She never knew she would find one in her 15-year-old son, Kelsi. Surrounded by violence, drugs and lies, Kelsi murders in self-defense. Suddenly Kelsi becomes charged with the new-found feeling he associates with becoming a man, and feels he can take on anything, including his mother's cheating lover. The heat of murder ensues and Janet feels it's time to make a permanent move out of Maryland. Before doing so, she plans one last murder which, if goes as planned, could ultimately be worth millions. To top it all off, Janet has not revealed to her son the biggest secret yet.

    . . Essence and Blackboard bestselling author Karen E. Quinones Miller returns with the follow-up to Satin Doll, her debut novel about four sassy women from Harlem. Puddin': Yeah, y'all know I'm gangsta wit' it. And that's why I don't give a hot damn about swindling these stupid wimps for whatever-be it a drink or their precious platinum credit cards. I may not have a college education like Gina and Tamika or a bougie job like Yvonne, but my sexy ass gets the job done.Yvonne: Let's face it: I'm too fine to be alone. I'm intelligent, gainfully employed-and did I mention how fine I am? Well, it's a lot harder to find a good man than you'd think. So why does everybody have a problem with me getting back with my ex? Please! He'd almost be perfect if he didn't still have a wife.Tamika: I guess I'm the most quiet out of all my girls. Marriage, motherhood, and med school will do that to a sista. And, hell, having a full-out drug war land in your home will certainly do the trick. It'll also keep you stressed, angry, and maybe even a little judgmental of your friends when they're sleeping with the enemy.Regina: Yeah, Little Joe ran the game twenty years ago. But it was that same game that helped me jump off my writing career. And after seeing him for the first time in years, I've got to at least talk to the man. Never mind that he looks better than ever and still has that same sexy swagger that I found irresistible. Or that he might not be the best example for my daughter...or that I'm still feeling my politician ex-hubby (just a little bit). Never mind all of that. Because talking never hurt anybody, right? Blending themes of friendship and street angst with tough, sexy, independent female characters, Satin Nights captures the edginess of urban grit and celebrates the strength of sista-hood.

    Louis. Wayne. Eric. Marissa had been warned: One of these days you're gonna mess with the wrong woman's husband. But she doesn't care. Aside from an occasional bout of guilt, she feels no shame, because after all, if their wives were doing what they were supposed to, then their husbands would not be seeking her company. Marissa dates married men - four of them concurrently because it's easier. She gets all of the trappings of a relationship - love, wining and dining, physical pleasure - without any of the pain - cooking, laundry, and the day-to-day maintenance of a relationship. But when it appears that one of the wives of the men she is dating is out to get her - wants her dead, in fact - Marissa begins to reexamine the choices she's made. Her selfishness gives way to vulnerability and fear, and she comes to the conclusion that she deserves a man all her own. But will she survive long enough to find Mr. Right?From the Trade Paperback edition.

    Being the first person in her family to gain a high school diploma, she has set the tone for greatness. But her prominent future becomes so nebulous that she turns to the streets for guidance and support. She soon realizes that the ''life'' of fast money and frivolous behaviors has not only plagued her, but other family members as well, suffering the same issues that were handed down for generations. In spite of her failed attempts to overcome her problems, she's determined to triumph once again.

    Will she learn that love is all she needs or will the love she has be too much for her to stand? Only knowing the life of gold diggin', hustling men and rejecting love, Vera has suddenly found herself in a world where her game has "flipped... and slipped through her fingertips." While trying to retrace her footsteps in search of where her game could be, Vera discovers that the love she has for Dr. Taj Bennett won't let her go, the hatred that she has for her drug addicted mother is not easy to live with, and ghosts from her past won't seem to die. Get ready, get set, and run with Vera as Tu-Shonda Whitaker spins a plot explosive, passionate and humorous tale that is destined to be an urban classic!

    Just the thought of Simone Campbell makes him turn away from any chick. Whether it's the baddest bitch or a foreign chick, he'll pass. But then "she" came into his life and that all changed. He's ready to live and love again, and she just might be the one. That is, if Simone doesn't ruin it like she has everything else in his life. Simone and her wicked, deadly ways are back. But she isn't still that devious side bitch that's obsessed with Omari Sutton. Now, she's obsessed with staying out of prison. However, one glimpse of Omari and his new leading lady causes her insanity to resurface. Little does she know, Detective Keisha Howard is just as obsessed as she is and won't sleep until she tracks down Simone to ensure that she pays for all of her murderous ways. In Secrets of a Side Bitch 4, every lie, trick, and murder is laid out on the table, and karma begins to take its revenge on some, while new life begins for others.

    On the surface I'm Mo'Nique, the hottest stripper dancing at The Pink Palace, but on the inside I'm really just Janelle Taylor, a teenage runaway trying to survive in Atlanta. You might wanna call me a hoe but I'm the one your man is spending his whole paycheck on! This isn't the life I envisioned for myself but it's the path I was forced to take in order to get by. Nobody say the real me until I met Tommy, a sexy hustler from Chicago. At first he was just another trick, but for some reason I can't stay away from him. Am I really falling in love with a trick? The closer I get to Tommy, the more I feel like he's keeping something from me. Is having true love too much to ask for a girl like me?

    Instead of attending house parties, dating boys, and enjoying her teen years, she is forced to take care of her little sister Kay. With the help of her best friend Bobby, she turns to the streets and began to sell drugs as her source of income. Being Bobby's right hand man means that she has to bottle all the feeling she has for him and watch him love another woman the way she wished to be love. Zoe was the man on the block when his father Gustave ran the East. When Gustave is murdered by Bobby's uncle, Zoe is deported back to his parent's country, Haiti, to serve a prison sentence for drug and trafficking. Five years later, Zoe returns to the East to claim territory that is rightfully his. In the midst of running his father's empire, Diamond steals his heart. There is only one problem, she is affiliated with the enemy. In this modern day Romeo and Juliet hood love story, will love conquer all, or will it cause a war?

    A first novel. Original.

    But when the slave-masters sought to get more production out of their plantations, they decided that they needed to kidnap a stronger group of slaves. When they kidnap the Bawss tribe, however; they realized that their bloodline was too dominant and too powerful.Can the slave-masters ever recover from the likes of the greatest and strongest bloodline that they have ever been introduced to? Or will America be forced to witness power on the grandest of all levels?

    But, when Maxine lets her guard down, Seth sees a jump off in the works. While ignoring Seths dealing in order to realize her ambitions of owning a small business everything seems to be going smoothly until Seth's codefendent, ride or die chick Samantha becomes a distraction. As both women compete for Seth's love and affection -- a sticky situation unfolds.

    Dirty Old Men (And Other Stories) include:• “The Bartender”: a married man is tempted by a young female bartender at his after-work hangout.• “Skin Deep”: a veteran photographer falls head over heels for a young model, who in turn is the mistress of a magazine publisher.• Not even strokes or heart attacks can stop one older man from sleeping with younger women in “Addicted to It.”• In “Sugar Daddy Rules,” an older man teaches a friend how to score with younger women.With Tyree’s signature frank sex talk and insight into the historical attraction older men have for younger women, Dirty Old Men (And Other Stories) is an energizing, erotic read.

    Original. 20,000 first printing.

    Who’s your daddy? The Parkers’ best friends, James and Serena, are in the final stages of a bitter divorce. Just when James thinks his nightmare is over, he learns his daughter has a different daddy… For the love of money… Single mom Lachez Baker is a ghetto-fabulous mother of three who seems to have it all, thanks to money from her children’s fathers. But soon, her life of designer clothes, endless parties, and steady cash collides with the man who’s been the target of her carefully crafted paternity fraud. From author Pat Tucker comes a drama-filled tale of lies, schemes and consequences as these men discover the importance of knowing the paternity laws in your state.

    A passionate encounter causes Mercedes more problems than she relalizes. With her guards down, her life is violently put on the line.