On the streets of Houston it holds major weight and is never to be taken lightly. In their hood it brings status, garners respect, and defines loyalty. To break bread with a Broadus is an honor but to actually be a Broadus is to be part of a brotherhood. A legacy. A bond so unbreakable that it would take several armies of adversaries to penetrate it.Emmanuel, the quick tempered baby boy, has easily lived up to every expectation there is when it comes to carrying the Broadus name but history has shown that during the reign of every great King, there is always someone looking to knock them off the throne.Being solid and thorough doesn’t guarantee immunity to post traumatic stress and that’s the exact state he finds himself in months after being gunned down on New Year’s Eve. In the midst of his storm, he encounters another troubled soul who despite her own struggles, brings him a peace he’s never known. With her, he’s at ease and free to be himself but between the stresses of the street life, managing an up and coming singing sensation, and battling his own inner demons, Emmanuel must figure out a way to balance his love for Kambré while still living up to his surname.Accustomed to getting what he wants, Emmanuel finds himself unable to deal with Kambré’s indifference when it comes to their relationship. Advice from different sources on his situation tends to go in one ear and out the other but when his plus sized beauty becomes fed up with his antics and walks away, will Emmanuel find himself at risk for spiraling even further down a dark road or will her departure be the wake up call he needed all along?

    The product of a loving, middle-class- two-parent home, she knows nothing about going without the basic necessities in life. The life Dream lives, is exactly that to the less fortunate: a Dream. Gift-ed with the finer things, Dream’s only concern is finishing school and finding a good man who will someday make her a mother and a wife. Dream knows exactly who and what she wants and she refuses to settle for less. When she meets Drake, Dream is immediately swept off her feet and falls victim to his charm and irresistible touch. Drake is everything that Dream has ever wanted in a man and more than she ever expected.The moment Drake saw Dream; he secretly claimed her as his woman and made a vow to have her by all means necessary. Drake’s desire to have Dream as his own, has him willing to give up the life he lives in the streets and settle down. However, it’s not easy to walk away when you’re a Boss and others depend on you to survive. Drake’s brother Breeze is fresh out of jail after doing a two year bid and he needs his help. Marked as a weak link by the members of the Chicago Cartel, the crime family that raised and reared both Drake and Breeze, Breeze is depending on Dream to help him solidify his place in the family. Determined to show himself worthy, Breeze accepts the challenges required to earn the “Family’s” trust. Ready and willing to die for his seat at the round table, Breeze refuses to let any thing or any one stand in his way. However, what he didn’t prepare for was meeting Bey.Bey is beautiful-bold and straight forward. From the mo-ment she met Breeze, she managed to get under his skin with her, “no holds barred” attitude and slick tongue. At times Breeze finds himself wanting to slice her throat, at others he wants noth-ing more than to kiss and caress every inch of her body. The two of them discover what makes them complete opposites is the very thing that makes their connection just right.Drake and Breeze are on their way to having everything they ever wanted. From money to love. However, when you make your living off an illegal hustle, the road to success is tainted, often stained with blood and guarded by opposition and enemies who want nothing more than to take what’s yours. How will Drake and Breeze stand, when their enemies come for their lives and their money? How will Dream react when she discovers the shady side of Drake’s business? Can Breeze and Bey overcome their differences to become the ultimate power couple? Find out in this gritty, drama-filled, urban love story, presented by Cole Hart and written by African- American, author, Princess Diamond.

    Dionne's music mogul husband, Rod Knight, is having an affair with a stripper/rap artist named Peach. Sydney's turning thirty, and Lucas, her old flame from medical school is trying his best to get back in her good graces. It's going to be a long road for Lucas, because Sydney can't get the image of him cheating with her sorority sister out of her mind. Oldest sister, Camille has named and claimed a financial blessing straight from the throne of grace. So what if the blessing came from the Bingo table and the slot machine? That doesn't mean it wasn't God, right?When the lies and alibis come to light and spiral out of control, it's going to take a lot of prayer to put everything back together again. Lies and Alibis is a novella.

    Calif, a fine, underground rapper is starting to finally feel fame. After booking a tour along the coast of the great state of California, he feels like he is finally getting somewhere, but not without Natia, of course. After a lot of convincing, and a little bit of drama, Calif finally has Natia cuffed. Slowly realizing that everyone is not for him, Calif comes face to face with betrayal and can only think of one way to end it for good. Will Calif turn cold hearted after being the one with the most love? Natia never planned to fall so hard for Calif, but she did. After an incident occurs, and she has to be protected by Calif, she decides to give him another chance. Natia finally realizes that she and Calif will have haters wherever they are, simply because they are a powerful couple. After going on tour with Calif and getting the opportunity of a lifetime, Natia feels like she is in heaven. But not everyone is happy about their relationship. Will Natia be strong enough to overcome the haters? Sara has been through something that she never in her life wanted to experience again, which causes her to take a step back from her wild choices. Nas is there for her in more ways than one when she finds herself in a dangerous situation, and it brings them closer than ever. Sara’s life can never be normal, of course, so drama is sure to follow, and it does, in a big way. Nas still can’t believe that Dre is his blood brother. Unfortunately, he may have to kill him for betraying the entire crew behind a toxic, obsessed female. Although it’s code, Nas is still torn between blood and loyalty. Dre has run into someone he never expected to see again, and it changes everything. He starts to realize how wrong he was to betray his friends and prepares to right his wrongs. The thing about karma is that it doesn’t miss a beat, and the cost to Dre may be his life. The rollercoaster ride with the squad continues as life comes at them fast.

    Armed and Brokenhearted.In this final installment of the widely popular “Animal” series, we find our anti-hero on a hunt for the woman who forced him to pick his guns back up when she burned his entire world down. The traitorous, Red Sonja. She alone holds the key to saving his children and avenging his murdered wife, Gucci, but first he has to find her.To do this, Animal reassembles his old gang: The Dog Pound for what will prove to be their most dangerous mission yet. The stakes are higher than ever and not everyone is expected to make it, but the members of the Pound readily accept the task and the risks that come with it. With his old friends, and a few new ones, Animal is on the hunt for his elusive prey. Then the unthinkable happens and there is an earth-shattering discovery that will change everything, including loyalties.Meanwhile, the Black Lotus finds herself a prisoner in a place she had once called home. Having been branded a traitor by the Brotherhood of Blood, she is remanded to the mountain fortress while awaiting trial for the crimes she stands accused of. Unbeknownst to her, there are some within the Brotherhood who would rather see her dead than exonerated. Kahllah has unearthed a dark conspiracy which could clear her name, but at the cost of destroying the Brotherhood of Blood, which makes her a threat to the conspirators and a moving target. The hunter finds herself the hunted and her only chance of surviving the mountain will be to place her fate in the hands of an unlikely champion.The table is set finally set and the meal served. Pull up a chair, because this will be the “Last Supper.” #TeamAnimal

    Who will come out on top? “Family isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” has been the code Tyrik Anderson, aka, Tye has lived by since his first child came into the world and breathed his first breath twenty-one years ago. However, just because Tyrik lives by codes and morals, that doesn’t mean his son Shy does. When Tye’s connect Carlos is viciously robbed, Carlos vows vengeance against all involved. Circumstances causes Tye to exit the game, however, he soon learns that he’s more involved now than ever before. Tye has no idea what’s going on around him, but he’ll soon find out that the same person he’s willing to take a bullet for, also happens to be the same one behind the gun. Although raised by one of the city’s most respected drug dealers, Shy just can’t seem to stop fucking up. Cars, clothes, and trust funds aren’t enough to an ungrateful Shy, who seems to would rather trade the streets over his comfortable lifestyle. Instead of listening to his father, Shy chooses to embrace the streets with his two friends Drama and Rum. Up to no good, and with ill intentions, they soon begin what will ultimately be a bloody war in the streets. Tye’s daughter Tasha seems to be doing it all right, and to her, it’s finally paying off. Enrolled in college and successfully running her dad’s business, she still finds time to make room for love. Rich is like a dream come true to a naive Tasha. However, just like her father and brother, he’s tied to the streets in more ways than one. More titles coming soon from UPTOWN BOOKS. If you enjoy reading titles by MESSIAH RAYE, check out his colleague SHONTAIYE

    Betrayal, lust, lies, murder, and love all come into play in this urban love story.The Alton brothers run the Detroit drug game, and it was a long time coming! Now these boys have their act together and plan on going all the way letting nothing or no one get in their way.When Sacario, the second youngest of the four, fall for an insecure waitress in the men’s popular hot spot- things get hectic.Will they stand the test of time or will the game of love prove to be just too Hard?

    Emotionally, physically and sexually abused by the hands of her own mother, revenge is looking bitter sweet as Nancy faces her own inner demons, one being her best friend.

    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.

    Playing on the hearts of bosses, ballers and shot callers, Bright doesn't hold back any punches to get what she feels is owed to her. She's beautiful on the outside, yet inside she reeks of pretty poison and hidden pain. Back-stabbing, lying, and conniving is her game plan for survival. But when life leaves her hanging on by a short rope, will anyone from her team be there to catch her before she falls? Or will they use the knife she left in their backs to sever all ties?

    She is a nice girl with an attraction to the wrong types of men. No one seems to understand why she would get involved with a notorious criminal. After settling into a dangerous relationship with Devon, her life takes a drastic change for the worse. Caught between his material gifts and controlling behavior she searches for a way out. The battle to save Carlie from Devon's grip puts the lives of many people in jeopardy. By the time she realizes that force is needed when going up against Devon, it is too late. Carlie's fight to stay alive will keep you on edge. Will she give in? Or die trying?

    She isn’t too optimistic of the outcome, so she nominates her sister, Shanise Davis, as the leader of the Trap-A-Rellas. This decision doesn’t go over well with every member of the clique … and the betrayal begins.

    Nene does what she wants and gets her money by any means necessary even if that means sleeping with married men , blackmailing or anything else that comes with getting paid. The story starts off with her meeting Tavion " Tone " Smith , one of the cites most notorious Kingpins and she ends up birthing his child. Once they start their family and everything hits the fan Nene finds her self doubting giving Tone the benefit of the doubt. With her daughter by her side will Nene give up on her love for Tone to benefit her and her daughter or will she fall victim of the " Baby Daddy Love " syndrome . Find out in this installment of " Married To Ben Frank "

    Every city has an underworld leader. In the Kingpins series, each author will take us to a different city and introduce us to a new Kingpin who rules the streets in their respective city. Then after every author has written about their select city, Carl will end with a compilation of all kingpins in one book.