BIPOC Stories & Voices Audiobooks | Fiction

With Love from Harlem: A Novel of Hazel Scott

"From The Queen of Sugar Hill author ReShonda Tate—a new novel inspired by beloved Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott and the equal parts exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changed the course of her life. Harlem, 1943. At just twenty-three, Hazel Scott is a woman on fire. A jazz prodigy, a glamorous film star, and a fierce advocate for civil rights, she’s breaking barriers and refusing to play by the rules. Then Adam Clayton Powell Jr. walks into her life. Harlem’s most electrifying preacher-turned-politician, Adam is as bold and unyielding as Hazel—charismatic, powerful…and married. This kicks off a decades-long relationship that propels them into the center of a political and cultural revolution. As Hazel’s star rises, Adam takes the national stage in Congress and the couple becomes the toast of the country. But when their affair turns into a marriage, behind the glamorous façade is a battlefield of ego, ambition, and sacrifice. Forced to choose between her music and her family, Hazel must decide what she’s willing to lose—and what she refuses to give up. Set against the pulsing backdrop of twentieth-century Harlem and featuring icons like Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin, With Love from Harlem is a sweeping, emotionally charged romantic drama, rich with historical detail. ReShonda Tate delivers a powerful portrait of love, art, and the price of being unforgettable."

ReShonda Tate (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fire Sword and Sea: A Novel

"The real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black, and women! From Vanessa Riley, acclaimed author of Queen of Exiles, comes a sweeping, immersive saga based on the life of the legendary seventeenth-century pirate Jacquotte Delehaye. The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. She falls in love with a pirate, but when he returns to the sea, Jacquotte decides to make her own way. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender. Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. She forms a deep bond with Bahati, an African-born woman who has escaped slavery and also disguises herself as a man to navigate the world. They join forces with Dirkje De Wulf, a fearless adventurer who also lives as a man at sea. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d'Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman. For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation."

Vanessa Riley (Author), Robin Miles (Narrator)

Audiobook

Nola and Baldwin: A Novel

"Their Eyes Were Watching God for a new generation craving a romantic finale—a sweeping historical tale that is a journey of the heart and of the times. If it wasn’t for Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Nola Denny didn’t know how she would have survived her father’s tragic death or her mother’s descent into mental illness. Inspired by Hurston’s main character, Janie Crawford, Nola sets out to find her own voice, silenced by the weight of being a caretaker and the pains of her past. On her journey to New York, Nola stops in Meridian—a detour that unexpectedly leads to a fresh start, a home, and her own Tea Cake, a Pullman Porter named Baldwin Carter. Baldwin escaped a loveless childhood and found a caring stranger who invited him into her home and gave him a chance at a new life. A proud, hardworking Pullman Porter, Baldwin must endure bowing and scraping to passengers who barely see him as a man. When he encounters Nola, he instinctively knows he has met his anchor, a woman who makes every inch of him stand tall. Experiencing loss, hardship, and months of separation, Nola and Baldwin must come to terms with their pasts to share a future together. The young couple know that time and distance cannot separate them, and that the sacrifices they must make are not only for themselves, but for all those who come after them, searching for a better life. Set during the end of the Great Depression, and shaped by real-world events, crisscrossing the country from South to Midwest to North, Nola and Baldwin is an epic tale of a love powerful enough to overcome the dark forces of racism that threatens to tear it apart."

Donna Hill (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

On Sundays She Picked Flowers: A haunting and lyrical Southern Gothic horror debut that will stay wi

"Lone Women meets Sorrowland in this sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut about a woman who escapes her family home to the uncanny woods of northern Georgia and must now contend with haints, ghosts and a literal beast in the woods. When Judith Rice ran away from the house she grew up in, she thought she severed her abusive mother's hold on her. Seventeen years later, she's made a home for herself in a cottage secluded deep in the forests of northern Georgia. Jude believes she's settled into a quiet life. But when an enigmatic woman shows up on her doorstep, Jude's tentative peace is threatened by the stranger's presence. The woman is beautiful but unsettling, captivating but uncanny. Caught between her desire for this woman and the violence that seems to simmer just beneath her skin, Jude's past and present clash as the woman stirs up memories that force her to reckon with the violence of her escape years ago. Haunting and thought-provoking, On Sundays She Picked Flowers is a propulsive debut exploring retribution, family trauma and the power of building oneself back up after breaking down. "

Yah Yah Scholfield (Author), tbd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Smoke Signals

"This era for Nina is called the Moment of Yes. She is saying yes to all things that will improve her self-love, including taking a chef-level virtual cooking class . . . with no cooking skills. Of course, she thought this would go without her nearly burning her kitchen down and coming face to face with a handsome fireman. Denzel didn't expect that the woman his team was familiar with because of her frequent fire emergencies would be stunning and the one to make him forget his recent woes in love. He wasn't looking, but when the smoke cleared, there she was. Of course, he didn't expect this chance meeting to stem a steamy summer of romance. When the steam turns to smoke, will their signals stay in sync or will they miss each other's smoke signals? Contains mature themes."

Danielle Brooks (Author), Ember Bell, Jamal Roque (Narrator)

Audiobook

To All The Thugs I Loved That Didn't Love Me Back 4

"The explosive finale of Jahquel J.'s dramatic and juicy urban romance series To All the Thugs I Loved that Didn't Love Me Back weaves an emotional tale of love, justice, tough choices, and the unrelenting pursuit of happiness, perfect for fans of Empire. In the finale, everyone is trying hard to get their piece of happiness. Will Polite figure out who he wants, and what he wants? Will he go through with the wedding? Or will he choose Sinclair and their child, while walking away from Kamaya. With Bless getting arrested, will he be prosecuted for something he didn't do? Or did he have something to do with it? Will he and Ace's relationship remain, or will she allow Niko to squeeze his way back into she and Neveah's life. Will Prayer and Valarie finally get it together for their kids? Is Prayer willing to leave his girlfriend behind to become a family man, or will he continue his relationship while coparenting with Valarie? Everyone wants happiness and their happy ending, but will everyone get that?"

Jahquel J. (Author), Myles Washington, Simone Rothschild (Narrator)

Audiobook

See You at the Summit

"For fans of Alison Cochrun and Abby Jimenez, a heartfelt and sexy romantic comedy following one bi woman's messy journey through coming out—and reluctantly falling for a straight man. From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Wicked Darlings. Girl comes out as bi. Girl falls for a straight guy. Simone Whittaker has spent the first three decades of her life pretending to be straight. But when the girl she never dared call her girlfriend walks away, she decides she's done living in fear. Her uptight parents don't take the news well, but a viral coming-out post and a new job at Toronto's Rainbow Museum offer a fresh start—and a crash course in queer adulthood. That is, until her first day of work, when Simone ruins a project designed by Ryan Foley—the museum's gruff and annoyingly hot carpenter—earning her the top spot on his enemies list. When they're forced to take a work trip to the Whistler Pride and Ski Festival together, Simone vows not to let a grumpy straight guy ruin her first Pride. But Ryan keeps surprising her—thoughtful, vulnerable, and impossible to ignore. As sparks fly on chairlifts and by crackling fires, one snowstorm—and one bed—changes everything. Back in Toronto, however, reality sets in. Dating a guy—and being mistaken for straight—weren't exactly part of Simone's coming-out plan. As the pressure builds between the identity she's just beginning to explore and the relationship that wasn't supposed to happen, she starts to wonder: What if claiming one part of herself means erasing the other?"

Jordyn Taylor (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Kingston

"Rising above adversity has never been an issue for Kingston Wells. He's faced some difficult times and still finds the strength to stand strong. With a younger brother and grandmother to look after, the last thing on his mind was love. From the moment his eyes land on Tiffany, he's drawn to her in a way that can only be described as divine. Once it is settled into Kingston's heart that Tiffany was his future, going after her was just the beginning. Tiffany Summers is no stranger to men with strong personalities. Her brothers, Grey and Blu, taught her to be a fierce protector of her own heart. Locking eyes with Kingston shouldn't have been so soul stirring. Yet, it was. Kingston doesn't give actual 'good guy' vibes, prompting Tiffany to do anything she can to avoid him. Kingston's determination to have Tiffany is too powerful for her to ignore. Tiffany's decision to give him a chance could be the opening for her heart to be broken. Overall, these two have one thing in common: family over everything. When situations arise, will they find themselves fighting for each other? Or will their loyalty to the motto have them turning their backs on each other and true love? Contains mature themes."

M. Monique (Author), J.Y. Kora, Jamal Roque (Narrator)

Audiobook

August

"THE POWER OF REDEMPTION Loss after loss is the beginning of August's story. If August thought the loss of his parents was devastating, losing his granny pushed him into a pit so deep, only a miracle could pull him out. THE POWER OF HEALING Anastasia “Asia” Anthony has had her own share of childhood struggles. With her eyesight slowly fading, Asia’s fears take the passenger seat to her already bumpy ride. When it’s all said and done, will August come out redeemed? Also, will Asia learn how to truly tap into her emotions? THE POWER OF WAITING Jericho and Faith have been friends since they were teenagers. A series of unfortunate situations sent Faith into a system she thought she would be safe in, only to be majorly disappointed. Jericho is a legend in his hood. When he steps up for Faith, they become instant friends. It takes one night for Jericho to throw all his cards, and heart, on the table. It is up to Faith to have faith in the man who’s always protected her take possession of the heart he’s so freely offering her. Jericho is determined to let nothing stop him. Not even Faith’s fears. Contains mature themes."

M. Monique (Author), Ember Bell, Myles Washington (Narrator)

Audiobook

Talk Taco To Me

"A second chance could be their new beginning . . . Balancing single motherhood with twins while managing her sister's second taco truck isn't the life newly divorced Ari Bent dreamed of. But her husband cheated and moved in with his new baby mama so it's the life she has. Determined to make it on her own juggling diapers and taco shells, Ari's working harder than she ever has. When an old friend reappears and needs a job, Ari's torn. He's the man who slipped through her fingers. Will the irresistible eye candy and his innovative taco recipes tempt her, or can she keep her hands to herself? After his secret engagement with a country music superstar unravels, chef Talent Malone returns home broken, but hoping to open a restaurant. Bumping into Ari jolts him back to life. She's still beautiful and funny, but kinder. She needs a chef. He needs a job. But she's the first woman who broke his heart. Can he trust himself to resist temptation—especially when double teamed by her adorable twins? They've both sworn off love. Who will cry taco first? Contains mature themes."

Candice Y. Johnson (Author), J.Y. Kora, James Cavenaugh (Narrator)

Audiobook

Before 13th: A Graphic Novel

"A gorgeous full-color graphic historical novel, sure to become an instant classic, that explores the friendship and feud between Ida B. Wells and Frederick Douglass, offering new insights into slavery and incarceration in the United States. Told from the perspectives of statesman and orator Frederick Douglass, and journalist and activist Ida B. Wells, Before 13th is a story that illuminates the contradictions of freedom. Friends and rivals, Douglass and Wells clashed over how to grapple with the racism and exoticism that defined portrayals of African Americans at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where Douglass was invited to speak after they had initially agreed to boycott the event. It uses the story of this real-life conflict as a lens through which we see the history of slavery and incarceration as never before. Historical anthropologist Michael Ralph joins forces with artist Jason Piperberg and acclaimed illustrator Laura Molnar to reimagine these two influential Black Americans and the controversies surrounding the Thirteenth Amendment—which some contend did not abolish slavery, claiming instead it was used to keep African Americans in a condition approximating bondage in the years immediately following Emancipation. Before 13th boldly takes on this issue, offering a provocative re-thinking that goes back years earlier than the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, to a practice known as convict leasing, an experiment in capitalist innovation and progressive legal reform, whose profound effects continue to be felt today. Before 13th features100 four color illustrations."

Michael Ralph (Author), Reader Tbd 1 (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sugar Baby

"I am the only person in Hibiscus Hills who believes my father, James Carlyle, is innocent. He’s been convicted of the murder of his mistress, well-known sugar baby, Catalina Simpson. The sugar baby has a reputation of instability and going after anyone she believes will make her life better, so there aren’t too many people grieving her death. They are, however, committed to seeing her receive justice—even if it means punishing an innocent man—butI’m committed to proving my dad is innocent… and I won’t stop until he’s free. Starting at a new four year university after receiving my associate degree puts me in the same path as Asher. I feel an instant connection with him and think nothing will stop our blooming attraction—until I find out he’s Catalina’s son. Regardless of how we try to fight our feelings for one another, fate keeps putting us in each other’s path. Add to that a stalker determined to end my search for the truth, and you come up with a complicated and dangerous love affair with a bullseye from everyone who disapproves in our town…"

B. Love (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

BIPOC Stories & Voices Audiobooks in Fiction