Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in African American

Shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction Named one of the best New Novelists for 2025 by The Observer. Bradford, December 1962. A precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb, to a chaotic household that seems to have...

Kabrina Kenneth had no complaints when it came to her life. She had the career of her dreams and the man to go with it which was something she deeply coveted coming from her particular background. But when her dream life turns into a nightmare literally overnight, Kabrina's anger and hurt causes her to make a huge mistake. Feeling like she can't catch a break and is doomed to pay for the sins of her mother, Kabrina does whatever she can to hopefully rectify what that one night of betrayal, anger, and sadness has caused.

The day Lisara Compton caught her husband in a rather compromising position changed her life in a way neither she nor her sons ever saw coming. Realizing too late that divorcing him would cause a domino effect of turmoil, she is now forced into an uncomfortable life that she can't seem to stay afloat in. With her eldest son acting out and a nonexistent ex-husband, Lisara feels things can't get any worse. That's until her ex betrays her and their son in a way that leaves her in need like never before. It seems she just can't catch a break, until she meets him.

Analicia Chase at one point had it all, a great family and a loving, talented boyfriend. But with the death of her father coming shortly after the loss of her boyfriend's dream, along with his usual tenacity, and a recently developed strained relationship with her sister, things have been rough. They only worsen when a stranger comes into her life, throwing it completely off course. With everything around Analicia crumbling by the day, defeat begins to consume her.

In Greenwich Pointe’s world of Black wealth and power, Tatiana Rich has everything money can buy—except freedom. When her kingpin father forces her into a strategic marriage with the Sterling dynasty’s heir, she begs Nazir Kane—the man she fell for during her college years—to run away with her. By morning, he’s vanished without a word.

Isolated from family and friends because of the one man she thought would be her happily ever after, Scotland is depressed, broke, and a shell of the woman she used to be. But when her man does the unthinkable, it is the last straw, causing Scotland to make a huge gamble in the name of revenge. But when that retaliation follows her home, adding yet another problem to her already hefty plate, Scotland must figure a way out of the hell she now calls life.

Ever saw a dead body? I’ll ask again. Ever saw a dead body walking among us? I’ve been dead on the inside since my parents were taken away from me, and I was forced to move out the only home I knew. Never truly ever knowing love or what it felt like. Always witnessing everyone else have what you wished your heart could do. Love. That word love could walk up on me, snatch me up, and I wouldn’t have ever known. Me and that word didn’t exist, and I had come to terms with that when I watched them fighting to save my boyfriend’s life, after my brother nearly took it from him.

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, an Egyptian American woman and a man from the village of Shobrakheit meet at a café in Cairo. He was a photographer of the revolution, but now finds himself unemployed and addicted to cocaine, living in a rooftop shack. She is a nostalgic daughter of immigrants “returning” to a country she’s never been to before, teaching English and living in a light-filled flat with balconies on all sides. They fall in love and he moves in. But soon their desire takes a violent turn that neither of them expected.  

Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning White boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes she's been given a challenge.

God is change. That is the central truth of the Earthseed movement, whose unlikely prophet is 18-year-old Lauren Olamina. The young woman's diary entries tell the story of her life amid a violent 21st-century hell of walled neighborhoods and drug-crazed pyromaniacs—and reveal her evolving Earthseed philosophy. Against a backdrop of horror emerges a message of hope: if we are willing to embrace divine change, we will survive to fulfill our destiny among the stars.

In this urban love story filled with betrayal, jealousy, shocking revelations, and forbidden obsessions, will the good girl and extra rude bad boy be able to develop a true love? Or will Camarih's negative outlook on life and love, continue to be true? But how easy is it for her to walk away when she gave him her all, and when there wasn't much left to begin with?

The daughter of a prostitute mother and an alcoholic father, Maggie Franklin knew her only way out was to marry someone upstanding and church-going. Someone like Hubert Wiggins, the most eligible man in Lexington, Alabama - and the son of its most revered preacher. Proper and prosperous, Hubert is glad to finally have a wife, even one with Maggie's background. For Hubert has a secret he desperately needs to stay hidden. And Maggie's unexpected charm, elegance, and religious devotion makes her the perfect partner in lies.... 

The daughter of a hard-working restaurant owner, Louise Brooks always sees the best in people—and in helping them no matter how difficult her own life gets. She's lived through tragic loss and running the family business on her own, even in the face of a failed marriage. So, she's delighted when she finds a best friend in Della Thornton, a woman struggling with bad breaks and unlucky romances. When Louise's father and her prosperous second husband suddenly pass away, Louise takes Della in and makes her the restaurant’s right-hand woman as it grows more successful than ever . . .

Jamison Jareau has suffered a terrible loss. His wife of eighteen years passed away the day she gave birth to their son. Consumed with grief and guilt over her death, Jamison has thrown himself into work and raising his four children without her. Two and a half years have passed since he lost his soulmate. The kids are growing up and Jamison realized he needs a little more help with them than he wants to admit. At the urging of his mother-in-law, he seeks a live-in nanny to alleviate some of the stress of being a single parent.

After serving a ten-year sentence for killing her mother’s boyfriend, Alayah Chambers is finally free—but freedom comes at a cost. Haunted by the abuse that landed her in prison and judged by a society that still sees her as a criminal, Alayah must piece together a new life in a world that isn’t quick to forgive. Determined to reclaim her future, she sets out to confront the ghosts of her past—including the woman who failed her the most: her own mother. Killian Lake, a successful attorney and Alayah’s childhood friend, never forgot her—or the signs he missed back then. 

As turmoil simmers within a divided nation, smoke from another blaze begins to rise. Sparked by individual acts of resistance among those enslaved across the American South, their seemingly disparate rebellions fuel a singular inferno of justice, connecting them in ways quiet at times, explosive at others. As these flames rise, so will they. Luke, quick-witted and literate, and Henri, a man with a strong and defiant spirit, forge an unbreakable bond at a Virginia plantation called Magnolia Row. Both seek escape from unimaginable cruelty.

Being the girlfriend of a successful rapper isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Rhythm Baker, a successful occupational therapist, held it down for Raheem, her boyfriend of three years, without much complaining. After moving across the country to support his career and their relationship, Rhythm has grown increasingly uncomfortable with Raheem's inappropriate behavior and inflated ego. Feeling disrespected, unappreciated, and unheard, she moves out of the home they share, ending their relationship. Despite his recent moves, Raheem isn’t willing to let her go so easily.

Shalom Daniels has everything she wants in life outside of marriage and kids. Her career and personal relationships are flourishing, except when it comes to the relationship that matters most—one with a man dedicated to cherishing and protecting her heart. Fresh out of a relationship with a man who was almost perfect, Shalom begins to question if her boundaries and standards are too high, or if it simply isn’t her time for her happily ever after yet.

Justice Barrett has only known the hustle his entire life. Being the provider for his younger siblings was tough for a young teenage boy. Having to get it out the mud, by any means necessary, he fell into a life of dealing. Within a few years, he was dominating the streets to the point several government agencies were looking to catch him slipping. Logan Gaines has been a ride or die since the day she fell in love with Justice. He spoiled her rotten. She was his twin flame. When they were together, trouble was sure to find them. 

Sundae Monroe Banks was born into pain. After losing her father and being handed over to the streets by her own mother, she learned early: love is dangerous, and emotions are a weakness she can’t afford. While most girls her age are picking colleges and chasing dreams, Sundae’s out here...