Love isn’t just a spark—it’s the work that happens after the fire starts.
In the high-stakes world of New York City medicine, the sleek boardrooms of Toronto, and the soulful streets of Chicago, twelve stories prove that “happily ever after” is only the beginning. From the tension of fake dating to the heartache of a second chance romance, these interconnected tales explore the beautiful, messy reality of choosing to stay.
Written by an award-winning author on IG/TikTok: @scarlet.ibis.james. Discover a world where love is a reckoning:
The Second Chance: Twenty years ago, Nadine was persuaded to walk away from the love of her life. Now, a chance encounter gives her one shot to reclaim a future she thought was lost forever.
The Fake Date: Ari Parker is a professional “fixer” who can handle any corporate crisis—except the one involving her own heart when a pretend relationship starts feeling far too real.
The Guarded Heart: Amara Brooks is a brilliant NYC surgeon who saves lives with precision. But when a new connection challenges her defenses, she must learn that some wounds can’t be healed with a scalpel.
The Found Family: Across the Black diaspora—from Ghana and Trinidad to North America—friends become family and secrets become bridges in this exploration of interracial romance and love after loss.
Beyond First Glance is a mature, character-driven journey through the psychological nuances of modern connection.
Perfect for fans of literary Black fiction and contemporary romance, this collection is for anyone who knows that honesty is a practice and the truest love is found when we finally dare to look again.
Are you ready to look deeper?
Read: April 6, 2026 – April 8, 2026
Final Rating: 4/5 – I liked this book a lot, enough to overlook a couple of things I didn’t quite enjoy
Scarlet Yearnings Beyond First Glance is a collection of beautifully written short stories about looking beyond the first declarations of love to what comes after. I really enjoyed reading through (most of) these stories because after each one, I paused to reflect on how I saw the threads of love in the decisions they took, and what that meant for me in real life. I appreciate Scarlet’s ability to cause me to actually connect my life to the stories. My favorites were the ones of Nadine and Charles, Mary and Cecil, and Talia and Marcia.
Nadine and Charles because wow. I like that they were able to talk like adults, to recognize the issues that they both had, and the willingness to give it another chance. Not as teenagers but as grown-ups, fully aware and yet willing to take the risk regardless of how it would end. Bravo. I felt connected to them in a way. I would read a full length novel about them.
Mary and Cecil, matriarch and patriarch. I loved this story. About the love that keeps choosing each other each and every single day, in every way that matters.
Talia and Marcia, the kind of female friendship and love that is stronger than any other. Got me thinking about my friends and the power of sisterhood.
There were a couple of stories that had me kind of confused and wanting more. I know this was a short story collection so I think to me, some of the ideas would have benefited from some more fleshing out and not just a couple of pages. I also started to lose interest in the stories about 75% of the way through. I think this had to do with some storylines I thought were convoluted or a bit confusing, and some that I struggled to connect with the characters or the plot. I struggled between a 3.75 and a 4, but honestly, I liked this book a lot despite a couple of the stories lacking depth or explanation in my opinion. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for stories that go beyond the meet cute and the happily ever after to the work that is put in to sustain love… not just romantic but platonic, and self-love. Happy this was my first read from the author!