Black Romance Matters: Karen discusses How Black Romance Makes Her Feel and her Top Five Recs!

Greetings! My name is Karen Franklin and I love black love…“Hi Karen”. 
I love it so much; I blog about weddings for The Coordinated Bride and I live it every day with my wonderful husband. I’ve been an avid reader since I was five but the day my 14-year-old self picked up Eric Jerome Dickey’s Sister, Sister, I have been hooked on Black Love and our stories.

After becoming frustrated with the lack of frequency and path my favorite mainstream authors
were releasing books, I randomly began searching Amazon for just something to read. I
stumbled upon Christina C. Jones’ “Inevitable Conclusions” and my world changed. It was real
and complex. A beautiful “friends to lovers” tale with characters that dealt with their own
personal tragedies and drama but needed each other! And the love scenes… whew chile! 

From there I discovered a plethora of writers who are crafting stories that tell the truth about how we
love each other. I’m still discovering and once I find an Indie I like, I typically read their entire
bibliography. But I am enjoying the journey.

Why Black Romance Matters to Me:
I grew up in a family where marriage was real and lasting. Multiple of my elders have been
married 50 years plus. While I know marriage is not easy, they always made sure to let us see
the beautiful side of it. Something about watching them dance makes my heart flutter. The
outside world tries to portray black love as a rare instance but there is a push to show that black
men and women actually love each other and I am here for it! Reading black romance gives me
all the feels. I literally find myself laughing out loud, smiling to myself, and yelling at
characters. I’ve been in full on depression after finishing series about book baes that love hard
and strong…those ultra alpha males…whew. Ultimately, reading black romance helps me love
my husband better. I have a constant smile in my heart, I recognize him for the man he is and
how he loves me. Each day we compose the pages of our own black romance. And one day, I
will have the courage to write our story and more to keep pushing the genre forward.

My Romance Recs: (All Books are Clickable--and One-Click Finger Ready!)

He Who Is Series by Love Belvin
Ante Up by Christina C. Jones
If Only For Summer by Alexandra Warren
Naughty or Nice by Eric Jerome Dickey
The Love Unaccounted Series (Ezra) by Love Belvin

Find Karen on social media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/truthfully_kayren
Twitter: @KFFranklin1