What could be more elemental than Phire and Ice? Sapphire Henson and Isaiah Harrison had been riding together since childhood. She held him down through his days in the game and his thot-filled nights. But Phire had grown tired of Ice’s arrogance and when he crosses one bridge too many, is there a way for this couple to bounce back… especially when a sexy arms dealer known as Bleu is waiting in the wings to make her his own “Sapphire Bleu?” Elijah Harrison, II, can’t understand the back and forth nature of his brother Ice’s relationship with Phire. He’s convinced that Ice should be more like him and avoid drama by dodging relationships altogether… that is, till a wounded angel crosses his path one night. Ariana Alexander makes Jah throw away all his no-attachment rules. But will she allow her past to destroy any chance of their future? Joshua (Jace) Taylor was supposed to get his family out the hood the legitimate way—with his phenomenal basketball talent. His best friends, Ice and Jah, work hard to keep him out of the game and Jace works just as hard to keep up his college kid façade. Meeting the beautiful Laila MacNamara stirs his darkest desires, bringing out the side of him he wants to keep under wraps. Her heated responses to his dominance make it unlikely that the bad boy in him will stay hidden. Just as they begin to explore the limits of their passion, the intoxicating world of professional basketball, with its endless excesses, pulls at him. At twenty-one, can Jace stay strong enough to be true to Laila? Join these childhood friends from the East Side of San Antonio as they struggle to figure out where life—and love—will take them.

    Besides the disappearing act of her ex, she had succumbed to the effects of a fatal car accident that left her father lifeless and her mother immobile. Placing her dreams of college and becoming a renowned accountant on the back burner, Brix was forced to up her grind in order to aid both she and her mother’s necessities. A handsome and charismatic, Shemel “Young Mel” Wright, stumbles across the beautiful Brix and is taken aback. Just as he’s impressed with her hustle and swift tongue, she is intrigued by his appearance and catchy lyrics. Like a fresh fire set ablaze, the young couple captures one another’s heart simultaneously. Just as always, the affairs begin kosher. However, Mel finds himself at a crossroad. The pressure of leaving the game behind to pursue his career as a rapper weighs heavy on his shoulders. Mel soon comes to the conclusion that the decision isn’t as easy as supplying a few bricks or jotting the lyrics to his next hit. Along with his family, he is under the scrutiny of his girl, Brix. Once soft-spoken, the now fierce young woman isn’t up for the heartbreak that his evolving rap career will bring. In She Used to Be The Sweetest Girl, discover if Brix is able to grow a tougher layer of skin and stick by her man as he makes the most crucial decision of his life; or will Mel’s addiction to the fast life cause the pretentious relationship to crash and burn before a decision is even made?

    So being bad for him was never on her agenda... right? Running away from her father’s house to live a life with her boyfriend of four years was supposed to be her perfect fairy tale ending. Until six months later, he kicked her out, forcing her to live on the streets of Detroit. Vowing to only focus on what matters, Zoerina Banks bounces back, grinds her butt off, and stacks her paper. However, it becomes easier said than done when the biggest distraction hits Ms. Banks—sending her life on a wild, uncontrollable rollercoaster. It’s his way or no way. That’s the number one rule Khadarious ‘KD’ Dixon has always stuck by and been successful with. He’s ruthless on the streets, ruthless to his enemies, and even ruthless with his women. Even with his heavy past influence in the streets, he’s always been specific on wanting to be low-key. But being low-key when your name is always in everyone’s mouths is much easier said than done. Those that know who he is, either love him, fear him, or loathe him. And the streets always know how to lure him back in, one way or another. He’s arrogant, spoiled, and everything she shouldn’t want in a man—everything she should be running far away from. But her attraction toward him is undeniable, undeniable and dangerous. She convinces herself that she doesn’t want anything to do with him. But who is she trying to kid? He’s never been one with commitment. She’s never been one without it. A new hood love. An irresistible chemistry. A perfect match. But could Zoerina’s biggest enemy, turn out to be the dangerous man she’s fallen in love with?

    With the life style her father lives, she made it her business to branch off. Even though her beauty was evident, men wanted her more because of her last name. The Banks name carried weight in the streets and for once Air wanted her own life. She moved out of the city and focused on herself. One encounter at a restaurant led her into the arms of a man that was just as heavy in the dope game as her father. Not knowing of his way of life, she started falling for his charm. Ghoul has always been a cool, calm, and collective guy. He’s very calculated and knows how to keep it together even in the toughest situations. But sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Ghoul has been a Dope Boy for years and one thing he knew how to do was keep the street life and home life separated. Besides making sure his money was stacking up, his only other concern is taking care of his dying mother. Who knew by him doing something so drastic one night, would have him shift his energy to Air. Air was sassy, sexy and had a spark to her that made him want her even more. Ghoul laid all of his cards on the table for her in the beginning. There was nothing she didn’t know but Air had one secret she kept away from him, for a reason. With secrets being kept and enemies plotting, once the two collide, lives may be destroyed. Will these two have a chance of survival once Air finally reveal her secret? Will Ghoul have to constantly fight for Air’s attention to get her to see that even, Dope Boys Need Love too? Secrets will be told, love will be lost and only the strong will survive.

    

    Being placed in a group home wasn’t her ideal place to live, but she soon grew to love it because that’s how she met her best friend Glamour. Now a grown woman, her mission is to become some trapper’s Bonnie, but what happens when she meets the smooth-talking and persistent Vonnie Kross? Vonnie isn’t just you’re average trapper. In fact, he is one of the most paid suppliers in the Atlanta streets that every woman craves to get a taste of. Ever since his father grew ill and died, he dropped his dreams of ever going off to college and took over the family business. Everything in his life is sweet, or so he thinks. The moment he decides to pursue Mahari, his entire world goes into a spiral. Glamour is one of the best makeup artists in Atlanta and the ultimate party girl. One drunken night leads her to meet playboy Grayson. An utter mistake has her quickly pushing him away until, finally, she decides to give him a chance and see where things can go from there.

    After watching her mother suffer from the abuse of her father for years, Raleigh decided love would never be worth the possibility of pain. Haven Jackson didn’t have a normal childhood growing up. He didn’t experience the love and nurture that his friends received from their mothers, or the guidance and teachings they gained from their fathers. It was because of his lack of a loving family that Haven made finding a wife to love his priority. There’s just one problem–the woman he chose to love doesn’t want to have anything to do with it or him. The second Raleigh laid eyes on Haven she knew he would be trouble. He stirred up feelings within her that no other man ever had. Between her pushing him and his offer to love her away, and him pulling for her to give him and his love a chance… someone is bound to fall. The question is… which one will it be? Will Raleigh fall into Haven’s love and find peace in what she’s been running from for years? Or will Haven fall for Raleigh and find himself shattered by her inability to catch him or pick him up?

    Cincinnati, Ohio will either make or break you, it all depends on who you are. Deron "Killa" Hutchins earned his street name as an enforcer for one of the biggest kingpins in the city. Although respected and feared as a cold-blooded killer, Deron has a warm heart for those he loves, including his wife and grandmother. When a special assignment from his boss uncovers a shocking betrayal that scorches Deron's soul, all he can think of is murder, but that's easier said than done when it's his wife who has caused the carnage. In the blink of an eye, Jada went from happily engaged to single and mad as hell. Before she can even begin to process the end of her relationship, she is abducted and held captive in a luxurious environment, but she has no idea why. To add insult to injury, Jada finds herself drawn to Deron, her sexy, stoic captor. During her time in captivity, they become close, but the kidnapper and the kidnapped have more in common than they know, and the results could mean death for everyone.

    She’s tried to work, pray, sex, sleep and smoke her problems away but she can’t escape the gloomy, grey clouds hovering over her head. Just wanting to be happy, she's blinded by love; Messiah only sees what she wants to see – always building up to be let down and ultimately crashing. She craves love and admiration but doesn’t love herself enough to know when it’s time to let go of an old flame. Directionless, she coasts along through life numb, until she meets Shyhiem, the man who will change her life forever. He’s everything she never knew she wanted, but everything that she absolutely needed. Without permission, Shyhiem marches into her life and turns everything upside down. He’s rude, cocky, angry and devastatingly handsome. To the world, he’s nothing but an ex-convict with a chip on his shoulder; but to Messiah, he’s an angel sent down from heaven who teaches her how to love again. When Messiah finds herself wasting time, daydreaming about when she’ll see or speak to him again, she knows she’s in trouble. Love wasn’t in the equation for her - especially since she still has feelings for her ex - and Shyhiem has a ghetto baby mother and two kids… Will their love prevail or will self-doubt, self-pity, and a sense of emptiness stop everything before it starts?

    

    

    Writers write, painters paint, musicians are in the studio. All artists are up at 3AM. Lovers are up as well; because 3AM is the hour at which all guards are let down; when we're at our purest. If you want to get to someone's soul, get them to talk at 3AM... Symphony Stewart is a beautiful girl with a far from beautiful past that she's trying to run away from, but you know what they say about running away from your past, 'it doesn't work because wherever you go, you take yourself with you'; and that's exactly what Symphony does. She takes her problems from Dallas with her to Houston, and without paying any attention, she collides into Kenyatta Kumar, a reckless talking, rude boy from Homestead with a horrid past all his own, a swag all his own, a cocky demeanor all his own; one that makes him see women for what they are, fuck buddies, that is until he meets the gray tornado eyed mean ass that is Symphony. It's their identical souls that push them together and pull them apart in this complicated love story. Is there such a thing as a happily-ever-after for people like them? Can they move past the pain of their pasts for a better future? Maybe. Ask them at 3:AM.

    This is the beginning of CJ and Joshua’s story. CJ West is an aspiring artist, nursing a broken heart. Still recovering from a brutal attack that nearly killed her, she needed to get away. The quaint, tranquil countryside seemed like the perfect place to start over. Joshua Miller is a widower, running a busy farm, and raising three children with help from his grandmother. He came to Blood Rock to escape the ghosts of his past that still haunt him. When CJ rents a cottage from Joshua, sparks fly, and their lives will never be the same again. Because a relationship between the two is strictly forbidden. He’s Amish and she’s an outsider. Even so, their passion for each other is intense and all-consuming. But how can they possibly be together? This is a timeless love story, where beliefs about duty, family bonds, culture, and way of life are challenged. And two people from very different worlds must decide if their deep, heart-wrenching love is worth the inevitable life-altering consequences.

    After what Rachel thought was a great day, an unexpected surprise when she returned home from work turned her life completely upside down. Just as Rachel slowly started to rebuild her life and regain her independence, an unexpected love interest pries his way into her life. Rachel is taken on the ride of her life when she quickly realizes that he isn’t the man he claims to be. Trenton quickly realizes he’s made a terrible mistake by letting Rachel go, and she finds herself in the middle of chaos. Rachel is forced to decide what is more important for her own heart: fixing the broken relationship with her husband of seven years or putting her trust into a man that may have his own ulterior motives? Trust is broken, secrets are revealed, but will love win? Zarkia takes you on an unforgettable journey in her new African American Urban Fiction Standalone and it’s available for your reading pleasure right now.