For a 17-year-old, Amina has a decent life. But after meeting her father and 23-year-old brother for the first time, things take a turn for the worse. Amina ends up alone, trying to fend for herself and save her boyfriend, Kayne, from 3 years in jail. Amina must prove her loyalty to Kayne, but can you be a Down Chick without being locked down yourself? This is a question that never crosses Amina’s mind, leading her to make the ultimate mistake of her life. Author Mallori McNeal began writing Down Chick at age 14, during the summer before she began her first year in high school. She completed Down Chick and was accepted for publishing at age 16. Mallori currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Never having the opportunity to know his biological mother, he was raised by his father, who happened to be a notorious gangster. Deprived of a normal childhood, his father educated him on what awaited him on the streets of Virginia. When the time comes for Treacherous to make some sudden decisions, he has no idea they will land him in the very place that he is trying to avoid. Teflon Jackson is a beautiful woman who is the end result of a horrible union. Having a loving mother who was a prostitute and a pimp for a father, Teflon's childhood was far from a fairytale. Bearing witness to the abusive relationship between her parents, Teflon was determined not to follow her mothers footsteps. Tragedy strikes and Teflon finds herself having to utilize all of the tricks that her mother taught her after she is forced into the streets to fend for herself. Years later, Treacherous and Teflon's paths cross. What starts out as a potentially bad situation genuinely blossoms into a bond that becomes unbreakable. Ride or Die Chick: The Story of Treacherous and Teflon is about two people who come from nothing and are willing to sacrifice anything to gain everything. This is a modern day tale of Bonnie & Clyde and built on a love that is stronger than that of Romeo and Juliet. A bonafide gangster, Treacherous is confident that he can't lose, as long as he has his Ride or Die Chick!

    While she knows racism is a problem (occasional brushes with the uglier side of people don't let her forget it), Naomi is, at heart, just like any other teenage girl. All of that changes when Joshua, Naomi's older brother, is killed in an accident on his way to a civil rights demonstration in Chicago. Racism becomes a personal issue, and Naomi decides that she needs to help bring about changes in the system. At college in Atlanta, she becomes immersed in politics, organizing protests and butting heads with school administrations as well as with her boyfriend, who isn't too friendly to the cause. Disillusioned by authority figures and betrayed by the man she loves, Naomi returns home, confused about the world and her place in it.

    But a frantic call for help from a childhood friend whose child has gone missing changes all that.Now Lynch must summon the courage to return to his childhood home, the infamous projects known as The Bridge. As the case unfolds and the search for Kenya, the missing girl, intensifies, the secrets guarded by her family and friends begin to emerge. And the hidden truths are more sinister and malevolent than Lynch could ever imagine, and once again, The Bridge threatens to be his downfall.Solomon Jones’s The Bridge is a gritty, suspenseful novel in which the root causes of crime share the stage with their tragic consequences, allowing an intimate window into ghetto life.

    Forced to get on the grind non-stop by her madam, Cookie, after being abandoned by her dopefiend, HIV infected mother, there's nothing Kamone won't do to get that paper - drugs, murder, sex, lies and videotapes! That is, until she is scandalously set up to be raped, drugged and left for dead. Just when Kamone thinks it's the end, she finds what every bad girl longs for ' a bad boy with a heart, who literally picks her up out of the gutter. But will Lucci's thug passion be enough to satisfy Kamone's lustful habits? Or will she run back to the only life she knows?

    Life had already dealt her a bad hand, landing her in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate who thought she was a nut-case, and who desperately tried to get away from Zariah and her odd behavior and controlling ways. As luck would have it, Zariah hooked up with Hardy, a sexy, suave piece of eye candy who laughed her out of her panties the first night then tried to tell her to forget it ever happened the next day. Unfortunately, Hardy wasn't aware of her past and that the woman he'd slept with wasn't the forgiving type. Before long, his wife is in danger and Hardy's secrets are exposed . Zariah wants revenge and decides she deserves everything she's always been missing; money, power, and respect. With Zariah's over the top personality and tricks up her sleeve, this book is a cross between the modern day fatal attraction and single black female. Beware

    A novel of friendship follows the lives of Patricia Reid and Gayle Saunders, two Black children raised as sisters, who as adults are separated by the different dreams that each tries to follow.

    Now, she presents a stunning collection of love poems that includes more than twenty new works.From the revolutionary "Seduction" to the tender new poem, "Just a Simple Declaration of Love," from the whimsical "I Wrote a Good Omelet" to the elegiac "All Eyez on U," written for Tupac Shakur, these poems embody the fearless passion and spirited wit for which Nikki Giovanni is beloved and revered.Romantic, bold, and erotic, Love Poems expresses notions of love in ways that are delightfully unexpected. Articulating in sensuous verse what we know only instinctively, Nikki Giovanni once again confirms her place as one of our nations's most distinguished poets and powerful truth-tellers.In a career that has spanned more than a quarter century, starting with her explosive early years in the Black Rights Movement, Nikki Giovanni has earned a reputation as one of America's most celebrated and controversial writers. Her mind-speaking work has made her a universal favorite and a number-one best-seller.The love poems-the revolutionary "Seduction," the whimsical "I Wrote a Good Omelet," and the tender "My House" to name just a few-are among the most beloved of all Nikki Giovanni's works. Now, Love Poems brings together these and other favorites with over twenty new poems. Romantic, bold, and erotic, Love Poems will once again confirm Nikki Giovanni's place among the country's most renowned poets and truth tellers.

    Lynn Harris...He is a devilish and handsome ex-football player, now a rising sports agent at one of the hottest firms in the country. Irrepressible and dangerously alluring, John "Basil" Henderson has a history with women (and a few men). Basil is the consummate guy's guy: a commitment-phobe gadfly known for a double-edged magnetism that has the ability to thrill--and wound.She is the uncompromising Yancey Harrington Braxton, an up-and-coming Broadway star who oozes charm and bleeds ambition. Young, beautiful, and dangerously crafty, Yancey is prepared to do whatever she must to get what she wants. A femme fatale who has left more than a few brokenhearted men in her wake, Yancey is intrigued and besotted by Basil.Both believe that in each other they've finally met their match.A lavish wedding is planned, and the ultimate power couple plans to spend their lives in holy matrimony. But just before the nuptials, fate and a little comeuppance from the past threaten the happy couple's future.Masterful storyteller E. Lynn Harris takes the reader on a delicious ride into the mischievous lives of two very unforgettable characters.

    Stunningly beautiful, with long naturally wavy black hair, she possessed the voluptuous body of a thirty-year-old woman. Her skin was the color of brown sugar. Johnnie had heard about Earl Shamus and his escapades among the poor black women in New Orleans. But what she didn’t know was that Shamus had quietly made several of the girls in their neighborhood his reluctant concubines when their youthful bodies ripened—she was next.Enter 1950’s New Orleans, a world of betrayal, envy, lust and murder, where everyone has ulterior motives. Take a peek at Johnnie Wise, a 15-year-old girl, being pursued by ruthless crime boss, Napoleon Bentley, who will stop at nothing to have this young beauty. Little Girl Lost will shock you right up to the very end with its revealing truths.

    This Blackboard bestseller about making it on your own--despite the mistakes of your past--will appeal to fans of Terry McMillan and Lolita Files.

    . .On the brink of a major promotion, Tamia Luke is within reach of the glitzy life she's always dreamed of--until her client, Dominic "Nico" Archer, blackmails her into becoming his mistress, threatening to reveal her scandalous past. Tamia has no choice but to submit to his demands. But the tables turn when her hostility towards Nico is replaced with insatiable lust. No man--including her boyfriend--has ever satisfied her the way he does. And as her infatuation grows, the closer she comes to losing everything--including her life.

    And yet, none of it can hide the growing turbulence in her marriage, which suddenly has Tanya doubting what she once cherished.Then Curtis goes too far, and Tanya's confronted with the worst betrayal a woman can face. Plunged into a bittersweet journey of discovery, she suddenly finds herself learning painful new lessons about love, loyalty, and sensual temptation. . ..and discovering the wisdom to celebrate the victories that are hers alone.Casting The First Stone listens in on the heart of a woman torn between loving who her husband was and hating who he has become. Roby weaves a fast-paced story about faith's challenges in a world made up of material desires and other physical temptations. Taken right from the headlines, Roby's cautionary tale looks at the other side of church politics and the emotional toll it takes.

    It's a mind journey that puts life's realitites into words. This anthology is the first of its kind to take such an array of authors, and their true to the life gritty tales, and allow their words to explode in one setting.

    Kinji Rockwell is a sassy, young journalist climbing the corporate ladder at one of Chicago's leading newspapers. When asked to go undercover on a deadly case, she is stunned. Though fully aware of the consequences; the money and promise of becoming lead journalist are just too enticing. Edwin 'Mo' Aguilera and his best friend Boss rule the Northside of Chicago. They want it all, by any means necessary. Completely taken by Kinji's beauty, Mo is immediately drawn to her, vowing to have her at any cost. Originally thought as a means to a need, Kinji, to her dismay, finds herself falling for Mo; just as quickly deciding that love has no place in her world. Kinji pulls out every stop to push Mo away, finding herself right back in arms time and time again. Finally accepting her feelings, Kinji opens her heart and allows Mo inside. Just as their relationship blossoms, so do the lies and deceit. Mo is none the wiser about her original intent and just as things become contented, Kinji finds the lies and deceit staring her in the face. Terrified of losing the man she's come to know and love, Kinji desperately searches for a way out of the entanglement, finally finding a viable solution. Will it work or will it be too late as Mo is on the brink of discovering Kinji's motives and the woman that she used to be. Will Mo's love be able to conquer all or will the truth destroy their union, quickly turning love to hate and giving Kinji a terrifying glimpse of street revenge with Mo leading the charge.