The Hussle and Heart series, dedicated to the late Nipsey Hussle, travels to the slums of Channing City and places a magnifying glass on the lives of the biggest hustlers with the biggest hearts.

    Not only is it a requirement, but he has six months to make it happen. The journey reveals things about himself that he never took the time to acknowledge. Ever the traveler, Lawrence hasn’t taken the time to make real connections with people until he enlists the help of Brielle Golden. Brielle Golden is a matchmaking extraordinaire that struggles with her own love life. She has all the tools to assist those willing to pay to find something she wants more than anything but thinks she will never have. Love is dodging her, and she doesn’t understand why. In her eyes, she’s the perfect catch, however, the fear of rejection is a powerful emotion to tackle by yourself. As the work begins to help Lawrence find a mate, souls collide, and things start to change within the mutual business partnership. In the midst of sorting feelings out, Brielle's smile changes and Lawrence's heart begins to beat again. But trouble arises forcing them to do something crazy to get them both out of the mess that his fathers’ wishes created. Will Lawrence find a wife and make his father proud by succumbing to The Golden Effect, or will both he and Brielle find themselves surrounded by the darkness of life without love when their partnership comes to an end?

    One night when Zoe's cousin invites her out to stop moping, live a little, and have some fun; fate steps in with both feet and offers up a remedy. West Jameson is a typical ladies man, who is out for a good time, has no clue what it means to be in a relationship or in love. But one memorable one night stand, for both good and bad reasons, sends Zoe and West down a spiraling path neither one of them has anticipated. Take this journey with these two as they discover that love isn't always easy but it's worth it. Chances are never given, they're taken...& sometimes love happens purely...By Chance

    is about all she can handle. But when circumstances throw them back together, Mallory's about to learn that the "P" in P.I. stands for playa...but even the baddest boys around can be tamed.

    

    Forced by events that leave her to fend for herself as a teenager, she evolves into a money-hungry vixen as an adult. Using her physical attributes to lead a suspect lifestyle, Honey treats men like toys—good for a while, but always disposable.That is until she meets handsome and charismatic Khalil Graves, an up-and-coming filmmaker who's desperately trying to escape the demons of his painful childhood. Already engaged, Khalil can't seem to shake his attraction to Honey. What he doesn't realize is that he's a pawn in Honey's plan for revenge.Honey's attempt at vengeance quickly unravels, complicated by her possible involvement in a murder and a devious plot to score a payday lucrative enough to free her from her unsavory lifestyle.In A Taste of Honey, Essence bestselling author Darren Coleman delivers another sizzling, drama-filled tale that is sure to take his reputation for delivering page-turners to another level.

     The man who helped her, who became her saving grace, is now the man who’s caused all of her pain. She doesn’t think she could ever forgive Supreme for his role in her parents' death, but they say that word love is a strong magnet. And when two people's chemistry is magnetic, it's impossible to let it go that easily. Supreme loves Denim with all his heart. He’s done some things in the past that he’s not proud of, but he only wants her forgiveness. When enemies came lurking from the past, Supreme has no choice but to do what he has to do in order to keep him and his family safe. Hopefully, Love shall reign supreme, but if it doesn’t, someone has to lose. And Supreme is determined it won’t be him. Then you have Unique. She has a thirst for revenge that she’s not letting go. She just can’t shake the thought of Choppa getting one over on her. She was raised as a goon, but goons have hearts too. And hers is broken by the man she loves without a doubt. She only has herself to blame when a secret comes out about her that she’s been holding back for years. Black doesn’t know which way to go with Unique. One minute, she wants to be his lady, and the next minute she wants to be a killer in the streets. He’s tired of the back and forth, but when her secret is revealed, he doesn’t know if he can move past it. In this installment of Hooked, these two couples go through the rollercoaster ride of emotions. Come and take a ride with them as they try to figure out is love even worth it?

    He was a sought after young architect. She was a struggling college student. He was sensuality personified and she was undeniably intrigued. Amon wasn’t thrilled by their ten-year age gap, but he found Patrice impossible to ignore. For a time, she forgot her past. She forgot that in college, there were always back doors that resulted in secrets best kept hidden. Those secrets would haunt her longer than she could ever imagine.

    Lorraine Dawson is Olivia’s whole world, and now Olivia insists on being there for her. But when Lorraine learns Olivia is sacrificing college for her sake, her heartache triggers a series of shattering events that results in Olivia discovering her father, a man she was told had died years ago. But he is alive and well—and he’s the powerful CEO of one of the country’s richest corporations.With her best friend urging her to claim a much-deserved chunk of Bernard Wells’s fortune, Olivia seeks out his Los Angeles mansion. But it’s not money she wants—it’s answers: Why did he abandon Lorraine when Olivia was three years old? Why did they suffer in poverty while he gave his "real" wife and son a life of luxury? Opening up the past, however, is more complicated than Olivia—or Bernard—expected, and the pain of yesterday’s sins must be confronted before true healing and a bright tomorrow can begin.

    13:55 EST makes - she counts on her fingers - about 6pm in Berlin. He'll be on his way home. Alice settles into the armchair and dials the number...If Alice hadn't bumped into Will then she would probably never have phoned that afternoon. And if Alice hadn't called, then Michael, poor Michael, might still be alive today...In a digital age of world-spanning communications and easy travel these stories explore how interconnected and yet fragmented our lives have become, and how - no matter where we live or what we do, no matter how different our lifestyles - the universal desires for love and happiness draw us ever onward.Both short story collection and novel, 13:55 Eastern Standard Time finds Nick Alexander at his best. Sometimes disturbing, sometimes funny, these are stories of lives that cross and collide in life-ending drama, or simply run peacefully alongside for a few hours - lives filled with characters who are attracted and repelled, hopeless and yet inspired. Narrated in Alexander's trademark tense prose, these interwoven stories explore the ripples emanating from our every act, ripples that alter distant destinies, and occasionally bounce back, catching us from behind to haunt or inspire.13:55 Eastern Standard Time repeats the success of Alexander's first novel, 50 Reasons to Say Goodbye because again, as with life itself, the whole is mysteriously greater than the sum of the parts.

    One week later, as a favor, she attends a wedding with a friend as his date and is shocked when she sees Roarke again. Roarke Hawthorne despises cheating. Cheating tore apart his family years ago. When the physics professor sees the woman he spent the night with show up at his sister’s wedding on the arm of his brother, he knows he should keep his distance. But because of the night they set fire to the sheets in his hotel room, he can’t resist the urge to be close to her–nor can he resist the temptation to have her back in his bed.A HARD MAN TO LOVE Hating him is easy. Loving him is hard. Derrick Hoffman never quite got over not having a relationship with his biological father. The woman he was seeing is pregnant, and there’s no way he’s going to let her raise his child without him–even if it means coercing her into marriage. Eva Jacob made the mistake of falling in love with Derrick, a man she knows is incapable of love. After their breakup, she discovers she’s pregnant. When she agrees to a loveless marriage, she tries to shield her heart from further pain. But she soon discovers that the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart wants Derrick’s love.HERE COMES TROUBLE Who doesn’t love a bad boy? Lorena Vega knows better than to have anything else to do with Matthew Hawthorne. Then he comes to her and asks for her help in writing a proposal for a grant to benefit the community center where he volunteers. She agrees to do the work, but she has her guard up, because having Matthew in her life again is a problem she doesn’t need. Matthew still carries some guilt from when he hurt Lorena. Seeing her again for the first time in months makes him realize what a huge mistake he made, and he wants another chance to be the kind of man she deserves. He’s determined to win her back and prove he’s not the player he used to be, and nothing will stand in his way. Not even the new man in her life.FOR BETTER OR WORSE Will her actions save her marriage or destroy it? As a publicist for professional athletes, Antonio Vega is used to solving problems and spinning stories to the benefit of his clients. Yet he can’t seem to convince his wife that he has been and always will be faithful, and her lack of trust tests the limits of his patience. Cassidy Hawthorne-Vega grew up in a home rocked by infidelity. When she suspects her husband is hiding something from her, she takes drastic steps to uncover the truth. Her actions result in a confrontation that threatens the bond of their marriage. It’s only when she reveals a painful secret from the past that Cassidy learns to accept the love her husband freely gives.

    Unbeknownst to him, his wife, Cherise, and younger brother, Vincent, have ignited a passionate love affair. Overcome with guilt, the pair ends the relationship even though they still possess an undeniable attraction to one another. Years later, as Mason decides he's ready for a career change that would give him more time to spend with his family, he's asked to participate in a huge drug case. He concludes that one last job won't hurt, and it might allow him to leave at the top of his game. Besides, Mason realizes that if things get too tough and he has to be away for too long, he can always count on his brother to step in and take care of his family while he's undercover. What Mason doesn't realize is that putting Vincent and Cherise back together again could be as dangerous as his assignment—and tear his family apart once and for all. Darrien Lee takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions as lives, a marriage, and family ties are at stake. Brotherly Love is a book that readers will contemplate long after turning the last page.

    He was the Canon's son, younger than she was, and a gentleman - even though a rather dilettante drifter who had really done very little with his life. But Walter had a secret in his past that he asked Emmie to share with him - and she, in turn, told him of her harsh and cruel background that made her feel unworthy to be anyone's wife. In spite of everything the marriage worked. Walter became Station Master at the lazy, sundrenched little country station of Dymock. Emmie set about rearing her three children, all so different. As Walter and Emmie watched their children grow, marry, have children of their own, so three women began to dominate the family - Dorothy, who was proud, loyal, strong, and frequently extremely angry with the James family into which she had married, Kildie, illegitimate, manipulative, and causing constant strife and drama, and Holly, the third generation, whose loving spirit often held them all together. It was more than fifty years before Walter James's secret was revealed - a secret that nearly broke the family apart.

     In New York, an unlikely pair of young girls forge a new friendship after finding out that they’ll be roommates. Both ladies are attempting to walk away from past relationships while at the same time preparing for their freshman year at Medgar Evers. Some call it growing up, but they call it growing pains. Hailing all the way from Harlem, 18-year-old Remy has been with the same guy since she was in high school. Their love is seemingly perfect, they’re even engaged to be married, so you know it’s real. All is well between the loving couple until Remy has a chance encounter with The Taliban Gang’s newest and most promising hustler. One who refuses to take no for an answer and is just as dangerous as he is handsome. What happens when you’re already spoken for, but a rich thug wants you? Summer is fresh out of a relationship and trying to get over her first love. Perhaps it would be easier to move on if her ex-boyfriend would stop playing peek-a-boo in her life. Who knows? One thing’s for sure, and two thing’s for certain, she’s got a new boo who’s smitten over her and an old boo who isn’t prepared to fully let her go. Then the question became, what are the consequences of being romantically involved with two dope boys at the same time? Unbeknownst to Remy and Summer, they have an uphill battle on their way to greatness. With all the lies, lust, murder, drug money and betrayal that comes with street love, how are they ever going to make it to college in one piece? Find out now...

    But Renee Wilson, Sheldon's mysterious new administrative assistant, is about to show her enigmatic boss that it's time to look beyond past mistakes and think about the future.Renee has her priorities straight—a good job and a safe place to raise her unborn child. Blackstone Farms offers both, although the hot attraction she shares with Sheldon keeps cooler heads from prevailing. With so much at stake, can Renee afford to surrender to passion…or the man? A Younger Man When Kumi Walker finds Veronica Hamlin stranded on a deserted road, he offers to fix her flat tire in exchange for a home-cooked meal. It isn't long before the ex-marine realizes that his interest in the widowed Veronica is the real thing. Can he convince her that their age difference doesn't matter to him?Even though Veronica has turned down countless numbers of Atlanta's most eligible bachelors, she cannot resist this younger man. But letting down her defenses and giving in to the desire Kumi ignites would mean ignoring the scandal their affair would create, and risking everything for the promise of passionate love.