Ep #115 – LUST & FOUND

“HOLIDAY NOVELLAS: SHORT & SWEET”

This week Danielle hosts the podcast with guest Sarah and we’re discussing short and sweet holiday novellas in Black Romance

EP 115 HOST

> DANIELLE (she/her) is the voice behind LoveReadListen.com where she writes about her adventures in reading romance, YA, and audiobooks. Danielle has a passion for promoting Black Romance and can’t wait to share her favorites with you. When she’s not reading, Danielle enjoys anime, cartoons, and hip-hop. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @DanieReads

EP 115 GUEST

> SARAH JOHNSON (she/her) is a life-long reader with a passion for historical fiction and non-fiction. After having her first child, Sarah turned her attention to historical romance and is half-way to completing her collection of first edition Beverly Jenkins historicals. Sarah is the producer of RomBkPod, and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @LustFoundReads

EP 115 DISCUSSION

> Title: Noelle the First (Holliday Sisters #1)
Author: Nicole Falls
Relation to theme: Holiday, Childhood besties reconnect
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: past parental death, evil/unfaithful ex
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37616923-noelle-the-first

> Danielle references the Christina Milian Christmas movie Christmas Cupid (2010) which was produced for FreeForm (formerly ABC Family)
Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1699746/

> Title: Santa Baby
Author: Te Russ
Relation to theme: Holiday, Second chance
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: none
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37542643-santa-baby

> Title: Merry Christmas, Baby
Author: Alexandria House
Relation to theme: Holiday, Second chance
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: depression, strained relationship
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37473467-merry-christmas-baby

> Danielle refers to Alexandria House’s Audible Original Teach Me which was released in October 2019 narrated by Jakobi Diem & Adenrele Ojo
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48633931-teach-me

>> Adenrele Ojo has actually won two Audie Awards for narration including in 2018 for History/Biography for Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case, and again in 2019 for Short Stories/Collections for Heads of the Colored People: Stories

> Most, if not all, of Alexandria House’s shorts are available on Kindle Unlimited including her new holiday short, All I Want, which we haven’t read yet, but is also a second chance romance
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49200614-all-i-want

> Title: Unexpected
Author: D.L. White
Relation to theme: Holiday, Second chance with a twist
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: fat shaming, alcoholic side character, divorce, evil/unfaithful ex, past parental death
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48727575-unexpected

> Danielle refers to three holiday romance novella collections including:

>> Wrapped in Red (2015) from Kimani Romance featuring second chance stories from both Nana Malone & Sherelle Green
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24944856-wrapped-in-red

>> A Very Merry Temptation (2013) from Kimani Romance featuring the story “Second-Chance Christmas” by Farrah Rochon
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17622954-a-very-merry-temptation

>> The Perfect Present (2017) from Dafina featuring the story “The Christmas Lesson” by Cheris Hodges
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33828244-the-perfect-present

> Sarah refers to several indie black romance authors having holiday novellas on Kindle Unlimited including, but not limited to, Nicole Falls, Christina C. Jones, Alexandria House, and Phyllis Bourne

> Sarah refers to Beverly Jenkins republishing several of her Kimani Romance contemporary romance shorts, many of which include missed connections or second chance romance, including:

>> This Christmas Rivalry (formerly Overtime Love) originally published 2012
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48073823-this-christmas-rivalry

>> I’ll Be Home For Christmas originally published in 2011
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46641259-i-ll-be-home-for-christmas

>> One Masked Night (formerly Holiday Heat) originally published in 2010
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46155839-one-masked-night

>>> Beverly Jenkins has also republished her only historical holiday short, Homecoming, which is also a second chance romance, originally published by St. Martin’s Press in 2002
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28147030-homecoming

> Do you have #BlackRomance holiday novella recommendations for Danielle? Tag us @RomBkPod on Twitter or Instagram and send them our way!

Happy Reading!

EP 115 MUSIC CREDIT
Music: “Lift Off” by Jahzzar
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY-SA 3.0