Let the people of West Mills say what they will; the neighbors’ gossip won’t keep Knot from what she loves best: cheap moonshine, nineteenth-century literature, and the company of men. And yet, Knot is starting to learn that her freedom comes at a high price. Alone in her one-room shack, ostracized from her relatives and cut off from her hometown, Knot turns to her neighbor, Otis Lee Loving, in search of some semblance of family and home. Otis Lee is eager to help. A lifelong fixer, Otis Lee is determined to steer his friends and family away from decisions that will cause them heartache and ridicule. After his failed attempt as a teenager to help his older sister, Otis Lee discovers a possible path to redemption in the chaos Knot brings to his doorstep. But while he’s busy trying to fix Knot’s life, Otis Lee finds himself powerless to repair the many troubles within his own family, as the long-buried secrets of his troubled past begin to come to light.Set in an African American community in rural North Carolina from 1941 to 1987, In West Mills is a magnificent, big-hearted small-town story about family, friendship, storytelling, and the redemptive power of love.

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

    A shock wave breaks over the Oval as its longtime members grapple with the changing face of its community.With elegant, luminous prose, Dorothy West crowns her literary career by illustrating one family's struggle to break the shackles of race and class.

    In case you need a reminder, they are four Jamaican brothers who inherit their billion-dollar empire from their father, Kymani Whyte, a former legendary drug kingpin. Their last name alone ring bells throughout the city. 'Whyte' holds so much rank and weight that it is almost a death sentence to have any beef with the Whyte Brothers. These brothers keep their circle tight and make sure not to let any snakes in. Females consider it a blessing to be affiliated with either Staxx, Rich, Paper or Dolla Whyte even if it is only for a night. Dolla Whyte, the youngest and deemed most ruthless of the four, is considered the most attractive. From the start, he warns women that there are two things he can’t give them - money and a relationship. All of that changes during a morning routine trip to Starbucks. Dream Washington's name can be found under the definition of a "go-getta". Since a pre-teen, she saved every child support check from her father so that she can attend her dream college, University of Miami, thirteen hours away from home. Now a junior in college, Dream is focusing more on obtaining her degree to live the life she wasn't given a chance to due to her parents' negligence. She also happens to be the new barista at Starbucks. When Dolla ends up in her line, their interaction doesn't go too well. Unbeknownst to her, Dolla is just naturally a "rude bwoy". That very well may be the reason Dream finds herself attracted to him. All of a sudden, Dolla finds himself breaking his own rules. Whenever Dream has a problem, Dolla runs to her rescue. Dolla doesn't know how to describe his feelings for Dream, but he dares not use the L-word. To him, love is only an emotion to describe the way he feels about his family, not a woman. Staxx is the oldest and runs the empire. There is nothing he loves more than his daughter and youngest brother. As with every man with wealth and power, women are his weakness. Self-control is something that he lacks. Staxx has been married for almost fifteen years to his daughter’s mother, but he hasn’t been faithful for over a decade. His infidelities catch up to him in a way that he never expects. Meet Shonda, the loyal, loving wife of Staxx. She has rightfully earned the huge rock on her finger after holding Staxx down since they were seventeen. Shonda hardly ever asks Staxx for anything throughout their marriage, but she wants another baby. Staxx, being heavy in the streets and sheets, doesn’t want another kid. The pressure from Shonda causes their marriage to crumble. Each brother has woman problems, which can easily be solved if the brothers weren’t so set in their ways. Running an empire is already hard, try adding needy women and greedy men to the equation. One thing is for sure, drama is bad for business. Will these Miami boys be able to protect their empire and give their hearts to the women that love them? Or will the brothers fold under pressure?

    An accident sends Addie tumbling into our lives, shattering our quiet isolation. We're none too pleased about having an uninvited guest, especially since this storm's going to last a while. But she's got sweetness and sass, not to mention seriously tempting curves. Soon the fire isn't the only thing heating up our cabin, but once we've had her between us, letting her go might not be so easy... Addie found the cure for her wounded heart in the place she least expected. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than in the arms of these three passionate, dominant men. As our adventures continue, we discover more than just the heat of desire—a connection so deep it shakes us all. The four of us have lit a fire none of us expected, but my time in Meadowbrook is almost over. Will the embers between us cool and die, or will our unconventional romance grow into a lasting inferno? The Stone Brothers is a sizzling reverse harem series featuring a sweet and fiery romance with intense chemistry, devilishly-handsome men with dirty mouths, firm hands, and hard, unprotected wood, enough steam to melt the snow right off the mountains, and a heart-tugging, emotional rollercoaster of a storyline. This reverse harem box set contains the novels Mountain Fever and Mountain Cure. Love without limits. #whychoose

    A community in the Piedmont of North Carolina rises in outrage as a county initiative draws students from the largely Black east side of town into predominantly white high schools on the west. For two students, Gee and Noelle, the integration sets off a chain of events that will tie their two families together in unexpected ways over the span of the next twenty years. On one side of the integration debate is Jade, Gee's steely, ambitious mother. In the aftermath of a harrowing loss, she is determined to give her son the tools he'll need to survive in America as a sensitive, anxious, young Black man. On the other side is Noelle's headstrong mother, Lacey May, a white woman who refuses to see her half-Latina daughters as anything but white. She strives to protect them as she couldn't protect herself from the influence of their charming but unreliable father, Robbie. When Gee and Noelle join the school play meant to bridge the divide between new and old students, their paths collide, and their two seemingly disconnected families begin to form deeply knotted, messy ties that will shape the trajectory of their adult lives. And their mothers-each determined to see her child inherit a better life-will make choices that will haunt them for decades to come. As love is built and lost, and the past never too far behind, What's Mine and Yours is an expansive, vibrant tapestry that moves between the years, from the foothills of North Carolina, to Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Paris. It explores the unique organism that is every family: what breaks them apart and how they come back together.

    At least she hasn't had any drama in the man department to mess things up even more. But then a gorgeous debt collector turns up to tow away her car - and whisks her heart away too.

    She is an introvert, does not go out much, but receives sexual maintenance from a neighbor whenever she wants. A chance meeting with Xavier, who is a rich play boy that likes to invade her space, bite and spank her. Xavier is a venture capitalist, who owns many businesses, buildings and has ties with people all around the country. He is used to getting what he wants from women and despite Xena's defenses; he seems to wiggle in and momentarily traps her under his spell.After their first meeting, Xena spent most of the time running away, but still somehow felt drawn towards him. Soon she gave in, liking that Xavier was possessive and showed her an abundance of interest. However, there were several times where he crossed the line. Eventually, his possessiveness goes from endearing to overbearing, and trust becomes an issue. Needing space, Xena heads out of the country to clear her mind. However, on her return she learns of Xavier's hidden secrets that put her safety in jeopardy.Will Xena be able to forgive and forget the wrongs that have been committed against her privacy. Will Xavier become the man that Xena needs and win the battle between lying to her again and telling her the truth? Will he risk giving up his obsession to possess her in order to prove how he truly feels?

    He was unfaithful, and she didn’t know how to love. He couldn’t express his feelings and the ones she did express were hurtful. So, it’s over, right? Not when there’s love involved. Les wants to show Tali that he can be what she needs, but Tali is having a hard time letting him. If they could just get it right, two damaged hearts could be mended.

    Mike is a Japanese American chef at a Mexican restaurant and Benson's a Black day care teacher, and they've been together for a few years -- good years -- but now they're not sure why they're still a couple. There's the sex, sure, and the meals Mike cooks for Benson, and, well, they love each other. But when Mike finds out his estranged father is dying in Osaka just as his acerbic Japanese mother, Mitsuko, arrives in Texas for a visit, Mike picks up and flies across the world to say goodbye. In Japan he undergoes an extraordinary transformation, discovering the truth about his family and his past. Back home, Mitsuko and Benson are stuck living together as unconventional roommates, an absurd domestic situation that ends up meaning more to each of them than they ever could have predicted. Without Mike's immediate pull, Benson begins to push outwards, realizing he might just know what he wants out of life and have the goods to get it. Both men will change in ways that will either make them stronger together, or fracture everything they've ever known. And just maybe they'll all be okay in the end. Memorial is a funny and profound story about family in all its strange forms, joyful and hard-won vulnerability, becoming who you're supposed to be, and the limits of love.

    But now that Snake, Duke and Bear have all been killed, she figures it's time to skip Virginia and heads to Atlanta.

    Just follow the rules and you’ll be fine. Rule Number One: Never chase a man. Rule Number Two: Be honest about who you are and what you want. Rule Number Three: When you know, you know.Rule Number Four: Never let your men cross paths.Rule Number Five: Don’t catch feelings. Dating isn’t hard.Settling is hard.Faking it is hard.Finding the one is hard. But dating? Not so much.

    Louis, Missouri, and rural Mississippi. As the fifth born of eight children, Odessa loses her innocence at first when her drunken father sexually abuses her, and then again when she alone witnesses her father taking the life of his own brother. Fifth Born is Zelda Lockhart's debut novel, lyrically written and powerful in its exploration of how secrets can tear apart lives and families. It is a story of love, longing, and redemption, as Odessa walks away from those whom she believes to be her kin to discover the true meaning of family.

    She can't, for the life of her, figure out why even Baby Doll Henderson, despite her false teeth and her navy-blue-socks-with-yellow-jelly-sandals-wearing self, can find a man and she, Theresa, can't. Theresa's been looking all of her life, and it seems like the only thing she finds are things that need to say lost. Like, for example, her on and off "friend" and sometime escort, the sneaky businessman, Reverend Parvell Sikes. So, when church mother Queen-Esther Green reacquaints Theresa with the older woman's backslidden player nephew, Lamont Green, it seems like the same old story. But this time, Theresa decides to listen to God and what she hears soon brings a smile to her face with the realization that the Holy Ghost has been in her love corner all along.

    The stories of Raghbir Dhillon delight, entertain, and educate as they offer a glimpse into Indian culture, its sects, gods, and social rules and practices, but beyond this cultural veneer universal human qualities shine through and elevate these narratives beyond the simple elements of fiction.