Happy Birthday, California!
California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. In Beverly Jenkins’s historical romance novel Destiny’s Embrace, I learned that the word “California” comes from Queen Calafia, ruler of a fictional paradise populated by Black Amazons. (Sounds a lot like the Wonder Woman origin story to me.) So that means the state is named after a black woman. Who knew?
In honor of today being California’s “birthday,” I decided to highlight the published African-American historical romance stories and women’s fiction set in the state. You didn’t think Destiny’s Embrace and Destiny’s Surrender were the only ones, did ya?
Kissing The Captain by Kianna Alexandra. http://authorkiannaalexander.com/ ISBN: 978-1466208377. A sweet novella featuring an African-American heroine and a Spanish sea captain hero. Set in 1879 California. Available in paperback and ebook formats.
The Preacher’s Paramour by Kianna Alexandra. http://authorkiannaalexander.com/ ISBN: 978-1475034875. A sweet novella featuring a sassy African-American heroine and a preacher hero. Set in 1880s California. Available in paperback and ebook formats.
(I believe that Kianna is working on 1-2 more stories set in late 1800s California.)
Dark Sun Rising by B.L. Bonita. http://www.bonitasromance.com/dark-sun-rising.html ISBN: 978-1-61921-163-6. An erotic interracial western novella set in an 1800s California mountain town. Available in paperback and ebook formats.
Virgin Soul by Judy Juanita. ISBN: http://www.judyjuanitasvirginsoul.com/book/ . Historical fiction set in 1960s San Francisco. A college-aged woman joins the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Available in hardcover and ebook formats.
These were the only African-American historical romances that my helpers and I could find. If you know of any others, please post the title and the author in the comments.
Aren't I A Heroine? 
Dark Rising was quite good. Violette Dubrinksy’s novel Colorblind is a historical paranormal with a black heroine. http://www.amazon.com/Colorblind-Moonlight-ebook/dp/B00E0QS0D4/
Ooh, a French werewolf hero in Louisiana. I will definitely have to check it out.
Nowhere to run by Gay G. GUNN is a good book to add.
Shadows on the Bayou and Murmur of Rain by Patricia Vaughn.
The Knees of Gullah Island by Dwight Fryer.
The description of The Knees of Gullah Island reminded me of another slave love story called Freeman by Leonard Pitts.