Top 20 African American Romance Books
“When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.”
Hello fellow book lovers! Welcome to Cozy Book Cafe. Thank you for visiting our website. Here you will discover the most anticipated books of 2025. Dive into captivating new stories, discover new authors, and let your imagination soar. 🖤​
African American romance books are a fabulous literary genre that focuses on love stories featuring African American characters, often highlighting the unique cultural experiences, challenges, and triumphs that are specific to the African American community.
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Only For Me by K.C. Mills
Makari Phoenix and Omiri Hayes shared an unforgettable night that eventually changed the trajectory of their future.
She left that mistake and the man she shared it with in the past. However, a year later their worlds collide again and Makari has kept a secret that will turn the NFL superstar’s world upside down. That secret shares unique eyes identical to his…
Omiri Hayes is an NFL great and tortured soul. His money, access, and secrets from his past create a perfect storm for reckless decisions. When Omiri crosses paths with the one who got away, he’s determined not to fumble the opportunity to prove he isn't the same man she crept out on a year ago. He's ready to fight for what he wants… his family.
Makari isn’t looking for his money, fame, or promises. The only demand she has is for Omiri to prove he can be the man their daughter needs him to be. Despite Omiri’s charming ways, Makari doesn’t trust his motives yet realizes some connections can’t be denied.
Omiri has to prove he can be the MVP for the two people who matter most to him, even if it means facing his demons. Makari has her own game plan that doesn't include getting blindsided by feelings for her child’s father.
Unfortunately, they’ve both already lost yardage with continual flags on the play of their tenuous connection working overtime to keep them out of the end zone. The drive downfield may not be pretty but Makari and Omiri are determined to score and seal the win.
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Breaking the Rules by Aubreé Pynn
Rule number one: do these men how they do you.
That was the rule Savanhi put into place after love and loyalty shattered or at least what she thought was love and loyalty.
A rule she was hellbent on upholding until she crossed paths with Noble Paulson, Jr. Captivating and assuring, Savanhi dived into the depths of him, just for a night and a mutual agreement – no vested interest.
If Noble knows anything about rules, they’re made to be broken. His return home was ushered in by several uncertainties. However, there was one constant – he needed to be back in Savanhi’s space.
Taking every opportunity available to be in her space, he finds more than what he was looking for and everything he needed. The issue – convincing Savanhi that he is equipped to be everything she needs and then some.
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Unexpected Pass by A. Blossom
She came with a baby and baggage. He showed up with his heart.
Phileigh Read has spent her entire life playing it safe, until one slip up with a client leaves her pregnant and staring down single motherhood.
Phileigh’s focus should be on protecting her peace, building her brand, and preparing for the arrival of her child. But one last night out leads her into the arms of Super Bowl MVP Kellon “KB” Barnes, and the rest is history.
Kellon Barnes has spent years trying to outrun the guilt of his past. But something about Phileigh makes him want to stand still. She’s not part of his playbook, but she might be the peace he didn’t know he needed.
Love, like football, is all about timing, but sometimes, the best things in life just may come from an Unexpected Pass.
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Body Language by Netra Antionette
I can read a man before he even opens his mouth. I know which ones are starving to be understood, which ones hide their scars in designer suits, and which ones will hand me exactly what I need just for the privilege of feeling seen. I’ve been running this game long enough to turn conversations into currency and eye contact into opportunities.
Every move I make is calculated. When I dance, my movements speak to their thoughts before I ever open my mouth. I tell their secrets with the arch of my back, answer their questions with the roll of my hips while I strip them bare mentally.
But then there’s Kendrix Givelle. A man who doesn’t ask questions, just studies the way my shoulders drop when I’m tired, the way my smile fades when the weight gets heavy.
I’ve built my world on control. On never needing anyone to hold it up for me. And yet… one look from him, and I start to wonder.. What if I’ve finally met the man who speaks my body language as fluently as I do?
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Lost In Your Presence by BriAnn Danae
The unexpected always had a way of finding Orielle, and at this point in her life, she was drained. After a betrayal that fractured her heart and eroded her mental peace, she redirected her energy to what grounded her the most. As a rising, talented R&B singer with a growing fan base, there was nothing like heartbreak that made her unleash her best work. Or maybe it was the man who’d unintentionally become her muse?
Fresh out of jail and on a mission to redeem himself, Najee unknowingly became the inspiration behind Orielle’s passionately raw lyrics. Although his focus is solely on expanding his transportation service, Echelon Express, he can’t ignore the instant, emotional pull he has towards her. Orielle should’ve never been on his radar, especially not while he was in a relationship.
Things between them weren’t supposed to go deep… But what was the point of experiencing someone if only above the surface? Orielle and Najee would never know. While leaning into everything that feels right, they confront the versions of themselves that they’ve outgrown. Was the situation deeply complicated? Yes. But it was worth trusting and choosing even after being deceived.
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Xo, Unlawfully Yours by Jahquel J.
Kora Caselli is the second oldest of the Caselli siblings.
Right along with her brother, she’s had to grow up quicker than she wanted to. Sacrificing the life, she thought she would have to be there for her youngest siblings and step into a role that was always chosen for her.
As a federal judge, Kora Caselli, or Judge Case, has built her career on being fair - sometimes, tough, and about business within her courtroom. At 34, she’s one of the youngest and most feared judges in the system, known mostly for the high-profile cases she has tried.
When she presides over the trial of Kingston Steele, a handsome community activist accused of using his nonprofit to funnel drug money and being linked with the motorcycle gang Brooklyn Reapers, her personal life and professional life start to tangle together.
There’s only one problem – Kingston Steele is her best friend’s half-brother.
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Game Change by Evelyn Sola
On a sun-soaked island getaway, two architects, Brynne and Colin, meet by chance and indulge in a whirlwind romance, blissfully unaware that their paths are tangled by fate. Their passionate affair ignites a bond filled with dreams and promises. Colin vows to find Brynne once they've left paradise behind, and Brynne promises to welcome him into her life with open arms.
However, fate takes an unexpected twist when Brynne learns that Colin is tied to her life in ways she never anticipated.
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Brynne is blindsided when she discovers that the promotion she was promised has been handed to Colin instead. Suddenly, their connection spirals into hostility and resentment.
Caught between their undeniable chemistry and growing animosity, Brynne and Colin navigate a rocky path from lovers to enemies while managing tricky office politics. But as tensions mount, both must confront their feelings and the cruel twist of fate that has driven them apart.
Will they be able to reconcile their love as they unravel the tangled blueprints of their hearts?
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Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry's rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.
She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she's facing her toughest challenge yet: caring for an aging parent. Who has time for romance? From her experience, there's a low ROI on relationships. Anyway, she hasn't met the man who can keep up with her. Until...him.
Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer's hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.
But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her—is it time to let herself have something more?
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The Love Syllabus by Lauren Lacey
Kerry Kind never expected to start over in her thirties, but after a difficult divorce, she needs a fresh start.
When she finally lands a homeschool teaching position, she’s relieved until she realizes her new boss is the man she clashed with days ago.
Victor Grimes, a world-renowned chef and widow, isn’t interested in disrupting his carefully structured life. But his daughters need a change, and Kerry just may be the perfect fit.
Forced to navigate their undeniable chemistry and reluctant partnership, one impulsive fake dating scheme blurs the lines between professional and personal, making their attraction impossible to ignore.
As past wounds resurface and their worlds collide, Kerry and Victor must decide if love is worth rewriting the rules or if some lessons are best left untaught.
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Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen
Nina Ford doesn’t like to put all her eggs in one basket. She works multiple jobs, she enjoys multiple hobbies, she dates multiple men. In her thirty years of life, Nina has never come across a man who has all the things she’s looking for.
She loves fun and excitement—and she has a man for that. She loves confidence and humor—and she has a man for that. She loves intelligence and ambition—and she has a man for that. She loves passion and romance—and she has a man for that.
She’s always been content rotating a few men in and out of her life to get her needs met. But when Russell Long, her designated “Fun Guy”, shows her that he’s good for more than just thrills, it seems too good to be true. Nina finds herself in a predicament.
She's found everything she's ever wanted in a career in one job. She's found everything she's ever wanted in a partner in one man. Inevitably, her eggs are bound to get cracked. Like her back.
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Summer's Echo by Robbi Renee
One summer bound them. One secret divided them. One reunion could change everything.
As teenagers, Summer Knight and Echo Abara spent one unforgettable summer as camp counselors. Beneath sun-soaked days and starry nights, their bond deepened from easy friendship into something more—an unspoken love neither dared confess. Life pulled them in different directions, yet their souls remained tethered by time, distance, and a shared secret.
Neither has forgotten their connection—or that summer that changed everything. When a reunion brings them back together, their lives collide once more, stirring long-buried emotions and unanswered questions. Summer and Echo must confront not only their unvoiced feelings but also the burden of their shared secret—one that tore apart their friendship and made them question the very meaning of love and trust.
Will they find the courage to embrace what’s always been between them? Or will the truth they’ve guarded destroy their second chance?
Tags - African American Romance Books, Amazon, Goodreads, New Books 2025.
All Mine by Karalynne K
Syxe St. James was once the perfect wife—prim, polished, and quietly miserable. When her marriage to a powerful doctor crumbles overnight, she’s left broke, stranded, and desperate.
The only person willing to help? Montana “Monty Geez” Ortiz—Philly’s hottest rapper… and the boy who used to sleep at the foot of her bed when home wasn’t safe.
Montana didn’t expect to see Syxe again, let alone with bags under her eyes and nowhere to go. But when she steps in to care for his kids like they’re her own, he realizes he never really got over her.
Now she’s living in his house. Watching his children. Sleeping down the hall. And no matter how many times he tells himself to keep it professional, one truth remains:
She was always his. Even when she belonged to someone else.
Tags - African American Romance Books, Amazon, Goodreads, New Books 2025.
Messy AF by Asha Mara
Ava James wanted nachos, tequila, and one drama-free night. Instead? She got her smug, manipulative ex and a humiliation spiral with no exits.
So she did what any unbothered, unhinged, emotionally rebranding woman would do. She sat on a stranger’s lap and declared him her man. Loudly. And with tongue.
Spoiler: the lap belongs to Grant Townsend. Big. Bearded. Built like he bench-presses trucks and breaks headboards for fun.
He plays along with calm, dirty confidence. And Ava? She’s not okay. What starts as fake turns flirty. Then filthy. Then far too real.
Grant is everything she didn’t plan for and exactly the kind of man who could wreck her on purpose. But when she learns what he’s been hiding, pretending she’s fine isn’t an option. She cracks. And this time it shows.
Love is messy. She’s messier. And if she falls apart, he’s going down with her.
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For the Lover in You by Bree Wright
Mila Cruz never imagined that her marriage would have taken the turn it did.
She has to start over from scratch with her six-year old son while angry at the world. With shattered trust, she has sworn off men for the rest of her life and is only focused on providing for her son.
While working a server shift, Mila meets the sought-after real estate tycoon Tremaine Houston.
Their first interaction leaves a sour taste in each other’s mouths. Tremaine doesn’t understand why a woman so beautiful could be so angry. However after learning the reason behind why Mila is so upset, Tremaine steps in to help her.
Tremaine can’t avoid his attraction for Mila. He is drawn to her and can’t help but think of ways to be one of the men in the world she doesn’t despise. He begins to break through those barriers with words and actions. He’s willing to show Mila that not all love hurts.
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Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
Twenty-eight-year-old Kiki Banjo hosts the popular podcast The HeartBeat, solving romantic conundrums and dishing out life advice. But behind the mic, career setbacks and a devastating breakup have left her hanging on by a thread.
As she’s preparing to be the Maid of Honor in her best friend’s wedding, everything starts to unravel, and Kiki is left wondering if she ever had the answers.
Then Kiki finds herself face-to-face with the Best Man, her ex-boyfriend, Malakai—the smooth-talking, absurdly handsome, annoyingly perceptive man who stole her heart and then shattered it. While Kiki’s approaching rock bottom, Malakai’s been on the rise as a filmmaker, and now they have no choice but to play nice until the wedding is over.
Both are hell-bent on ignoring the smoldering chemistry between them, but as they navigate the chaos of wedding plans, career ambitions, and Kiki’s growing fears about the future, they can’t ignore the spark that’s only getting hotter.
They just have to get through the summer. So why does it feel like playing with fire?
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Hear My Heart by Tay Mo'Nae
Growing up deaf in a family that ignored her caused Nakyra to embrace the silence.
When she meets Rome, she believes she's found the one, and after years of being together the two decide it's time to finally tie the knot when tragedy hits.
Then he comes into the picture, and her whole world is suddenly flipped upside down.
No matter how forbidden he might be, she can't seem to ignore the feelings forming for him.
Everything she thought she knew is suddenly being tested and leaves her conflicted.
Nakyra's now torn between staying committed or facing new possibilities.
Tags - African American Romance Books, Amazon, Goodreads, New Books 2025.
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy—and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book—ie, the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board.
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.” His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge—her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
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Gold Coast Dilemma by Nana Malone
During an opulent publishing party, Ofosua Addo crosses paths with Cole Drake for the first time. Their flirtatiously witty exchange culminates in a kiss that etches a permanent mark on both their hearts.
But Ofosua’s identity as a Ghanaian heiress comes before Cole. She loves the vibrant traditions of Ghana’s Gold Coast, and her hand is already promised to a man that even her overbearing mother loves.
Yet, when her big Ghanaian wedding transforms from a fairy tale into a spectacle, she’s thrust into a whirlwind of heartbreak and self-discovery.
In the midst of it all, Cole enters her life once again, under circumstances far different from their magical first encounter. Can Ofosua and Cole’s rediscovered spark overcome the weight of tradition?
Tags - African American Romance Books, Amazon, Goodreads, New Books 2025.
The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest
Iris Greene used to be a woman with a plan. But all of that changed after she met the love of her life at twenty-five, got pregnant and married…and then became a widow and a single mother all in a little over two years.
Now, after years of hustling, Iris is the director of partnerships at a beauty company and raising sweet six-year-old Calla by herself. Despite her busy life, she still can’t help but feel lonely. She just needs to catch her breath—and one night, at her sister’s wedding, when she steps outside to do just that, she sees a certain singer who takes her breath away. . . .
By all accounts, pop R&B singer Angel Hughes has it made. He’s a successful musician and has just scored a brand ambassador deal with an emerging beauty company. But he’s still not fulfilled; he’s not producing songs he’s passionate about, and there’s a gaping hole in his love life. When he visits the Save Face Beauty office to kickstart his campaign, he’s delighted to see Iris, his stylist’s sister—the beautiful woman he’s secretly had a crush on for years.
Despite their obvious attraction to each other, they must stay professional throughout the campaign tour—a goal that doesn’t quite pan out. But when it becomes clear their lives aren’t in sync, can they fall back in step to the same rhythm and beat?
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A Waltz on the Wild Side by Erica Ridley
Saving the day has never been so fun when two enemies must fight their attraction and work together.
Advice columnist Miss Vivian Henry hates how the Wild Wynchesters flaunt so many privileges ordinary people could never emulate. But when her beloved cousin goes missing and the authorities shrug, Viv has no choice but to beg for help from the vigilantes she despises.
Aspiring poet Jacob Wynchester prefers animals to people. He’d rather stay behind the safety of a quill than interact with prickly clients. But when he's appointed lead investigator, Jacob finds he admires Vivian's resourcefulness and intelligence—including the sharp wit he must parry. As they team up to rescue her kidnapped cousin, they discover just how compatible they are.
Together, they must not only save the day, but also decide how far they’re willing to go to be who they really are. And determine whether their partnership is a mistake… or the missing piece that completes them.
Tags - African American Romance Books, Amazon, Goodreads, New Books 2025.
Second Chance Romance Books
Small Town Romance Books
Sports Romance Books
Billionaire Romance Books
Age Gap Romance Books
Spicy Romance Books
Summer Romance Books
Bully Romance Books
