Antonio and Natasha's world is turned upside down, and their young love is put to the test, when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime. Antonio fights to stay alive on the inside, while on the outside, Natasha faces choices that will change her life. Over the course of a decade, they share a desperate correspondence. Often, they have only each other to turn to as life takes them down separate paths and leaves them wondering if they will ever find their way back together.Startling, real, and filled with raw emotion, Upstate is an unforgettable coming-of-age story with a message of undeniable hope. Brilliant and profoundly felt, it is destined to speak to a new generation of readers.

    With her hallmark exuberance and cast of characters so sassy, resilient, and full of life that they breathe, dream, and shout right off the page.

     A successful career. A beautiful wife and children...and his pick of the sexiest women in town. It seems Tarron has the best of both worlds as he manages to indulge in wild nights out with his lover and quiet nights at home with his family. But the party is about to end...When Tarron's cheating ways are revealed, his cool-headed wife, Secret, handles it like a pro. That's partly because, true to her name, Secret is hiding some bad behavior of her own. And now, as Secret starts to really live out her own fantasies, neither she nor Tarron may be ready for the explosive consequences... "A fascinating debut novel... There are so many exciting twists and turns to this story that you'll be begging for more once you read the very last page." --Urban-Reviews.com

    When Yvonna's ghetto fabulous would is rocked after the brutal murder of her high school sweetheart Bilal Santana, at the hands of her father, she learns a lot about the people around her. Behind her back they conceal a sultry secret involving her best friend and deceased boyfriend.Unable to move past her anger, which eventually causes her to get into a major car accident; she leaves D.C., fleeing only to Baltimore. There she remains nourishing the hate she feels inside.Four years later, angrier and crazier than ever, she decides to return home to one by one exact revenge on those who made what she affectionately refers to as her "Shyt List". From defecating on a gravesite, to murder, she reigns supreme at completing her mission of destroying their lives. That is until she reaches the last name on the list. With him her plans are difficult to carry out. Will the love she feels for him prevent her from following through with her plan? Or will old memories push her to go even further? In the end all will be revealed, and you'll be blown away!

    Or at least that's the way it's been for Slump. Since a child he had the responsibility of taking care of himself along with his younger brother and sister by any means necessary. The only thing he has ever been good at is killing, so good that the streets named him. "The Boogyman" but Slump faces a problem when he has to find out the hard way that not everyone is afraid of the Boogyman. He has one goal, get this money and get out fast. That's until his past begins to catch up to him. This classic tale by Jason Brent is sure to leave readers breathless.

    Sugar moves next door to Pearl, who is still grieving for the daughter who was murdered fifteen years before. Over sweet-potato pie, an unlikely friendship begins, transforming both women's lives--and the life of an entire town.Sugar brings a Southern African-American town vividly to life, with its flowering magnolia trees, lingering scents of jasmine and honeysuckle, and white picket fences that keep strangers out--but ignorance and superstition in. To read this novel is to take a journey through loss and suffering to a place of forgiveness, understanding, and grace.  McFadden is the author of the novels Gathering of Waters, Glorious, and This Bitter Earth.

    There's only the desperate need to get out by any means possible. Aisha has what every other ghetto girl envies: a loving man who supplies her with all the fashion, money, and accessories that scream "hood success." Now that her husband's in jail, Aisha may have to put something more precious than her designer gear up for sale in order to maintain her image. The cost may be too high even for her expensive tastes. Devani knows she's found her way out of the hood when she sleeps with Tyrik, a star pro athlete. When Tyrik's calls get further and further apart, Devani's mother suggests the perfect scheme: become his baby momma. Will Devani's plans force her man to commit, or backfire with the worst of consequences? Molly is so in love with her husband, Junior, that she doesn't care if she's the only white girl in the hood. Blinded by her love, Molly lets everyone walk all over her. But Junior may cross the line, forcing Molly to give back all the abuse she's taken. Lexi has five children—and four broke baby daddies. Now she is married to Luther, Mr. Right in every way but in the bedroom. Determined to finally provide a good man for her kids, Lexi must struggle to fight her cravings for sex with her ex. Will she stay faithful to her husband or give in to a passion that may very well prove deadly?

    Jadine Childs is a black fashion model with a white patron, a white boyfriend, and a coat made out of ninety perfect sealskins. Son is a black fugitive who embodies everything she loathes and desires. As Morrison follows their affair, which plays out from the Caribbean to Manhattan and the deep South, she charts all the nuances of obligation and betrayal between blacks and whites, masters and servants, and men and women.

    On the surface I'm Mo'Nique, the hottest stripper dancing at The Pink Palace, but on the inside I'm really just Janelle Taylor, a teenage runaway trying to survive in Atlanta. You might wanna call me a hoe but I'm the one your man is spending his whole paycheck on! This isn't the life I envisioned for myself but it's the path I was forced to take in order to get by. Nobody say the real me until I met Tommy, a sexy hustler from Chicago. At first he was just another trick, but for some reason I can't stay away from him. Am I really falling in love with a trick? The closer I get to Tommy, the more I feel like he's keeping something from me. Is having true love too much to ask for a girl like me?

    Cashmere, brings you this dark street tale. Follow the highs and lows of Cha, Goldie, and Red, who come together for fun, laughs, and sometimes treachery in Long Beach, California. For these three ladies, survival was always about getting over by using lies, deceit, and sex. But when a plan goes dangerously wrong, Cha and Goldie take a step back out of the life. Cha desperately wants to rid herself of the demons of her past so she can at least feel normal enough to raise her son, Omari. Goldie ain't feeling the hood life anymore. She's tired of going from man to man, and knows her parents are rolling over in their graves at the life she chose for herself. Red craves the streets, and will cross anyone, friends included, to get what she wants. She steps deeper in the game, making her dirtier than she already is--so dirty that she will betray both Cha and Goldie, leading to horrifying consequences. Dirty to the Grave goes harder than Karen Williams has ever gone, with an explosive ending that will shock you and make you wonder: Are your friends really your friends? They say life is hard from the cradle to the grave, and once you think people can't get any dirtier, they do!

    She's a successful marketing executive who still believes in sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

    As a once successful businesswoman, Desiree "Rae-Rae" Johnson use to avoid driving through that section of the neighborhood--until she fell on hard times. After becoming a crack addict, she starts living with her soul mate Bilal "Bunchy" Wilson, the man who introduced her to cocaine. After witnessing a double murder and struggling to survive the everyday dramas to support their drug habits, they manage to pull off one of the biggest robberies in New Jersey's history. Bilal is sentenced to life for murder and armed robbery and meets his sudden death in prison, leaving Desiree to face the demons of her past alone. After turning her life around, she meets one of the top men in the game, Ishmael Jenkins, and falls for him, not knowing his secret past. Ishmael is comfortable in his position in the hood and falls for Desiree just as hard. All hell breaks loose as Ishmael's loyalty is tested and Desiree struggles to maintain her sobriety. Between love, murder and a possible relapse, will they survive? Or will they be another statistic in this society in which we live? Have you seen this in your hood? Well, this is what happened In My 'Hood.

    In Jazmyn's case the bad outweighed the good .This isn't your ordinary love story. Jazmyn was in love with her boyfriend Prince of four years, but after the constant cheating and being his human punching bag, she is finally fed up. The only problem is she is too scared to leave. Prince is your average pretty boy type. The kind that thinks he can have any woman he wants just with the lick of his lips. He is deadly in love with Jazmyn and won't let nothing or no one get in his way or try to take his girl. That is until Justice Carter comes into the picture. Fresh out the pin and back home to claim what is rightfully his, Justice is a force to be reckoned with. While serving a four year bid, he left to his best friend Diesel who tried to take him for everything he made a name for. But with the help of his brother Harlem they make Diesel wish he never crossed him. Harlem is handling his business and locking down his brothers territory. He has another side to him that nobody wants to meet. After years in therapy, he learns how to control his anger. He is in love with a chick he thinks is too scared to love. But after realizing she's not the woman he thought she was, things get deadly. Samya and Jazmyn are best friends. With a mother as a crack head and a dead beat for a father, Jaz's mother Tuesday takes her in and raises her as her own. She is hard working and don't take no shit but is far from perfect herself. She has secrets and skeletons in her closet so big that she is to scared to tell anyone including Jaz. She is in love with Harlem but even he don't know about her past. Treat me like somebody is filled with drama and suspense. Secrets will be revealed and love will be tested. Will friendship get in the way or will love conquer all?

    She is a nice girl with an attraction to the wrong types of men. No one seems to understand why she would get involved with a notorious criminal. After settling into a dangerous relationship with Devon, her life takes a drastic change for the worse. Caught between his material gifts and controlling behavior she searches for a way out. The battle to save Carlie from Devon's grip puts the lives of many people in jeopardy. By the time she realizes that force is needed when going up against Devon, it is too late. Carlie's fight to stay alive will keep you on edge. Will she give in? Or die trying?

    Forced by events that leave her to fend for herself as a teenager, she evolves into a money-hungry vixen as an adult. Using her physical attributes to lead a suspect lifestyle, Honey treats men like toys—good for a while, but always disposable.That is until she meets handsome and charismatic Khalil Graves, an up-and-coming filmmaker who's desperately trying to escape the demons of his painful childhood. Already engaged, Khalil can't seem to shake his attraction to Honey. What he doesn't realize is that he's a pawn in Honey's plan for revenge.Honey's attempt at vengeance quickly unravels, complicated by her possible involvement in a murder and a devious plot to score a payday lucrative enough to free her from her unsavory lifestyle.In A Taste of Honey, Essence bestselling author Darren Coleman delivers another sizzling, drama-filled tale that is sure to take his reputation for delivering page-turners to another level.