A voluptuously entertaining African-American fiction anthology about women who are livin' large-and lovin' larger! Featuring all-new novellas by: #1 Blackboard bestselling author Rochelle Alers, "one of the top 5 most popular African-American romance writers" (Heart and Soul) #1 Blackboard bestselling author Donna Hill, All-Time Favorite Fiction Author Award-winner (Shades of Romance) #1 Blackboard bestselling author Brenda Jackson, winner of Viewer's Choice Best Multicultural (Romantic Times) #1 Blackboard bestselling author, Francis Ray, whose stories "are written from the heart [and] definitely recommended."(Eric Jerome Dickey)

    But for four special cousins, hidden desires and long-kept secrets will challenge their bond, test their courage, and change their hearts forever...Taye A hair stylist with big ambitions, she trusted the wrong men...now she's determined to land the right one, no matter who stands in her way.Michael—A divorced airline pilot struggling to manage his teenage daughter...turbulence comes when a new passion enters his life.Alexia The chubby little girl became a sexy superstar who seems to have it all...except the one thing she's always wanted to make her life complete.Rae'jean—Engaged to be married, this pretty young doctor's past has been shrouded in mystery. Now she's coming home to finally learn the truth...Before this reunion is over, this unforgettable foursome will have to go beyond betrayal and reach deep for forgivemenss if they truly want to understand the bone-deep bond of love that is family.

    Claire Bennet has lost her job for the second time in as many years due to downsizing. She doesn't know what she's going to do since her checking account has almost been stripped bare and her older brother is always a day late and a dollar short. With no man in her life, her parents' home is all she has and she's going to lose that unless she can think of something quick.THE GOOD LOVER. Fashionable and trendy Brooke Dunlap has also been downsized, but she's not worried because she expects her wealthy boyfriend to propose any day now. Unfortunately, Randaolph Peterson III has other plans and dumps her. Now Brooke is left devastated with no engagement ring, a pile of bills and a Jag that's in the shop.THE GOOD WIFE. Lorraine Averhart lost one of her dearest friends to cancer only months before and with that friendship, their dream of opening their own florist shop. But when Lorraine sees the wonderful candles, soaps and bath gels Claire has created, she pushes them to go into business together. With Brooke's savvy about what women want, Claire's products and Lorraine's money, they're sure to be a hit. They've got nothing to lose, so why not?But Lorraine's marriage comes under terrible strain as the business takes off and a new a temptation appears on the horizon; Claire becomes involved with one of the most powerful men in town; and Brooke is forced to reevaluate what matters most: a fat bank account or love and belonging somewhere she can call home?

    That's the lesson a fine brother with a wounded heart learns when an eccentric old woman grants him a wish for true love--if he's not too blind to see it--in Francis Ray's The Wish.Beverly Jenkins spins a soul-touching tale of a soldier reunited with the woman who deserted him as they discover that love isn't just sweeter the second time around, it's downright decadent in Homecoming.In Monica Jackson's The Way Back Home, a biracial young woman sets out to spend Kwanzaa with the African-American family she never knew and finds and extra gift in the strong, loving professor who wants to teacher her about her heritage...and so much more.When a mild-mannered high school principal battles small-town prejudice over a Kwanzaa celebration, he fins an unlikely ally in a fiery woman from his past in Geri Guillaume's moving story, The Seventh Principal.The love of a good man. The hope of a new family. The promise of a fantasy fulfilled. This soulful collection of holiday stories proves there's more than one reason for gettin' merry...and they all lead straight to the heart.

    Noother thrill came close enough to shake her--until she met Captain James Colton and found a reckless passion thatled to fifty-five hours together as husband and wife.When they went their separate ways, Sydney's heartunderstood what her pride refused to admit--that someday, somehow, fate would reunite them.But no one imagined that it would be a matter oflife and death....When Sydney's plane was shot down over enemy territoryon a routine reconnaissance flight, James and his crewwere deployed on a dangerous search-and-rescue operationwhere every second counted. But James was not onlygoing in after one of the military's finest pilots--he wasalso racing to save the womanhe loved.

    Cheaters takes on a larger canvas and cast of characters, and fearlessly explores how bad even good people can sometimes behave in the game of love. It has earned Dickey even more loyal readers, and was chosen as Blackboard’s Best Book of the Year.In Cheaters, Stephan loves em and leaves em, just like his daddy. Chanté thinks she’s found her dream man—until his wife and kids come banging on her door. Jake is a player—left with bad dreams he just can’t shake. Darnell is true to his wife...but the temptation’s getting tougher every day. Tammy is caught between the man she loves, and the woman he’s promised to. And while Karen lectures her friends about fooling around, she may not live up to her own high standards...This is the world of Eric Jerome Dickey. It’s heart-wrenching and hilarious, smart and soulful, and as honest and recognizable as your own—and that of everyone who never loved you back.

    Now they're adults, thirty-three-year old women who are as different as can be. But they have one thing in common: they have never given up on the idea of one day finding each other. . .In "More Than This," by Donna Hill, we meet Leticia, whose time in group homes sharpened her street smarts and taught her to use her good looks to her advantage. Now she's on top of the world, ensconced in a lush apartment in the heart of New Orleans. Leticia knows what men want--she runs the most elite call girl operation in the Parrish. But when she learns that the new sheriff in town is planning a raid, she decides to close up shop, have some adventures, and find her family. She soon discovers that one of her sisters is a jazz singer slated to appear at Lincoln Center. Leticia buys a ticket--and gets much more than she bargained for. . .Parry "EbonySatin" Brown's [title tk] follows Jamilla, adopted by an upstanding family who loved her like their own. But despite a life of privilege, Jamilla was always haunted by a sense of foreboding. As a way to escape her demons, she turned to writing. Now she's landed a six-figure book deal. But Jamilla's joy is clouded by a series of disturbing dreams triggered by a woman she saw on television--a jazz singer with her face. . .In Gwynne Forster's "The Journey," Clarissa Holmes Medford has finally decided to kick out her cheating husband--and pick up her guitar. Maybe she can sing her way out of the unhappiness and poverty that have plagued most of her life. When she records a well-received demo, it's just the beginning of a fascinating journey that will take her far from home, and expose her to a captivating new world--and an audience that may include the family her heart has always longed for. . .

    music company, but Maritza has no intention of making their personal relationship permanent. Even if the gorgeous, supremely arrogant record label exec is the most passionate lover she's ever known—and her best-kept secret….The flamboyant ex-video girl isn't the type of woman who kisses and tells, but Terrill wants to shout his happiness to the world. Doesn't Maritza know he doesn't care about her past? Mixing business with pleasure may be a risky proposition unless he can prove he's the only one for her. A wedding with all the trimmings is what Terrill has in mind. Because he's in love…and ready for anything!

    But the day he meets Ameenah, he becomes consumed by an entirely different and more attractive distraction--his bold, beautiful, sexy neighbor with the "glorious hips" and a penchant for ice cream. Ameenah Porter, daughter of successful New York restaurateurs, moves to the beach town of Black Diamond to fulfill her dream of opening a smoothie shop. She doesn't need the distraction of a new man but the tall, dark and handsome Wade, who's staying in the giant sized home at the end of her block, is irresistible. Ameenah's days at Tikis & Cream are spent cooling off her customers with her gourmet smoothie blends. Her nights on the shores of Black Diamond Bay are enchanting and romantic, and soon Wade and Ameenah find themselves in the middle of a Beach Thing... a fun, meaningless tryst that will end when the summer is over. Or will it? Wade is returning to Brooklyn at the end of the summer. Ameenah lives on Black Diamond. Neither want this Beach Thing to end... so is this fling really a fling or is it the beginning of something real... and will they realize it in time?Indulge in a fun, steamy #beachyblackromance and join me on Black Diamond.

    But after years of working with some of the biggest producers in the land, she knows she must go beyond the usual to get exactly what she's looking for.Gabriel has sworn off being in the music industry regardless of how talented he is as a musician. But when one of the biggest popstars in the world comes knocking at his door with a proposition he can't refuse, his initial disdain quickly becomes a battle of the head and the heart as he finds himself not only falling under the guise of the industry but also falling for her.Creating the perfect harmony in the studio is an easy feat. But when outside influences find their way inside, it's only a matter of time before things become too hot to handle...

    He's never stopped thinking about her since that one hot night years ago. Now she's in his debt! Of course, he doesn't want her money....At first, Jade's outraged--pose as his fiancée for one week or he'll call the police! But then...how about some sweet revenge? So while he's playing Mr. Seducer, she'll be Miss Tease. Before the week is up, she'll have him on his knees--just before she walks away! That is, if she can convince her heart she's not still in love....

     What's a girl to do when she finds out her man's been feeding her lies? When readers last saw the girlfriends, Misty had just married her dream man, Rick Hodges, and was off on a fabulous honeymoon. A pregnant and newly engaged Reesy was riding off into the sunset with her fiancé -- reformed ladies' man Dandre Hilliard. But it isn't long before everyone starts misbehaving, and in Tastes Like Chicken, they get what's coming to them. With steamy thrills and disastrous infidelities, Tastes Like Chicken is a tale of two women who find themselves poised at life's crossroads with everything to lose but their friendship. Filled with the humor and personal drama that made her first books national bestsellers, Lolita Files's latest takes the sistahs -- and readers -- on their wildest ride yet.

    Facing a future of cooking, cleaning and unsatisfying sex, Trudy decides to make some changes while she still can.

    Witnessing Christina and her fiance arguing, Steven Williams comes to her defence. But it is not the last encounter they will have."

    The story of friendship between four African American women who lean on each other while "waiting to exhale": waiting for that man who will take their breath away.