African romance has historically been undercounted in mainstream lists—mistaken for literary fiction, classified too narrowly, or simply overlooked. But as readers and creators push back against that, 2026 looks like the year those boundaries blur for good. It’s exciting to see that stories rooted in African culture, diasporic identities, and contemporary Black experiences are being celebrated in their own genre space and not just mistaken for literary fiction or side notes in broader fiction lists. Needless to say, culture is finally catching up to the heat and heart that African romance authors have been serving in recent years.

From laugh-out-loud rom-coms to slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, African romance is no longer tucked into the back pages of the genre. Writers are building world-class canon: layered characters, culturally rich settings, heat, heart, and the juice. What once was underground buzz is now earning festival spots, curated lists on Instagram, and fervent community anticipation.

Whether you’re team slow burn, billionaire collision, reverse harem, or sweet summer read—there’s more coming, and it’s being noticed. Here are some African romance books set to release in 2026.

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10 African Romance Books Releasing in 2026

1. Hold or Fold by L. Leigh (February 2026)

Book 1 in the Whiskey & Regret series.

He’s the man who calculates everything.
She’s the woman who makes him forget how to think.
Neither of them is ready for what happens when restraint snaps.

David Cole built his empire on control. Routines, clean lines, and a carefully chosen woman who never asked for more than silence and convenience.
Love was a luxury he couldn’t afford, and intimacy was something he performed, never felt.
Until Nina Adewale walks into his life with sharp eyes, wicked wit, and a mind that cuts through his defenses.
Their chemistry is immediate. Their banter is dangerous.
And one night in his penthouse shatters the rules he once lived by.
But desire isn’t their only collision point.
David’s past is messier than he admits.
As the lines between passion and honesty twist tighter, secrets threaten the fragile trust Nina is learning to give.

David must fight for the one thing he never thought he deserved.
A woman who sees the man behind the mask… and demands the truth he’s spent years running from.

A sensual, emotionally charged story of second chances, intimacy, and a man learning that love isn’t control. It’s surrender.

2. Implication by Camaa Pearl (March 2026)

Book 2 in the Catching Feelings Series

He’s too young. Too intense. Too much like the life she’s trying to outrun.

Ashionye, a seasoned gallery manager, meets Leo, a younger, brooding artist, while scouting fresh talent for Bibi Art Gallery. Neither expects their worlds to collide in a way that feels both electric and terrifying. But as Ashionye grapples with her father’s reputation as a man notorious for chasing younger women, she questions whether her growing feelings for Leo are a reflection of her own fears—or a path to something real.

Pre-order direct via bit.ly/catchingfeelingseries

3. Indigo by Rosemary Okafor (May 2026)

Book 1 in the Indigo Duology.

Some promises are forbidden. Some are forgotten. But the greatest ones refuse to die.

As a boy in a small village, Umendiego vowed to become a doctor and return to make Chiagozie his wife. But dreams are fragile, so he is forced to grow into a man feared and hated by many, a king forged from chaos, and a survivor shaped by greed and ruthlessness.

By the time he comes back for her, Chiagozie is no longer the girl who once believed in fairy tales. She is a woman suffocating in a marriage built on fear, silence and endurance.

When fate reunites them, the spark reignites into a forbidden inferno. But loving her could cost him everything. Yet, walking away could cost him his soul.

As corruption threatens Nigeria’s future and the darkest men fight for the nation’s crown, Umendiego must decide how far he will go to protect the power he has bled for. And Chiagozie must make the most radical choice a woman like her can make: to live, and to love, on her own terms.

From first love to last chances, Indigo is a sweeping story of ambition, sacrifice, and a romance powerful enough to defy a society determined to crush it.

Some hearts break. Others burn. But the fiercest ones fight until the end.

4. Yoruba Demon: Obinna by Camaa Pearl (May 2026)

Book 3 in the Yoruba Demons Billionaire Club series

Not all demons cause pain, some love you in ways angels never could.
Obinna, a sports betting mogul, and member of the Yoruba Demons Billionaire Club (YDBC), has his things under control until he kidnaps Rotkinen (Rot), a journalist with an agenda that’s a threat to his empire and his darkened heart.

Pre-order directly: https://bit.ly/yorubademonseries

5. When Love Returns by Comfort Omovre (May 2026)

Book 2 in the When Love… series

Two broken souls… an irresistible tug… a spontaneous friendship unfurling into so much more… Would it bloom? Or would it crash and burn?

Ama

With Obinna, it was charmed at first sight for Ama. At 26, he came into her life like a hurricane, sweeping her off her feet, making her believe in fairytales. Five months later, they were happily married! Sadly, like all hurricanes, only seven months after promising forever, theirs ended disastrously, leaving nothing but wreckage in its wake.

Now, eight years have gone by and Obinna is dead—an accident no one had seen coming. As Ama mourns his loss, she finds herself wrestling with guilt over the forgiveness she’d never been able to truly give, as well as the irrational thought that she’d somehow been a reason for his demise. Desperate to get away from it all, she moves across the world to Columbia, a small town in Maryland filled with hopes and dreams for a different life. A healed one. Of course, right by her side is her lovely eight year old daughter, the sole good thing that had come out of that unabridged union.

Easily enough, Ama begins to settle into a steady rhythm in Columbia, creating new bonds and forming an unexpected, but most welcome sisterhood with an interesting trio of women. However, what she truly doesn’t see coming as she slowly learns to let her guard down and let people in once more, is the promise of something she’d never believed she could ever find again: true love.

As Ama intentionally moves through various stages of healing, fully embracing her new life, will she be able to take the most important step in her journey? Will she be brave enough to open her heart to the one person who calls to it the most, who walks through her walls like they don’t exist, and who now has the power to wreck her worse than she’d been before? Would she ever find the courage to trust again… to believe in yet another forever, fears be damned?

Valentine

‘Abandoned’ as a baby by his mom, Valentine vowed to never subject his children to the same experience, determined to give them a home filled with love and the presence of two active parents. Unfortunately, life appears to have other plans in store for him when a contraceptive accident leads to his high school sweetheart being pregnant at 17.

Abandoned yet again, but this time by his children’s mother, Valentine finds himself a single father to twin girls at the juvenile age of 18. Mad at himself for being unable to keep his promise, and heartbroken by the two women whom he’d thought would be in his life forever, he takes one last determined vow to never let another get too close again.

Ten years have passed since, and Valentine has managed to hold on to that vow. However, the arrival of a new, intriguing neighbour soon becomes the biggest threat yet to his resolve. With those pale brown eyes that make him want to pull closer, look deeper; that gorgeously stunning heart she wears on her sleeve without even realising, and those petal-soft giggles that call to him like a siren’s melody, Valentine can’t help wondering, “What if?”

As Valentine finds his walls crumbling without a thought for this woman who makes him believe in the possibility of having the family he’s always secretly desired, he realises he must do the seemingly impossible. He must find the courage to put his heart on the line again, and to convince this phenomenally wonderful woman of how good they could be together. There’s just some slight hurdle to overcome first: not only does she think he’s much too young for her at only a 28 to her 35, she wants to be just friends forever. Well, not if Valentine has something to say about that.

Hint: He does. He very much does.

When Love Returns is the second instalment in the “When Love…” series and it tells the story of Uju’s sister.

6. A Cosmic Match by Jessica Ferguson (August 2026)

Book 1 in the Cosmic Cupid series

What if genetic data could predict your perfect match?

Yeni, sister of the bride, swore off love after a betrayal clamped down on her heart. 

Sede, a celebrated baker, only has time for his daughter and his dough. 

But when the Cosmic Cupid app declares them a 98% genetic match, Yeni and Sede must decide whether their instant connection is just a fleeting spark or a cosmic-level connection worth tearing down their walls for.

7. Rebound by Aminat Sanni-Kamal (June 2026)

Fan favorite billionaire romance Rebound officially returns in 2026 with a fresh cover, new imprint, and all the spice you loved. Eriife and Jayeola are back, now published by Masobe Books.

8. The Man I Collided Into by Aminat Sanni-Kamal (July 2026)

Book 2 in the Kinda Maybe duology

Three months after the whole Rakim fiasco, Nahima has sworn off men entirely. Her heart and her feelings are off-limits and off the table. Right now, she’s focused on getting the bag, levelling up, and becoming the best version of herself that she can be. Because after everything, trusting her decisions when it comes to men is a luxury, she can no longer permit herself.

9. Yoruba Demon: Kemi by Camaa Pearl (November 2026)

Book 4 in the Yoruba Demons Billionaire Club novels

Not all demons come to take, some come to stay.

Kemi, a celebrated beauty doctor and industry disruptor, has mastered the art of perfection until a collision with a dangerously caring mechanic forces her to confront the scars she’s hidden, the love she doesn’t believe she deserves, and the family she never had.

10. Love…Forever by Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi (December 2026)

After losing herself to love, Ogonna is determined never to give her heart away again. Reborn, hardened, and with a renewed love for life, she lives on her own terms and by her own rules. Until she finds herself entangled in a world she isn’t prepared for, caught in a crime she doesn’t understand, and disarmed by a love she never saw coming.

A decade after his reformation from a life of crime and jaded by a lackluster existence, the allure of the underworld is too strong for Ifeanyi to resist. He returns, and immediately flourishes, once again living up to his old reputation as the Oyibo Assassin. But then a murder and betrayals within his clan throw everything off-kilter. And the woman he is forced to protect derails his plans, his control…and his heart.

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Which are you anticipating? Which are you reading?