They are severe chronicles of gangstas, written by men and women who have starved and bled and survived by the code of the streets.Essence magazine’s #1 bestselling author Nikki Turner has earned her rep as “the Princess of Hip-Hop” with gritty urban novels like A Hustler’s Wife and The Glamorous Life. Now she lends her considerable street cred to this anthology, the first of its kind–an explosive collection featuring edgy new writers Turner handpicked for their ability to evoke the street, and the people who live by its rules, in hot, hyperrealistic stories. Turner scoured the ghetto, the prisons, and every crack and crevice around the country to bring you these impressive new fresh-from-the-street voices. Never one to disappoint her fans, Turner even throws in a raw gangsta tale of her own. From a buppie who risks her entire well-groomed world when she’s suddenly turned on by a thug (“Gotta Have a Ruffneck”), to a lesbian pimp who gets what she deserves from the women she’s turning out (“Big Daddy”), these stories will shock, entertain, and make you fly through the pages.

    There's only the desperate need to get out by any means possible. Aisha has what every other ghetto girl envies: a loving man who supplies her with all the fashion, money, and accessories that scream "hood success." Now that her husband's in jail, Aisha may have to put something more precious than her designer gear up for sale in order to maintain her image. The cost may be too high even for her expensive tastes. Devani knows she's found her way out of the hood when she sleeps with Tyrik, a star pro athlete. When Tyrik's calls get further and further apart, Devani's mother suggests the perfect scheme: become his baby momma. Will Devani's plans force her man to commit, or backfire with the worst of consequences? Molly is so in love with her husband, Junior, that she doesn't care if she's the only white girl in the hood. Blinded by her love, Molly lets everyone walk all over her. But Junior may cross the line, forcing Molly to give back all the abuse she's taken. Lexi has five children—and four broke baby daddies. Now she is married to Luther, Mr. Right in every way but in the bedroom. Determined to finally provide a good man for her kids, Lexi must struggle to fight her cravings for sex with her ex. Will she stay faithful to her husband or give in to a passion that may very well prove deadly?

    She was burned by love and has made a career out of destroying others’ relationships. She is a media queen (known as the Queen of Mean) that hosts a show that exposes cheaters to their significant others. She has made a lot of enemies, and now, one of them wants her dead. In steps Arkell (Ark) Watson, a former savage turned legit. After watching the woman that he loved die because of his profession, he decides to run a security service that becomes one of the best in the country. After a run in with Valentine and subsequently saving her life, Ark starts to see another side of Valentine that makes him want to tear down the walls that she has built around her heart. As their bond grows stronger, so does the enemy’s lust for revenge. Can Ark save Valentine? Not only from her would-be killer, but from herself? Ever Moore, Valentine’s best friend, is the opposite. Everything is going well in her life, a thriving practice and new love, until something starts happening to her patients. As she starts to investigate, she uncovers a lot more than she bargained for. She receives help from an unlikely source that she thought she had left in the past. Will she be able to save her patients? Or will saving their lives mean giving up hers?

    Charm has to try to balance school, Lucci’s drama and being pregnant. Lucci is battling with his career, his relationship and being a father. Charm and Lucci seem to think that their relationship is perfect until they both are exposed in the worst way. Will they be strong enough to endure the humility? Or will they both give up and exit stage left? Tammy thought that her mother issues were over but they were just getting started. When she finds out some truth to her mother’s demise, she is overwhelmed with emotions. Will it cause her to be stronger or will she self-destruct from the news. Her relationship with Diesel is the only thing keeping her together. But will she get her happily ever after with him or will he turn out to be just like all the others. Love is such a powerful word but the actually feeling can make or break you. Will these couples be able to withstand the test of love? Or will they decide that all the drama and emotions aren’t worth the fight. In the end can love win over hip-hop? Find out in the finale.

    Just when she feels like life is starting to get better and she’s officially graduated from high school is the very moment her mother makes a move that literally pulls the rug from underneath her and shatters her life into a million pieces. Homeless and devastated, she runs into the arms of Janiero Wilkes, the hood’s finest, and her life changes forever. Meet Janiero Wilkes, a young hustler on the rise who prides himself on being a faithful and doing what he has to do to raise his two children but, when his dramatic ex/baby mother Eboni shows back up on the scene and tries to stake her claim, he finds himself in a web of lies and deceit that only the Lord himself can get him out of. Creed, Eboni’s on again and off again lover, pops up with literally one thing on his mind and that is making a come up, and he doesn’t care if he has to rob, kill, or steal; he’s determined to get it all by any means necessary. This novella is full of twists and turns, ups and downs that will have your emotions all over the place and an ending that you won’t see coming.

    Cannon swore that he would get Tiff by any means necessary. Things seemed to be going that way a few times, but Tiff just wasn’t ready. Back in her hometown after moving, Tiff runs into Cannon, and it is not a happy reunion. Tiff has secrets that may result in her seeing a side of Cannon she is not prepared for. What secrets could Tiff possibly have? Will she be able to prove to Cannon that she’s not the snake he thinks she is?Cannon also has his own family issues going on and trying to protect the ones closest to him. This leads to family issues that are hard to deal with.Two people close to both Tiff and Cannon take a chance at romance, but distance will make it hard. When tragedy strikes and flights are booked things go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. The truth will threaten to break up this new couple, will they be able to figure it out their new relationship?Everything that was done in the dark will come to light for these four. When feelings get involved and the trust isn’t there things escalate quickly. Will they be able to sort it out or is it better to just leave things alone?

    Born and raised in Somalia, she yearns to be loved and free in a world far away and nothing like her own. But living under the roof of her overprotective strict parents, she knows that what she wants is nothing more than a dream, and it could never be her reality. That is until her forbidden love interest, Shadi, an older man who she's grown to love and trust, promises to give her everything she’s hoped for and more. After an incident with her father goes too far, Shadi vows to protect Fallon and give her her heart’s desire if she agrees to run off to America with him. Thinking that the perfect life awaits her, she agrees with little hesitation, but what happens the second her feet land on the pavement in NYC is something she never expected. Being abandoned by the man she loves, Fallon is thrown in to the harsh world of drugs and sex trafficking. Her instincts jolt her into survival mode, and she has every intention of beating the odds and escaping with her life. Wali is the savage king of the concrete jungle who commands respect with his presence alone. To the world, he’s a ruthless thug with no heart, but raising his younger sister Yaya by himself, he develops a soft side that only a select few get to see. When fate brings him to Fallon, something about her piques his interest and he wants nothing more than to get to know the girl behind the sad eyes. When something tragic happens to someone he loves, Fallon becomes a distant memory, and Wali is on a mission to destroy and conquer. Join Fallon and Wali as they try to survive the mean streets of New York and the hand that they’ve been dealt. Find out if Wali can be Fallon’s knight in shining armor or will she end up having to be his?

    Often times love has a way of clouding a woman's judgment. A woman's intuition is no match for the heart. The heart wants who it wants. Those words are true in the case of Isabella Santos. A chance encounter leads her into the arms of Jayceon Bennett. It's love at first sight but there's a problem. They're two different people cut from a different cloth. Bella was born into wealth and raised by strict parents. She is green to the hood life. On the other hand, Jayceon was born in the hood and raised by parents who robbed banks for a living. His father taught him the game and now he runs it. To the streets he's Blockka Leader of the infamous Ski Mask Mafia. A group of professional bandits that includes his friends Tristan, Dominic , Rashad, and his baby momma Fatima. Regardless of his street life, he loves Bella with all his heart. He's just too ashamed to tell her who he really is so he keeps that part of his life separate from the life he shares with Bella. Slowly but surely everything that's done in the dark comes to the light. A series of events will rock Bella's very existence and have her questioning everything about the life she lives with Jayceon. Follow the couple as they embark on a journey of love, lies, and deceit. Witness Bella become a prisoner of Jayceon's love. As she tries to figure out why Love Was The Case That They Gave Me!!!

    The two have settled into their life together, and after the birth of their daughter, Kennedy, things finally feel complete.Wanting to branch off on her own and get back to her roots, Lane starts her own photography business, which is the perfect way for her to spread her wings, while keeping her daughter close.With Kayman, it's business as usual. Although he, Karter, King, Royal, and Shine are slowly transitioning themselves to do less, when duty calls, Kayman has to answer.What the two don't expect is all of the twists and turns that life is about to throw at them.Kayman and Karter's father has created a problem for the whole family, that could cause Karter to have to take his own father's life or possibly lose his own. Not to mention, their mother and sister might be at risk as well. Add in the fact that Kay's business connections put Lane in a delicate situation, and Kayman has his hands full trying to balance life at home and in the streets.The gang's still going strong, but Lane and Kay have to stick together and depend on each other in order to survive everything that's forcing its way into their world. Through it all, Lane realizes that loving a street king isn't always easy.

    At a very tender age, Justice solicited her body to get the normal necessities of life. Escaping her long time pimp Mack, Justice ended up in the cold streets of California. With dreams of being rescued by a knight and shining armor, she got exactly what she wished for. However, this Knight showed up in a tinfoil suit and pistol.Cocky and deadly, football star and street legend "Champion King" miraculously sweeps Justice off her feet. Understanding that every diamond has imperfections, Champions mind is still clouded with thoughts of her occupation and not to mention his infidelity.Falling madly in love with the well known football mogul, Justice is constantly hurt by his actions. They say true love's the greatest weapon to win the war caused by pain so Justice refuses to give up. Will Champion over look the fact he has falling madly in love with a prostitute before it's to late?In this heart filling love saga love is tested but "Nothing Real Can Be Threatened."

    When Midnight became involved with Yah and the girls everyone saw it coming but they didn’t know that he would change so drastically. Midnight is madly in love with Yah and he’s also dying to know if Yah would become his wife someday. With Yah finally being able to break free from her baby’s father Jaheim everyone is dying to know if she’ll go back to him or if she truly have her mind set on working things out with Midnight. In Falling For The Plug Two, the crew is back and the drama continues.

    Rain! The world of Samantha Moon is ever growing and expanding. As her powers increased, so do her enemies. Luckily, she has a crew around to her combat the evil that threatens our world... and threatens her family. Going after her family might just be the biggest mistake of them all. Eight epic novels in one huge collection. But or borrow it now... and dig in. Included within: 9. Vampire Sun 10. Moon Dragon 11. Moon Shadow 12. Vampire Fire 13. Midnight Moon 14. Moon Angel 15. Vampire Sire 16. Moon Master

    

    She is loyal to her family, her friends, and definitely her man. When her loyalty to the wrong man leaves her with a broken heart and an arrest record, she swears off men and vows to focus on herself. Her new attitude is short lived once she finds herself in a forced business relationship with the rude, arrogant, and oh so sexy Chy’Rique West. Chy was well known on the streets of Washington, DC. Some might call him a legend. The aura of power that he exudes along with his bad boy good looks make him irresistible to women, and he takes full advantage, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. He would love to change his cheating ways and make his family work with Julisha, the mother of his two-year-old daughter, but the dog in him just won’t stop barking. Although he loves her, it isn’t enough to make him fully commit. Chy is convinced that no woman alive can completely capture his heart, that is until the woman he intended to kill becomes everything he ever wanted.

    While similarities aren't considered weaknesses, it's the sole possessions of one human than attracts them to another... that one thing that someone their opposite can find inside of their core, but not within themselves. It's what attaches them, intrigues them as a flame does a moth. It's the bridge that gaps them together in a manner that other's may be ignorant to, while the details are in plain sight for the two basking in the afterglow. Ripleigh, a young single mother, has been beat down by the biggest villain of all. Life has gutted her of her most valuable vessel, the heart. After suffering through the death of her counterpart, and daughter's father, she's left with merely a shell to call home for the rest of the organs that are keeping her amongst the living. Ripleigh packed her things and moved down south for a more modest living and to place the pain of loss as many miles behind her as she could. While life seemed to be plentiful closer to the boarder, Ripleigh's funds were diminishing. Quick on her feet, she reduced her pride and laced up her highest heels to tread the stage of ILLUSION, the most sought out dwelling for upscale nightlife. Semaaj, prominent medical provider and face of Northcross Pediatric Care, stumbles into a dimly lit atmosphere full of hookah smoke, chest rocking base, and clad women with insane skills and enough strength to help him lay the final bricks to his newly purchased children's clinic. Though he feels as if he's worlds away from his comfort zone, he feels a familiar tugging of his heartstrings after setting his eyes on the talented Blyss. Semaaj, later, finds himself frequenting the underworld at an alarming rate, and the staff soon knows him by name. His request is simple, Blyss. Two strangers, two completely different worlds, two bizarre parties discover that there is likeness even in their oppositions. While Ripleigh decides to run, Semaaj exchanges his stethoscope and lab coat for joggers and tennis shoes. He accepts the challenge of digging up Ripleigh's, as known as Blyss, heart -the vessel that had been buried along with her previous lover. Bruised, cut, leaking, and dysfunctional as it may come packaged, he cares nothing for it's appearance. The purity of it's inside is what he's most desirable of.