Welcome to Double Booked BHM 2026: Black Romance Matters Because Black Love Matters
Double Booked kicks off Black History Month with why Black romance matters—love, joy, rest, and stories only we can tell.
Double Booked is a collaboration between two Black romance reviewers, myself and Christine to read and review books by and about BIPOC characters. We’re prioritizing our ARC TBRs to share our perspectives of every swoony line, every lust-fueled plot, and the scenes that literally stop you in your tracks.
Hi Librarygoer!
As I’m writing this, the world is on fire. And there’s not a fire engine powerful enough to save us.
Now I’m absolutely not here to say that Black romance is going to fix democracy but it can be a soft and powerful place to wait out the storm. That is when we’re not doomscrolling, doing the things that will actually save us.
I think there’s a natural state of being Black in America that invites conflict. That natural state of conflict is present in Black romance in a way that books featuring cishet, neurotypical, white characters often aren’t. The characters in Black romance are born of a fictional world that mirrors our own. A world that simultaneously thinks we’re too much and not enough. That we belong in the margins of society instead of front and center.
But yet, we have joy.
And that is why Black stories, told by Black people will always be important.
Happy Black History Month everyone.
When Christine and I started brainstorming how to make Double Booked a meaningful part of our 2026 alongside all of our everything, we knew we had to be intentional. I mean, she’s publishing her debut book this year with Orbit and I’m gearing up for my Smoochpit Agent Showcase where I’ll pitch my second chance, small town banking heiress plus bartender turned restauranteur and single dad.
Our way of making this collaboration meaningful? Leaving our mark on the month that celebrates us when everything outside wants us to break. Black romance isn’t just important—it’s essential and it’s ours. It’s the warm hug we don’t know we need until we turn the page. It’s a way we love ourselves when it’s easier not to.
Black Romance Is Important Because There is Something for Everyone
Black people are not a monolith, and neither are our love stories. Whether you’re in the mood for a contemporary slow burn that feels like the joy of an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, a romantasy where the fae king has a grill and audacity, or a witchy story where the Black girl gets to be the chosen one AND get the a love bigger than anything she’s ever felt before.
And the indie scene? We have Black romance indie authors with fanbases captivated on their every syllable. These authors are out here creating worlds we never knew we needed, publishing on their own terms, building communities, and still managing to deliver books that make us ugly cry in public.
Black authors thrive in the publishing space that trad publishing ignored. These authors don’t succeed despite trad publishing, they build their own high rises to take space alongside the Big 5.
Yes, sometimes that looks like indie author Natasha Bishop getting a trad deal but other times that looks like J.L. Seegars getting two trad deals AND an adaptation in the same year. Or Tanvier Peart announcing new audio deals and a feature at the revived BookCon.
And then there’s the queen herself, Kennedy Ryan. Barriers see her fall. She tells stories that make us feel brave and strong and soft and she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves. I love seeing her full table displays in Barnes & Noble, with the publishing houses that represent her on the spine. But she gained her readership as an indie author.
Speaking of recognition—let’s talk about the New York Times bestsellers, indie booksellers’ picks, and USA Today bestseller lists!
We don’t need other people to tell us we’re amazing but when they start to notice? We’re going to bring a megaphone to the library. With pride and zero shame. Something’s that have happened just in the last year that made us cheer:
When Jahquel J. hit number one in the entire Amazon ebook store.
Or when Black Romance Book Fest sold out in twenty minutes flat.
And when Taj McCoy’s work made its movie debut on the CW? We were there with our popcorn and our group chats, cheering like she was family. Because in so many ways, she is.
And so are they all. When a Black author wins, we all wins. Not just Black people, but everyone who gets to enjoy their craft.
Black Romance Is Important Because It Allows Us to Tell Our Own Stories
Heavy on us and our own.
Sure, a non-Black author can write Black characters without being problematic (rumor has it, anyway). They can mention silk bonnets and cocoa butter, maybe even mention the metaphorical cookout. But do they really get it? Do they understand the spirit of our love for one another? Do they know the cultural touchstones that make us who we are?
Like, do they know how Tommy doesn’t have a job? Can they explain why there’s an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that still makes folks cry after so much as running into a clip of the scene? Do they understand how one learns to play spades? Can they finish the phrase “God is good...” without hesitation?
Some words just feel Black and when a story is wrapped in that same feeling of home, your joy feels unstoppable.
We need Black authors writing Black romance. Because nobody can tell our love stories the way we can.
But now that I have you here …
If a Black person is writing about a Black woman and a werewolf demon, it’s a Black story. That Black story might be a paranormal story featuring a vampire MC, or a small town story featuring a Black woman and a South Asian love interest, or a Black man and his long-time crush who happens to be a white man. These are all stories that represent the life of a Black person experiencing love.
But Black love? That’s black on black on black. A Black author writing a story about two (or more) also Black love interests, this is a story about Black love.
Black Romance is Important Because Rest is Resistance.
In a world that constantly demands our labor, our explanations, our emotional energy, and our pain, choosing to spend time with a Black romance novel is an act of resistance. It’s about choosing joy whether it shows up as your high school nemesis turned temporary coworker, or the hitman hired to kill you, or the hot neighbor helping you get through your ‘get a life’ list.
These books remind us that we deserve soft landings and happy endings too.
So yes, Black romance is important. It’s necessary. And it’s ours—written by us, for us, about us.
We invite everyone (who loves love and thinks we deserve to have it) in.
So come on in.
Respect our craft.
Fall for our love interests.
Find yourself within these pages.
And love our stories.
Read Black with Double Booked This Month, This Year (And Always)
Last week we shared our Black Romance challenge for 2026, and we hope you’ll use that list to fill your 2026 TBR!
But if you’re looking for a little more flexible way to read Black romance this month, join us for bingo! Our bingo offers 25 opportunities for you to pick Romance books by tropes, microtropes, or any of the things that would draw you to a book.
We hope you’ll find the perfect book about “a secret mission”, “forbidden romance in the office”, or “Indie book gone trad”. Feel free to ask us for recs—our Substack backlists have plenty of options—but we’ll also share some of our faves with you every week!
Happy Black History Month & Happy Reading!
Aleia & Christine
What are you most looking forward to reading this month?