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?

    The Diamond family is a force to be reckoned with, but all hell breaks loose when they lose their leader. The most ruthless gangster Miami has ever seen, Carter Diamond leaves behind a wife, twin sons, a daughter, and a secret. The secret is his illegitimate son, Carter Jones. When Young Carter learns of his father's death, he comes to town and is introduced to the legacy of The Cartel. Miamor is a woman who uses her beauty to enhance her skill as a contract killer. She is the leader of The Murder Mamas. When her crew is hired to take down The Cartel, they get caught slipping, and Miamor loses her sister in the process. She is determined to get revenge from The Cartel. Unknowingly, she meets the son of Carter Diamond, and he immediately catches her heart. She is sleeping with the enemy, and when she finds out, she is torn between love and revenge. Young Carter and Miamor lead two different lifestyles. They are on opposing teams, and when their worlds collide, the truth will be unveiled in an unpredictable ending.

    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?

    Everything is perfect except for one thing...her husband Germaine. She has run her course with him and he needs to be replaced. When the handsome and seductive Kingston enters her life, he becomes the perfect substitute. Clueless to his wife's plan, Germaine continues to be a loving naive husband while Niquole's full blown affair quickly becomes her sick obsession. Desperate to start a new life with her new man, Niquole does everything in her power to push Germaine out of the picture. Little does she know Kingston plans are different from hers. Sit back and see what happens when a wife learns that the price of betrayal can have a shattering toll.

    Not only is there a large age difference between Thalia and the middle-aged pastor, but he also happens to be the father of Madison, her best friend since junior high school. Madison isn't trying to deal with her father dating anyone after her mother's death. Thalia asks Isaac to keep their relationship a secret, but he's been intrigued by her ever since she was a teenager, and now he wants the world to know. When tragedy strikes, their love is exposed to her family, his colleagues, his congregation, and her best friend. Now it seems like the whole town is in an uproar. The gossiping church mothers in Mount Pleasant aren't the only problem that Thalia and Isaac have, though. A former lover rears his ugly head and forces their relationship to change for the absolute worst. Can this May-December romance survive when it seems fate is just not on their side?

    

    But now that Snake, Duke and Bear have all been killed, she figures it's time to skip Virginia and heads to Atlanta.

    When her father is sent to prison, and her mother suddenly develops a drug habit, making it her number one priority; it is up to Mya to raise her younger brother and sister. Alone and aware of the grimy hustle of the streets; Mya hopes to find another path for survival. But when the leader of the a natorious gang severely beats her mother for stealing money from him, Mya vows revenge on his crew by robbing them at gunpoint and hiding her identity behind a mask. Mya successfully pulls off her first robbery against one of them but then she meets and falls in love with the the very person who is attached to her enemy and is now determined to keep her secret a secret. However when Mya s secret starts to unravel and death knocks at her door, things go horribly wrong. Mya learns that hurt and happiness are one in the same but you have to have blood on your hand first.

    Told with comedic rawness and colorful sarcasm, Ellis's second novel is an epic story of love, loss, pain, and forgiveness that shines a spotlight on the painful reality of domestic abuse.

    Growing up, Mallory Dodge learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it's been four years since her nightmare ended, she's beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime. Now, after years of homeschooling, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at a public high school. But she never imagined she'd run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn't seen since childhood, on her very first day. It doesn't take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet soon it becomes apparent that she's not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider's life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.

    She can take his cruel words, his tender words . . . until the night they go too far.To escape, Joy sacrifices her suburban life to find the one who offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. He introduces her to a world of fierce loyalty, to its rules of survival, and to love—a world she won’t easily let go.Set against the backdrop of the streets of Seattle, Holly Cupala’s power­ful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the secrets we keep, and the ways to redemption. But above all, it is an unflinching story about the extraordinary lengths one girl will go to discover her own strength.

    Her husband, Johnny, is suddenly hard to reach, distant, and works late too often for Geneva not to be suspicious. Is it because she’s been pressuring him about having a baby? Feeling lonely and neglected, Geneva bonds with Samuel Owens, a colleague who is having marital trouble of his own. Soon, their relationship blossoms into an uncontrollable affair.  Bored with her husband, Samuel, and dead set against having a child with him, Vivana Owens is biding her time until she’s ready to leave—and she’s spending it with Johnny Mayfield. It’s just a fling—until Vivana becomes obsessed with Johnny, especially once he tries to win back his wife. But affairs don’t end easy—and soon one of the unfaithfuls will end up dead, one will end up in jail, and one just might get away with murder… Praise for Playing the Hand You’re Dealt   “Will keep you guessing straight through to the explosive ending."—Victoria Christopher Murray   “Unforgettable characters and a page-turning storyline.”—Lutishia Lovely

    The once unshakeable enforcer slash irristible ladies manis now an expectant father! Angelique is pregnant with theirbaby however the fairytale ending may have to waitbecause Dallas is mad as hell with dangerous plans of relationship sabotage. Life continues to throw Tyce curve balls but will he strike out and lose his new family? Will his ex girlfriends vengeance break up a happy home? You would think having a baby for the very first time is enough responsibility but pile on the cruel intentions of a love sick female and you have one helluva stack.Join Tyce for the ride of a lifetime as he uncovers lies, makes tough decisions, and protects the ones he loves. All while being swagtastic and snacking on an endless supply of sweet Skittles. It's game time baby...are you ready?

    That no one would believe me. Maybe then I could've prepared myself. No one was there to protect me. Instead I was thrown to the wolves. I had to find a way out, to escape all this madness. Before you judge me, what would you have done if you were in my position?

    She desperately needs something or someone to believe in. She plans her future around Marquise, the father of her toddler daughter. Devastatingly sexy, Marquise is currently in jail on drug charges. Terelle, however, is living for his imminent return and dreaming of the day they can start building a life together as a real family.A cunning seductress, Kai Montgomery is the bi-racial adopted daughter of a wealthy Caucasian couple. Rich, beautiful, and well-bred, Kai is Terelle's polar opposite. After being dumped by an affluent and very married physician, Kai is without a sex partner. When one of numerous trysts results in the best sex of her life, she becomes obsessed and is quickly set on a collision course destined to destroy many lives.