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romances by bipoc authors that i love and recommend

39 items

Natalie T.

Are you a romance lover looking to diversify your reading? Here are a ton of romance novels by BIPOC authors that I love and recommend!

Sammy’s future is on trial. On the cusp of being fired as Scavenger Magazine’s music critic after writing biased articles about her ex-girlfriend to save their failing relationship, she offers her boss a career-saving pitch: an exclusive review of th...

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🏘 Small Town
🎸 For Music Lovers
🥵 Open Door

Sammy Espinoza's Last Review, Tehlor Kay Mejia

Cash is a single mom who runs a bar in Ridley Falls. When the threat of a gentrifying chain bar looms over the town, she and her best friend Inez rally the community together to raise funds to improve the bar. But the work becomes complicated when Ca...

❤️ BIPOC Romance
🏘 Small Town
🌈 Queer Romance
🥵 Open Door

Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream, Tehlor Kay Mejia

I almost ripped this book in half from my passion.

🧛🏼‍♀️ Vampires, Demons, Gods, and Ghosts
🌈 Queer Romance
📚 Unique Writing
🚪 Closed Door

Masters of Death, Olivie Blake

The Influencer Series Book 1

Crystal is a fitness influencer who starts a rivalry with firefighter Scott, after he steals her spot at the gym.

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🔥 Firefighter MMC
🥵 Open Door
🐕 There's a dog

Set on You, Amy Lea

The Influencer Series Book 2 (MY FAVOURITE OF THE SERIES!)

Tara is a paediatric nurse by day, and a bookstagrammer by night. A devotee of the romance genre, her world crashes and burns when her wedding is called off by her ex, leaving her heartbroken and in need of a new place to live. Before turning to her ...

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🔥 Firefighter MMC
🥵 Open Door

Exes and O's, Amy Lea

The Influencer Series Book 3

Mel is a full-time influencer who travels to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a brand trip with a luxury resort. However, she shows up a week early and needs to search for an accomodation in the meantime, leading her to stay at an under renovation in run by ...

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🇨🇦 Set in Canada
💍 Fake engagement
🥵 Open Door

The Catch, Amy Lea

A retelling of Hades and Persephone set in New Athens. After a game of cards at Nevernight, Persephone finds herself in a contract with Hades. The condition to sever it? She must produce life in the underworld.

This is a multi-book series but I don't like the other ones.

🏺Myth Retelling
🥵 Open Door

A Touch of Darkness, Scarlett St. Clair

An experienced graphic novel illustrator is threated by a talented newcomer.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
🌈 Queer Romance
💻 Workplace Romance

Outdrawn, Deanna Grey

Alejandro and Kenny, childhood best friends and roommates, agree to a fake marriage to help Alejandro become an American citizen.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💍 Fake Engagement
🥵 Open Door

The Broposal, Sonora Reyes

After 5 years of being a data analyst at Prism Reality, Cadence Lim begins to tire of not moving up. Not only is she continuously over-assigned tasks, yet overlooked, she’s the subject of office rumours of a budding romance between her and the compan...

❤️ BIPOC Romance
👀 Fake Dating
💻 Workplace Romance
🌶 Mild Spice

Circling Back to You, Julie Tieu

Lily reaches out to her favourite fantasy author and they forge a connection over email. What she doesn't know is that he's actually her neighbour!

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💌 Epistolary Novel
🌶 Mild Spice

The Neighbor Favor, Kristina Forest

In order to become more skilled in intimacy, and to get her mother off her back, Stella hires Michael to help her practice.

Book 1 in a series!

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💖 Neurodivergent Rep
🥵 Open Door

The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang

Anna is suffering from a burnout that's making her unable to do her job–play the violin. To make matters worse, her long term boyfriend says he wants to take a break to date other people. She joins a dating app to spite him, and meets Quan, who she i...

This deals heavily with grief–tread carefully. But to me this is a near perfect romance novel.

Book 3 in a series!

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💖 Neurodivergent Rep
🥵 Open Door

The Heart Principle, Helen Hoang

Summer Preston is on track to becoming a sports psychologist–as part of her strict 5-year plan, she aims to end her senior year at Dalton with a successful application to their master’s program, the next step in her dream of working for Team USA. Wha...

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🏫 College Setting
🏒 Sports Romance
💕 Found Family
🥵 Open Door

Collide, Bal Khabra

Follows a messy weekend getaway between Joy, who has unrequited feelings for her best friend, Malcom. Sadly, Malcom announces on the trip that he's in love, crushing Joy's heart in the process. So she and another person on the trip pretend to get close in order to make Malcom jealous.

❤️ BIPOC FMC
⬛️🌫⬜️🟪 Asexual Rep
💍 Fake Relationship
🚪 Closed Door

The Romantic Agenda, Claire Kann

Old high school flames grow up to become authors and confront one another about writing each other in their books. They begin to rekindle their relationship while reflecting on what went wrong in their past.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💻 Writers
🥵 Open Door

Seven Days in June, Tia Williams

Follows the twists and turns of Samira's life as she tries to juggle her demanding job, her jealousy over her cousin's wedding, and meeting a potential love match.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
🚪 No Spice

Courting Samira, Amal Awad

Amerie and Vincent meet by chance at a coffee shop and after a run-in with Amerie's ex, they decide to fake date for each other's mutual benefit. This is probably one of the best fake dating books I've ever read!

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💍 Fake Dating
🌶 Mild Spice

The Kiss Countdown, Etta Easton

Mayda is Damián's sister's best friend, so she's 😉 off 😉 limits. But after growing up together, they can't help but lean on each other during the hardships that come with growing up. Mayda is a school counsellor who is struggling to manage her moth...

❤️ BIPOC Romance
🐴 Cowboy Romance
👀 Best Friend's Brother
🥵 Open Door

Learn to Love You, Jade Hernández

A fantastic debut novel!

Meghna and Karthik's parents try to set them up for marriage, but neither of them are emotionally available–Meghna is in love with her shitty best friend, and Karthik is allergic to marriage. So they agree on a fake engagement to get their parents of...

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💍 Fake Engagement
🥵 Open Door

Say You'll Be Mine, Naina Kumar

Valeria and her hot neighbour Lander hook up during their last 15 minutes on Earth. But oops, it turns out the emergency alert the entirety of D.C. received on their phones was sent out by accident. Lander asks Valeria out, but she has only one datin...

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🥵 Open Door (Very Spicy!)

Streams and Schemes, Rebecca Kinkade

Chryssy is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who enters a fake dating arrangement with rockstar cellist Vin Chao. Their romance is not meant to last, however, because Chryssy's entire family is CURSED, destined to never keep true love.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💍 Fake Dating
🎸 Rockstar Romance
🚪 Closed Door

Yin Yang Love Song, Lauren Kung Jessen

Selah enlists her neighbour Greyson's help with completing her “fuck it list.”

❤️ BIPOC Romance
📋 A List Leads to Love
🥵 Open Door

Elevator Pitch, Evelyn Leigh

Ember is an aspiring accountant who had to give up her dreams and drop out of college to work and support herself. Fed up with her job at the local bowling alley, she fibs on her resumé in pursuit of an accounting assistant position at Technix, a rol...

❤️ BIPOC Romance - The FIRST Indigenous romance to be published by the Big 5
💻 Workplace Setting
🥵 Open Door

The Truth According to Ember, Danica Nava

Emma leaves her stressful city life to take over her late grandparents' farm, but she clashes with its caretaker, Dan.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
🏘 Small Town
🥵 Open Door

Love in Bloom, Lucy Eden

Evie loses her favourite aunt, who leaves her with a single family home in San Francisco under one condition: to take a matchmaking tour in Vietnam, a place they never got to travel together. Upon arrival, she clashes with the company's CMO, Adam.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💻 Writer
🌴 Breath-taking Setting
🥵 Open Door

Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour, Nora Nguyen

Book 1 in a series

Chloe has a list of things she wants to accomplish to prove she has a life, and in order to complete it, she enlists the help of her building's handyman, Red.

This is not my fave in the series, but just get through it to get to the better books.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💖 Chronic Illness Rep
📋 A List Leads to Love
🥵 Open Door

Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Talia Hibbert

Book 2 in a series

Dani and Zaf agree to fake date after they go viral from a fire drill mishap at the university they work at.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💍 Fake Dating
🥵 Open Door

Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Talia Hibbert

Eve hits Jacob with her car–oops! And ends up taking a job at his in as a cook. He hates her guts, but she's charming, and they inevitably grow closer together.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💖 Neurodivergent Rep
🥵 Open Door

Act Your Age, Eve Brown, Talia Hibbert

A gut-wrenching second chance novel about Yasmin and Josiah, who find their way back to one another after a tragedy separates them.

❤️ BIPOC romance
🥵 Open Door

Before I Let Go, Kennedy Ryan

Two strangers become roommates after Isabel saves Mira from an abusive ex-boyfriend outside a club. Recommended for those who like their romances a bit more dense with external issues and characters who work hard at growing.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
🌈 Queer Romance
🏳️‍⚧️ Trans Rep
🥵 Open Door

Make Room for Love, Darcy Liao

Naya has a one night stand with Jake that turns into something more 👀

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🥵 Open Door

How to Fail at Flirting, Denise Williams

Britta writes a review for a fitness app that gets the attention of its CEO, Wes.

❤️ BIPOC FMC
🥵 Open Door

The Fastest Way to Fall, Denise Williams

Book 2 in a huge series! But can be read as a standalone.

Valentina is a rockstar Executive Assistant–too bad her boss Luca doesn't seem to notice. After being overlooked for a huge promotion, Valentina decides to resign from the company that doesn't appreciate her work, but instead of letting her go, Luca ...

❤️ BIPOC FMC
💻 Workplace Setting
💰 Billionaire Romance
💍 Marriage of Convenience
🥵 Open Door

The Temporary Wife, Catharina Maura

A sweet novel about two characters who decide to start again later in life.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
💖 Chronic Illness Rep
🥵 Open Door

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up, Charish Reid

An alternative 2024 Summer Olympics through the eyes of a group of young, attractive people. Ezekiel, a runner for Team GB, collides into Olivia, a volunteer, and they can't seem to shake their attraction to one another.

❤️ BIPOC Romance
⚽️ Sports Romance(ish)
🚪 Closed Door

Let the Games Begin, Rufaro Faith Mazarura

Laniah runs a natural hair store with her mom, but they have to close up shop due to poor sales. After not allowing her childhood best friend Isaac–a famous influencer and model–help them financially, he decides to take matter into his own hands and ...

❤️ BIPOC Romance
📸 Celebrity Romance
💍 Fake Dating
💖 Chronic Illness Rep
🥵 Open Door

A Love Like the Sun, Riss M. Neilson

Two MFA students who hate each others GUTS are given an ultimatum by their professor after one too many class disruptions: either cowrite a novel for their final project, or drop out.

❤️BIPOC FMC
💻Writers
🔥Rivals to Lovers
🥵Open Door

Not in My Book

A reimagining of the myth of Hades and Persephone. Hades is the leader of the district known as the Underworld, and is the CEO of a large casino and hotel, where in the theatre a new show has opened starring Persephone, a magnificent aerial performer...

❤️BIPOC Romance
🏺Myth retelling
🏳️‍⚧️Trans Rep
🥵Open Door 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Drag Me Up: A Gods of Hunger Novel