Books like 'Gonna Lay Down My Burdens'
Readers who enjoyed Gonna Lay Down My Burdens by Mary Monroe also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary psychological historical-fiction drama urban black-mc female-mc poc-mc
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Healed: Stone and Pepper by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's Cliffside Bay and beyond in this heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romantic adventure from USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson. Stone Hickman is the last of a dying breed. The former Marine believes in integrity, service to his country, a hard day's work, and taking care of his loved ones... -
Saturday by Oge Mora
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this warm and tender story by the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Thank You, Omu!, join a mother and daughter on an up-and-down journey that reminds them of what's best about Saturdays: precious time together. Today would be special. Today would be splendid. It was Saturday! But sometimes, the best plans don't work out exactly the way you expect... -
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA sensitive and reassuring story about what to do when a worry won't leave you alone. Meet Ruby—a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger... And a little bigger... Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about... -
For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsIn celebration of its highly anticipated Broadway revival, Ntozake Shange’s classic, award-winning play centering the wide-ranging experiences of Black women, now with introductions by two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward and Broadway director Camille A. Brown... -
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Another Country by James Baldwin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American ReadSet in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and France, among other locales, Another Country is a novel of passions--sexual, racial, political, artistic--that is stunning for its emotional intensity and haunting sensuality, depicting men and women, blacks and whites, stripped of their masks of gender and race by love and... -
Joy by Victoria Christopher Murray
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsVictoria Christopher Murray's bestselling novel shares the story of a successful black Christian woman who must decide how far she is willing to go to have a future with the man she loves.Anya Mitchell feels greatly blessed. The owner of a successful Los Angeles financial services company, she is also prosperous in love, thanks to handsome writer Braxton Vance... -
Word of Honor by Tiana Laveen
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWARNING: This book is adult in nature. It is for mature audiences only. PLEASE NOTE: This is the SECOND book of a two-book series. The first book, "The 'N' Word" has been released at the exact same time, and is also available NOW. It is strongly encouraged that you read that one first. Thank you. Blurb: They say there are two sides to a story... -
The Surrogate's Gift by L.G. Davis
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHer one good deed is about to turn into her worst nightmare.Becoming a surrogate for Marcia and Travis Thorpe is Grace’s chance to overcome her inner demons.Nothing can go wrong. Her life depends on it.Determined to focus on the pregnancy, she drops everything and accepts the Thorpes’ offer to move in with them until the baby is born. A simple decision. One big mistake... -
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe's back.Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She's a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be—a college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. Nothing about her is real... -
To Live by C.G. Cooper
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsElmore Thadeus Nix, it's retirement time. You're sixty-five and ready. Take that final physical and then it's adios to your old life and hello to the new. Not so fast. Sorry, Elmore. Your plan's about to change. It's Elmore's last day of work. As part of his retirement, he heads to the family doctor for the follow-up to a routine physical. That's when the universe shifts on its axis. Cancer... -
Arrangement in Black and White by Fred Misurella
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe's white; he's black. But their conflicts are more than racial. Margy's from Iowa, an artist, the product of an abusive mother and neglectful father. Everet's from Connecticut, a civil rights lawyer on the rise toward greater recognition, and their lives take a tense turn when he decides to run for political office just as Margy moves forward in her own career... -
Black Light: Saved by Raisa Greywood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJafari’s little rabbit might try to run, but he’s going to catch her. No matter what.Kacy's past is dark and twisted, and it's coming back to haunt her. But she's not alone this time.Dominant and possessive, Jafari isn't going to let his favorite masochist run away again. He'll keep her tied up and begging for him while he slays her dragons, even if she insists she's no damsel in distress... -
Secret Obsession by D.M. Mortier
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsColonel Colton James Ragnarson III should have known better. He wanted nothing more than to enjoy his retirement after his intensely active combat years in the US Army, take care of his family, and find the mystery woman who had made him personalized weapons... -
A filha primitiva by Vanessa Passos
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVencedor do Prêmio Kindle de Literatura (2021) e Prêmio Jacarandá (2022)Uma história de amor e ódio, violência e redenção. Ambientada em Fortaleza, A filha primitiva traz luz e sombra para uma geração de avó, mãe e filha – unidas pela dor e pelo abandono, separadas pela fé, pelo ceticismo e pelos segredos que guardam. Uma avó negra que esconde quem é o pai da filha... -
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Better Than I Know Myself: A Novel by Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingshen Carmen, Jewell, and Regina cross paths in the 80's as Columbia University freshman, they planned to keep on walking. Jewell, a Hollywood child star looking for her role in life, Regina, who's ready to ditch her upper middle class upbringing, and Carmen, who fought her way out of the inner city, have little in common... -
The London Flat: Second Chances by Juliet Gauvin
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWHAT READERS ARE SAYING: “YES! A spectacular sequel to The Irish Cottage…even better than the first book.” Elizabeth Lara has just finished her tour of Ireland. She’s moved on to London, but the dashing Connor Bannon isn’t far from her thoughts as she searches for Mags’ lost love...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction adult billionaire book contemporary fiction literary-fiction -
Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings'I'm a Carole Matthews addict!' Mary BerryA heart-warming and poignant novel of romance, family and second chances, Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses is Sunday Times bestselling Carole Matthews at her outstanding best. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson... -
The Secret Child by Kerry Fisher
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJust for a moment, I was young and invincible again, back before I made the decision that changed the rest of my life… Susie did something that she knows she will always regret: giving her baby son up for adoption, to keep her infidelity secret from her family... -
Tell Me Your Secret by Dorothy Koomson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe gripping new emotional thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls, My Best Friend's Girl and The Brighton Mermaid. Pieta has a secretTen years ago, Pieta survived a weekend with a sadistic serial killer. She never told anyone what happened and instead moved on with her life... -
Genevieve by Eric Jerome Dickey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGenevieve is brilliant and beautiful. Her husband has a thriving career. Together, they have a beautiful home in Los Angeles. Together, they're crazy in love. Then one day a family tragedy brings Genevieve back to her Alabama hometown, back to a past she hoped her husband would never discover, and back to secrets shared by her sister Kenya-mysterious, teasing, and dangerously irresistible... -
Christina by Leanne Davis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy entire life I’ve lived with shadows lurking behind what otherwise appears like the perfect family. My mother often disappears into her bedroom for days at a time because her life becomes too much to deal with. I never understood it. I know there are family secrets. I hear the whispers and innuendos. But no one wants me to know the truth. The thing is: I’m not a little girl anymore... -
The Baby by A.J. McDine
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThere’s a baby in your house. It isn’t yours…The day I was told I’d never be able to have a child, my world came crashing down. My husband says he still loves me but I lie awake at night, wishing we could have a family.One morning, my husband’s side of the bed is cold and empty. I hear a noise and head downstairs. In the middle of the rug in my living room is a wooden drawer...Categorized as:
drama female-mc psychological fiction audiobook domestic-drama contemporary thriller -
His Uptown Girl by Liz Talley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLife doesn't follow rules... Jazz pianist Dez Batiste knows this all too well. It's taken him years to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina swept away what mattered most. His musician's soul is still lost in the wreckage, but he's after a brand-new future by opening an Uptown jazz club. Too bad the distractingly sexy Eleanor Theriot is getting in his way... -
Flames and Flowers by Jaine Diamond
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFlames and FlowersFlames and Flowers is a friend-to-lovers/ forbidden love/ MMF romance novella, featuring Matt Brohmer, Ash Player and Daniela Vola.It is meant to be read at the end of the player series, after Lovely Madness (Players #4)... -
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Don't You Forget About Me by Naima Simone
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhoever said be careful what you wish for had a serious gift for understatement.As one of the world's hugest musicians I'd seen and had it all. Sold out tours. Awards. Fame. Money. Women... And I'd almost lost it all. Epically.Now I'm back home. A broken, burned out, desperate rock star...and a single father. I returned to give my son a family, stability. To figure out my life... -
Requiem for Love by K. Alex Walker
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll Joel has to do is one simple thing.Make sure he never dies. Joel Lattimore has tried to avoid Ayesha Savea.Keep her at arm's length.Deny fate.Shield his heart.He's raw from his divorce.She's a single mother of two boys who's devoted her life to them after the devastating loss of their father... -
In Sheep's Clothing by Mary Monroe
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA restless young woman thinks she’s found a free ride to happiness and adventure. But it’s a trip that may land her in prison—or worse. . . When Trudy Bell lands a job at a travel agency, she feels like a new woman. And her friendly personality soon wins her the adoration of her colleagues—with one exception... -
Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the Bestselling Author of Spare Change, comes a powerful story that is a heart-wrenching reminder of how fragile relationships can be. Cracks in the Sidewalk is based on a true story. Claire McDermott is a Wife, a Mother, a Grandmother... Her only daughter is gravely ill...Her son-in-law is resentful and angry...Her grandchildren are missing..Categorized as:
drama female-mc historical-fiction book children children-books christian contemporary -
The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA gripping, openhearted novel about family, reconciliation, and bringing closure to the secrets of the past.Early into the tempestuous decade of her thirties, Rae Langdon struggles to work through a grief she never anticipated. With her father, Connor, she tends to their Ohio farm, a forty-acre spread that itself has enjoyed better days... -
The Vegas Accident: An Age Gap Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Forbidden Temptations) by Sofia T Summers
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s hard to keep an accidental marriage a secret when you end up pregnant.Yes, we were stupid in Vegas.But the stupidity didn’t just end there.It continued after the trip was over and Luke became my temporary roommate.Luke… as in my brother’s best friend.As in my new husband.My accidental husband.Did I say baby daddy yet?Luke is way older than me.Basically, he’s everything he shouldn’t be... -
The Princess of Greektown by Suzanne Jenkins
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThirty years ago, Terry Smith was Detroit’s top news anchor. She set the standard for excellence in investigative journalism, staying at the news desk long after her time should have been over. Just as Terry’s son-in-law is murdered in the city, Detective Jill Zannos faces upheaval in her own life... -
Chaser: A Courageous Love Novel (A Billionaire, Friends with Benefits, Romantic Suspense) by Terreece M. Clarke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“This story had twists and turns I never could have predicted, and during all of that is a beautiful love story between two broken souls that are in need of healing." - Evelyn Sola, bestselling author Friend Zoned, Downfall and CraveA plus-sized, billionaire heiress finds herself entangled in a sizzling friends-with-benefits affair with Xavier, a devoted cowboy businessman...Categorized as:
female-mc black-mc poc-mc romance friends-to-lovers billionaire western psychological -
Multiple Me's by Sasha Wright
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMoneca Robinson had to grow up fast when, at a young age, she was forced to care for her mother after a nervous breakdown. Living the fast life way before her adult years, she finally met her match when she fell in love with Rex. Although she thought he was everything she’d been missing, she soon learned Rex was not the man she thought... -
Admit You Miss Me: A Surrogate Pregnancy Romance by Ajme Williams
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMost girls would kill to carry his baby. Charles Hampton… the billionaire heartthrob that I had to dump seven years ago. My plan, right before I ran away from him, was pretty simple. Get over the rich dude and his snooty family that would never accept me. Care for my mother who was diagnosed with terminal illness.Forget that anything had changed... -
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The Boarding House by Sharon Sala
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEllie Wayne doesn't just live. She survives.Ellie Wayne has grown up in frightening circumstances, damaged by a sexually abusive father and mentally fragile mother. Scarred and still threatened by a father she hates and fears, Ellie believes her future holds nothing more than danger, shame and secrets . . . until the unspeakable happens, and Ellie is forced to choose... -
Surprise Marriage: An Enemies to Lovers Accidental Marriage Romance by R S Elliot
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe plan was to fly to Vegas for my best friend's wedding, It was not to accidentally get married myself, end up with a fake boyfriend, and to fall in love with the enemy. Where do I even start....Sometimes I feel like I'm dreaming because this absolutely couldn't be true.After Luke broke my heart and left six years ago, I never thought I'd give him another chance... -
The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen: Passing, Quicksand, and the Stories by Nella Larsen, Marita Golden
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA light-skinned beauty who spends years passing for white finds herself dangerously drawn to an old friend's Harlem neighborhood. A restless young mulatto tries desperately to find a comfortable place in a world in which she sees herself as a perpetual outsider. A mother's confrontation with tragedy tests her loyalty to her race... -
Hurt Mountain by Angela Crook
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn estranged mother and father join forces to uncover the truth about their missing daughter in a haunting novel about trauma, loss, family, and hope. When patrolman Brandon Hall comes upon a broken-down car on a Colorado highway, he finds a young girl in a bloodied nightgown at the wheel. In the back seat, the brutalized body of a teenage boy. The girl will say only one Hurt... -
Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratings'An up-lit treasure' Red magazine Life can change in a heartbeat... When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers... -
Don't Blink by L.G. Davis
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratings*This book was previously published under the titles The Girl in the Rain and The Girl in the Storm.* Two years ago, Paige Wilson watched helplessly as her brother Ryan was shot, right on her doorstep. He survived the attack, but never fully recovered from the trauma. Stuck in a wheelchair, Ryan refuses to accept the life of a paraplegic... -
Drive Me Crazy by Eric Jerome Dickey
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe New York Times bestseller-now in trade paperback.Praised for his storytelling, New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey turns up the heat in his explosive new novel of the reckless desires that bind an irresistible woman to a desperate man-and the one wrong move that could destroy them both... -
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA masterful, moving novel about age, memory, and family from one of the true literary icons of our time.Ptolemy Grey is ninety-one years old and has been all but forgotten-by his family, his friends, even himself-as he sinks into a lonely dementia... -
Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom the author of the internationally bestselling novels My Best Friend’s Girl and Marshmallows for Breakfast comes an incredibly moving, powerfully written new novel about motherhood, love, loss, and new beginnings. Nova will do anything for her closest friend, Mal, whom she has known since childhood... -
Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe novella that first propelled Dazai into the literary elite of post-war Japan. Essentially the start of Dazai's career, Schoolgirl gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language. Now it illuminates the prevalent social structures of a lost time, as well as the struggle of the individual against them--a theme that occupied Dazai's life both personally and professionally...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction poc-mc 20th-century book classics contemporary existentialism -
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Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOne afternoon, single mother Sara Weston says she's going to the store--and never returns. In her absence, she leaves her teenage son alone with his damaged past and a legacy of secrets... -
Say Her Name by Dreda Say Mitchell, Ryan Carter
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn this chilling thriller from the bestselling authors of Spare Room, one woman just wants the truth about who she really is. But she’s not the only one looking…It’s twenty years since Eva, a biracial woman, was adopted as an eight-year-old, and Cherry and Carlton ‘Sugar’ McNeil have always been the only parents she’s wanted or needed... -
The Shadow Wife by Diane Chamberlain
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGet swept up in this emotional tale of regret and rebirth by bestselling author Diane Chamberlain.Joelle D’Angelo’s best friend, Mara, is left with brain damage after she suffers an aneurysm giving birth to her son. Alone and grieving, Joelle turns to the only other person who understands her pain: her colleague—and Mara’s husband—Liam... -
The Midnight Wife by L.G. Davis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsShe has a new life and a loving husband, but will her secrets ruin everything? Kelsey Bloom has been living a perfect lie, hiding in plain sight from the past that broke her.Everything is going according to plan. She has made herself at home in the small town of Sanlow, Montana, and her life seems perfect from the outside…… until she’s attacked by someone who claims to know her secrets... -
Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA world away from Brewster Place, yet intimately connected to it, lies Linden Hills. With its showcase homes, elegant lawns, and other trappings of wealth, Linden Hills is not unlike other affluent black communities. But residence in this community is indisputable evidence of "making it... -
The Family by Martina Cole
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPhillip Murphy is a family man. He worships his old mum; he takes care of his siblings who help run his business empire; he dotes on his two young sons who will one day take over. And then there's his wife and saviour Christine, whom he loves with a vengeance. To Phillip Murphy, family is everything.Christine has always understood this about her husband...
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