According to everyone in the Windy City, Mayhem has an icebox in place of his heart and no lady has ever been able to penetrate it. That is, until he meets Xenobia Bell. Mayhem falls fast and hard for Xenobia, and in his eyes, their relationship is picture perfect. However, their relationship is ruined when Xenobia does the unthinkable, shattering Mayhem’s heart into a million pieces. That was eight years ago, and the heartache still feels fresh to Mayhem. Olena Hill, the polar opposite of Mayhem, is the free spirit that mothers warn their sons about. She lives her life unapologetically with no concern for what anyone thinks of her. Olena is content with keeping a rotation of male lovers until she is cornered aggressively by Mayhem, who claims her as his woman. The once free Olena finds her bright spirit being diminished by the aggressive Mayhem who craves control and grows enraged when he doesn’t have it. As Olena learns to take the beast as he is, she discovers a new side of Mayhem. That side of Mayhem is keeping a secret from Olena; a secret that has to do with how he become broken in the first place. Will Mayhem set aside his relationship paranoia to be the man that Olena wants, or will he take Olena down the same path of hurt that Xenobia took him down?

    N. Phillips for this fresh, enthralling spin-off to the Family Business series as the heir to a crime family finds himself targeted by an enemy and he'll need more than his family by blood to save him...Nevada Duncan is the heir to the Duncan and Zuniga crime family fortunes, but before he can take the mantle of power, he has to be educated about the family business. So, with the encouragement of his father and grandfather, he enrolls in his father's alma mater, Chi's Finishing School. Chi's is the world's most elite school for the children of underworld figures.On Nevada's first day of school, he hooks up with a group of misfit freshmen from around the world who quickly become his new best friends. However, Nevada is unaware of the deadly adventure that awaits him with a sinister new enemy lurking in the shadows. Montez wants what Nevada has, and he will do anything to get it.Accustomed to relying on his family and his superior intelligence, Nevada Duncan will soon learn the importance of friendship when the threats are aimed directly at him and he's the only Duncan around.

    Jessica lives the upscale lifestyle of a refined society matron. She strives to be the perfect wife, but without her husband, Ross, she would be nothing more than the abused stripper he rescued 16 years ago. Ryan, a fiery thirty-something, is quickly slipping into depression and prescription drug-addiction as her boyfriend, Anthony, artfully dangles the empty promise of marriage. As the shattered lives of three very different women collide, they find that they have one thing in common: they are all in a desperate fight to hang on to love. But when love involves incest, self-mutilation, drug-addiction and murder, will they continue to fight or will they find the strength to escape before it's too late? Experience their emotional journey through to the shocking end where these women will experience injury, imprisonment and even death while crafting new lives from the ashes of their ruination.

    It was lust at first sight, and Rhapsody isn't going to let young Malcolm leave her presence without a promise to fulfill her fantasy.Malcolm had no idea when he accepted Rhapsody's invitation to her bedroom that he was selling his soul to the devil. Malcolm thinks he can bed Rhapsody and simply walk away, but she is not one to settle for a one night stand. Rhapsody goes to desperate measures to keep her cub extremely close to her. Gifting Malcolm a very expensive SUV, filling his belly with home cooked meals and funding a trip to Cancun are just a few of the tactics that Rhapsody uses to ensure that Malcolm spends his nights in her bed and no one else's. However, when Rhapsody finds a mysterious package on her doorstep containing proof of Malcolm's betrayal and deception, she seeks revenge and seals her own fate.

    After leaving the only place she had ever called home, her life suddenly changed for the worse. Forced to live with a Father who wants no parts of her, physical abuse will soon show his disdain. Jasmine eventually becomes homeless, living on the streets and left to fend for herself at the tender age of sixteen. Having nowhere else to go and no one in her corner, she finds herself in a group home where she quickly becomes the target. Follow Jasmine’s journey of heartache and drug addictions, as she looks for love in all the wrong places. All she ever wanted was a career, loyal friends and more than anything, love. Sometimes in life, even the most simplest of things are never easy to come by. For Jasmine, the trouble never seemed to end, and life for her had always been a downhill spiral. Meet Jasmine Hertz, of Chanel’s debut novel, Rap Star. When a journey has been nothing but one bad situation after another and you've never learned how to trust, you’re left with no other choice, but to have a cold heart......

    Two time divorcee, Nelson Kennard, has finally found the love of his life - so he thinks, but his fiancée, Parris Stalls, has found another lover.Parris, a drop dead gorgeous schoolteacher with a body to die for, has been patiently waiting for Nelson's ship to come in. But after four years of waiting, she began to listen to her friends who told her numerous times to leave Nelson and find a man with some money.In comes the very wealthy Shenandoah Armstrong who has a twenty year old score to settle with Nelson. The fireworks begin when Parris finds out that Nelson became the man she always hoped he'd become. She never loved Shenandoah and never stopped loving Nelson. He still loves Parris, but will he take her back after catching her in bed with Shenandoah? Or has he found another and moved on with his newly found riches?

    They are all career women with different businesses or careers, husbands and even children but something is missing, something they can't find at home, in a store or even in a book. So, they search for this missing piece in the beds, arms, cars, offices and even in storage rooms of other men who don't mind paying for what Dem Dam Divas can offer. They enjoy the thrill of sneaking, creeping and even vacationing on someone else's dime but what happens when it all becomes too much? From being found guilty with no evidence, secretly wanting someone who doesn't want you, loving only to not be loved back, caught up in a dream that you're about to be awaken from; will it be worth it in the end? Will their secret lives be revealed and will it become too much to handle? Will they regret their actions or stand by them? Will they finally question whether this secret is really worth keeping?

    Living with a mother who forces her to support herself, and to call her by her first name, Natalia believes she had to become an adult fast, and therefore is one. She thinks she has everything figured out, until she meets the sexy, heartless, crazy, OLDER, and ambitious Julius Tate. Julius cares more about making money than the many hearts he breaks. Naive Natalia falls for him anyway, despite his many other attachments. She can't seem figure out why she is so head over heels for a man who seems to only temporarily care about her. Little does she know, Julius loves her just as much, but his childhood, pride, and ego, keeps him from doing right by any woman that crosses his path. Natalia soon realizes that she may know everything else, but nothing about love. In her eyes, and even some others, Julius can do no wrong. Take a ride with Natalia and Julius, as they try to make sense of such a toxic love affair. Will Julius accept that he's in love with Natalia? Or will he push his feelings to the side and force her away by any means necessary.

    As they embark on their search to find their soul mates, they navigate the full-contact sport known as being a SSBFLA (successful, single, black, female in L.A.) and negotiate the shark-infested waters of making a name for themselves professionally in Hollywood.Can Trista, the hyper-driven celebrity agent, find the time to schedule a meaningful romance? Will Amaya, the sexy starlet, convince the married hip hop-label exec she has been seeing to leave his wife, or will the NBA star steal her heart in the final seconds? After undergoing a complete makeover, will Vivian, the jaded gossip columnist, win back the father of her child?As seductive as it is empowering, The Vow is a page-turner that will keep you cheering for these women as they discover that their desire to find a husband isn't as important as finding themselves.

    So after hearing of her daughter-in-law's sudden death, Delilah decides that coming to the rescue of her long-estranged son, Jessie, and her granddaughter, Tamara, would be a good look.  .  .though Lord knows she'll have to dig hard to find her maternal instincts.But Delilah quickly discovers Jessie wants nothing to do with her. And Tamara, who's following in Delilah's musical footsteps, isn't interested in her career advice, especially since Delilah got ahead using the singing couch. And Delilah's old flame, Deacon Pillar, an ex-convict who's traded in his gangster ways for a Bible, is stirring up a past that's sure to shock..."Hilarious faith-based romp.  .  .Walker shines a little light on a wacky family reunion with her usual inspirational, knee-slapping style." --Publishers Weekly "A comic novel about mistakes and second chances." --Library Journal

    While struggling to create a life for herself, her beauty and innocence captivate Kevin Kennard, a handsome, hazel-eyed felon with an addiction to all things illegal. For the first time in Kevin’s life, real love has him rethinking his criminal path. But the action on the streets won’t take a backseat to Simone. Who will win this tug of war? Two Tears in a Bucket is a soulful novel that reminds us how powerful and lasting the bonds of love can be, even among the harsh realities of life.

    When Candice finds out that no one is capable of saving her from the wrath of the ruthless family she is scheduled to testify against she finds herself on the run. With nowhere to hide, she ends up fleeing to New York City where she is introduced to Daddy who owns a house where little girls are doing big things. Candice soon realizes that the street life she left behind is nothing compared to what goes on at Daddy's House. Between doing what it takes to survive and hiding her identity, Candice conquers one pitfall after another. Soon, all things come to an end when she goes toe-to-toe with the vicious woman who has the ability to put her six feet under, or sell her to the highest bidder.

     The Cast of Characters includes …Tama...A beautiful fugitive determined to live free.Elinore...An active abolitionist on a mission to find happiness.Julee...A girl with no past who seeks a future among the Indians. Hakan...A proud man entrusted with the survival of his people.Thorne...A man obsessed with claiming what he owns.From the snow-covered mountains of North Carolina to the untamed wilds of Indian Territory, A Thousand Steps takes readers on a perilous quest for freedom, truth, and love.

    Tonya Morris a.k.a. "Tender" is back and this time the ride is wilder than ever.Coming of age in the Badlands of north Philadelphia--one of the toughest and poorest communities in the country--Tonya Morris has had to make some desperate and, at times, ruthless moves in her bid to survive. When Tonya stepped into the unforgiving business of stripping, she found herself caught up in a world of sex-filled nights, dirty money, backstabbing cohorts, and murder.She left that world behind to become a hairstylist. However, after she is blacklisted from salons across Philadelphia and is evicted by her shady landlord, Tonya finds herself back in the stripping business. Except this time, she promises herself, things are going to end differently.Tonya teams up with her best friend, Na'eema, to organize underground sex parties, and it's not long before they have a team of beautiful girls and are rubbing elbows with athletes, rappers, and celebrities.Then Tonya's ex-lover and now music industry superstar, Q, steps onto the scene, and everything takes a dramatic new twist. Because it's not just Q who is back in her life. His murderous baby mama, Niecey, is fresh out of jail and ready to raise hell. And she's got Tonya in her sights. In the meantime, Tonya's past has risen like a beast, threatening to tear away all her newfound success. But Tonya isn't going down without a fight.

    Raised by her father, a ruthless Mexican drug cartel boss, and her mother, a strong-spirited black woman with an MBA from Harvard, it's no surprise that when Alexus graduates from high school text books to kilos of cocaine and heroin, she quickly becomes one of the best to ever do it in the dope game. After her father, Juan "Papi" Costilla, is sent away to federal prison, Alexus soon finds herself in Michigan City, Indiana with her mother, Rita Mae Bishop. With $250,000 in cash and 48 kilos of pure cocaine--stuffed inside large soup cans and smuggled into the country through her family's drug tunnel-- Alexus sets out to build herself a BMF-like drug-dealing ring, utilizing the connections of her numerous lovers to maximize her bankroll. But will she survive the wrath of the Costilla cartel when a portion of it turns against her? Find out in...