By Ahtiya Liles
The thought of romantic happy ever afters usually had my mind conjuring up images of white princesses and their white princes riding off after a rapid wedding with birds and confetti flying about. I grew up before we had Tiana of The Princess and the Frog, but let’s be real – sis spent most of that movie as a frog, not even as the Black woman we meet her as. Even counting Tiana, though, one Black princess amidst a roster of white ones is…subpar. So, when this Black girl grew up and became a Black woman, she decided to actively search for happily ever afters in romance that starred Black people finding their joy. This list features three adult romances that star Black protagonists, as well as one young adult romance because Black teens deserve to see themselves as the recipients of happily ever afters, too.
- Play To Win by Jodie Slaughter is a second-chance adult romance between an estranged married couple that’s forced back into one another’s orbit when the wife Miriam wins the lottery and the husband Leo arrives back in town. This book is chock full of commentary on how gender-norms hurt everyone and can cause unresolved issues in heterosexual relationships. Play To Win is an excellent look at how it’s important to take control of your life and actually make decisions that affect you positively before you can even begin to think of having a working romantic relationship. Because Miriam and Leo are already married and have a ton of baggage between them, seeing them relearn one another after eight years of estrangement was cathartic and gives readers a sense of hope. We see two people who are used to bottling up their emotions come to the realization that, in order to win the game of life, they have to actually make moves to play at it.
- A heartwarming, sexy, and hilarious adult romance, I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson juggles the always beloved fake-dating trope, wedding shenanigans, and the Black elite, as two men, Kian and Hudson, take a chance at trying to give their failed relationship a do-over. The back and forth between Kian and Hudson is hilarious and spot-on, and Kian’s inner commentary is like having a good friend unknowingly go off on a monologue, complete with random, spot-on, and not-so-obscure-but-also-super-obscure-yet-totally-relevant pop culture references. I’m So (Not) Over You provides a refreshing splash in your romance reading journey, as we have a happily ever after story that centers on two Black men trying to make it work amidst dodgy family dynamics and strained work situations.
- My heart sings whenever I come across a young adult novel that shows that love between Black teens is possible and normal, and Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle is a shining example of this. In this romantic and witty stunner, we have Prince Jones, a young DJ who claims to have all the answers to love…for everyone but himself. On the other side of the court, we have Dani: she’s focused on surviving senior year, securing a college scholarship, and perhaps moving to NYC…the only issue? Her college essay is eluding her! Prince is convinced he can get Dani, who is staunchly anti-romance, to fall for him in just three dates. What ensues is wholesome, beautiful, and deep as these two teens explore their own inner blockades while trying to make a way for the possibility of love with one another amongst fraught family dynamics, the rollercoaster that is teen friendship, and the inevitable arrival of change at the end of senior year.
- Let Me Love You by Alexandria House is the perfect adult romance if you’re looking for a little bit of grit and characters that are a bit more seasoned in life. Jo is a single mother trying to put her foolish ex in the rearview mirror, create a life for herself, and cultivate a peaceful home for her and her toddler daughter. Everett is a rap legend who isn’t new to the idea of divorce and his entire world revolves around casual hookups and the occasional phone call to his teen daughter. Neither are looking for love or think they have the space for it in their lives. A chance encounter shifts Jo into Everett’s orbit and, while working on a project together, the two begin to realize that perhaps there’s a place for romantic happiness in their life if they’ll just be open to the idea. The character development between Jo and Everett as both individuals and a couple is stellar, and the overall message behind this novel is topnotch and excellently highlights the superiority of House’s writing.
Black people have been creating and maintaining our own happily ever afters since the dawn of time. Black romances writers writing our love stories is not a new occurrence (think: Beverly Jenkins!), but it’s nice to see more and more traditionally and independently published Black authors receiving the recognition they deserve. After all, we live happily ever after, too.
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Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-girl-reading-a-book-in-bed-7128178/
