If you’re anything like the romance reader I am, you’re always looking to diversify your reading list. Whether that be picking up a book by an indie author, exploring other genres, reading a book that includes characters of color, or choosing a book written by a person of color.
I devour any romance novel that features characters I can identify with or share a similar background with. Fortunately, within the romance genre, authors have been diversifying and being more inclusive of their characters in the last few years, and as a woman, one thing I love to do is support WOC authors.
So as 2024 approaches, here are 6 books by WOC authors to add to your TBR for the coming year!
1. The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
In The Partner Plot, Violet Greene has the career of her dreams, living successfully as a celebrity stylist and getting to travel all around the world. In every aspect of her professional life, she is flourishing, but not so much in her personal one. Having gone through a break-up with her then-fiancé, she is putting all of her energy and focus solely into her career. What she doesn’t expect is a blast from her past in the form of Xavier Wright, her high school boyfriend.
On a birthday trip to Vegas, Xavier doesn’t anticipate running across Violet, the woman he once believed he was going to marry. The thought of coming across her was the last thing on his mind since he rarely leaves his hometown. One thing leads to another and they spend a wild night together in Vegas, where they wake up the next morning with rings on their fingers and the title of husband and wife.
When they realize that this marriage might be the thing to boost both of their careers, they decide to play the part of a happy couple. Old feelings are roused back up and past emotions come hurling out in this marriage of convenience book by Kristina Forest. Will Violet and Xavier give things another go or are their lifestyles too different for them to finally be together?
This is out on February 27th, 2024.
2. I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
I Hope This doesn’t Find You, a novel inspired by Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, is about Sadie Wen, an academically excelling student. What no one knows about Sadie is that under all the excellency on paper and picture perfect smiles plastered on her face, Sadie has plenty of frustration.
Instead of taking it out on anyone, she releases all that pent up anger and frustration into her email drafts, believing no one will ever read them. Most of her angry email drafts were about her school co-captain, Julius Gong, who has irritated Sadie ever since they were young.
What happens when one day all those hate emails are accidently sent out and everybody at her school now knows exactly what her opinion of them really is? And what happens when she finds an unexpected ally, and perhaps something more in the form of her nemesis Julius? Find out in this academic rivals to lovers story by Ann Liang that will be released on February 6th, 2024!
3. Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja
Maya Mirza creates a list of laws to explain why she thinks she has bad luck finding love. Fortunately, things are about to get better in the love area as she boards a flight destined for Pakistan with the intent to enter into an arranged marriage with a successful, attractive doctor who checks all her boxes.
Unfortunately, she’s had a string of misfortunes happen to her since the beginning of her travels. One, she’s seated next to a cynical lawyer named Sarfaraz. Second, a storm creeps up on the plane, leaving them stranded in Switzerland where they become unlikely travel buddies throughout the trip.
Spending more time with Sarfaraz has Maya wondering if she’s had the misfortune of discovering the perfect man for her right before marrying someone else.
Find out what happens next in Alina Khawaja’s novel Maya’s Laws of Love on March 26th, 2024.
4. Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat
Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment, described by the author as “Save the Date meets Never Have I Ever,” revolves around a high school student named Arya who begins to prepare for her sister Alina’s wedding while also attempting to keep the peace between her mother and her sister.
Arya’s senior year is unraveling due to a break-up between her two best friends and a strained student council relationship with her opponent, Dean Merriweather, whom she finds annoyingly attractive. It’s safe to say her senior year isn’t going exactly as planned. While Arya is determined to persevere, she realizes that that life doesn’t tend to work out like her favorite Bollywood films and that person that you don’t see coming can be the one to help you get through it.
Find out more in Arushi Avachat’s novel, which will be released on January 9th, 2024!
5. Stay With My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan
In Stay With My Heart, having a A&R coordinator for a father makes Liana Sarkar live and breathe music, as she aspires to follow in his footsteps. When she accidentally sabotages Third Eye, an aspiring local band, she makes it her top priority to guide them towards success without any of them discovering she was the reason for their setback.
But as she becomes closer to the band, particularly the leader of the band, Skyler Moon, it becomes more difficult to keep the truth from slipping out. Will Liana be able to get the guy and save the band from failure? Read all about it in Tashie Bhuiyan’s upcoming novel, out on January 2nd, 2024.
6. The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton
In this fake dating romance, Etta Easton’s The Kiss Countdown is about an event planner named Amerie Price, who has had a string of disasters from being out of a job, due to be evicted, and newly single, when she runs into her cocky ex and his new girlfriend. Not wanting to appear like she doesn’t have it all together, she panics into appearing to be in a stable relationship with the man she spilt her coffee on just moments before.
When this situation with Amerie happens, he sees this as an opportunity to get his family off his back. So they strike up a deal: Vincent will play the charming boyfriend in front of her ex, and in exchange, she has to play the part of his loving girlfriend in front of his family, while receiving a rent-free room in his house, investing all her earnings into her failing business.
What happens when Amerie finds herself drawn to Vincent and desiring more from their relationship? Discover that answer on April 9th, 2024!