosen her for a high-profile marketing venture. It could make her career. But when she remembers the kiss they once shared, a kiss so intimate it sent their desire skyrocketing from simmering to blazing, Nikki knows she must guard her heart against the seductive Phoenix playboy as if her life depends on it.Jonas has no problem making their professional relationship personal. With the beautiful and talented photographer within his reach, he can erase her from his system once and for all. From a whirlwind Las Vegas affair to jet-setting across four continents, this Steele discovers getting Nikki out of his system is easier said than done, and now he wants her to belong to him heart and soul—as the woman of his most passionate fantasies.…

After the Storm by Jewel Moore
(ShadesOfGrey Publishing, 2012-01-26, Kindle Edition)

This is the 1st in a 3-part story.Natalie Harding can’t believe that someone as absolutely gorgeous as her work colleague Stephano Romano would want to date her. But after one unexpected, totally hot Friday evening encounter on her office desk of all places, she’s convinced that maybe, just maybe he returns the feeling she’s harboured for him in the fifteen months they have worked together.Her bubble of euphoria doesn’t last for long, though. The very next Monday she watches in shock as he kisses the young woman who drops him off to work at the office before sauntering in looking as though someone had kept him up all night.Is there an innocent explanation for the kiss and Stephano’s bleary-eyed appearance? Did his father suffer chest pains and have to be rushed to the hospital where the doctors kept him in all night for close monitoring? Or is it just an excuse Stephano’s using to cover his night of pleasure with another woman.

Nectar (Bedtime Erotica for Freaks) by Lexy Harper
(Ebonique Publishing, 2012-01-28, Kindle Edition)

Word Count: 9,446Print Length: 28 pages (approx.)Nectar is taken from Bedtime Erotica for Freaks (like me), so if you’ve read that book you’ve met this lactating diva who takes the term ‘breast-feeding is best’ literally when she sets up house with brothers, Timothy and Jeffery, or ‘Tom and Jerry’ as she calls them.

Nothing Else Matters by Leslie DuBois
(Little Prince Publishing, 2012-01-18, Kindle Edition)

Revised 1/25/12When racism tears a school apart, can love put it back together?As the senior star quarterback of Charleston Preparatory school in South Carolina, Scott Kincaid is poised for a spectacular professional career in sports. Though he and Reyna Lewis have been best friends for six years, between leading Charleston Prep to victory week after week, and seeking the approval of his tyrannical, racist mother, he doesn’t have time to develop anything more with her. But when his once perfect, healthy body is attacked by a debilitating disease, he reevaluates what is important in life. Just when he finally realizes he’s in love with his half black, half Puerto Rican best friend Reyna, a presidential election throws their small private school into racial turmoil. Now it’s up to Scott and Reyna to unify their school and their city. But it just might cost them their newfound relationship.

A Seductive Kiss (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray
(St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-01-31, Kindle Edition)

Bestselling author Francis Ray celebrates the lifelong bonds between the Grayson family and their friends—with a heartwarming love story years in the making…Dianna Harrington is known throughout the world as “The Face”—the stunningly beautiful spokesmodel for her family’s fashion empire. She could probably have her pick of any man she wants. But Dianna would rather kick back and relax with a good friend— namely Alex Stewart, who she’s known, and harbored a crush on, her whole life…Ever since they were kids, Alex has been Dianna’s protector and pal, a shoulder to cry on. But as the brother of her best friend, Alex always seemed untouchable. Now a handsome, successful New York lawyer, Alex never realized how lonely Dianna’s life has been—or how innocent she is in the ways of love. Alex wants more than anything to reach out to her, to heal her heart. But is his desire worth the risk? After a lifetime of longing building up between them, something’s gotta give. Maybe all it takes is just one kiss…

Diluted Desire by Desiree Day
(2012-01-09, Kindle Edition)

When Violet Murphy suspects her husband of seven years is cheating, she takes matters into her own hands and devises a plot to catch him red handed.Violet places the following posting on the Internet:Beautiful Lady Needed to Seduce my HusbandI need your help, my husband is cheating on me; but I can’t catch his lying behind. I am looking for a beautiful lady to seduce him. You must be willing to sleep with him and take pictures or videos of your lovemaking. The lucky lady will be compensated for clothing, travel and food. You must be available 24/7, no exceptions. If you think you are a seductress and can get my husband into bed, please contact me. Please send me full body shots of you clothed and unclothed, no picture no reply.Will the posting harm or strengthen Violet’s marriage? Will the players realize that by engaging in a deadly game of the heart there is bound to be some casualties?

These Arms of Mine (Kimani Romance) by Judy Lynn Hubbard
(Kimani Romance, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

When Alesha Robinson ended her torrid affair with Derrick Chandler, she gave up the love of her life. Now fate’s giving them a second chance. But when Alesha asks Derrick to save her brother, she never dreams what the scorned multimillionaire will demand in exchange: becoming his wife—in name only.Even after Alesha shattered his trust, Derrick never stopped loving her. His strings-attached proposition was supposed to be strictly business: revenge for her cruel betrayal as he rebuilds his public image. Until desire reignites—hotter than ever.As the ex-lovers give in to their passion, a marriage of convenience is about to become inconvenient. And Derrick realizes just how far he’ll go to keep Alesha in his bed, in his arms, in his heart—forever.

Inferno (The Wolf Pack Series) by Maureen Smith
(Wordsmith Enterprises, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)

Will their love withstand the inferno…?High school sweethearts Stan and Prissy Wolf have been happily married for fifteen years. They have everything they could ever want—a beautiful home, five children that they absolutely adore, rewarding careers, and a sizzling chemistry that hasn’t diminished over the years. But, lately, Prissy has noticed a change in her sexy firefighter husband. She doesn’t want to believe the worst—that he’s having an affair. But his recent behavior is too suspicious to ignore. As a silent chasm grows between them, she fears that Stan’s secret will soon destroy the life they have built together….

Sinful Seduction (Kimani Romance) by Ann Christopher
(Kimani Romance, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

Skylar Lawrence isn’t looking for romance when she arrives at the Davies’ sumptuous Hamptons estate. But when Skylar meets her ex-fiancé’s twin brother, their chemistry is as tumultuous as the storm brewing outside. Sinfully handsome Alessandro Davies exudes the kind of animal magnetism that’s impossible to resist…and hazardous to a woman’s heart.Sandro desires Skylar from the minute the stunning veterinarian turns up at his door, but his honor forbids him from pursuing a relationship. But his plan backfires when he starts falling for the forbidden seductress. Until a shocking discovery threatens to tear Skylar from his arms and force Sandro to give up the woman he needs.…

A Hustler’s Promise: Some Promises Won’t Be Broken by Jackie Chanel
(Books by J.C Publishing, 2012-01-07, Kindle Edition)

Money is the root of all evilOr so they say…Two street hustlers, bound together by a simple promise, have to make a choice…The Streets Are Calling.

Schooling Carmen by Kathleen Cross
(WilliamBlue Publishing, 2012-01-06, Kindle Edition)

Desperate to stand out in a family of overachievers, beautiful, bigoted, and bitchy Carmen DuPrè will do anything to leave the “hellhole” high school she works in—even if it means getting groped by a geezer who’s promised her a promotion. She’s not worried about things getting out of hand though—if there’s one thing Carmen knows, it’s how use her looks to get what she wants—including courtside Lakers seats and diamond jewelry—from attentive men she cares nothing about.But when a devastating medical diagnosis threatens to permanently knock her off her pedestal, Carmen might have to trade her looks for her life—and she’s not sure a life without beauty is worth living—which is why she’s risking hers by ignoring her doctor’s advice.Is it coincidence or divine intervention when a sexy stranger walks into her world insisting there’s a whole lot more to Carmen DuPrè than what’s on the surface? If it’s not too late for her to turn things around, her mysterious guardian angel wants to dish out some serious schooling in a few subjects Carmen knows little about—like faith, hope…and love.

Sinners & Saints by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
(Touchstone, 2012-01-10, Kindle Edition)

TEAM JASMINE or TEAM RACHEL? Bestselling and award-winning novelists Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley bring their favorite heroines together in a novel that will delight their legions of fans. Jasmine Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical first ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides. When a coveted position opens up—president of the American Baptist Coalition— both women think their husbands are perfect for the job. And winning the position may require both women to get down and dirty and revert to their old tricks. Just when Jasmine and Rachel think they’re going to have to fight to the finish, the current first lady of the coalition steps in . . . a woman bigger, badder, and more devious than either of them. Double the fun with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors.

A Love Story 2 by David Weaver
(SBR Publications, 2012-01-30, Kindle Edition)

An absolute tearjerker. Take this erotic emotional journey with Jamal after he gets betrayed while in prison. Upon release, he is thirsty for payback and will climb over whoever he has to in order to get his vengeance.But he forgot one thing… the person you climb over to get to the top is the person you have to see when you climb back down.*Warning* Intense erotic scenes, no fillers; all meaning.*Double Warning* Get the Kleenex out before you start reading.Written in the same poetic metaphorical style as the first entry of this series, this title will definitely not disappoint. If you’ve ever read a book by David Weaver before, then you should already know what to expect… the unexpected.

Long Distance Lover (Arabesque) by Donna Hill
(Kimani Arabesque, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

World-class sprinter Kelly Maxwell doesn’t have time for romance. But when she suffers an injury on the track, she begins to reevaluate her life. Facing a difficult recovery at a physical rehab facility in New York, Kelly must decide whether she really loves the sport. But after meeting with her physical therapist, Dr. Alex Hutchinson, she faces yet another hurdle.Alex Hutchinson has fallen in love with the wrong woman before—another athlete just like Kelly. Now, years later, he doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice. He tries to back off, but the attraction is too strong. And when he realizes that Kelly’s coach has his own agenda, Alex tries to protect her even more. But is he ready to heal his broken heart?

College Or Dance, Which One? (A Cold Weather Campus Story – CWC) by Hatemi Aminde Pendant
(XAMBooks, 2012-01-27, Kindle Edition)

Mature Content; For Adults OnlyWhy is it, the one school that I can afford that has this ultra-specialized program I have to take, is in Moose-Goose, Canada? Help! Am a Florida girl. South, Florida. Plus to pay for school, I have to strip in a gentlemen’s club. It’s not that I mind taking off my clothes in front of a bunch of horny guys and girls, but, why does it have to be so cold.

Billionaire’s Retreat by EDDIE JOHNSON
(Rare Jewels Publishing Company, 2012-01-13, Kindle Edition)

Billionaire’s Retreat is a Titillating Romance, Murder Mystery, and Suspense Thriller. The main character Sarah Giltry’s husband Jared Jones goes missing after retiring from a local fire department. She offers a quarter of a million dollars to anyone that can find him. Jared’s Mother Rachelle is convinced that she is linked to his disappearance. Fraud charges fly rampant as one of Sarah’s government contracts comes into question. Also, she is accused of having an affair with the City Councilman that is alleged to have taken the bribe. The desire to have more and more seems to be her sole motivation. Rachelle hires Private Investigator Daniels Burks to locate her son.

DUTCH AND GINA: A SCANDAL IS BORN (The President’s Girlfriend Series) by Mallory Monroe
(Austin Brook Publishing, 2012-01-08, Kindle Edition)

President Walter “Dutch” Harber and his African-American wife Gina thought the birth of their child and the exposure of those seeking to bring their marriage to its knees would have meant blissful times ahead for the interracial couple. But they quickly discover that their enemies have other plans, and blissfulness is the last thing they are about to experience. It all begins when the couple refuses to parade their child in front of cameras or release any photos in a concerted effort to keep him out of the limelight. A scandal erupts where Dutch’s paternity is called into question and where Gina is accused of not only engaging in illicit affairs inside the White House, but of criminal wrongdoing as well. Their marriage, once rock solid, begins to feel the strain of too many battles, too many lies and innuendo, too many people seeking to tear apart a couple that refuses to play political games or live by anybody else’s compass. And when the bombardment becomes too much, when Gina is castigated for simply being herself and is hauled before Congress to give answer to scurrilous attacks on her character, Dutch takes matters into his own hands. And when all is said and done, none of them, not Dutch, not Gina, not even their baby boy, will ever be the same again.In the third installment of the President’s Girlfriend series, the strong-willed couple is confronted by enemies from within and without that not only strains their marriage to the breaking point, but causes their own child to get caught in the blowback.

Pleasure After Hours (Kimani Romance) by AlTonya Washington
(Kimani Romance, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)

Working for powerhouse shipping owner Mataeo North is a dream job for Temple Grahame. The jet-setting bachelor depends on her for everything. But there’s just one thing: he has no idea that Temple’s been in love with him since college. Or so she thinks…until the night her studly boss takes her in his arms and uncovers her passionate secret.Mataeo doesn’t make a move without consulting the savvy South Carolina beauty. Now, on the verge of closing a major deal, he needs Temple more than ever. And not just as his right-hand woman and best friend. What will it take to convince this sensual, independent woman that once they’ve crossed the line from friends to lovers, there’s no turning back?

Sweet Revenge by Samone Watkins
(JSTAR Publishing, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)

Confident, intelligent, sexy, Chanel Taylor gets what she wants whenshe wants it. Emotionally unattached and sexually free she plays men likea chess game while never considering the consequences of her actions.Until one man rips her soul apart leaving her begging for redemption andthirsty for revenge. As Chanel fights to piece her life back together she can’thelp but open up and finally let someone in. But is her urge for paybackmore important than her happiness? Emotional and physically drainedChanel finds herself struggling against the inevitable to even the score. Sweet Revenge takes you on a journey of betrayal, sacrifice, andvulnerability as Chanel seeks to accomplish the ultimate sweet revengeagainst her enemies.

Author JavaNoir

Comments (0)

February’s Bestselling African American Books for the Kindle

February 5, 2012

See February 2012′s top-selling African American e-books for the Kindle.

Unrequited Love by Yvonne A Weems
(Romanic Persuasions Publishing, 2012-01-09, Kindle Edition)

Shavon and Tracy share a love no one can deny, and they are surely destined to spend the rest of their lives together. Tracy, an up and coming writer at Classic Magazine, wants to provide for his future with Shavon which means accepting a promotion and moving from Detroit to New York. With success comes sacrifice and unfortunately his family and friends–especially Shavon–get the short end of the stick. So consumed with work and getting his writing career off the ground, he is unaware of the wedge that he has driven between them.Shavon loves Tracy completely and continues to fulfill her promise of love no matter how bad things seem to be. They had gone through changes before and survived, but this time was different. She needed him now more than ever. In her darkest hour, she faces her pain without him. Will Shavon find it in her heart to forgive and forget? Will Tracy be able to penetrate her unrequited love?

Private Arrangements (Kimani Romance) by Brenda Jackson
(Kimani Romance, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

No man has ever tempted her like this…Nikki Cartwright can’t believe Jonas Steele—the Jonas Steele—has chosen her for a high-profile marketing venture. It could make her career. But when she remembers the kiss they once shared, a kiss so intimate it sent their desire skyrocketing from simmering to blazing, Nikki knows she must guard her heart against the seductive Phoenix playboy as if her life depends on it.Jonas has no problem making their professional relationship personal. With the beautiful and talented photographer within his reach, he can erase her from his system once and for all. From a whirlwind Las Vegas affair to jet-setting across four continents, this Steele discovers getting Nikki out of his system is easier said than done, and now he wants her to belong to him heart and soul—as the woman of his most passionate fantasies.…

After the Storm by Jewel Moore
(ShadesOfGrey Publishing, 2012-01-26, Kindle Edition)

This is the 1st in a 3-part story.Natalie Harding can’t believe that someone as absolutely gorgeous as her work colleague Stephano Romano would want to date her. But after one unexpected, totally hot Friday evening encounter on her office desk of all places, she’s convinced that maybe, just maybe he returns the feeling she’s harboured for him in the fifteen months they have worked together.Her bubble of euphoria doesn’t last for long, though. The very next Monday she watches in shock as he kisses the young woman who drops him off to work at the office before sauntering in looking as though someone had kept him up all night.Is there an innocent explanation for the kiss and Stephano’s bleary-eyed appearance? Did his father suffer chest pains and have to be rushed to the hospital where the doctors kept him in all night for close monitoring? Or is it just an excuse Stephano’s using to cover his night of pleasure with another woman.

Nothing Else Matters by Leslie DuBois
(Little Prince Publishing, 2012-01-18, Kindle Edition)

When racism tears a school apart, can love put it back together?As the senior star quarterback of Charleston Preparatory school in South Carolina, Scott Kincaid is poised for a spectacular professional career in sports. Though he and Reyna Lewis have been best friends for six years, between leading Charleston Prep to victory week after week, and seeking the approval of his tyrannical, racist mother, he doesn’t have time to develop anything more with her. But when his once perfect, healthy body is attacked by a debilitating disease, he reevaluates what is important in life. Just when he finally realizes he’s in love with his half black, half Puerto Rican best friend Reyna, a presidential election throws their small private school into racial turmoil. Now it’s up to Scott and Reyna to unify their school and their city. But it just might cost them their newfound relationship.

A Seductive Kiss (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray
(St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-01-31, Kindle Edition)

Bestselling author Francis Ray celebrates the lifelong bonds between the Grayson family and their friends—with a heartwarming love story years in the making…Dianna Harrington is known throughout the world as “The Face”—the stunningly beautiful spokesmodel for her family’s fashion empire. She could probably have her pick of any man she wants. But Dianna would rather kick back and relax with a good friend— namely Alex Stewart, who she’s known, and harbored a crush on, her whole life…Ever since they were kids, Alex has been Dianna’s protector and pal, a shoulder to cry on. But as the brother of her best friend, Alex always seemed untouchable. Now a handsome, successful New York lawyer, Alex never realized how lonely Dianna’s life has been—or how innocent she is in the ways of love. Alex wants more than anything to reach out to her, to heal her heart. But is his desire worth the risk? After a lifetime of longing building up between them, something’s gotta give. Maybe all it takes is just one kiss…

Diluted Desire by Desiree Day
(2012-01-09, Kindle Edition)

When Violet Murphy suspects her husband of seven years is cheating, she takes matters into her own hands and devises a plot to catch him red handed.Violet places a posting on the Internet. Will the posting harm or strengthen Violet’s marriage? Will the players realize that by engaging in a deadly game of the heart there is bound to be some casualties?

These Arms of Mine (Kimani Romance) by Judy Lynn Hubbard
(Kimani Romance, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

When Alesha Robinson ended her torrid affair with Derrick Chandler, she gave up the love of her life. Now fate’s giving them a second chance. But when Alesha asks Derrick to save her brother, she never dreams what the scorned multimillionaire will demand in exchange: becoming his wife—in name only.Even after Alesha shattered his trust, Derrick never stopped loving her. His strings-attached proposition was supposed to be strictly business: revenge for her cruel betrayal as he rebuilds his public image. Until desire reignites—hotter than ever.As the ex-lovers give in to their passion, a marriage of convenience is about to become inconvenient. And Derrick realizes just how far he’ll go to keep Alesha in his bed, in his arms, in his heart—forever.

Inferno (The Wolf Pack Series) by Maureen Smith
(Wordsmith Enterprises, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)

Will their love withstand the inferno…?High school sweethearts Stan and Prissy Wolf have been happily married for fifteen years. They have everything they could ever want—a beautiful home, five children that they absolutely adore, rewarding careers, and a sizzling chemistry that hasn’t diminished over the years. But, lately, Prissy has noticed a change in her sexy firefighter husband. She doesn’t want to believe the worst—that he’s having an affair. But his recent behavior is too suspicious to ignore. As a silent chasm grows between them, she fears that Stan’s secret will soon destroy the life they have built together….

Sinful Seduction (Kimani Romance) by Ann Christopher
(Kimani Romance, 2012-02-01, Kindle Edition)

Skylar Lawrence isn’t looking for romance when she arrives at the Davies’ sumptuous Hamptons estate. But when Skylar meets her ex-fiancé’s twin brother, their chemistry is as tumultuous as the storm brewing outside. Sinfully handsome Alessandro Davies exudes the kind of animal magnetism that’s impossible to resist…and hazardous to a woman’s heart.Sandro desires Skylar from the minute the stunning veterinarian turns up at his door, but his honor forbids him from pursuing a relationship. But his plan backfires when he starts falling for the forbidden seductress. Until a shocking discovery threatens to tear Skylar from his arms and force Sandro to give up the woman he needs.…

A Hustler’s Promise: Some Promises Won’t Be Broken by Jackie Chanel
(Books by J.C Publishing, 2012-01-07, Kindle Edition)

Money is the root of all evilOr so they say…Two street hustlers, bound together by a simple promise, have to make a choice…The Streets Are Calling.