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Yesterday, for our Today in Books newsletter, I wrote briefly about how, previously, Muslim erotica writers in Nigeria were being censored, with some even having their books burned. But now? Now the girlies have found another way. They’ve been outsmarting religious censors by sharing their stories on WhatsApp.
A New York Times reporter covered the story, sharing how she had been invited to a WhatsApp group by an erotica author, Oum Hairan, who would post a chapter that would get the readers all hot and bothered (the title of the book being published, chapter-by-chapter at the time, was Nymphomaniac King), then apply a paywall. And Hairan isn’t alone. Other Nigerian erotica and romance writers have been using the app to get their stories to readers—stories that explore everything from queer relationships to sugar daddies to polygamy, to abuse, all of which opens them up to be reprimanded by the morality police. This is a great example of how, in a world that has long dictated women’s worth and how they should respond to things, the romance genre is subversive and rebellious. I can’t wait to see what the romance/erotica scene in northern Nigeria turns into.
It’s partially this story and the book I’m currently reading that inspired me to make this list. Just as romance as a genre has helped non-BIPOC women to reimagine how they want to be loved, so too has it helped BIPOC people reimagine what their lives and loves could look like. And, the books below show them doing so in different genres—from romantasy to adventure romance, to sci-fi romantic suspense.
Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon
This was written at the request of Jester Lavorre of Critical Role, a DnD web series. It’s also the book I picked up when I wanted something light and fun, but also maybe kinda steamy. I’m still reading it, but I have a feeling that I will ultimately adore it; it’s made my bedtime routine all the more enjoyable.
It follows Guinevere, the daughter of now-wealthy merchants, who is on her way somewhere important when her camp is attacked by rogues. Her guards are killed, and her oxen set free, and when it looks like the book will close on her permanently, she’s saved by a half Orc she comes to know as Oskar. Oskar is on his way to someplace important, too, and doesn’t have time to accomodate a princess and her trunks of trinkets. Except she is rather pretty, and she does seem to mean well…even if she’s hiding a huge secret.
A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou
To dodge an arranged marriage and the House of Lords, Kit Davenport mistakenly joins the crew of the Deliverance. Captain Reggie Sharpe is charismatic, handsome, and a pirate. Kit must decide where he and his heart truly belong in this swashbuckling adventure romance. —Courtney Rodgers
In Reading Color
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Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee
Moving on to a gothic novel that has plenty of slow-burn romantic tension as well as a suspenseful mystery! Set in 1918 Washington, Heiress of Nowhere tells the story of Lucy. She was found on the shore of Orcas Island as a baby, and has spent her entire life working for the shipbuilder who lives there. Things take a turn when she finds her employer’s severed head on the beach. And despite rumors of the supernatural, she knows there’s a human killer on the loose. So when she’s named the heiress of the estate, Lucy realizes she might be the next victim. —Rey Rowland
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older
In this science fiction murder mystery, a man goes missing on a remote outpost of a human colony on Jupiter. When Investigator Mossa follows his trail, it leads her to Valdegeld, the location of the colony’s erudite university, where her former girlfriend, Pleiti, works. Pleiti is an expert on Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems. When Mossa shows and requests her assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them team up to uncover the mystery. —Michelle Regalado
For more on how subversive romance can be, check out Sex Work is Real Work, Even in Romance and Romance Readers Are Great at Spotting Red Flags.