Bestselling NC Author Kennedy Ryan Novel Celebrates Black Art

Kennedy Ryan, New York Times bestselling romance author and North Carolina native, teased the cover and summary of her next highly anticipated novel.

Score, the second standalone book following Reel in her Hollywood Renaissance series, is a second-chance romance following two characters readers met in the first book of the series.

“More than a decade after their disastrous breakup, Verity and Monk must work together on the set of an epic Harlem Renaissance biopic. With Monk, now a world-class musician, creating the score, and Verity, an award-winning screenwriter, penning the script, there’s Oscar buzz before shooting even begins,” a description of the book said. “This once-in-a-lifetime project could catapult them both to new heights, but can they put the past behind them for the sake of the film…for the sake of something more?”

“The Hollywood Renaissance series means so much to me because celebrating and amplifying Black art is one of the driving intentions. We saw that in book one, Reel, and that will persist in Score, the second book about a different couple in this series,” Ryan told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.

The book keeps the tone of Ryan’s passion for mental health, LGBTQ+ representation and includes a healthy romance with Black women at the center.

“I want Black women to be front and center,” she told The Grio in July. “I want us to see ourselves unambiguously… desired, chosen, and with joyful outcomes.”

Ryan was born and raised in North Carolina with a journalism degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has solidified herself as one of the most influential voices in the contemporary romance fiction world. She is also the first Black woman to receive the RITA award, the highest honor in romance publishing. She advocates heavily for non-profit organizations for autism awareness.

Score will hit bookshelves next spring in May 2026 and is now available for preorder.