In her first traditionally published novel, Gold Coast Dilemma, self-publishing powerhouse Nana Malone has written an exuberant romance with a dynamic female lead. When her big Ghanaian wedding gets called off in a public debacle, even the stalwart and determined Ofosua Addo falters. She's left trying to hide her rising anxiety in her workplace at Drake Publishing, and she's piqued that the man who's poised to become her boss doesn't seem to remember the electrifying kiss they shared a year ago.
And that man? Ofosua's friends start calling him "Hot Cole," while she insists that she hates him and the two spar with veiled barbs. It's a classic setup for Malone's expertly executed enemies-to-lovers story.
All the while, Ofosua is navigating a New York publishing company that's attempting to move into a new, more diverse era, despite its legacy of publishing white male literary types and hard-boiled detective novels. Drake appoints Ofosua as the editorial head of a new imprint that "will elevate new voices in commercial African American women's fiction." But her incredible competence and admirable assertiveness fight an uphill battle as she swims in a sea of microaggressions, such as when her reasonable disagreement with a bad idea gets deemed "aggressive."
When Hot Cole starts trying to help Ofosua fight the good fight, their conflicts deepen into fraught and enlightening discussions, including the complicated distinctions between allyship and white saviorism. As a romance develops between them, the challenges of their different worlds become clear. Gold Coast Dilemma is a fun, funny, and socially astute romance for fans of powerful female leads and layered conflicts. --Carol Caley, writer