Newly divorced, 40yearold Desa Rae finds herself alone now that her son has gone away to college. She's taken to her bed, watching life pass her by-until Roc, a 24yearold with a jawdropping body comes along. Desa Rae can't keep her eyes open or legs closed to a man who excites her like no other man has. But can she really be serious about a man who is almost the same age as her son? Avery Belmont is a diva in her own right. Smart, sassy, and successful, she has always had it going on; so much so that not only did the fullfigured beauty catch the eye of Duke, the sexiest dude on the block, but she encouraged him to leave the dope game and become legit. Now, seven years later, Avery is working hard and trying to move ahead, but it seems that Duke isn't feeling the same way. Working with Kurt, her attractive coworker, isn't helping her situation. Is the love between Avery and Duke strong enough to keep them together, or will the strength of that love make them realize it's time to let go?

    Making a selection is just the beginning - these ladies are more than mere images, and getting to know them is the really fun part. But just like most things, looks can be deceiving. And while the guys who take this plunge think they're in for the adventure of a lifetime, some of them are headed for their worst nightmare.Featuring five dramatically different voices, these stories travel the tantalizing crossroads between romance and cyberspace.

    Vincent is living in Los Angeles, trying to forget his own shattered marriage. They want to plan a future together—but first they have to stop running from their pasts. Eric Jerome Dickey, a rising star on the bestseller lists, delivers a boldly honest novel—about love that starts with a lie.

    It was lust at first sight, and Rhapsody isn't going to let young Malcolm leave her presence without a promise to fulfill her fantasy.Malcolm had no idea when he accepted Rhapsody's invitation to her bedroom that he was selling his soul to the devil. Malcolm thinks he can bed Rhapsody and simply walk away, but she is not one to settle for a one night stand. Rhapsody goes to desperate measures to keep her cub extremely close to her. Gifting Malcolm a very expensive SUV, filling his belly with home cooked meals and funding a trip to Cancun are just a few of the tactics that Rhapsody uses to ensure that Malcolm spends his nights in her bed and no one else's. However, when Rhapsody finds a mysterious package on her doorstep containing proof of Malcolm's betrayal and deception, she seeks revenge and seals her own fate.

    The place people go to fulfill their dreams. But its reality is a cruel one: Opportunities are few and the competition ruthless. Innocent hearts can suddenly turn dark, and the most loyal of friends can become bitter enemies. Desi, Sharon, and Bettina are three black women struggling to make names for themselves amid the glitz, glamour, and deception. Before each woman can be swept away by the intrigue and intensity of the entertainment industry, they must answer to the desperate calls from the ghosts of their pasts. But if they do, will the shadows of infidelity, abandonment, and murder destroy everything they've worked for?

    But when her husband’s thirst for high-priced sex leads them down an explosive path of passion, murder, and lies, she has to decide if her marriage is worth saving, and at what cost.Collyn Bazemore, a Manhattan madam, deals with an elite clientele, and they pay big for the best sex in the city. One of Collyn’s most important customers, the mayor, has planned an erotic extravaganza in the Hamptons, but when he sends one of his associates to seal the deal, Collyn grows suspicious of this replacement–and yet her attraction to him is undeniable. While her mind tells her no, her body aches to say yes, and just when he melts her in all the right places, it turns out he has a few secrets of his own.These two women are bound together by an erotically charged past, and when their carefully crafted facades start to crumble, neither will ever be the same.

    Since this is Beverly's third engagement in the past five years, after breaking off the previous two at the last moment, everyone's happy that she's finally settling down. For Beverly and Julian, nothing could be better than being in love and planning their wedding. That is until Beverly's oldest sister's marriage falls apart and dampens the mood of what should have been the happiest time in Beverly's life. Now, second-guessing her impending nuptials, Beverly is forced to wonder if marriage really works. Will she stick it out? Or will her fears cloud her judgment once again?

    His former identity as a successful investment banker and eligible bachelor has disappeared. A beleaguered graduate student, she's got no money, no man, and no Ph.D., yet. A year of predoctoral research in Haiti leaves Noire drained. And a trip home to Côte d'Ivoire offers Innocent little more than intermittent sexual gratification. In the aftermath of 9/11, Innocent and Noire are back in New York City and find solace in each other's bed. But even that arrangement collapses under the weight of Innocent's revelation that he has unfinished business in Africa. For Innocent and Noire, patching together their unraveling lives becomes an exercise in hope and humility. With Hunger, Turnipseed lives up to the promise of A Love Noire and has matured into a writer who fearlessly explores the intersection of sex, love, identity, and loss in a cross-cultural context.

    With their families torn apart from the vicious life of the streets, Sunshine & Rain find each other living with the same foster mother, Cathy, who has a secret life of her own.

    But when Rain walks away from the accident and disappears into thin air, she sets off a chain of events that Imran never saw coming. Jahzara finds herself struggling with what do next and ends up fighting for her life. The hate is still real and it's far worse than before. The murder, lies, and deceit continues as these characters are Hated by Many, and Loved by None.

    But now she realizes that it was her connections and street smarts that helped her man, Calico, rise to the top, and Jewel wants to be the one in control. She's tired of taking orders from men. She's willing to do anything to be queen of the streets, but when a deal she makes with the enemy comes back to haunt her, her dream is turned into a nightmare. Hopeless and struggling to keep her head above water, Jewel meets Misty, who seems to be her savior. They quickly form a bond, but when that bond is broken and the mist turns to rain, Jewel finds herself in the middle of a storm that she might not make it out of.

    From four-time "Essence"-bestselling author Lee comes the compelling tale of a marriage that is tested when infidelity--and tragedy--come into play.

    With enough backstabbing, finger-pointing, and disrespect to go around, this trio sticks to their motto of "What she can do, I can do better; and whatever she has, I want a piece of it too." Much competition is thrown in the mix, and jealousy is so thick that there will be no place for anyone to run when the mess hits the fan. Only then will they attempt to put their many differences aside, but when severe damage is already done, it may be possible to forgive, but certainly not to forget.

    Comprised of three beautiful ladies, the sexy all-girl group So Fine has got it all — voice, magnetism, great songs — and drive. There's just one thing missing — and Nina can supply it.Jamil is not only Nina's ex-boyfriend — he's a mega-hit producer with a hot new label: Suicide Records. Nina is sure she can get Jamil to sign So Fine. She's always been able to count on him — though lately, he's been acting a little strange. Maybe it's because he's still got a thing for Nina, even though she's married now. Or maybe it's the influence of his new partner-in-crime, Xtreme, baseball's first bad boy and Suicide's first artist. Whatever it is, Nina has laid a big chunk of her own personal funds on the line, and there's no turning back now.But soon, everything seems to spiral out of control. Egos clash, hearts — and promises — are broken.

    Louis Kingpin, King David, has left a vacuum in the underworld. He leaves behind his vast empire to his surviving heirs, David Jr. and Davita. Born barely ten minutes apart, they were raised very differently.David Jr. is college educated. His mother always pushed him to do the best he could so he could one day legitimize and run the East St. Louis crime family. She thinks she's above and beyond the game. All she wants is the money that she believes she and her son are due.She taught Davita a different set of rules. Davita has been raised to use anybody and everything to get that money by any means necessary. She has embraced the business of the streets, and she is ready to ascend to the throne that her father has unexpectedly left behind.The question remains: will the family ties that bind keep the family together, or will sex, greed, drugs, and their mother's divisive ways tear it all to hell, bringing St. Louis down with them? David Jr. and Davita have decisions to make!