But no one saw past her body and while she was growing up she was taunted with the name “plump plum.” She learned to accept her figure and was happy in her own skin. She considered herself fabulous and curvaceous even if no one else could see her beauty she sure as hell could. Mr. Right would come along when he was good and ready, till then she wouldn’t settle for “you’re pretty but if you weren’t so big…” hell no. Christmas came around and her little flower shop was selling poinsettias and holiday bouquets faster than she could make them. Mr. Hollis Wright came into the store with a rush order for a holiday party and showed more interest in her than her flowers. She accepted his dinner date and from the first kiss sparks flew. One minute he was buying arrangements for a party, the next he was dating the sweetest plum in New York City. Hollis didn’t care about her size or gossip. When he kissed Portia made him feel more alive than he felt in a long time. To him she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That doesn’t mean people didn’t talk when the dashing eligible bachelor showed up with her on his arm. From a size two to sixteen, one headline read and it faze him, it was his life and he lived it on his terms. The only thing that mattered to Hollis was the size of her love. While she thought that a holiday fling, Hollis was going to show her he had something more permanent in mind.

    Their friendship and bond formed when they met at the young age of seven. Blood couldn’t make them any closer, so naturally they called themselves brothers. The two boys would be there for each other through thick and thin. Their brotherhood and unbreakable bond will be tested through painful loss, growing pains and discoveries which will cause one to make a life altering decision.One brother’s life takes a change for the worse and the other stands by his side, but will they survive the ultimate test, which is the love for Arianna? Friendship turns to young love, and young love turns into a deep connection which winds down a road of shocking surprises that will change their lives forever.The story of Malachi, Andre and Arianna is a compelling tale of friendship, unexpected love, painful loss, loyalty and a brotherly bond. See how all of these things withstand the test of time as you delve into the tale of My Brother’s Wife.

    She thought giving him the one thing that his wife Lisa couldn't would make him leave and marry her, but instead it made the situation worse and Reginald went to the extreme to cover his infidelity and secrets. Putting her identical twin sister Julia who no one knew of into a situation she d never thought she be in. Unwilling at first to go along with Reginald's evil scheme, he is forced to threaten the lives of Julia s loves ones to keep his secrets hidden and Miles, her twin sister's other lover is the only one who can help Julia escape the snare that Reginald has trapped her in.

    She refuses to be like Faith or Pam and she soon finds out just how different she is from the two. Throughout her young life she manages to avoid two rapes, yet she isn’t successful at avoiding a few brawls with her very own mother. When she no longer wants to run to her best friend Ti-Ti and Ti-Ti’s mother, Mama Toni, to protect her, she finds comfort, support, and true love in Saginaw’s most eligible bachelor. She quickly learns the trials and tribulations that come along with a man of such status. Iconic: A maturing young twenty-five-year-old who has survived the streets and drug game and is still on top. He has been so knee deep in dealing with hood fame and keeping his legit businesses afloat that he hasn’t had time to truly focus on love. Everything is going well for Conic until love comes unexpectedly knocking at his door. Conic soon learns just how crazy falling in love can be. From falling in love with a younger woman, unexpected fatherhood, to crazy exes, Conic starts to believe he can’t win for losing. Iconic Love: There is a phrase that says ‘everything happens for a reason.’ For whatever reason, the universe brought Iconic and Love together, and together they are both determined to persevere through whatever comes their way. But do the two strangers turned lovers have what it takes to weather the storms that are brewing against them?

    She was wishing that she could become his remedy. What happens when love is present, but it’s only one-sided? Diar Capers had to learn that love is never easy, especially when it comes to Case DeMao. He possesses all of the characteristics that she yearns for in a man but finds it difficult attaining his attention. She desperately wants to throw in the towel and move forward, but the hold that’s on her heart permits her from doing so. Will Diar's efforts towards her love affair with Case pay off, or will she be left distraught when she finds out that she is not the missing piece to his heart?

    The smart girl has plans and visions of life beyond her bleak surroundings. A life-changing incident at the age of fifteen transforms the sweet girl into another person. Her innocence is lost and she is willing to do whatever it takes to secure that bag. Her and close friends, Meka and Qianna, set off on a journey to run up a check up. They follow the bad examples of the bad girls in the hood while adding their own unique twist. Will they achieve the riches they seek or die trying? Either way, they are Atl's finest.

    At a young age, Tyler was forced to grow up and become the man of his family. Always the protector and provider for his sister, Tyler turned to the streets early on in order to survive. Despite her beauty, Skyler is insecure and unsure of herself. With no one to turn to except her brother, she often feels lost in Tyler’s crazy lifestyle. Tori is Tyler’s ride or die, but like most young girls involved with a street nigga Tori is struggling to hold on to her sanity while trying to deal with all the b.s. and drama that comes with being Tyler’s leading lady, as well as dealing with her own demons. Friends will turn into enemies. Secrets will be revealed and love will be tested. Only the strong survive, so who will be left standing?

    Stunned and saddened and ready for revenge, everybody shows up, from mob boss Sal Gabrini and his businessman brother, “Dapper Tom” Tommy Gabrini, to Mick’s ruthless big brother, Big Daddy Charles Sinatra, to casino mogul and son of a mob boss, Reno Gabrini. And a war Mick had no interest in joining suddenly goes nuclear. But when Mick’s beloved wife gets caught up in the carnage, too, his enemies quickly find out just why he earned the reputation as the most dangerous and feared man in America. Mick Sinatra: Ice Cold Love is the latest installment of the Mick Sinatra Interracial Romantic Suspense Thriller series.

    But now he’s back and about to uncover the secret she’s kept hidden for two years. If there’s one thing Caydence Walter-Brown would be okay with, it would be to never see Nate Evans again. They might have been best friends once, but that’s over now. What Nate doesn’t know, however, is that she has a little souvenir from the brief albeit fiery fling they once had. A protective mama bear to her two-year-old daughter, Caydence is moving on without him quite fine. What she did not expect, however, was for him to suddenly waltz back into her life, two years down the line. All Nate ever wanted was to make it out of that dull little town he’d grown up in. All along, his plan had been to take Caydence with him. But life got in the way and he had no choice but to leave her behind. Now he’s back and ready to win her heart again. But as the two of them find their way to each other again, will the wounds of the past be too much to bear? And what happens when he discovers the massive secret she’s been hiding for two years? **** This is a standalone novel with a touch of steam and HEA. ****

    Will these three friends be able to juggle a rocky friendship after lies begin surfacing? And more importantly, will they be able to hold onto the relationships with the very men who were deceiving them? Canyon and Caesar were living the life before their entire world came crashing down around them. With the Feds sniffing around, they now have to be on their P's and Q's if they don't want their entire organization to crumble. Will these charming bad boys triumph in the end? Or will the presence of a relentless ex destroy everything they worked so hard to build?

    When she lost both of her parents, one to the system, and the other to cancer, poor Kylei was forced to grow up quickly and be raised by her aunt and uncle; grounded and living a good life. The only thing is that her heart is long gone, with no point of return in sight. That is until Lux Alexander comes around. Lux is an up and coming rapper, determined to make it big. He was raised by his single mother after his father was killed when he was young. After a small altercation with some bad people in Chicago, his mother forces him to move to Milwaukee to live with a man he considers his uncle. Thinking he’ll just be in Milwaukee for a short while, Lux is taken aback when he lays his eyes on Kylei again for the first time in years. Two years into their official relationship and Kylei experiences the ultimate betrayal at the hands of the man she loves with all of her being. After that, Kylei wants Lux out of her life for good. Years have now passed since Kylei washed her hands free of deceptive niggas, and she is a new woman from who she was before. Living in a new city with her best friend, she is excited about her new life. As she finishes college and is making the next steps in her career, Lux catapults his way back into her life causing havoc. Her feelings for him never having changed, Kylei is thrust back into the world that once again revolves around Lux. Will she again lose herself in him or will she prevail victorious, not feeling like anyone’s victim? After many years of love and heartache, will Kylei prove that she is not easily broken?

    0 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more – everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Dead Witch Walking. This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion on Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison.

    It can also be a sweet, delectable treat for those that are already engrossed in the "Preternatural Chronicles" as it fills in some backstory between books 3 and 4. Either way, I do so hope you enjoy the ride *insert evil laugh while twirling ends of mustache*We are all beasts that hunger from inside, trapped within a prison of flesh, just waiting to escape.Jose had made the unfortunate decision to work with the cartel under the guise of providing a better life for his loving wife, five-year-old son, and newborn daughter. All too late, Jose learns that we are free to make any decision in life that we want, but it’s the consequences we cannot avoid.An eerie howl reminiscent of a haunted train pierces the night, signifying that the hunt has begun . . .Feel the pull of the Moonlight Equilibrium and get lost in a visceral world of unrelenting terror, exquisitely detailed gore, and the existential sorrow of regret.

    When he must decide if he’s ready to leave his childish ways and become a man. For these four childhood friends that time has finally arrived. As choices start to become tougher, will life, love and new relationships force them to be the men their loved ones need them to be or will they fold under the pressure? If you are in need of a changeup of your normal reading and ready to get into the mind of the men you love. “What Kinda Man Would I be” is your next read!!!!

    But what of its opposite -- the moment when it becomes clear that things are indisputably over? Dumped is a survey of every type of romantic crack-up, a group of stories full of the hilarity, wisdom, insight, and sometimes, yes, fierce revenges of some of the most memorable broken hearts in recent literature. Dumped sheds light on what can be the toughest part of human relations -- whether newly elucidating the misery we've all endured, or merely reminding us that others have had it far worse -- from the mother in Elizabeth Berg's Open House absurdly attempting to tell her son his father has left, to the betrayed wife in Roald Dahl's "Lamb to Slaughter," who beats her husband to death with a leg of lamb, then cooks it for the police. With contributions from such notable authors as Will Self, Saul Bellow, Alice Munro, Raymond Carver, Lorrie Moore, Dorothy Parker, Andre Dubus, and Tobias Wolff, as well as rising stars like Lucinda Rosenfeld and Steve Almond, Dumped spans every variety of romantic catastrophe and every possible response to it; from the wise to the hilarious, the bitter to the bittersweet. This book is the panacea for problems of the heart.