They were small-timers playing for low stakes - until Prince is introduced to a heroin connect. Overnight they go from soldiers to bosses, and their crew is held together by loyalty and love. But taking the reins of power comes at a high price. Now, with Diego at their back and a traitor in their midst, they find themselves between a kilo and a hard place, ready to spill blood to stay on top.

    . . Set in the highest ranks of the music industry’s fame machine, Diamond Life is an intoxicating story of love, sex, ambition, money, betrayal, and the surprising realities of making it big. Alex Maxwell’s career as a journalist and celebrity ghost writer is taking off, despite the slightly embarrassing authorship of hip-hop super-groupie Cleo Wright’s memoir. And while Alex’s star is on the rise, it pales in comparison to her husband Birdie’s multiplatinum debut and world tour. Slowly but surely, everything they swore would never happen begins to come true, like leaving Brooklyn for a mansion in suburban Jersey and letting a reality TV crew into their home. Birdie is confronted time and again by the sexy groupies who pursue famous rappers like heat-seeking missiles and he’s forced to make some life-changing choices. Meanwhile, aging rapper Z, in recovery from drug addiction, is too busy trying to repair his marriage to leave much time for his son Zander, newly signed to Z’s label and struggling to maintain his appeal in the wake of a domestic violence scandal with his diva girlfriend Bunny. Record label president Jake is trying to deal with the death of his wife, multiplatinum R&B artist Kipenzi Hill, by drowning his sorrows in alcohol and women. When he meets Lily, a beautiful, quiet waitress, he can’t get her out of his head. But Lily has her own problems to handle and she wants nothing to do with the fame, drama, and baggage that Jake carries with him. This juicy follow-up to Aliya S. King’s Platinum is a scintillating roman à clef that takes readers behind the curtain once again for the real scoop on the biggest players in the hip-hop game—and the first ladies who hold them together.

    A family of criminals at the highest level. On the eve of their exile from the life of crime...It all goes bad. These brothers and sisters ho on the run from the law and are on a wild run to the border before they authorities capture them. This page turning, face paced, and sexy short gives you the introduction to a legendary series.

    He is secluded from the world and finds an escape through the drawings in his work. Not until he gets an unexpected knock at his door does his life take a drastic turn. The guest presents a problem that traps them inside of a home for 72 hours and this quiet suburban estate, becomes the devil's playground. The painter is then thrown into a psychological game that has twist and turns, which leads to an unforeseeable last page. This thrilling, plot twisting tale will change your views on storytelling forever.

    Reprint.

    Urban favorite Anthony returns with a gripping tale of a young woman who is forced to confront the dangerous lies she told as a teenager, and come face to face with some ugly demons.

    There isn't much else she could possibly want . . . except the man who got away while she was climbing the ladder of success.Satisfy Me by Delilah DawsonShauna Williams finds out that Max Jackson, her childhood crush, is back in town for their friends' wedding. Shauna's all grown up now, and she has no intention of letting him slip through her fingers again.Ice Princess by Joy KingBeautiful, successful, and deadly in the boardroom, Madison always gets any man she wants. As a matter of fact, she seems to have more than she can handle. But when she moves into her fabulous new loft and meets the building's owner, Marcus, she realizes that she has finally met her match.The Morning After by Maryann ReidAlexis is tired of the pampered well-to-do men of her social set and wants to take a walk on the wilder side. So when she steps out of her Park Avenue comfort zone and meets Rasheen, straight out of Bed-Stuy, she gets everything she could ever want…and more.

    Hennesey, a brilliant straight-A student, is soon off to college on a full scholarship. She's in a strong relationship with Rafe, a recently released convict who's trying to turn his life around after being unjustly jailed. He took a drug rap for his old friend Smoke, who has since become the most ruthless drug dealer in Chicago. Rafe wants nothing more to do with his old friends -- especially when he falls for Hennesey. On the other hand, Alizé is perfectly comfortable relying on her undeniable sex appeal to get what she wants. When Livvy, the girls' mother, announces that they have to move out of her apartment because she is getting a smaller place to save up money and go back to school, Alizé panics as she is in desperate need of some money of her own. She and her girlfriends come up with an outrageous plan to score some fast cash -- persuading the men with fat pockets they meet at clubs to take the girls to a hotel and then drugging them and making off with their wallets and jewelry. Unfortunately for Alizé, one of their first victims is none other than Smoke, Rafe's old buddy. Once robbed, he's bent on revenge -- and the violent chain of events that follow will change the Rodgers family forever.

    The man she fell in love with turned out to be a lazy, good-for-nothing womanizer. Night after night Tiffany comes home to Blake's physical, mental, and verbal abuse. She's tried leaving in the past, but somehow he always finds her. Each time, she comes back and convinces herself things will get better. Then one day Blake beats her for the last time. Tiffany decides death is the only way out--and she's not the one being buried. Her life takes a drastic turn as she attempts to live the life she's always wanted. Lucky and Quick are childhood friends trying to make a name for themselves. They have been working corners, proving their loyalty to the streets and waiting for their big break. When they finally get the chance to prove themselves, they quickly climb up the ladder and find themselves working for the top dogs. Everything happens so fast that they end up on opposite sides of the fence and become enemies. Quick and Tiffany meet under unfortunate circumstances, but they instantly connect and fall in love. Tiffany is pulled into Quick's street world full of lies and revenge. Lucky and Quick are constantly going against each other, and the friendship seems to be lost forever. When the opportunity comes along for both of them to be on the top spot, will they be able to rekindle the friendship?

    But her memory is ten months behind, and her life went from fabulous to scandalous in the time she forgot. She has no clue that "high class" prostitution was her way of making ends meet. Meanwhile, Sarai's new but forgotten love, Tremel "Mel" Colton, vows to stay by her side. Though she can't remember him, he patiently waits to remind her of the long, steamy nights she spent in his arms. He romances her all over again, but just as lust and love start to blossom, shocking secrets from Sarai's past are revealed and suddenly Mel is unsure of their future together. Also, because she doesn't remember them, some of Sarai's enemies mask themselves as her friends, and Sarai has no idea how much trouble she has gotten herself into. But one thing is certain -- she will never forget her enemies again. In this seductive sequel to her sizzling debut novel, Going Broke, Trista Russell turns down the sheets and turns up the heat in a story about one woman learning that money comes and goes, but good friends, love, and sex are hard to forget.

    From this Essence bestselling author comes a sexy, fast-paced novel about astreet-smart girl determined to make it big in the glitzy nightclub business.288 pp.

    "The Flip Side of Sin" takes readers on a journey through the lives of a group of unforgettable characters who must overcome life's toughest challenges to find true happiness. It is a book in which worlds collide and people are forever transformed by the tumultuous changes that occur in one man's life. The story begins with Isaac Coleman, a man whose tragic mistakes cost him years away from everyone and everything that mattered to him -- especially his wife and son. Alone, confused, and bitter, Isaac can only become whole by learning to love again. But when he re-enters the world he left and attempts to get reacquainted with his now teenage son, Peyton, he finds heartbreaking rejection.As Isaac struggles to understand and change his plight, his only form of self-expression is found in the keys of his saxophone. When he later meets up with Miracall Lake, a woman with whom he shares a painful past, she surprisingly helps him to face his fears and reach for his dreams. In this case, love indeed conquers all -- or so it tries to in this tale of good versus evil and love versus hate. "The Flip Side of Sin" is a poignant and memorable work from a writer of immense talent.

    At the end of the day, the Banks sisters are no different than any other family in the city of Richmond--other than the fact that they are rotten to the core. Sure, the girls are bonded by D.N.A, but they're also tied together because of their past of robbing banks, extortion, drug dealing, and even cold-blooded murder. However, that bond means absolutely nothing to them. When it comes down to it, it is every sister for herself, even if it means throwing her siblings underneath the bus to avoid the consequences of their many crimes. Sisterly love be damned; this is survival!

    No one knew exactly where they got the money to buy up businesses and real estate, but everyone on the streets respected them. Their criminal enterprise is unraveling quickly, though, as member loyalty is challenged and betrayal becomes the name of the game.Taz is dealing with almost more than he can handle now that his crew is falling apart. Cliff is still consumed by a desire for revenge against Taz, and the two of them are locked in an epic battle for Tazneema's heart. Meanwhile, a vital member of Taz's team ends up dead. This calls for a gruesome retaliation, but when Taz discovers the killer's identity, he'll have some serious choices to make. Now Taz's leadership is being questioned by his once loyal crew. Does he have what it takes to stay on top, or is all this heat enough to make him want to leave the streets alone?Clifford "Spud" Johnson delivers an action-packed tale of betrayal, murder, and revenge that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

    . . . In the hood every day is about struggle and survival, and no one understands that more than twenty-two-year-old Kaeyla “Goldie” Dennis. So when the affair she’s been having with a wealthy married man comes crashing to an end, Goldie doesn’t waste any time getting back on her grind. Her new hustle? Running a strip club where she also happens to be the main attraction. Pretty soon she’s knee-deep in the skin game with more money than she ever imagined. Enough to bring more girls on and even hire a security detail. But as the saying goes, More money, more problems. When one of her dancers becomes the victim of a vicious assault, Goldie must decide whether to remain silent and continue her lucrative business or tell the truth and lose everything she’s worked for. Her decision will test her devotion to the motto she seems to live by: Get Rich or Die Trying . . .Real Wifeys is the first installment of a fierce and gritty new series by the coauthor of one of the classics of street fiction, Desperate Hoodwives.