5 of my Favorite “ROMANCE” Books!
My favorite genre of books is Romance!! I rarely read anything else, because Romance, especially Black Romance is so beautiful and diverse and I love the different approaches authors take to celebrate love. The number of black Indie authors that serve in this realm feels unlimited, so I am always a happy customer. Last year I read 228 books and 98% were romance. So, yessss just call me a Black Romance Book connoisseur.
Keep reading below to view my favorite books from 2022, that have strong display of Love💕!
The links below are affiliate links (the pictures or titles of the books) and I receive a small commission.
First let me just say Luca is Mine!! Bookbae official!! Now that we have the boundaries set, let me tell you how good this book is!! Luca, mfing Luca. I loved everything about him. His protective nature over his family. His quiet, thoughtful, observant spirit. His ability to trust himself. Upon meeting Ever, he knew he was going to make her his. I thought he was nonchalant or even calculating, but no he talked when necessary, observed actions, and acted accordingly. He was not persuaded by the fact that Ever had two children, no he immediately felt like he had the opportunity to expand his family quicker than he originally thought. This man, He was everything! The WAY he loved the entire family and bossed them up in a matter of days was giving husband vibes!!! I really appreciated that his goal was to take away Ever's insecurities and to make her feel like the baddest boss. He wasted no time showing his intentions, securing his wife and family because when you know, you know!!!! This is the beginning of a series of books that are stand alones, but you will LOVE them all, gone and fall in love with the Eisenbergs with me!
This is not a Happily Ever After, but the love was so STRONG I had to recommend it. The author warns us not to get our hopes up, but I was STILL crushed. I cried a few times reading this book. I feel like y'all need to cry with me.
Juice and Books had a fairy tale love!! They had been together for 15 years, chemistry was still strong, respect shared, both faithful, and they were still head over heels in love. They found themselves at an unexpected impasse that was leading them to part ways. This quote “And the bookmarks are symbolic of the fact that you will always be bookmarked in my heart.” stood out to me because it was the sweetest thing and was signature to their love story! I was extremely torn is this book because everything in me was rooting for them to figure it out, but at the same time I respected Books (the heroine) for choosing herself. Shed a few tears with me 😢.
This was another one that had me all in my feelings. Sheesh the journey of love and loss that Cevyn and Kas went through was heart wrenching.
Cevyn and Kas had been friends with benefits for years. It seemed to be a safe situation for them. One that each of them could fall back on that wasn't tainted with relationship drama. The truth was it just wasn't their time, but like gravity they would always be pulled together.. Oh but when their time came it wasn't all peachy, instead they became each other's support system.
This story highlighted love beyond relationships and shared different types of familial love. We experienced the unconditional love of sisters and father and son, and it was hard. Sweet Cevyn was so strong, loyal, and giving. The way she cared for Ayte, her sister, and sacrificed for her was just....love. Kas, the way he stepped up for his son against the one that should have cared for him just as much was just….love.
Rae is a newer Indie artist and she has quickly become one of my faves. This was the fourth book (her fourth written as well) in the sun series and it didn't disappoint. This is NOT your typical love story and it definitely falls in the “urban” lane. Layers is the first thing that comes to mind anytime I read a Rae Lyse book. Dre was trying to get acclimated to a world that he hadn't been apart of for years and he was scared. He also couldn't wait to be able to love on his baby girl Dri. Everything was overwhelming, confusing, and distracting.
The distraction came in way of this beautiful tomboy Natasha. On the surface she was full of joy and unapologetically free or gray as Dre would say. Tash didn't understand why she was so deeply attracted to him, but she was and she found herself showing up for him whenever he or his daughter Dri needed her to. Their situationship was like a slow burn....not quite official but what you thought this was...you mine type vibes. I'm not usually here for those type shenanigans but Dre.....well he was special. Even in his broken state he was still taking care of everyone else around him. Which was the "Thirty" way. All of them always looking out for their families.
This is a long story, you have to stay down because every moment brings the story together. It is beautifully written!
This book was just everything! It is a love story that was far from a fairy tale, but definitely meant to be.
Keris had been running from a terrible previous relationship and a home that wasn't....her home. She runs into a beautiful man whom she hopes will temporarily help her forget her dreadful situation. Unbeknownst to her, this man, Laken has other plans for her. Immediately he is taken by Keris and carefully persues her. They both were damaged from their past, but even when one was being stubborn they managed to progress together. I felt their love before they even considered love. It was in their actions. The WAY they showed up for each other, the WAY they protected each other.
I also love that they were middle aged, 36 and 40 respectively and they were much wiser for it. Love can happen at all ages, it's not meant just for the young. To close, their physical connection was off the charts, and I like how intentional Laken was by ensuring they built beyond it.
CCJ is a veteran in this author thing, she has over 50 books. While I haven't read them all I have read many and have never been disappointed.
Bonus Reads: These are series, which means multiple books that cannot be read as stand alones as they have to be read consecutively in order to make sense.
Listen!! I loved this series so much. It was my introduction to this author and I will now read anything she writes. This series is about the Porter’s; a family of 5 brothers raised by the oldest brother Lake after their father dies, even though most of their mother's are alive. Yes the multiple mother's were trifling. All the brothers were hella wild, ghetto, smart, and rich. Their dad left them a solid foundation and Lake turned it into an empire. We experience the growth of all the brothers. The trials and tribulations they experience, and cause themselves, as they navigate the shaky waters of lust and love.
Lake MF Porter was my favorite! When you look up BDE there is a picture of this fine man! I liked him because he was quietly powerful. He wasn't flashy, he didn't do the most, but it was clear he was THAT dude. His gestures were well thought out and although his love was quiet, he expressed it loudly. He had my heart with the way he protected Avery and River. Before him and Avery had solidified much of anything, he fully accepted both her and her child into his heart. He was so sweet without even trying. Lake was always a family man, because he raised his brothers, but it became even more prevalent as he started his own family. I'm giving you the calm edited version, but this series is FULL of drama as these boys become men.
Ms Belvin always has me so wrapped in her story lines. I binge her books like a Netflix series. The first two books end in cliff hangers so you have to read the next book in order to progress. I've learned my lesson and I won't read her series until they have all been published because I refuse to be in limbo. Ashira and Jaz were definitely worth the wait.
There were so many times I was on edge reading this series. Ashira and Jas are hopelessly in love. Their chemistry is out of the stratosphere. To the point that Jas is scared of sharing his full self in fear of losing her. Shi Shi tries to push certain topics, but for him she just has a blind eye. It pissed me off during the first book, but I have just accepted who she is when it comes to Jas. It was like they trusted each other a little bit, but felt the need to protect their own hearts if possible. It was not possible, they were so entwined that there was no way that when the fire burned they wouldn't go up in smoke. I will say I hoped it wouldn't. I hoped they would be strong enough to endure whatever was thrown at them. Jas though with all his secrets, it definitely felt calculating and extremely hard to explain away. I understood her angst, I really did. In the first two books I was ready to risk it all for Jas, by the final book I was ready to kick his as$. Sis you are about to be on a roller coaster of emotions.
Happy Reading!!
Comment below your favorite Romance books, I'd love to check them out.
