Her new man, James, plans to become king of the inner city, but his ambitions will turn everything upside down... Giselle is a sexy, high-maintenance siren. When she marries Shawn, he makes her feel like a queen...at first. But soon she stands to lose everything, including her husband.

    Now, in a back-to-back publishing event, Parks returns with her next novel of love and friendship and the betrayals of both-some forgiven, some never forgotten. It's been five years since they trusted one another-and betrayed one another - only as friends and lovers could. Beautiful Mia, getting a second chance at love. Christian, who gave up his player card for the one woman he's not sure he can trust. And Brice, as irresistibly bad as ever. One woman can tame him - if he'd give her the chance: Kree, innocent but underestimated, and looking for the kind of passion that can change a life. When she finds it, it's going to come with a price. Sometimes, it doesn't take a lot to tear apart friends like these. All it takes is love.

    But her plans for a new life in New York don'tinclude being a virgin at age thirty! She never had the chanceto dream beyond her small Mississippi town--but with a littlehelp from Riley Martin, that's about to change....This bad boy done good left for the big city but returned tohis roots. Now divorced, he is just the man Nell should seeabout her...uh, problem. Riley can't believe the offer ofseduction coming from the sweet, shy woman of his secretfantasies, but he's going to do his very best to convince her, in the most intimate ways, that her place always was, is andwill be--with him.

    In her debut novel, McKnight delivers unforgettable characters and page-turning drama, when a couple whose troubled marriage is pushed to its limits sets out for revenge amidst secrets, lies, and a common enemy.

    Especially, when all the dogs involved are hungry! For a sheltered mama s boy like Demarcus, everything was all roses until a life changing experience showed him that every rose has thorns. After a well-orchestrated set up, Demarcus' plans to go to college are derailed by a trip to state prison. It is while in the belly of the beast, that the mama's boy has to make the choice between being a man, or being a victim. Upon his release, Demarcus tries to get his life back on track, but his felony conviction causes door after door to be slammed in his face. Going to college is no longer an option, and flipping burgers is not in his plans. With little other choice, Demarcus applies the lessons learned in prison and takes it to the streets. He gets caught up in the game of selling heroin, known on the streets as Dog Food. When all hell breaks loose between the major dealers, in Memphis, over the city s heroin distribution, Demarcus finds himself on the losing side of a bloody drug war. As he prepares for the show down with his opposition, he begins to uncover truths about his past, including what happened that fateful night of his arrest. To add insult to injury, when he finally stands face to face with his enemy, he discovers that the face is a familiar one. They say that blood is thicker than water, but when it comes to cash, sometimes even those closest to you will try to do you in.

    After being hurt countless times by men, she shut her innermost feelings and desires off from men. Focusing on being happy with herself was her main agenda. Having a great job at the federal prison and owning her independence, Shana has everything. However, when she meets Red Anderson at the Houston Livestock Show, everything changes. Life has finally become worth living for Craig 'Red' Anderson. Having a horrible childhood, then growing up a ward of the state wasn't exactly a cake walk. After a chance encounter with a cowboy, his life is changed forever. Channeling his energy into learning to be the best steer wrestler in the world, Red Anderson is able to push out all the negativity in his life. Honing his skills and learning from the best, Legend Semien, Red becomes a force to deal with in the rodeo arena, but in life, another force brings him to his knees. Shana Albert comes in Red's life like a whirlwind and swallows him whole. Fighting demons of their past, it seems that Red and Shana face drama at every turn and difficulties of that drama threaten to tear them apart. Both being stubborn, opinionated individuals, causes unnecessary rifts that put their relationship on the line. Will Red and Shana finally figure out what loving one another is all about? Or will they decide to cut their losses and chalk it up as a lesson learned?

    Neil Taylor is an eligible bachelor, living a seemingly satisfied existence as a deacon of his church and director of Kingdom Builder's Academy. But despite outward appearances, Neil harbors secret pains that have caused him to erect a well-constructed wall of defense around his heart. Everything changes, however, when Shaylynn Ford, a beautiful young mother, strolls through the doors of his office. There's a marked difference in their ages, but the years that Separate them are the least of Neil's worries. Shaylynn is his God-given soul mate. Neil is certain of it. But even with all the prayers in the world, how can he get her to love him when she's already wearing a wedding ring?

    After serving seven years, he has finally paid the Government the debt he owed them. Now he wants what the streets owe him.His plan is to pick up from where he left off. The only problem is, the new generation has taken over and they refuse to accept orders from the middle-aged veteran.It's seven years later, the little boys he left back home have turned into grown men. It's their turn and they're not going to sit on the sideline and watch him take over.Watch Cashmere do everything in his power to make it to the top, where he feels he truly belongs.Will he regain the crown or will he have to bow down?

    Perfect timing andcrackling dialogue, as well as heartrending pain balanced by uproarious predicaments, make for a shout-hallelujah tale of transgression and grace, a gospel of lusty and everlasting love."-- Booklist “Like Dostoyevsky, Allen colorfully evokes the gambling milieu—the chained (mis)fortunes of the players, their vanities and grotesqueries, their quasi-philosophical ruminations on chance. Like Burroughs, he is a dispassionate chronicler of the addict’s daily ritual, neither glorifying nor vilifying the matter at hand.”-- The New York Times Book Review , on All or NothingInto an austere community of Christian believers at the Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters come the star-crossed African American Romeo and Juliet. In the world of Jesus Boy, Romeo is sixteen-year-old Elwyn Parker, a devout and sincere piano prodigy who learns too late that the saintly girl he has had a crush on all his life is inexplicably pregnant and soon to be wed. Juliet is the beautiful widow, Sister Morrisohn, age forty-two, who, in the pain and confused emotions of her grieving, ends up in Elwyn’s arms.Despite the problems posed by their age difference and the strict prohibitions of their strong religious beliefs, Elwyn and Sister Morrisohn’s love is true, and as it grows among the ascetics, abstainers, and holy ghost rollers of their church, it exposes with wit, poignancy, and insight the dark secrets and ancient crimes of the pious. In Jesus Boy, Elwyn learns through tragedy and epiphany that the holy are no different from the rest of us.

    Best friends since day one, these Get Money Chicks always had a thing for the hottest gear, luxurious lifestyles, and the ballers who made it all possible. All of this changes for Mina when a tragedy makes her open her eyes to the way she's living. Peer pressure and loyalty to her girls collide with her own morality, sending Mina into a no-win situation.Will street life and fast money keep Mina trapped in the game or will she walk away from it all? Friendships are tested and life comes at you fast in the pages of Get Money Chicks.

    Not since Terry McMillan's Breaking Ice have so many African-American writers been brought together in one volume. A stellar collection of works from more than fifty hot names in fiction, Gumbo represents remarkable synergy. Edited by bestselling luminaries Marita Golden and E. Lynn Harris, this collection spans new and previously published tales of love and luck, inspiration and violation, hip new worlds and hallowed heritage from voices such as: Edwidge Danticat , Eric Jerome Dickey, Kenji Jasper, John Edgar Wideman, Terry McMillan, David Anthony Durham, Bertice Berry, and many, many more. Also featuring original stories by Golden and Harris themselves, Gumbo heralds the debut of the Hurston / Wright Legacy Awards for Published Black Writers (scheduled for October 2002), and all advances and royalties from the book will support the Hurston/ Wright Foundation. Combining authors with a variety of flavorful writing, Gumbo will have readers clamoring for second helpings.

    A collection of poetic meditations by the National Book Critics Circle Award-finalist author of Leaving Saturn evaluates the solemn richness of everyday lives, from a grandfather who gardens in a tenement backyard to a teacher to renames her black students after French painters.

    She is forced to endure unthinkable turmoil and pain at the hands of those who are supposed to protect her, leaving her battered and broken time after time. Lakea's life is just one tragedy after the next, pushing her into a pattern of violence and rebellion. Then one day she meets Jeremy and he gives her something she has been searching for her entire life....unconditional love. As Lakea continues to struggle with the harsh realities of her environment, she and Jeremy become closer, however tragedy strikes again, shattering her heart and dreams, while turning her world upside down. Lakea is a broken girl with a long hard journey ahead of her. Does she have what it takes to overcome? Or will she always be broken?

     A successful career. A beautiful wife and children...and his pick of the sexiest women in town. It seems Tarron has the best of both worlds as he manages to indulge in wild nights out with his lover and quiet nights at home with his family. But the party is about to end...When Tarron's cheating ways are revealed, his cool-headed wife, Secret, handles it like a pro. That's partly because, true to her name, Secret is hiding some bad behavior of her own. And now, as Secret starts to really live out her own fantasies, neither she nor Tarron may be ready for the explosive consequences... "A fascinating debut novel... There are so many exciting twists and turns to this story that you'll be begging for more once you read the very last page." --Urban-Reviews.com

    She does well in school and mostly keeps to herself. She lives with her father and wonders why they have never visited her grandfather, even though they speak to him every week on the phone.When her grandfather suddenly dies, Ariel and her father must travel to Shadow Grove to settle his affairs. Shadow Grove holds many, many secrets, not the least of which is what really happened to Ariel's mother and why her grandfather left her a powerful amulet before he died. When she finds out she is a witch, Ariel has some decisions to make. But first, who can she trust...the mysterious man who appears in her dreams or the recluse whom her father clearly despises? Scroll up to download and take a trip to Shadow Grove today...