As far as holiday romance goes, Juneteenth is probably as celebrated as Earth Day. And, it was only a few years ago that you heard the terms “holiday romance,” a PC way of saying “Christmas romance” of those of the Hallmark persuasion, but romance writers have taken the lead in expanding their offerings. Since unfortunately being out of print, Juneteenth has been an enjoyable part of this expansion Brightest Day: A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology (Though you can get three of the four novels separately) For Kennedy Ryan’s forever-free-on-Amazon Unlimited Juneteenth Short free to love. It’s always nice to see Juneteenth recognized in books, even before it was declared a federal holiday, but nothing made me jump out of my seat the way the announcement of the Bass of Juneteenth collection did a few years ago.
The Basis of Juneteenth is an interconnected series of books by a series of black romance authors, set in various locations across the country. Each contributing author gives us a story in their own unique style, while also shedding light on how each of their selected communities celebrates and honors Juneteenth. Rather than being a story based solely on the time of Juneteenth, each one focuses on the holiday in its own way, mostly through central characters who are involved in the organization of their local Juneteenth events. Each book centers on a member of the Mister Black organization, and the titles revolve around their personalities acknowledging their connection to their shared naming convention – we’ve got each Mister mr big stuff To Mister Tall, Dark, and Unavailable. Although multi-author collections are nothing new, it was a surprise and a delight to see such a comprehensive collection written by so many familiar names in a shared universe. Needless to say, I gave up on KU (Kindle Unlimited) altogether and went ahead and pre-ordered the entire set.
My only quibble with the series as a whole is that each book centers a M/F relationship, and from what I remember all of the central characters are alloted, or at least not described as anything different. It would have been affirming to see Juneteenth from a queer character’s perspective, even if the pairing remained M/F. Perhaps one or both of the heroes could have been bi or pan, or perhaps we could have had a transmasked member of the Mister Black organization. If the BASS organizers decide to expand their Juneteenth universe, I hope they invite some writers who might be interested in doing something like this with their world.
There are plenty of ways to get started, from reading by release date or alphabetically, or simply choosing authors or titles that appeal to you. You can start with what happens in your nearest city or your hometown! You can place all the titles on a spinning wheel and let gravity decide. Or you can start with these three and read the rest at your leisure!
mr alpha undo By Kelsey Green
If you’re only going to read one, you should probably start with the one that took place in Texas. Mister Black Dallas, Titan Stone, always gets his way. So when his plans for a Dallas Juneteenth celebration are disrupted by a handsome photographer who refuses to follow boundaries, his whole world is shaken. But he has never backed down from the fight, nor does he intend to do so now.
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mr straight up no chaser by Sherrell Green
If you want to start at the beginning, this is the one that was released earliest (the eleven volumes were first released in 2023 in the countdown to Juneteenth). We are introduced to the history of Juneteenth and the Mister Black organization through Mr. Black Chicago, Porter Crown, who is determined to throw a bigger Juneteenth celebration than ever before, and the body positivity influencer that is driving him crazy, Alanna. Both have a desire to serve Black Chicago and a less-than-glamorous past, and their history is bound to further complicate both of their lives and any potential romance.
Mr Play for Keeps by kimmy farrell
Being born and raised there, I love a good DC story that talks about the real people who live there, not pretend that everyone works on the Hill and lives in the suburbs. In it, Nathaniel needs a replacement when he loses a big vendor for the upcoming Juneteenth celebration. His best option is his one-night-stand-turned-FWB Stephanie, who runs a holistic skin care company and doesn’t believe in commitment. But Nathaniel is determined to spend four consecutive days with her to convince her that they both deserve to turn their relationship into something real and permanent.
Once you’ve completed exploring the world of Bass of Juneteenth, there are other basses to explore four20ba (the subject of which should be clear), Christmas bass (also), and bass reimaginedWhich throws fairy tales and folklore into the mix.
When you’ve had enough of these books about people who work, check out this list of workplace romances with unusual workplaces, and then read about the OG of the interconnected series, the Harlequin Series romances by different authors.
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