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Mar 28, 20234 min read

A SUITORS & SWEETHEARTS EXCERPT: Bittersweet Beginning by Nkem Akin #Romance #Africa

Hi, sweeties! The Suitors & Sweethearts African Romance box set is out now.


Check out the excerpt from Bittersweet Beginning by Nkem Akin, included in the box set.

EXCERPT FROM BITTERSWEET BEGINNING BY NKEM AKIN

Benin City. July 31, 1999. 11pm

Efe looked around the Hall Two common room and wondered if it was time she packed up her books. The people in the room were much less than when she arrived, and like most others, Nneka had left earlier. Efe stayed because a month to exams, she still lagged in the recommended reading. She was bored by their courses and daydreamed about America.

A frisson shook her, and she sneaked a glance over her shoulder. It felt like someone staring, and she guessed the guy she just started seeing was at it again. He did all he could to get her attention, following wherever she went. If she left and came back, he also left and returned, and then spent half that time just looking at her as if he had never seen a girl. Well, he’d succeeded in his devices, and she’d noticed him.

Many times, she had to force herself to stop dreaming about his handsome looks and concentrate on her books. Once, he almost caught her studying him, but she turned away just in time. Brushing him out of her mind, she decided to study further.

An hour later, as people continued to leave; the chair beside hers became vacant. Debating whether to pack up, she felt someone take the vacant seat. Goose bumps prickled over her skin when she looked at the newcomer. Golden brown eyes gazed back at her, and her heart began to cartwheel inside her chest.

“Hello,” her new neighbor said. “Are you done?”

“No.” Efe replied, surprised at the normalcy of her voice. Her breath had hitched as his rich baritone stroked her senses. Up close, he passed for beautiful. His skin glistened and the mark in the middle of his brows set off the flaring, well-sized nostrils and thin upper lip. She turned away from the temptingly full lower lip, biting her own lips. Pulling her bag into her lap, she dug through it, not searching for anything in particular. She wanted to avoid the eyes which felt as if they could see her thoughts.

Efe went back to her books but couldn’t bear sitting beside him for long. Her heart pounded in her ears each time he turned towards her. After thirty minutes, she packed up, stacking the library books in the table corner.

“Oh, leaving?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s getting late.” Efe got to her feet and picked her tote.

“It is late,” he corrected. “Let me walk you back to the hostel.”

 

Suitors & Sweethearts limited-edition box set.

6 contemporary romance stories celebrating African Joy.

Journey from Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, from Curepipe, Mauritius to Las Vegas, USA, and meet swoon-worthy book baes. The happy ending is guaranteed!


This limited-edition box set introduces 6 exciting and heart-warming book series by African authors. Prepare for enthralling stories of passion, love, and African joy!


Tropes: second chance romance, forbidden love, one-night stand, rockstar romance, and billionaires.


Publication date: February 7th, 2023

eBook ISBN: 978-1-914226-30-4

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-914226-31-1

Pages: 1050

Weight: 1.375 kg

Available now.


Includes:

BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye

All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.


VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor

A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe. A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again. One night on the wild side that changes everything.

LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah

Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?


MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh

When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake... and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.


THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee

Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?


BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin

"Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with...Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn't always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances." ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.


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