When her parents found out, they decided to uproot them to another city. After losing contact with Dreon, she experienced her first heartbreak and decided to shift her focus back on her education. Now twenty-three, Niya is in her final year of law school, but over the years she continued to experience the short end of any relationship she was in, including the relationship with her parents. She finally accepts that her heart has never fully healed, but that all changes once she sees Dreon again. She doesn’t know how he will feel about the secret she’s been keeping from him. Dreon Carter was known for the havoc he wreaked growing up. But after being abandoned by his mother on his grandmother’s steps, he was angry and released that anger on other kids. Sometimes, even letting Niya tag along. Barely graduating high school, due to poor attendance, he went into the streets full time and was now known by the street name Menace. He ended up serving some time in prison, but now at twenty-five, he is the king of the dope game in Cleveland, running the streets with his right-hand man, Renzo. He has a two-year-old daughter by a crazy baby mama who’s set on being a pain in his ass and causing friction between him and Niya. Along with running the streets, he’s trying to run his home, but with the streets and his home life trying to cross, he runs into problems. The bond of Menace and Niya is undeniably unbreakable, but is Niya strong enough to be the woman of a thug, going against everything she’s about, and dealing with the drama that comes along? Can Menace avoid the pressures of the street life and be the man Niya wants him to be, while also not giving up his streets, or will it all be too much?

    Not knowing how to deal with the unfamiliar and intense emotions he ignites within her, she lets herself burn in his fire. Still haunted by his fiancé's unsolved murder, Gerard Watton, the Duke of Hadminster, has thrown himself into his business. However, that changes when his sister's captivating governess brings forth feelings he thought himself unable to experience ever again. But as tension and feelings run wild, someone threatens to snatch his happiness away from him a second time. When someone tries to poison Elizabeth, the crippling fear of the past repeating itself resurfaces, and Gerard is hard-pressed to act fast. For one is an accident, two is a tragedy, but three is murder...

    

    She's sweet as brown sugar with candied yams... Honey-coated complexion... Music camay... Let's hear it for the girl... She's from around the way... Sade is not your typical around the way California girl. Coming from a good family, in the rough part of Compton, the senseless murder of her mother at a young age leaves her family in shambles, and Sade forging a way as a woman without the gentle guidance that only a mother can provide. With her razor sharp tongue, and free spirit, Sade is trying hard to blaze her own trail, despite the wishes of her controlling father and bougie ex boyfriend. Q is the Robin Hood of Tree Top Piru. Under the hardened, heartless exterior that he puts up, is a man longing for the stable love he’s been missing from his baby mama Camari. With enemies lurking around every corner, and treacherous women always trying to claim his heart, a chance encounter on a doomed night sets him on the path to finding the sense of calm that he’s been longing for in his chaotic life. Is Q even capable of loving someone that needs to be loved? Or has his heart been entirely shut off from love because of the ways of the women in his past? Will shared experiences create unbreakable bonds between Q and Sade? Or will secrets, lies, and jealousy rip them apart before their love affair even begins? Get into the story of Q and Sade, two star crossed lovers from Compton. Romeo and Juliet ain’t got nothing on this real hood love story!

    She’s tried to work, pray, sex, sleep and smoke her problems away but she can’t escape the gloomy, grey clouds hovering over her head. Just wanting to be happy, she's blinded by love; Messiah only sees what she wants to see – always building up to be let down and ultimately crashing. She craves love and admiration but doesn’t love herself enough to know when it’s time to let go of an old flame. Directionless, she coasts along through life numb, until she meets Shyhiem, the man who will change her life forever. He’s everything she never knew she wanted, but everything that she absolutely needed. Without permission, Shyhiem marches into her life and turns everything upside down. He’s rude, cocky, angry and devastatingly handsome. To the world, he’s nothing but an ex-convict with a chip on his shoulder; but to Messiah, he’s an angel sent down from heaven who teaches her how to love again. When Messiah finds herself wasting time, daydreaming about when she’ll see or speak to him again, she knows she’s in trouble. Love wasn’t in the equation for her - especially since she still has feelings for her ex - and Shyhiem has a ghetto baby mother and two kids… Will their love prevail or will self-doubt, self-pity, and a sense of emptiness stop everything before it starts?

    Cincinnati, Ohio will either make or break you, it all depends on who you are. Deron "Killa" Hutchins earned his street name as an enforcer for one of the biggest kingpins in the city. Although respected and feared as a cold-blooded killer, Deron has a warm heart for those he loves, including his wife and grandmother. When a special assignment from his boss uncovers a shocking betrayal that scorches Deron's soul, all he can think of is murder, but that's easier said than done when it's his wife who has caused the carnage. In the blink of an eye, Jada went from happily engaged to single and mad as hell. Before she can even begin to process the end of her relationship, she is abducted and held captive in a luxurious environment, but she has no idea why. To add insult to injury, Jada finds herself drawn to Deron, her sexy, stoic captor. During her time in captivity, they become close, but the kidnapper and the kidnapped have more in common than they know, and the results could mean death for everyone.

    Having nowhere else to go, she turns to the man she met through a mail-order bride ad, Judd. To her horror, upon her arrival, she discovers that her husband-to-be has already married another woman! Broke and devastated, she feels hopeless, until she is offered a job by a handsome man, Simon, in his newspaper. Will he be the cure for her sad and lonely soul or another disappointment that will deeply stigmatize her? Will treacherous schemes and secrets keep her from following her heart?Simon Johnson runs the local newspaper successfully, but when his assistant is with child, he's left all alone to handle everything. Desperate to replace her the soonest possible, he meets the beautiful Sarah, who will be proven to be the light at the end of the tunnel. As they work together, he finds the spark between them very much alive and he tries to protect her from any threat at all costs, while giving her the peace and freedom she needs. When a great danger approaches, putting everything at risk, will Simon manage to read between the lines and protect her before it is too late?Sarah has finally found the heaven she's longed for all her life, while Simon has fallen utterly in love for the first time. Is their meeting a divine confirmation that better days are coming? Will fate bring Simon and Sarah to a place where they truly belong together or will jealousy, regrets, and fears drive them apart?

    Ashamed and terrified, she is loath to give her family yet another reason to resent her. She resolves to drown the fire inside her once and for all.Dutiful Nicholas Garston, the Marquess of Calperton, wants to make his father proud and marry the woman he has chosen for him. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets her tantalizingly rebellious younger sister.Lifelong vows are not the only thing breaking. The broken lock of a chest reveals treason of the ungodly kind: a map to a secret that two powerful families have been trying to keep buried. And when Martha finds herself in a dark corner of the woods, Nicholas might never see her walk out again...

    However, after her parents' sudden death, she has no choice but to travel to her brother's ranch; a dangerous journey that she has underestimated in every way. Unlike her books, things are incredibly real when faced head-on, especially when an outlaw gang attacks her train and makes her follow a stranger to the open road. Jasper is her only hope if she ever wants to arrive safe and sound to her brother's ranch. Is she truly safe, though, traveling with a complete stranger? When her feelings for him overwhelm her, will she stay sane and choose the path to happiness?Jasper Sherman is a mysterious man, full of dark secrets. Being at the right place at the wrong time, Jasper becomes Samantha's guardian angel and guides her down the perilous country roads. Throughout his whole life, he has been hiding his true emotions and intentions, but now, for the first time, he seems to have second thoughts about his actions. Is it too late to change his route? When this challenging journey is over, will he manage to free himself from what has been keeping him captive and miserable all these years?Jasper and Samantha meet each other under the most adverse circumstances possible. Their romance starts to bloom and before they even realize it, they can't imagine being apart. How will Samantha react when she finds out Jasper's true identity? How will this eventful ride test their endurance, emotions and trust?

    All her dreams were cruelly shattered, leaving her struggling through her grief. In time, she accepts there's more life still to live and decides to set off to be a mail-order-bride. Little does she know though that her new beginning out West may prove to be her greatest challenge yet. Finding herself facing hostile relatives and unexpected intrigue, her only glimmer of hope lies in the eyes of her betrothed. She immediately feels an undeniable connection to this kind-hearted man. Despite the unforeseen obstacles standing in her way, could this be her one chance to reclaim the happiness that was stolen from her in the past?Nick Sloane is on a mission to save his family's ranch after learning how fragile life can be in the most heartbreaking way. He is still carrying deep scars from the loss of a loved one when Sheila enters his world, and he knows at once that nothing will ever be the same again. From the moment he sets eyes on her, something about her shy laughter makes him want to take a leap of faith and open his heart again. Yet what Nick doesn't realize is that his meddling family has other plans for him that could undermine the future he's now longing for. How far will he be willing to go to stand up to them in order to follow the true calling of his heart?As the blossoming romance between Sheila and Nick grows, so does his family's desperation to tear them apart. With the scheming against their love threatening to destroy everything, Sheila resolves to do anything for the man she loves. Could this mean walking away from the promising future she and Nick are dreaming of and breaking both their hearts? Will Nick and Sheila get their happily ever after, or will outside forces ruin their precious chance at happiness?"His Unexpected Twist of Fate" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    They never seem to get along but their hearts always pound faster when they lock eyes. How will they let themselves love each other?Oregon Trail, 1860s.Ellie is a gentle young woman who must take care of her deaf younger brother after the sudden death of their parents. To avoid poverty and her unfortunate debts, she escapes on a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. Meeting Mark, the loner but witty guide of the party, causes her heart to pound faster. How can she cure his wounds and fears and show him that true love means when he’s just so detached?Mark is an excellent scout and a trail guide who has suffered the loss of love. He should stay focused and get the job done but when he sees Ellie in danger, he instinctively saves her. After that, they always seem to bump into each other, and they never stop bickering. How can he let his heart show him the way when he’s just too stubborn to love again?Life on the trail is challenging and filled with pain, poverty and loss. When Ellie is discovered to own money and her brother is in peril, party members will threaten them. How will Mark save the woman that stole his heart when the two always hit walls instead of breaking them down?

    

    

    After what Rachel thought was a great day, an unexpected surprise when she returned home from work turned her life completely upside down. Just as Rachel slowly started to rebuild her life and regain her independence, an unexpected love interest pries his way into her life. Rachel is taken on the ride of her life when she quickly realizes that he isn’t the man he claims to be. Trenton quickly realizes he’s made a terrible mistake by letting Rachel go, and she finds herself in the middle of chaos. Rachel is forced to decide what is more important for her own heart: fixing the broken relationship with her husband of seven years or putting her trust into a man that may have his own ulterior motives? Trust is broken, secrets are revealed, but will love win? Zarkia takes you on an unforgettable journey in her new African American Urban Fiction Standalone and it’s available for your reading pleasure right now.

    They ride hard and love harder! D’Ann Lindun’s amazing set of novellas set in the contemporary west are filled with sexy cowboys and the strong women who love them. Lily's Summer Cowboy Friendship, passion and so much more… Afraid to love, Lily Halderman is determined to never feel despair like when she lost her husband to cancer. Left alone to continue their custom farming business, she struggles to stay afloat, both financially and emotionally. Will Wainwright is running from the pain of the past. But, Lily’s grit and determination to move forward catches him off guard. Friendship turns to passion …but can they heal one another? Cowboy Bred, Cowboy Born Despite their determination to stay the course they’ve each chosen, attraction pulls photographer, Alannah and rancher, Sterling together as steadily as a nail to a magnet. Can these two find a way to mesh Alannah’s need for freedom and Gentry’s desire to hold onto his land? Ride, Cowboy, Ride Can they find freedom together? A locked up heart. Broke, busted and blue. Can an ex-con and a woman determined to stand strong, find a romance which will last a lifetime? Falling for the Cowboy He craves solitude to forget what a woman did to him. She needs one last chance before her career ends. Can a plane crash in the Canadian Rockies show them what really matters? A Cowboy Kinda Christmas When an angel driving a red Mustang runs Nick Hadley's sleigh off the road, his first reaction is indignation. His second is awe. The beautiful woman makes him forget his past and look straight into the future. If he takes a chance on love, she will change his life forever.