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AUGUST LANE

Regina Black

A Novel

From the author of The Art of Scandal comes a small town romance about the visibility of Black women's voices in country music, for readers of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.
Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob Luke Randall has to sing "Another Love Song." God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol90's era Black country music star, JoJo Lane, who's being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he'd never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing JoJo's daughter, August Lanethe woman who wrote the lyrics he's always claimed as his own.

August also hates that song. But she hates Luke Randall even more. When he shows up ten years too late to apologize for his betrayal, she isn't interested in making amends. Instead, she threatens to expose his lies unless he co-writes a new song with her and performs it at the concert, something she hopes will launch her out of her mother's shadow and into a songwriting career of her own. Desperate to keep his secret, Luke agrees to put on the rogue performance, despite the risk of losing his shot at a new record deal.

When Luke's guitar reunites with August's soulful alto, neither can deny that the passionate bond they formed as teenagers is still there. As the concert nears, August will have to choose between an overdue public reckoning with the boy who betrayed her, or trusting the man he's become to write a different love song.

AUGUST LANE is a dual POV romance told in alternating timelines, with snippets of interviews from members of the Arcadia community. The book explores themes of small town, Black southern life and the visibility of Black women's voices in country music.

Regina Black is a former civil litigator, current law school administrator, and lifelong romance reader who has always been passionate about the depiction of Black women in popular culture. She currently resides in the southeastern United States with her husband and daughter.
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Published 2025-08-01 by Grand Central

Comments

Though conceived long before Beyonce released Cowboy Carter, this romantic homage to Black women in country music is the perfect accompaniment.

In the wake of Ryan Coogler's Sinners and Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour, this book about the resilience of Black art comes at a perfect time in the cultural zeitgeist.

'Obsessed' doesn't even begin to cover how I feel about Regina Black's books. Impeccably written, exquisitely angsty, and populated with characters so raw and real I had to remind myself I couldn't lose hours Googling them, AUGUST LANE is easily a new all-time favorite.

In this small town, country music-themed romance novel, the topics of a second chance at love and blackmail set the tone for a riveting read . a great fit for lovers of Black Country and Folk music, and those who love a good, down-home read.

August and Luke are magnetic raw, beautifully flawed, and palpable enough to jump off the page in perfect harmony. You'll demand an encore.

Richly layered and beautifully depicted, AUGUST LANE is a poignant second-chance love story that follows Luke and August as they confront their personal demons while finding their way back to each other. Black doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of the human experience, examining thornier topics of the erasure of Black artists in country music, generational trauma, racial identity, and creative integrity. Throughout, Black's emotionally resonant and swoon-worthy prose will keep you captivated and eager for more!

AUGUST LANE is acoustic soul. August and Luke set the pages on fire with sultry chemistry as thick as any southern summer night. Whether you have guitar strings or heart strings, AUGUST expertly plucks them both. A love letter to the South and Black Southerners who stayed, AUGUST LANE cements Regina Black as the new vanguard of Black romance authors.

The final chapters deliver an emotionally impactful payoff. ultimately satisfying story about regret, race, and redemption.

I need Regina Black's words fresh when they drop, because I know I'm always about to have my mind blown and my heart cracked open in the best possible way. In AUGUST LANE, Black expertly weaves a dual timeline romance warmly resonant in their teen years and then sharply electric when they reunite as adults with a lived-in Southern small town, dynamic side characters, and musical performances and history so rich you'll be mad the documentary's not already streaming. It's a beautifully crafted story of yearning and angst, forgiveness and down-bad devotion worthy of any country song. It's one that I would play over and over and take something different from each time.

A second-chance romance and a powerhouse of the genre a sullen, smoldering ember that's one breath away from blazing into an inferno.The angst is glorious. Everyone in this book is ruined in some way that will never be fixed. People do monstrous things to the ones they love. This is not the aw-shucks kind of country: It's the murder ballads, the rolling thunder, the long black road and the best romance I've read all year. Read more...

Country [sic] Carter fans, listen up! If your idea of hot fun in the summertime would be an enemies-to-lovers romance filled with gorgeous Black country music stars, we've got your jam.

Regina Black's sophomore novel August Lane showcases romance writing at its finest. On one hand, it's a story about two lonely people who initially connect through the power of music, but it also speaks to the vulnerabilities and fears we all feel when opening our hearts to falling in love and taking chances. August Lane is a true tour de force, and Regina Black is a singular talent. We are so lucky to have her work!

AUGUST LANE, like a good country song it breaks your heart and mends it all at once. A deeply emotional second chance romance that honors the place of Black artists in country music and affirms that no matter the how far you've drifted from your dreams there is always a chance to make a comeback.

August Lane is taut, voicy, emotional, and propulsive. In a word: spectacular. Regina Black is hands-down one of romance's must-read authors.