This is a collection of two tales of loss and redemption - 'Nightmare In Paradise' by Mary Monroe and 'Bad Luck Shadow' by Victor McGlothin.

    Poole's sizzling new novel, three sistahs and three bruthahs are playin'a game of love where the only rule is anything goes . . . Ever since Shonda stole Malik from his fiancée--at the altar, no less--she's believed that marrying him would be her ticket to happiness. But when it finally happens, Shonda is in for a rude awakening. . . Meanwhile, Malik's ex-fiancée, Kim, has had a year to get over the nightmare that was supposed to be her wedding day. She manages to pull it together despite the news that Malik actually married the bitch who spoiled her nuptials. Just as she opens up to the idea of a new love, Kim meets a new man. . .who happens to be white. Is he the one she's been looking for? After two years with her boyfriend Rodney, twenty-five-year-old Nadine Clark wants to see what else is out there. But Nadine soon discovers being single isn't what she'd imagined. Dejected, Nadine takes up with Malik, a man she believes is free. But when his wife, Shonda, confronts Nadine, everything hits the fan. . .and it isn't long before everyone involved comes face-to-face with the crazy consequences of getting what they wished for. . .

    When the newspaper runs an article he finds offensive to African American men, he writes a rebuttal, which offends so many women it gets him fired. Michael then sets out to write a book that proves corporate women are just as scandalous, competitive, and insensitive as their male counterparts. But when he manipulates events to get hired into an office that is staffed by all women, events quickly spiral out of control. As romances sprout like weeds and Michael finds himself fighting for the women he works alongside, rather than against them, the question is whether he will be able to focus on his work, keep his flings a secret, and achieve the success he has always dreamed of. In turns hilarious, sobering, and eye-opening, The Office Girls tells the story of every woman who works in the corporate world and the challenges they face on a daily basis. The misogyny, sexual harassment, and gender inequality faced by these characters will ring true for all women who have experienced corporate America.

    "No" isn't a word that Charysse Westbrooke is used to hearing from anyone, but now it seems to be a part of her brother's vocabulary, and she thinks it's because of Paige, the new woman in his life, and she ain't having it. Paige Michaels is living the good life and loving it. Her plate is too full with her job, her daughter, her friends, and her new man to even be worried about her ex-boyfriend or his new wife. Find out what happens when Paige is confronted with a mix of friends, family, her baby daddy, her baby daddy's family, his friends, his sister, and all kinds of issues in between. It doesn't take long before the drama rises to the next level.

    Jolene is half of P.G. County’s number-two couple–and she desperately wants what she doesn’t have: namely Barbara’s husband. Pearl owns a hair salon and lives on the outskirts of the posh community with her son, Kenyatta. She’s not only juggling a growing business and a bad divorce, but now she’s has to cope with Kenyatta’s less-than-ideal girlfriend. Candice is white and liberal, but her daughter’s new beau tests her beliefs–and opens a can of worms she never knew existed. Lee is a runaway teen, a girl whose only connection to her father is an old photo and the belief that he’s well-off and waiting for her in . . . P.G. COUNTYFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

    Sheltered by her single mother and educated in an exclusive private school in Detroit, Grace was not ready for the harsh realities of an unforgiving world. Grace's naiveti coupled with her desire to experience life on her own terms leads her down a path of emotional devastation and physical abuse. Through a chance encounter Grace meets Mike, a successful design artist who introduces her to a relationship very different from her usual one-night-stands and affairs with married men. Things take a turn for the worse however when Grace's roommate walks in on her and her married personal trainer in their apartment. This betrayal tears apart Mike and Grace's romance and shatters the trust and friendship between Grace and Trina. In the midst of torn relationships and a life-shattering loss, Grace is left with no one to turn to except the God she thought had long since abandoned her.

    Playing a clever trick of her own, Williams left her heroine on the brink of death at the end of the novel. Now the second installment of the chronicles reveals what Williams’s readers are dying to know: Is the Bitch Dead, or What?The drive-by shooting that brought her down forces Ritz to look back on her climb to the top and the people she loved, lost, used, and abused along the way. There’s the brief dalliance with Tracee, her best friend, and the romance with a man with some secrets of his own; the loss of her beloved Aunt M; and the recent appearance of the father who abandoned her and is now demanding a financial payoff and fifteen minutes of fame. At the heart of it all is Ritz’s need to figure out where the real-life Ritz ends and the radio bitch begins.For the huge audience hooked on The Wendy Williams Experience and readers itching to find out what happens to the over-the-top star of Drama Is Her Middle Name, Is the Bitch Dead, or What? is packed with all the irresistible shocks and insider dish that make Williams the hottest voice in America today.

    Bonnie Wilder has lived here, on Blackberry Corner, all her life, and would be content but for her deep desire to have a child. She and her husband Naz cannot conceive, and he refuses to adopt. Even the support of her outrageous best friend Thora--to whom Bonnie tells everything--can't help fill the emptiness inside her. Then Naz finds a blanketed infant on the banks of Canaan Creek, and suddenly Bonnie's life is transformed. She has found her calling. Together with Thora and the rest of the hilarious, tough, and all-too-human women from her church group, Bonnie creates an underground railroad for unwanted babies. But one of these precious gifts will come back to haunt her: a deception begun in good faith comes full circle, ultimately forcing Bonnie to find the courage to confront a difficult truth at the center of her own life. Filled with compassion, humor, and tenacity in the face of almost insurmountable odds, here is a rich, inspiring tale of friendship and family, sisterhood and mother love...and of finding grace where you least expect it.

    Successful Manhattan psychotherapist Brooke Parrish falls for Taylor Hudson, a handsome, ambitious ivestment banker with a prestigious New York firm who is trapped in a loveless marriage, but the situation is complicated when Taylor's wife, Kiernan Malloy, enlists Brooke's aid as her therapist to he

     Ghetto-born and street-raised, Katrina -- or Kat for short, is a self-proclaimed hood goddess. With her in-your-face razor-sharp attitude, alluring charm, and exotic beauty, Katrina is vivacious, vicious, and unsuspectingly dangerous. Detached from her emotions, she has no time for regrets. The product of a neglectful mother and an incarcerated father, Katrina is willing to do whatever it takes to climb -- or kill -- her way out of the hood. Calculated and cunning, Katrina already has two bodies on her hands by the ripe age of twenty. When a mysterious man invites her to join his multi-million dollar "work-for-hire" network of professional assassins, it becomes the opportunity of a lifetime. The first female killer on his team, she travels all over the United States and fulfills the bloody requests of her every client. With each murder, Katrina feels more and more powerful -- killing turns out to be an addictive aphrodisiac for her and the rush of violence is the only thing that satisfies her insatiable libido. Before killing each victim, Katrina tempts them with her irresistible, delectable charms -- and not one of them can resist. Disturbingly witty and devilishly enticing, The Kat Trap is an edgy, fast-paced urban drama with fascinating psychological elements that demonstrate how anger and bitterness can perpetuate self-destructive behaviors. Readers will be enthralled by Kat's deliciously criminal world of money and glamour, shocked by her cutthroat ambition and ruthlessness, and accosted by her physical and sexual prowess.

    Her brother-in-law had been murdered, and her sister Laura had been arrested for the crime. In desperation, Sonya turns to the one man who can clear her sister's name.THE VERDICT IS IN THE HEART OF PASSION.Handsome Dwayne Hamilton was the state's most seasoned criminal defense attorney. Despite an undeniable attraction, Sonya is determined to keep things professional...until she and Dwayne begin searching for the truth behind the tragedy, and uncover a tangled web of revenge and deception. Now, with each dangerous turn in the case, Sonya will find herself on trial--defenseless against Dwayne's seductive kisses, his tender words, and the powerful inner voice that dares her to fall in love....

    Hennesey, a brilliant straight-A student, is soon off to college on a full scholarship. She's in a strong relationship with Rafe, a recently released convict who's trying to turn his life around after being unjustly jailed. He took a drug rap for his old friend Smoke, who has since become the most ruthless drug dealer in Chicago. Rafe wants nothing more to do with his old friends -- especially when he falls for Hennesey. On the other hand, Alizé is perfectly comfortable relying on her undeniable sex appeal to get what she wants. When Livvy, the girls' mother, announces that they have to move out of her apartment because she is getting a smaller place to save up money and go back to school, Alizé panics as she is in desperate need of some money of her own. She and her girlfriends come up with an outrageous plan to score some fast cash -- persuading the men with fat pockets they meet at clubs to take the girls to a hotel and then drugging them and making off with their wallets and jewelry. Unfortunately for Alizé, one of their first victims is none other than Smoke, Rafe's old buddy. Once robbed, he's bent on revenge -- and the violent chain of events that follow will change the Rodgers family forever.

    Years later, Faith is a successful literary agent. Her twin, addled by drugs and prostitution, struggles through life on the Harlem streets. When Hope seems to have set her sights on Faith's man, the tender bonds of sisterhood are cruelly tested. Will the truth about their darkest hour finally be revealed? I'm Telling "deftly shares the pain and desperation of a family shaken to the core" (Booklist). For anyone who has ever chosen between speaking up and backing down, this impassioned novel lights the way toward love and redemption.

    He’s married to his college sweetheart, Leah, and they have two children and a dream home in Los Angeles. But an injury has sidelined his hot career, and prescription medication and depression are pulling him into a downward spiral, leaving Leah feeling emotionally distanced and lonely. Their fighting escalates, and one night Dell commits an act of violence that changes the course of their lives forever. But Angel Lopez, the cop who arrests Dell, decides to take the law into his own hands. Determined to teach the famous athlete a lesson, he drives Dell to the worst part of town and tries to kick him out of the car. The men struggle and the car crashes. When Angel comes to, Dell is gone and no one knows if he’s dead or alive.Leah is grateful when a guilt-stricken Angel offers to chase the media away from her home and help out around the house, “just until Dell comes home.” She and her family grow to trust him, and Angel falls in love with the Roadrunner’s lovely, grieving wife. Will Dell find his way home? Will Angel replace him? And what really happened that dark night the Roadrunner disappeared?

    California Cooper has won a legion of loyal fans and much critical acclaim for her powerful storytelling gifts. In language both spare and direct yet wondrously lyrical, LIFE IS SHORT BUT WIDE is an irresistible story of family that proves no matter who you are or what you do, you are never too old to chase your dreams.Like the small towns J. California Cooper has so vividly portrayed in her previous novels and story collections, Wideland, Oklahoma, is home to ordinary Americans struggling to raise families, eke out a living, and fulfill their dreams. In the early twentieth century, Irene and Val fall in love in Wideland. While carving out a home for themselves, they also allow neighbors Bertha and Joseph to build a house and live on their land. The next generation brings two girls for Irene and Val, and a daughter for Bertha and Joseph. As the families cope with the hardships that come with changing times and fortunes, and people are born and pass away, the characters learn the importance of living one’s life boldly and squeezing out every possible moment of joy. Cooper brilliantly captures the cadences of the South and draws a picture of American life at once down-to-earth and heartwarming in this-as her wise narrator will tell you-“strange, sad, kind’a beautiful, life story.” It is a story about love that leads to the ultimate realization that whoever you are, and whatever you do, life is short, but it is also wide.