Inside the pages of this limited edition box set is an introduction to 8 family series containing 8 contemporary romance novels from bestselling authors. Get ready for captivating stories of passion, family ties, and Black love!
The collection contains your favorite tropes: second chance romance, foodie romance, secret baby, billionaires, and marriage of convenience. From Seattle to Memphis to Lagos, Nigeria and cities in between, youâll meet heroes who make you swoon and heroines youâll want to make your best friends.
Inside the pages of this limited edition box set is an introduction to 8 family series containing 8 contemporary romance novels from bestselling authors. Get ready for captivating stories of passion, family ties, and Black love!
The collection contains your favorite tropes: second chance romance, foodie romance, secret baby, billionaires, and marriage of convenience. From Seattle to Memphis to Lagos, Nigeria and cities in between, youâll meet heroes who make you swoon and heroines youâll want to make your best friends.
From Unforgettable (Johnson Family series) by Delaney Diamond
âYou canât make him love you. When the right woman comes along, heâll do all the things for her you wish heâd do for you. And do you know why? Because sheâs the one for him. Sorry darlinââif he hasnât changed after three years, youâre not the one.â
Enthusiastic applause followed Lucas Baylorâs latest advice to another woman struggling in her relationship. Seattle was the last stop on his multi-city tour to promote his book, The Rules of Man. Men were present, but the audience consisted mostly of women. The majority of them sought his advice, but a small percentage found his abrasive commentary appealing and were attracted to him because of it. They wanted to be the ones to tame him. While he had no intention of succumbing, he appreciated their efforts.
From the corner of his eye he saw his pregnant publicist, Brenda, in the shadows offstage, signaling he needed to wrap it up.
âWe only have time for one more question,â he said. A wave of groans filled the auditorium.
The moderator handed the mic to a middle-aged woman in the crowd who had no business being there with that man-hating scowl on her face. He readied himself for whatever scathing remark she would make.
âMr. Baylor,â she started, her eyes filled with anger. No doubt a man had hurt her at one time. He knew the type. âOn page one-oh-five of your book, you said a man is only interested in one thing when he meets a woman. I think thatâs a sexist thing to say, and itâs not only an insult to men by making them appear to have no depth, but itâs an insult to women. We have much more to offer than our bodies. We have brains and we have feelings, Mr. Baylor. Something I wonder if you know anything about.â
Catcalls, groans, and boos filled the audience.
Lucas lifted his hand to quiet them down. âListen darlinâ,â he said, slathering a thick layer of Southern accent onto his words, âwhen a man first meets you, heâs only interested in sex. Heâs not interested in your personality. He donât care how many degrees you have or that youâre passionate about saving the whales. He donât care about none of that, because he donât know you.â Chuckles of acknowledgement came from the men. âEverything he does, from opening the door to buying you dinner to pumping your gas, is an investment in time to the ultimate goal of getting in those panties.â
The men in the audience barked their agreement.
âWell, what if I just want sex?â the woman demanded, lifting her chin to a defiant angle.
âWell, if thatâs all you want, go get it, then. Let me be the first to beat the other men in here to the punchâŚcan I have your number?â
The crowd roared, and several of the men stood on their feet and started calling out to her. She actually blushed.
âI donât get it. Are men really that shallow?â she asked.
âShallow has nothing to do with it. Weâre simple creatures. Do you want the truth or not?â
âOf course I want the truth. One of my friendsââ
âAhh, here we go. One of your friends. Let me guess, this friend is a woman, right?â
She nodded. Murmurs filled the room, and the woman looked around, her face confused. His regular fans knew he covered this topic in the book and on his blogâthe danger of taking advice from other women about men instead of listening to what a man had to say for himself. She needed to hear the truth. After all, thatâs why sheâd come to his show.
âWomen need to stop listening to their girlfriends. Am I right?â Audience members nodded their heads and clapped. When heâd received enough encouragement, Lucas lifted his hand to silence his fans. âAll we ever hear from women is that we donât talk and you want to know about our feelings. What are we thinking? And then we tell you what we want and think, but you donât listen. You say you want to know, but you donât, because you want to do things your way.â
He walked to the edge of the stage and looked her in the eyes. âFirst of all, men arenât shallow. We just donât complicate every little damn thing the way women do. We need two things in life, and two things only. Notice I said need. Sure, there are other things we enjoy, but we only need two things. Write this down: sex and food. Thatâs it. So when your man comes home from a hard day of work, donât greet him at the door whining and complaining. Meet him at the door wearing your sexiest lingerie and a pair of stilettoes so high you can barely walk in them. Give him some sex so good it blows his mind. And then fix him a damn sandwich.â
The men jumped to their feet, barking and pumping their fists. A wide grin spread across Lucasâs face, and he pumped his fist right along with them. The woman who had spoken out flushed bright red, probably from a combination of anger and embarrassment. He winked at her and then exited the stage.
Brenda had her hands on her hips as Lucas approached her. âI canât believe youâre still reciting the same tired line. Thatâs all men need, huh?â
âThatâs right. Have you learned nothing hanging with me the past few years?â
She looked heavenward and shook her head. âWhat am going to do with you?â
âLeave your husband and run away with me?â he asked with a wolfish grin.
âAre you going to help me raise my baby?â
âOf course.â
Brenda laughed. âComing from a man who might literally be allergic to kids, I have my doubts.â
âIâll make an exception in your case.â He wiggled his eyebrows.
Brenda had been an early follower of his blog, and theyâd met at a meet-and-greet years ago. Theyâd become good friends and got along so well, he couldnât imagine having anyone else by his side during this period of success.
âWhatever.â Brenda shook her head again.
âDonât act like my advice doesnât work,â he said. âI helped you land your husband, didnât I?â
âYouâd like to think so, but I donât play games.â
âItâs all games, until someone gets hurt.â
Brenda cocked her head to one side. âOne day youâll have to tell me who she is.â
âOh brother, here we go.â
She hit him lightly on the arm. âDonât deny it, Lucas. I know thereâs a juicy story about a woman in your past. One day Iâll get it out of you.â
âThereâs no story, Brenda. I just happen to be a very wise man.â He tapped a finger to his forehead.
âMhmm.â She looped an arm through his. âCome on, youâve got at least another hour and a half of work before we can get out of here.â
Theyâd set a table at the front of the auditorium with copies of his book. Though his blog had been popular, sales of The Rules of Man performed better than his publishers had anticipated. Lucas had found success by offering a mixture of shoot-from-the-hip honesty and humor that resonated with males and females around the country. His popularity gained traction from his blog, Why He Wonât Marry You, where he gave advice to his female readers.
In addition to the table with his books, several more were covered with shirts, mugs, and other items for sale. Three young women wearing black T-shirts with Marriage Materialâhis bestselling productâwritten in white cursive font across their breasts manned the tables.
Lucas sat down and greeted his fans, autographing books and any other items they brought over for him to sign. By the end of the night, his cheeks ached from smiling so much, and his hand had developed a slight cramp from the number of times heâd had to write his name.
Hours later, after saying good night to Brenda, a hired car took him to the Four Seasons. The hotel sat in the heart of downtown on Union Street, within easy walking distance of the waterfront and the cityâs other tourist attractions.
He crossed the tiled floor of the brightly lit lobby to the bank of elevators and thought about his plans for the rest of the week. He didnât have much time to rest before his flight to California for more promotional work.
He stuck his hand in his pocket and fingered the cards slipped to him by five different women whoâd attended the event. He smiled to himself. Heâd call one of them tomorrow. He was too tired now. His shoulders ached and his feet hurt, but tomorrow was a new day.
The elevator doors slid open, and he stepped in. He punched the number for his floor then rested his head against the wall. He closed his eyes. A radio spot first thing in the morning, a local TV show, and then the speaking engagement had made for a long day. He couldnât wait to fall into bed.
The sound of a womanâs laugh made his head snap forward. He froze as the sound carried around the corner. The familiar giggle jump-started his heart and hurtled him back in time.
The laughter reached him again, this time from farther away. At the same time, the elevator started closing and shook him out of his trance. He lunged away from the wall and shoved his hands between the doors, almost crushing his fingers in his haste.
Was his mind playing tricks on him? It couldnât be her, could it? After so much time, the sound of her laughter was so familiar, as if heâd heard it just yesterday.
Unsure of the origin of the sound, he hurried in what he thought was its general direction. His heart raced as he rounded the corner and looked wildly around the lobby. At this time of night it was almost empty. A few guests were checking in, but he knew with certainty none of them owned that voice. He rushed over to the front desk.
âExcuse me, was there another woman here just now? I think I know her.â
The female clerk looked up. âTwo women headed toward the front of theââ
Lucas took off before she finished, racing toward the front. He pushed through the glass doors. A family exited a taxi and two cars idled nearby. He scanned them frantically, quickly dismissing the passengers in each one.
Where was she? Had it been his imagination?
He spun in a half circle.
Just because they were in the same city didnât mean heâd run into her.
At the end of the driveway, a black sedan waited to merge into traffic. He couldnât see the occupants, but he made out the outline of two women. That had to be the car, but as he approached it took off. He sprinted after it and watched in dismay as the vehicle accelerated down Union Street.
âHey!â he hollered. âHey! Wait!â He waved his arms.
The tail lights grew smaller and smaller as the sedan drifted away. Panting, Lucas slowed to a stop and tried to catch his breath. What in the world had possessed him to chase after that car, as if he could catch it?
A car horn honked behind him and he jumped out of the way. He stood there, breathing heavily, watching the vehicle disappear from sight. His racing heart felt ready to burst out of his chest.
He wasnât certain she was in that car or even that the voice belonged to her. Maybe her laugh wasnât as unique as he remembered, and it had been nine years since heâd last heard it. StillâŚsomething inside of him said it was her. Deep in his gut, he knew.
Still slightly out of breath, Lucas trudged back to the hotel, significantly more deflated than heâd been earlier, not even sure why heâd wanted to see her so badly.
He re-entered the hotel and noticed a marquee he hadnât paid attention to before. He walked right up to the signage and read the words announcing an anniversary reception for Full Moon beer, the popular brand of beer her family brewed. It had to have been her. She must have gone there instead of outside. His heart rate tripled again.
It didnât take him long to find the ballroom and the remainder of the party. When he arrived, two empty podiums sat on either side of the open door where greeters must have stood and checked in the guests. No one stood there now; the festivities were clearly winding down. Four people sauntered out of the ballroom and a couple chatted on the outside of the door. They paid him little attention when he walked up.
Inside the room, he ambled around the perimeter, his eyes searching, his heartbeat still abnormally fast. Then he saw her.
He almost overlooked her because her shoulder length hair was much longer now. The vision in front of him stalled his footsteps and suspended his breath for an eternity. He couldnât stop staring.
It was Ivy.
Family First: A Black Romance Box Set by Delaney Diamond is more than an eight family series completion of contemporary romance novels. It's more like being invited to a buffet of delectable and dreamy romance stories.
So, pull up a chair as Delaney Diamond with her story Unforgettable featuring the Johnson Family along with seven other bestselling authors present a compelling collaboration. There's a story for every romance lover's delight. Sort of like a Baskin & Robbins book of romance.
We find intrigue such as in the story titled Invested. Where we learn that money and power make for riveting bedfellows as we read about the Dunnings' rich history of a banking empire.
Or that sometimes we just can't believe the hype as in #Blessedby Malakai. The story of a social media trendsetter Malakai Madden, who just wants to paint and sculpt.
And of course we can't forget the untamable Lucas Baylor in Diamond's very own Unforgettable. Lucas believes that men only do things for women as an investment in time to achieve the ultimate goal of getting in their panties. He also suffers from that very common ailment of men: a strong allergy to children.
Each story can stand alone or open doors to a new and enthralling series. Reading this anthology of amor reminds me of reading the Westmoreland or Steele series by Brenda Jackson.
I give Family First a 4 out of 5 stars. Adult romance readers of all walks of life will enjoy feasting on this buffet of delightful romantic stories such as: second chances, secret babies, billionaires, marriages of convenience, and (a new one for me) foodie romance.
So, prop up your feet and take a sip on your mimosas (I've always been partial to wine coolers). Family First: A Black Romance Box Set by Delaney Diamond is going to be a book to remember.