Read the Warmest December by Bernice McFadden, try Fifth Born by Zelda Lockhart.

The Warmest December
Growing up in Brooklyn, Kenzie Lowe was scarred by her alcoholic father's rages and abuse. Now, visiting her father in the hospital where he is dying, Kenzie comes to terms with her past and the choices in her life.

Fifth Born
Triggered by an accidental meeting with a relative she had not seen in a long time, long-buried memories resurface to reveal a shocking truth to Odessa about the sexual abuse that marked her early family life.

Read Cane River by Lalita Tademy, try A Long Way From Home by Connie Briscoe.

Cane River
Cane River is an isolated community that lies on a small river in central Louisiana. The author discovered her amazing heritage there and chronicles four generations of strong, determined black women.

A Long Way From Home
A Long Way From Home relates the story of Susan and her daughter Clara, and Clara's daughter whose father is never revealed - three generations of slaves who work on the plantation of President James Madison and his wife Dolley.

Read A Taste of Reality by Kimberly Lawson Roby, try Black Coffee by Tracy Price-Thompson.

A Taste of Reality
As her seemingly perfect life begins to crumble around her, putting her job and marriage on the line, Anise is forced to muster all of her courage and faith to triumph over adversity and realize her dreams.

Black Coffee
Determined to escape her poverty-stricken background, Sergeant Sanderella Coffee battles military sexism and her own self-doubt to attend the Army's prestigious Officer Candidate School. Will her love affair with married drill sergeant Romulus Caesar destroy her hard-won career?

Read Between Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey, try Emotions by Timmothy B.McCann.

Between Lovers
An unnamed Los Angeles-based writer, was left at the altar by Nicole, his girlfriend of seven years. After moving in with her lesbian lover, Nicole reestablishes a relationship with her jilted fiance and eventually persuades her two lovers to join her in a love triangle. This intense and imaginative work contains some explicit sex scenes.

Emotions
Giving up her successful career as an actress to marry Phillip Evans, Joi Weston finds her marriage in a shambles when Phillip decides to pursue a political career. Joi seeks the magic she lost with Phillip in a romantic encounter with passionate writer Michael Brockmier.

Read Blind Ambitions by Lolita Files, try Bebe’s By Golly Wow! By Yolanda Joe.

Blind Ambitions
Three young women, Desi, Bettina, and Sharon, struggle to make it in the Hollywood movie industry in a town famous for its egotism, lust, and backstabbing.

Bebe’s By Golly Wow!
A modern look at romance, friendship, and family follows the story of Bebe, a forty-something bank supervisor and recent college graduate, and her best friend, Sandy, a young radio executive.

Novelist: Your Guide to Fiction
Some of the annotations on this list are taken from Novelist. Go to Readers Place on Harford County Public Library’s website. Then click on Novelist Search to personalize your reading selections.