Satin Doll


Karen E. Quinones Miller - 1999
    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.

Joy


Victoria Christopher Murray - 2002
    The owner of a successful Los Angeles financial services company, she is also prosperous in love, thanks to handsome writer Braxton Vance. True, they have real differences over their future and she must struggle at the same time to show her emotionally wounded cousin Sasha the right way in life. But Anya's faith in God's promise is unshakable... until the night she is brutally attacked in her office by a stalker.Reeling with anger and fear, she wrestles with soul-wrenching doubt and the temptation to rely more on her own strength. Even more devastating is Braxton's insistence that she trust his version of what God wants her to do. Facing heartbreak and disillusion-and answers she never could have expected-Anya must now come to terms with what she truly believes... and discover the joy that lies in God's surprising plan.

What They Want


Omar Tyree - 2006
    Successful model Terrance Mitchell had no plans to ever settle down. For what? Being single was freedom, where relationships were binding. Nor did he have any plans for a family, with snotty-nosed kids running around, cramping his style and eating for free. To hell with all that. Terrance loved his life as is. He was a well-traveled, good-looking model in an industry full of insatiable and beautiful women. Women who adored him and were willing to do almost anything to prove it. He liked it that way. And he had become accustomed to it. Then it happened. One of his beautiful women fell over the cuckoo's nest and shattered his peace of mind. From then on, Terrance could never again lead the blind mice with his flute without feeling guilty about it. He realized that women had a purpose for him. They had dreams and aspirations that included his participation. Of course, a man in his position, constantly surrounded by beautiful women, would know this already. But just because he knew what women wanted didn't mean he was capable of or willing to give it to them. Nevertheless, Terrance suddenly felt inspired to try.

Don't Even Go There


Brenda Hampton - 2011
    Essence Bestselling Author Brenda Hampton presents Don't Even Go There, the story of Chase Jenkins, a troublemaking, backstabbing diva, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, even going after her boss's husband.

Winners


Danielle Steel - 2013
    Meanwhile, her wealthy father, who has doted on Lily since her mother died when she was three, is devastated as he watches his only child lose all she once cherished and suffer through the arduous road to recovery. But just as all hope seems lost, Lily meets Teddy, a young man even more badly injured than she, but as doggedly determined to live an enriching life. Danielle Steel is at her best in this powerful story of a father and daughter triumphing together over unthinkable tragedy, creating new lives for themselves and providing hope for others along the way.

In Sheep's Clothing


Mary Monroe - 2005
    Facing a future of cooking, cleaning and unsatisfying sex, Trudy decides to make some changes while she still can.

Snapped


Tracy Brown - 2009
    After all Frankie and their life together are her whole world. So Camille tries not to be bothered by his closeness with his coworker and dear friend Gillian. But it soon becomes clear that Camille's suspicions are correct. When his indiscretions become a public matter for the world Camille is pushed to a dangerous breaking point that spells disaster for them all.Camille's sister Misa is newly divorced and clueless about men. She smothers men with phone calls, emails and pops up unannounced at their homes. She hacks into their voicemail and email and causes drama. So when she sets her sights on Baron, he has no idea what hit him. Will her quest to win his heart cost her everything?Dominique Storms appears to have it all - a great career, a beautiful NYC condo and a gifted teenaged daughter. Her only problem is that the man she loves is incarcerated. While trying to juggle the demands of motherhood, work, and friendships, she manages to make her man Jamel a priority in her life. But is he doing the same? And is she too distracted to notice what is going on with her daughter?Latoya Blake seems to be the one who has life all figured out, that is, until some skeletons are discovered in her closet. When her well-put-together façade crumbles, will she crumble as well?

A Lover's Shame


AlTonya Washington - 2011
    Sabella’s shame over a horrific discovery wreaked havoc on her mind and body. The darkness in Isak’s life had manifested in a more sinister fashion. He was no longer the even tempered peacemaker of his volatile family. While Sabella blamed herself for his brutal transformation, she believed he was better off away from her maybe…hating her. Isak however, harbored no such feelings. In his mind, Sabella was still his wife and he had every intention of getting her back. Explanations would be required and Belle knew she could never share what she’d learned about herself and the ugly truth of her existence.

Fly On The Wall


Trista Russell - 2006
    With conflicting claims and scandalous rumours surrounding a teacher's relationship with a student, only a fly on the wall can know what really happened.

P.G. County


Connie Briscoe - 2002
    Jolene is half of P.G. County’s number-two couple–and she desperately wants what she doesn’t have: namely Barbara’s husband. Pearl owns a hair salon and lives on the outskirts of the posh community with her son, Kenyatta. She’s not only juggling a growing business and a bad divorce, but now she’s has to cope with Kenyatta’s less-than-ideal girlfriend. Candice is white and liberal, but her daughter’s new beau tests her beliefs–and opens a can of worms she never knew existed. Lee is a runaway teen, a girl whose only connection to her father is an old photo and the belief that he’s well-off and waiting for her in . . . P.G. COUNTYFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

Della's House of Style


Rochelle Alers - 2000
    . . and Passion. Rochelle Alers' Sweet SurrenderManicurist Maria Parker can't help but notice when a hunky financial planner brings his niece into Della's for a manicure. And when he starts to frequent the salon himself for manicures from Maria, she's pretty sure he has more than cuticles on his mind...Donna Hill's It Could Happen to YouWhen Della turned Rosie's Curl and Weave into Della's House of Style, a few things managed to slip through the cracks-and now she's is under fire by the IRS. When a by-the-book IRS agent comes to investigate, Della is infuriated by his presence in the salon-and reluctant to admit that she's growing more than a little used to it...Felicia Mason's Truly, HonestlyHigh-maintenance investment banker Sheila [last name] needs some serious pampering. On a whim, she decides to get a shoulder-length weave at Della's House of Style, and afterwards, visits and salon's lounge, where a sexy D.J. has a song in mind for her...Francis Ray's A Matter of TrustSingle mother Hope Lassiter, once a critically acclaimed actress, is now a cosmetologist at Della's House of Style. When a handsome director tries to woo her back to the stage, Hope has to wonder if his intentions are more than professional. . .

Sittin' in the Front Pew


Parry A. Brown - 2002
    The author of the national bestseller The Shirt off His Back offers a laugh-out-loud look at how a family tries to reconcile their memories with their father's secret life in this novel about love, family, and honoring loved ones.

The Honey Well


Gloria Mallette - 2003
    Reprint.

A Love Noire


Erica Simone Turnipseed - 2003
    student, walks into Brown Betty Books, her righteousness kicks in to overdrive amid the self-identified "talented tenth" who wear their double degrees and five-hundred-dollar shoes like badges of honor. And then Innocent, a well-heeled investment banker from Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, walks in and turns her on her head. Innocent seems interested in her -- but he's one of them.Before meeting him, Noire shunned the "bourgie" world of black-moneyed cosmopolitans like Innocent, opting instead for socially conscious (but economically challenged) artists and urban intellectuals. Their mutual attraction blossoms into lust -- and eventually love -- but it lives in the shifting sands of personal beliefs and professional ambitions that are often at odds.Set in New York City with jaunts to Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, A Love Noire is the story of an unlikely couple that transcends all they've known to learn the redemptive power of love.

A Taste of Reality


Kimberla Lawson Roby - 2003
    But when she applies for a promotion at work, she loses out to a white colleague who isn′t as qualified for the job. But Anise doesn′t give up and tries again. At the same, she discovers that her husband is having an affair. And her best friend at work is keeping dangerous secrets. As brave as she is determined, Anise finds out that she has the strength to deal with the heartbreak and stay her course. Ultimately, she will discover that what is worth having is worth fighting for--in her career and , most importantly, in her heart.