That was the reason I studied so hard in school, didn’t hang out with the popular kids, and didn’t rebel against my parents. When I turned 17 years old and became the Valedictorian of my class, I knew I was on the right track. I was ready to go to college and embark on my journey towards becoming a corporate lawyer. Never in a million years did I think that by the time I was eighteen years old, I would be pushing out a baby. Never did I think my life could change so drastically. I had no degree, no career, no house, and no husband; but I had a daughter. I still remember the night everything changed between us. Or maybe things had already changed, and it was the first time I noticed it. I know for sure that it was the first time I had ever accepted the fact that I was truly just a “baby mama” and Flip had no real plans of making me his wife. I remember feeling so many emotions that night. I was hurt, angry, confused, disappointed, and betrayed. But I was still very much in love. I loved him too much to hate him so quickly, so I resented him and I hated myself for being so naiive. It didn’t take long for that resentment to magnify because once the truth is out, you begin to connect the dots to every lie you’ve ever been fed and it makes you wonder if any of it was ever real. The moment you lose respect for someone, everything changes. The love is still there, but it’s not the same. You become guarded, you become defensive, and sometimes you just want to hurt them the way they hurt you. That’s when they start to call you bitter. I never pictured myself becoming a bitter baby mama, but you know what? Maybe they’re right. Maybe I am bitter but I feel like I have every damn right to be. This is my story.

    The happiest event in a female's life when she finally crosses that threshold between childhood and becoming an adult. But what happens when you don't really know that person you're having a child with? What if over time you watch that man you gave a part of yourself to morph into someone you don't recognize? That's the case in this book of twisted tales involving four different men with four very similar issues. Over time, each woman in this book watches as the man they gave their all too changes into abusive, obsessive, womanizing, controlling fuck boys. Sex, lies, abuse, jealousy, and even murder are the reoccurring themes in their lives and one by one they find themselves trapped between wanting to live a happy life and desperately trying to separate from their Bitter Baby Daddies. Will these women be able to break the volatile bonds that hold them? Or will these women succumb to the hell they live as the losers who control them refuse to let go? Come on this drama filled, explosive ride through the streets of Memphis and find out just what it takes to get rid of a Bitter Baby Daddy!

    Yes, she is old. Yes, she sometimes forgets where she put her glasses, or her heart medication. But doesn't everyone? That doesn't give workers--paid to assist her, mind you--the right to rifle through her personal belongings, or "accidentally" forget something of hers in their pocket. It definitely does not give them the right to embezzle thousands of dollars from her family trust.Just when she is most desperate, a young neighbor takes her by surprise. Bonding over their shared love of soap operas, Jo and Toby engage in old-school reconnaissance to find answers. Together, they brave roller skates, walks along uneven ground, and even downtown parking on what may be Jo's most exciting adventure in forty years."Yes, And" is a feel-good story that explores the hearts of two misunderstood, kindred spirits, connected just when they need each other most.

    The city had promised an escape from all of his problems back in Scotland. It was the perfect fresh start – well-paid job, luxury apartment in the canal district, sobriety and celibacy.But everything changed when he went on a blind date with an unhinged sexologist, and now the city’s dark side is closing in on him.To make matters more complicated, his old life is hurtling back towards him in the shape of a stag party – four nutters from his hometown in Scotland, including his future brother-in-law and the former school bully – will arrive in the city within hours.Over the course of one chaotic weekend, Fin McPhail will come face-to-face with all of his demons.Vividly cinematic, Amsterdam Rampant draws on a potent blend of modern culture (Pulp Fiction, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and the work of Donna Tartt and Iain Banks). A riotously entertaining novel exploring the neon shadows of Europe’s sin city, this 21st Century tale of sex, friendship, and coming to terms with the past will leave readers wanting more from Scotland’s newest literary star.

    After Pete's mother abandoned him, Wayne's family took him in and treated him as their own son. Through adolescence, college, medical school, and in their shared orthopedics practice, Pete and Wayne have lived their entire lives as best friends -- as brothers. And as brothers, they have always been rivals when it came to women.The fateful night when Carla walks into the bar where Pete and Wayne are having drinks brings Wayne his customary, more fortunate, luck with the ladies. Even though Pete spotted her first, it is Wayne who seals the deal, and soon enough, Wayne and Carla are engaged. But Wayne's need for one last conquest tempts him into bed with another woman, and the ensuing guilt leads him to confide in his best friend -- a mistake that will haunt the three of them forever.Jealous of his friend's relationship, Pete tells Carla of Wayne's infidelity and provides more than just a friendly shoulder to cry on. As a result, Carla leaves Wayne and further breaks his heart by accepting Pete's marriage proposal only one year later.Just when old friends seem to be finally settling down with their choices, old feelings surreptitiously sneak to the surface, and a rift between husband and wife leads Pete astray and drives Carla into the most familiar arms she can find. In the ensuing days, tensions erupt, and relationships, already tenuous, begin to break down. Finally, guilt, lust, and redemption come together in a heartbreaking and tragic love triangle, and Pete, Wayne, and Carla are forced to face the consequences of decisions that may end up being their last."Do You Take This Woman?" is a sexy blend of friendship and romance that will take you on a startlingly real and emotional roller-coaster ride of betrayal, sex, lies, and, ultimately, love.

    Certified and ruthless, Young Hollywood is worth a half a million before the age of sixteen, and is well on his way until tragedy strikes. Young Hollywood s home is invaded, and his son is held for ransom. Violated, blood thirsty and reckless, he vows for revenge as he combs the city for answers. Once inside the Georgia Penal System, Young Hollywood continues on his ruthless traits until he is placed on high max with hardened criminals. There, Young Hollywood meets up with a man he never knew before. After they untie, the real A-Town Veteran is released from prison after serving twenty straight years, but not before sucking up every piece of game and knowledge he could. This entertaining triumph goes from the streets, to the prison system and to the corporate world of record labels and rap entertainment. This highly anticipated, descriptive urban novel about crime, corruption and passion in Atlanta's own underworld will have you on your toes from the first page to the very last. This is one masterpiece you'll never want to end.

    He just rolls the dice better. But the Chicanos don't see it that way, and when one of their brothers is brutally slaughtered in a barroom shootout because of Curtis' dealings with heroin pusher Fat George, the Mexicans cry revenge on Curtis, leaving his brother with a wrecked body that will forever prevent him from being the basketball star he'd always dreamed of being. Curtis swears vengeance, and the streets run red with black-Chicano warfare!"He lived by the code of the streets and his books vividly recreated the street jungle and its predators." -New Jersey Voice

    Playing a clever trick of her own, Williams left her heroine on the brink of death at the end of the novel. Now the second installment of the chronicles reveals what Williams’s readers are dying to know: Is the Bitch Dead, or What?The drive-by shooting that brought her down forces Ritz to look back on her climb to the top and the people she loved, lost, used, and abused along the way. There’s the brief dalliance with Tracee, her best friend, and the romance with a man with some secrets of his own; the loss of her beloved Aunt M; and the recent appearance of the father who abandoned her and is now demanding a financial payoff and fifteen minutes of fame. At the heart of it all is Ritz’s need to figure out where the real-life Ritz ends and the radio bitch begins.For the huge audience hooked on The Wendy Williams Experience and readers itching to find out what happens to the over-the-top star of Drama Is Her Middle Name, Is the Bitch Dead, or What? is packed with all the irresistible shocks and insider dish that make Williams the hottest voice in America today.

    When he meets Zion, a product of the New York City foster care and prison system, Lamin knows that he has meet the perfect partner in crime. Together, they build a huge narcotics empire.Then, Lamin falls hard for a beautiful girl named Lucky. Lucky makes Lamin realize that there is more to life than cash and more cash. When Lamin goes legit with a career in the entertainment industry, Zion tries to keep their business going on both the street and the boardroom. It's not long before Zion becomes the target of a corruption scandal involving murder, extortion and money laundering. Once the dirt is exposed, will Lamin and Zion be able to remain one step ahead, or will their paper chasing days haunt them forever?

    Labeled the "asshole of West Philly," Tony holds no shame in having other women in his girlfriend Quanisha's bed. There is little remorse after he knocks off a convenience store and beats the cashier down with a gun. He'll rob from his girl, his friends, people he doesn't know and ya mama. He doesn't care who he hurts. The question is when will Tony figure out that Karma's a Bitch? Maybe when he starts getting his Karma instantly and mercilessly he'll get the hint.Will a heavy dose of 'Instant Karma' show him that not contributing to society in any positive way is guaranteed to get him a one way ticket to no where? Or will he just keep digging himself deeper in a hole that could end up being his final resting place...This book will give you a chuckle, a laugh -- or at the very least a smile. But hey, don't laugh too hard... Karma is one persistent bitch that doesn't rest.Want more J.Gail books? Check out Thugs Are for Fun on Amazon (a 3-part series).

    Her only care in the world is fast money, partying and designer labels. She doesn’t have real responsibilities or plans for the future. As far as she was concerned, only today was important. She will worry about tomorrow when it comes. No one is going to stop her from enjoying her life to the fullest. She refused to live the life she watched her mother endure by the hands of her father. Her and her brother, Tone struggled together after their parent’s death. Jiera is determined to make up for all the years she struggled as a young girl. No one else's opinions about her life mattered to her. King Owens is a twenty-five-year-old, handsome rich man. He was taken from his unfit mother and raised by his father and stepmom. King wants out of the life his father was determined he inherit. He doesn’t want the throne to his father’s drug empire. For now, he is living the life that he's determined to get away from. He has a beautiful, career-oriented woman in his life. A successful career, wealth, and a beautiful family was his goals in life. He is determined to have everything he wants, even if it means going against his father’s wishes. King and Jiera have totally different plans for their future. Upon laying eyes on Jiera, King couldn’t deny himself from having her for just one night. What happens when one night of passion binds the two together for the rest of their lives? The ones that supposed to love them the most are the ones trying to hurt them the most. Will lies, betrayal and deceit take the two on a journey together? Or will it tear them apart?

    Believing the person responsible for her husband's demise is none other than Nico Carter, she orders a hit on him. Will Angel realize Nico is her father before it is too late or will he die without her ever knowing the truth? Angel brings in a partner to oversee her lucrative business, Angel's Girls while she focuses on getting revenge but will the new partnership prove to be the worst decision Angel has ever made. Find out in Female Hustler Part 3.

    But when she comes out she finds that her whole world has changed. Her best friend, Meesha, who was supposed to pick her up from prison is murdered. Her trifilin', wellfare stealin' evil mother won't give allow her to take her son back. And her baby daddy has gone M.I.A. What type of man abandon's a woman who took a bid for him? To make matters worse, Heaven has nowhere to go nor a single dime to her name. All Heaven wants to do is get Blake back and start a nail salon but the streets has different plans. Eventually Heaven is taken in by CoCo, a friend that she met in prison. When Heaven meets CoCo's oldest brother Sin, her life takes a turn for the best. Sin is the Trap God of ATL. They eventually fall for each other but his love and lifestyle comes at a cost. Now Heaven has to decided whether she wants to take that risk again. Will Heaven get her life on track so that she can get custody of her son? Find out in this action-packed hood romance!

    To her surprise, she gets a taste of her own evil ways when, eye-stealing Simone oversteps her bounds with the one she wants, JL. A smooth talking entertainer, JL has always had many women, Joyclyn is no different. But as soon as things start to heat up in the bedroom things take an unsuspecting twist. JL is left trying to place back the pieces and keep his secrets a secret before it ruins not only his career but the innocent ones involved. Tasha has always loved Malik, problem is he was never available to begin with. Vowing to finally leave him alone forever, he resurfaces announcing his love and that he would finally leave his wife. But when Trey comes along and gives her the desires of her heart... she had no idea she would be committing the same mistake twice. A story of betrayal, scandalous sex, revenge, lies, and more grace the pages of this tale. One thing these women can t seem to make happen is letting their mistakes go. Or can they?

    News of the catastrophe is buried, however, beneath the horrendous casualty reports from the Battle of Antietam, fought on the very same day. Inspired by these two real-life tragedies, Consecrated Dust tells the story of four young northerners - feminist, Clara Ambrose; soldier, Garrett Cameron; industrialist, Edgar Gliddon; and immigrant, Annie Burke - friends, lovers, and bitter rivals. In the teeming streets and factories of Pittsburgh, and on the battlefields of the Army of the Potomac, they struggle to survive, forced to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and greed. Their choices ultimately lead to their presence at both the Arsenal and the Antietam battlefield on that fateful September day, a day that reveals the true meaning of courage - a day not all of them will survive. "Mary Frailey Calland bridges the gap between historian and storyteller, adeptly using characters to walk the reader through the times and events in 1862 Pittsburgh where life and the consequences of war collide. Rich in historic detail, Consecrated Dust is a narrative window to the past." MICHAEL KRAUS, Curator of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, and military consultant to the films Gettysburg and Cold Mountain. "The Civil War is seared into American memory for the horrors of the battlefields, North and South. Mary Calland's Consecrated Dust brings the tragedy to the northern home front and Pittsburgh - the Arsenal of the Union - which experienced in a single day the greatest death of civilians during the four year conflict." ANDREW E. MASICH, President & CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA.