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Scarlet Yearnings: Beyond First Glance
Scarlet Yearnings: Beyond First Glance
Stories of Love and Desire
Award-winning author Scarlet Ibis James returns with twelve transcendent stories that explore what remains after the first rush of desire fades.
Told through the eyes of lovers, friends, and families across continents—from the Caribbean, Africa, and North America, to imagined futures—these stories reveal the quiet power of reckoning and renewal. A grandmother releases generations of hurt into fire. A doctor learns that saving a life is simpler than healing a heart. A husband and wife rediscover tenderness after years of silence.
Written with piercing honesty and luminous grace, Scarlet Yearnings: Love at Second Glance is a meditation on endurance, forgiveness, and rebirth—stories that remake what you believe about love.
Stories of Love and Desire
Award-winning author Scarlet Ibis James returns with twelve transcendent stories that explore what remains after the first rush of desire fades.
Told through the eyes of lovers, friends, and families across continents—from the Caribbean, Africa, and North America, to imagined futures—these stories reveal the quiet power of reckoning and renewal. A grandmother releases generations of hurt into fire. A doctor learns that saving a life is simpler than healing a heart. A husband and wife rediscover tenderness after years of silence.
Written with piercing honesty and luminous grace, Scarlet Yearnings: Love at Second Glance is a meditation on endurance, forgiveness, and rebirth—stories that remake what you believe about love.
ebook
Published January 1, 2026
About the author
Scarlet Ibis James
14 books58 followersHi everyone! I’m Scarlet Ibis James, an award-winning author and storyteller based in New York City. I was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and that Caribbean rhythm runs through everything I write—the language, the humor, the pulse of community, and the courage it takes to love imperfectly.
My fiction explores the many faces of love—romantic love, family bonds, friendship, and the complicated work of loving ourselves. I write about ordinary people facing difficult truths, second chances, and the quiet decisions that shape a life.
Readers often tell me my stories leave them thinking about their own relationships long after the last page. That means everything to me. I believe storytelling can help us see each other more clearly, and sometimes even heal what we’ve carried for years.
If you enjoy character-driven fiction, conversations about love and family, and stories that feel honest, tender, and a little hopeful, you’re in the right place. 🌺
Recent Honors:
2025 IAN Book of the Year Award Winner – Novella NYC Big Book Award Winner – Multicultural Fiction International Firebird Book Awards – First Place (African American Fiction, Literary Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Best for Provoking Philosophical Discussions) Literary Titan Gold Book Award – Fiction International Impact Book Award – Short Story Collection American Legacy Book Awards – Finalist (Multicultural Fiction) Readers’ Favorite Book Awards – Three 5-Star Reviews
My fiction explores the many faces of love—romantic love, family bonds, friendship, and the complicated work of loving ourselves. I write about ordinary people facing difficult truths, second chances, and the quiet decisions that shape a life.
Readers often tell me my stories leave them thinking about their own relationships long after the last page. That means everything to me. I believe storytelling can help us see each other more clearly, and sometimes even heal what we’ve carried for years.
If you enjoy character-driven fiction, conversations about love and family, and stories that feel honest, tender, and a little hopeful, you’re in the right place. 🌺
Recent Honors:
2025 IAN Book of the Year Award Winner – Novella NYC Big Book Award Winner – Multicultural Fiction International Firebird Book Awards – First Place (African American Fiction, Literary Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Best for Provoking Philosophical Discussions) Literary Titan Gold Book Award – Fiction International Impact Book Award – Short Story Collection American Legacy Book Awards – Finalist (Multicultural Fiction) Readers’ Favorite Book Awards – Three 5-Star Reviews
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 8, 2026
this was 4 stars for me!
i loved how every story was beautifully written with topics of love, staying true to yourself, and grief. i loved that each story took you on an emotional journey through laughing to tears. Ms Scarlet Ibis James did a wonderful job with her storytelling and it felt like each story and its well portrayed characters were taking a journey themselves. there were so many emotions experienced while I read this and I really enjoyed the layout of this book of contemporary romance short stories.
I feel like when characters are well thought out and there's a clear plot that enables the reader to paint a picture while they read, it makes it that much more enjoyable.
the portrayals of love, grief, self acceptance, change, and heartbreak were well done within each short story and left me in my feelings by the end.
bravo!
i loved how every story was beautifully written with topics of love, staying true to yourself, and grief. i loved that each story took you on an emotional journey through laughing to tears. Ms Scarlet Ibis James did a wonderful job with her storytelling and it felt like each story and its well portrayed characters were taking a journey themselves. there were so many emotions experienced while I read this and I really enjoyed the layout of this book of contemporary romance short stories.
I feel like when characters are well thought out and there's a clear plot that enables the reader to paint a picture while they read, it makes it that much more enjoyable.
the portrayals of love, grief, self acceptance, change, and heartbreak were well done within each short story and left me in my feelings by the end.
bravo!
Displaying 1 of 1 review