A broken girl will blossom into a woman warrior.

Dia Fontaine has hit rock bottom and needs a change.

Driven from home by her toxic mother, she encounters a social club of Black women who assist in her healing and transformation.

The social club is a secret society rooted in the history of the Dahomeyan Amazons.

During her training process, Dia finds rivalry in ShaRae, a fellow trainee, and a new mother figure in Ms. Manners, the Senior Instructor who embodies the spirit of the organization.

Hard Pressed is a contemporary, emotion-driven story about mothers, daughters, and women warriors.

","format",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},"publisher","Cassonade Press","page_count","duration","published_date","February 3, 2025","pub_date","February 3","isbn","8218607661","asin","B0DW2L1ZHP","hex_code","#020201","language","English","purchase_links",[],"playlist_links",[],"cover","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/6283i/4087fd2f-d555-4c29-aadf-c101be79ea4e/1788519872.jpg","thumb","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F6283i%2F4087fd2f-d555-4c29-aadf-c101be79ea4e%2F1788519872.jpg","user_review","type","digital","audio",{"_150":214,"_33":128,"_180":215,"_216":217,"_218":219,"_220":110,"_221":222,"_223":47},"22e406d0-77d3-4f09-9ecd-8d75257fb288","1031-ms-chantal-latreviette","biography","

Ms. Chantal's love for all things artistic fuels her main passion: to unleash her multifaceted creativity. Her work, fiction and nonfiction, showcases and celebrates the inherent strength and power of the Black American woman.

","image","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/pa8nvvejqzvgdh5w2wi3zv12qw4l","books_count","roles",[224],"in_catalog","author","32480376-e828-4ab0-abaf-2679af46392a",58,"4.6",254,[],[250],"Lucid Dreams","09fb9479-4f83-476f-be9e-32a9d686e8f4",2023,"Mar 2023","2023-03-02",23,17,"58-lucid-dreams","After a horrific incident, Nite and his twin Dai are left to fend for themselves. Living recklessly in the fast lane, the twins flirt with danger not caring about the aftermath of their actions. Partying, popping pills, and getting money are just a few ways they cope with their untreated childhood trauma. Without the guidance of strong male figure and the love of a nurturing mother, they can come off as rude and callous.

For Hunter, life has never been easy. From birth, she was dealt a hand deemed unfair. With an alcoholic father and deadbeat baby daddy, Hunter is suffocating and no one seems to care. After literally being knocked off her feet by Nite, Hunter is immediately turned off by his rude demeanor, but she can’t seem to shake him.

The lines between reality and dreams are blurred when the past and future collide. Loyalty is tested, greed is at an all-time high and several lives are left hanging in the balance. Nite and Dai learn that no matter how hard they try, they can never outrun their past.
",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},383,"March 2, 2023","March 2","B0BXCHSX41","#06072b",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/58i/09fb9479-4f83-476f-be9e-32a9d686e8f4.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F58i%2F09fb9479-4f83-476f-be9e-32a9d686e8f4.jpg",{"_150":251,"_33":131,"_180":252,"_216":-5,"_218":-5,"_220":253,"_221":254,"_223":47},"8c8214c7-317a-4145-b4c5-006bac19a86e","11-ladii-nesha",21,[224],"78b33500-ddc0-49bb-97b9-16effb48f8ec",381,"4.42",114,[],[284],"A Staten Island Love Letter: The Forgotten Borough (Davis Family, #1)","0014ce07-ce59-4aec-bdc3-410bd04ece0e",{"_21":281,"_150":282,"_283":42},2019,"Feb 2019","2019-02-01",4,"383-a-staten-island-love-letter","Imagine at nineteen loving a man so deep that you would risk your entire life for him? Loving him so hard that despite his small pockets, you love him for love . Freedom McGurrry loved Ghost like no other. Even though she was nineteen and he was a bit older, broke and trying to trap, she loved him. One night in 2009 causes her to rethink things and she disappears off the face of the earth. She leaves Ghost wondering what ever happened to his love? Liberty, Freedom’s twin loved her man Pook. After he caught a drug case, she loved him so much that she would have held him down to the end of time. That is until she sees another woman pregnant with his baby and wearing the same exact ring he had gifted to her. Leaving the courtroom, pregnant and confused, she has no clue what to do. Priest has been raised by his older sister, who is drying from lung disease. She’s all he has known. When she passes, she leaves behind three daughters, who Priest must raise. A college student himself, how is he supposed to put money on the table for three little girls? Putting down his books, he goes to see Ghost to provide for his family. On the back of the bus in 2009, he comes across Justice McGurry, Freedom and Liberty’s younger sister. A quick smile and a few words are exchange before they both exit the bus and go their own ways. Ten years later, Ghost is the head nigga in charge in Staten Island. All the hard work and broke days sculpted him into the trap king that he is today. With his baby brother, Staten, and Priest by his side, nothing moves in Staten Island unless they know about it. Find out how ten years changed all these people’s lives and how life forces them to come back together.",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},"Urban Chapters Publications",264,"February 1, 2019","February 1","B07NC6HTLH","#4c4638",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/381i/0014ce07-ce59-4aec-bdc3-410bd04ece0e.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F381i%2F0014ce07-ce59-4aec-bdc3-410bd04ece0e.jpg","Vanducci- Cromwell Family","c309962a-2936-46ea-8d03-9558bc6d6542","order",{"_150":285,"_33":132,"_180":286,"_216":287,"_218":-5,"_220":288,"_221":289,"_223":47},"4c6f0f3e-21e0-45d1-b5aa-c5138b8dd7d5","44-jahquel-j","Jahquel J. is a USA Today bestselling author and #1 Amazon bestselling author. She is known for delivering unforgettable stories filled with passion, grit, loyalty, and undeniable chemistry. With a unique voice and a talent for creating emotionally charged characters, she has captivated readers across the romance and urban fiction genres. Her books blend raw emotion, intense relationships, and compelling storytelling that keep readers turning pages long into the night. Jahquel J. continues to build a loyal fanbase with every release, solidifying her place as one of today's most exciting contemporary authors.",160,[224],"e2efbf13-9f81-4977-830c-a348a3a1bc0f",306,"4.62",220,[],[316],"Love Letters from a Gangsta","cdb28c08-f473-44a1-a2a5-428a210f2b03",{"_21":314,"_150":315,"_283":109},"Dec 2023","2023-12-02",14,"308-love-letters-from-a-gangsta","Scotland Craig had an easy and somewhat privileged life, until she traded it all in for the love of a thug. The sheltered beauty had no idea what she signed up for, finding herself trapped in a loveless and abusive relationship years later, and with no one to turn to. Isolated from family and friends because of the one man she thought would be her happy ever after, Scotland is depressed, broke, and a shell of the woman she used to be. But when her man does the unthinkable, it is the last straw, causing Scotland to make a huge gamble in the name of revenge. But when that retaliation follows her home, adding yet another problem to her already hefty plate, Scotland must figure a way out of the hell she now calls life. And when a sexy gangsta enters her world, reaching a hand out to save her, she is tempted to take it, not realizing he's close to everything she feels is ruining her life.

Lequay Compton, the laid back, handsome and charming gangsta has only ever had love for the almighty dollar. With multiple successful businesses and an impenetrable drug empire, money literally ain’t a thing. Women have always been an afterthought and something to enjoy when he has the time, so long as it doesn’t interfere with his cash. This is much to the chagrin of his close homegirl, waiting in the shadows for their friends to lovers story to commence. However, when Lequay has two chance encounters with the same woman, unknowingly, he finds himself drawn to her or them, no matter how many curve balls are thrown his way; the biggest one being his lack of freedom. Always determined and never one to quit, Lequay is steadfast in his attempts to make a seemingly unattainable woman attainable.

But when he and Scotland finally figure out just who they are to one another, things take a turn for the better and the worse... for some.

In this story filled with secrets, twists, and good black love, you will witness the undeniable bond between two people who fated to be together. And how nothing or no one, not even themselves, can keep them apart.

\n *This book is a standalone, however it is connected to \"The Marriage Favor\" & \"Wait For U\"*\n",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},481,"December 2, 2023","December 2","B0CPDHJ8LL","#087878",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/306i/cdb28c08-f473-44a1-a2a5-428a210f2b03.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F306i%2Fcdb28c08-f473-44a1-a2a5-428a210f2b03.jpg","Crenshaw Kings","57546cd8-e7cc-4db9-8c7e-b1bfe06a46e8",{"_150":317,"_33":129,"_180":318,"_216":319,"_218":320,"_220":321,"_221":322,"_223":47},"a9d651fd-cd4d-43a8-af74-ff903e48ba00","41-shvonne-latrice","

","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/lr8j5oeup10jspgasejewex26vnd",83,[224],"eae008b0-a744-4c1b-ba33-6b9eb7a42cf3",155,"4.49",245,[],[349],"Smoke","b657b51d-7599-4af9-ab51-47f610a3b51a",{"_21":347,"_150":348,"_283":109},"Apr 2025","2025-04-15",15,"155-smoke","Devin \"Smoke\" Dillinger lives by a simple code—protect what's his at all costs. As the third oldest Dillinger and owner of a successful weapons distribution business, Smoke has a reputation that precedes him. He's a man of few attachments who prides himself on control, discipline, and keeping people at arm's length... until an unexpected visitor walks through his door.

Romi Mitchell is fighting battles on all sides. Seven months pregnant with her second child, she's desperately seeking protection from threats she can no longer handle alone. With nowhere else to turn, she steps into Smoke's world hoping for safety but unprepared for the man she finds behind the intimidating reputation.

When circumstances force them together, what begins as a reluctant alliance transforms into something neither expected. As violence threatens Romi's world, Smoke discovers a protective instinct that surprises even himself. Through bullets, betrayal, and heartbreak, they forge an unbreakable bond that defies their separate worlds. But in a city where power and corruption run deep, their newfound love may come at the ultimate price.",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},368,"April 15, 2025","April 15","B0F51VLXJZ","#5f637c",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/155i/b657b51d-7599-4af9-ab51-47f610a3b51a.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F155i%2Fb657b51d-7599-4af9-ab51-47f610a3b51a.jpg","The Dillinger Chronicles","cb9eb57f-1bcd-4e94-9230-647b97589d1c",{"_150":350,"_33":130,"_180":351,"_216":352,"_218":353,"_220":354,"_221":355,"_223":47},"d6f6c3a4-50c6-48ac-a95f-b5a2f43ef860","22-kimberly-brown","

Kimberly Brown, a proud South Carolina native, brings you contemporary/urban romance, women’s fiction, and erotica that feels real and relatable. She’s been writing since her high school days, with the support of her friends, and turned to self-publishing in 2019. Her big break came in August 2021 with the release of “Pretty Caged Bird.”

\n
\n

With a Psychology degree from South Carolina State University, Kimberly weaves mental health themes into her stories, shedding light on issues often overlooked in the African American community. Her goal? To create stories you can see and feel as you read, offering both a getaway and a reflection of life's ups and downs.

","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/cje6kqz9rgzt34t14kdybz46vpdq",55,[224],"269749d5-3787-4f65-aa26-66b088411244",10897,"5.0",[],[381],"After the Roses","728c027c-b9de-4d4d-ac9f-18d63aa02369",{"_21":379,"_150":380,"_283":110},2026,"Sep 2026","2026-09-24","11605-after-the-roses","

Her husband, Eugene, is still sitting in Rikers fighting a murder charge. Her daughter, Brielle, still believes in pinky promises and hopes her daddy comes home. And the most dangerous man to walk into Eugene and his best friend’s restaurant has come back. With red roses. Zai doesn’t chase. Doesn’t beg. He doesn’t even ask for permission. He simply shows up. In her phone. In their conversations. In her head when she’s trying to sleep. And he waits for Audrey to eventually come to him. Audrey Marcus has been yearning for something she doesn’t want to admit. Still, she tells herself that speaking to Zai is about finding answers. About Eugene’s case. About Camille—the dead woman her husband has been accused of murdering. About uncovering enough truth to finally bring Eugene home. But somewhere between conversations, the line between Audrey and Zai stops being a line. A conversation leads to a touch. A touch leads to a taste. And that taste becomes something she can’t take back. Suddenly, Zai is no longer a temptation she can ignore. The closer he gets, the more present he becomes in her life and the harder it is to ignore the possessiveness growing beneath his attention. Audrey realizes Zai is a man whose presence feels like heaven and hell at the same time. And while Eugene’s future remains uncertain, the truth isn't the only thing that unravels. So is Audrey. Because getting her old life back may be the hardest thing she has ever done. She knows one thing for sure: Zai has no intention of disappearing. The roses may be gone. But the consequences aren’t. Welcome to After the Roses, Book Two of The Time Can’t Erase Saga. Start with Time Can’t Erase, Book One, if you want the full descent.

",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},"September 19, 2026","September 24","9798952518018","B0HJNHFNX1","#21160e",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/10897i/728c027c-b9de-4d4d-ac9f-18d63aa02369/1789791371.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F10897i%2F728c027c-b9de-4d4d-ac9f-18d63aa02369%2F1789791371.jpg","The Time Can't Erase Saga","cd63c905-cde2-44fc-b91d-134020b597f9",{"_150":382,"_33":134,"_180":383,"_216":384,"_218":385,"_220":115,"_221":386,"_223":47},"07e8d7be-5fff-4630-a5b6-2ae4f8d47c34","2012-g-l-jaye","

G. L. Jaye is my pen name, but storytelling has been a part of me since I was sixteen years old. As a first-generation Caribbean American, I’ve always been drawn to the beautiful complexity of people and the ways our experiences and circumstances contribute to who we are and who we become. My stories live in the messy, emotional gray areas of life where tough lessons are learned, relationships are complicated, and we are faced with difficult choices that can change everything.

I say this because life, for me, has always been messy, morally gray and things never go the way it supposed to go.

My writing blends the rawness of urban and contemporary fiction laced with street-lit, dark psychological thrills, and heavy doses of drama. And you could add complicated relationships, spirituality, and dark romantic suspense into the mix.

I love writing about flawed characters, painful histories, experiences, situations and dangerous love.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with family, prioritizing self-care, and getting lost in music, which has always been food for my soul. If my journey proves anything, it’s that it’s never too late to follow your passion.

I’m living proof of that.

https://www.amazon.com/author/gljaye

","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/n7q5wvgaw9bou9q2r5zi29lozpo8",[224],"aa68069e-81b0-46f8-8316-ded3e9289dab",10900,"4.25",[],[408],"Forbidden Hold","0485c2b4-9aca-4093-bbc0-ec069ba247c6",{"_21":379,"_150":380,"_283":109},"Oct 2026","2026-10-07","11608-forbidden-hold","

Audrey Marcus knows she should walk away. From his desire. From the danger. From Zai. But the harder she pulls away, the tighter his hold becomes. What started as temptation has turned into something neither of them can control. Zai has fallen for a woman he was never supposed to want, and loving Audrey only makes him more dangerous. Possessive. Unpredictable. Unwilling to lose her. Audrey may have feelings she refuses to name, but she still has a husband, a daughter, and a life waiting for her beyond Zai's world. And as the truth about the case begins to surface, Audrey realizes the man holding on to her may also be the man dragging her deeper into a war she never knew existed. She wants space now. Zai wants her. And some men don't know how to let go.

",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},"October 7, 2026","October 7","B0HJNPX7ND","#271b11",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/10900i/0485c2b4-9aca-4093-bbc0-ec069ba247c6/1789791699.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F10900i%2F0485c2b4-9aca-4093-bbc0-ec069ba247c6%2F1789791699.jpg",{"_150":382,"_33":134,"_180":383,"_216":384,"_218":385,"_220":115,"_221":409,"_223":47},[224],"0000b66c-6f7d-4c20-b38c-04a1fcd020e2",11675,"4.9",26,[],[431],"4 Corinthians","d31ff56c-0101-496f-9807-b38261fcb1e5","2026-09-26",9,"12398-4-corinthians","

To understand their love, you have to start from the beginning...only then will you be able to hear the whispers from two hearts that were always destined to be one.

",{"_150":109,"_33":70,"_210":211,"_212":64},"September 26, 2026","September 26","B0H7XR7BGL","#182838",[],[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/11675i/d31ff56c-0101-496f-9807-b38261fcb1e5/1790464112.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F11675i%2Fd31ff56c-0101-496f-9807-b38261fcb1e5%2F1790464112.jpg",{"_150":432,"_33":133,"_180":433,"_216":-5,"_218":-5,"_220":434,"_221":435,"_223":47},"115a4807-d446-40b2-8329-4f62e4d38b7d","72-aubry-j",22,[224],"Emotional Abuse","category","content_warning","emotional-abuse","/content_warnings/emotional-abuse","selectable","sensitive","position","parent","isLoggedIn",["P",446],"result",{"_21":455,"_23":456,"_19":457,"_458":459,"_25":460,"_461":462,"_27":463},"user","themePreference","light","storedTheme","gaId","G-Z1HVZ17GZ3","Blackauthored","%s","Find your next Black authored read and connect with readers with the similar taste.","handle","@blackauthored","https://blackauthored.com","robots",{"_474":64,"_475":64},{"_29":30,"_31":464,"_33":455,"_465":466,"_467":468,"_25":460},"Organization","logo","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/images/og-image.png","sameAs",[469,470,471,472,473],"https://twitter.com/blackauthored","https://facebook.com/blackauthored","https://instagram.com/blackauthored","https://youtube.com/blackauthored","https://tiktok.com/@blackauthored","noIndex","noFollow"]