Kennedy Ryan's new novel, plus 4 other new romances by Black authors
Black romance authors have been some of the leading advocates for change in the books industry.
Despite a notoriously racially stratified, exclusionary history and the TikTok algorithms that can help books go viral sometimes reinforcing lines of division, there's a long tradition of Black authors and readers steadfastly bucking the system — leveraging mutual support networks and self-publishing platforms are just two of the strategies they've employed. As a result, the ranks of Black romance writers are broader, deeper and more diverse than ever before. From tropey romantic comedies and bell-Hooks-inspired journeys of growth to magical realism, Black authored romances are ripe for discovery.
Here are a few of the newest great reads, including This Could Be Us — the latest by bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, which hits shelves Tuesday.
This Could Be Us
In true style, this is a gorgeouslyand the messy, -like shocks of Regina Black's . Stay-at-home mom Soledad Barnes must reinvent her whole life when the partnership she built her life around is burned to the ground by her cheating, thieving, white-collar criminal husband. With three daughters to support and no access to the family coffers, she relies on domestic-goddess-level homemaking skills and close friends to keep them afloat.
