The clock finally displayed the numbers that she’d been anticipating. Tossing the covers back from the bed, Bella rose. Reaching into her nightstand, she grabbed the tightly sealed envelope and shut the drawer back. Grabbing the baby monitor, Bella made her way to the bathroom –her favorite place. Closing the door behind her, Bella locked it and slid down to the floor. Laying on the plush rug that she’d had RahMeek to have special ordered, she relaxed. Tearing the envelope open, Bella began to read the words that her husband had written. The very first paragraph warmed her beating heart. Dear Bella, I just wanted to start by saying that I love you, Bells. You’ve changed a nigga. It’s not everyday that I meet a woman as super as yourself. When I think of you, peace overcomes me. You’re everything that I could’ve dreamt of in a wife. I can honestly say that you’ve changed me, baby. Each day I thank God that he created you, love. Cause without my sunshine, there would be no Reign. That was mad corny, huh? Let me get off of this mushy tip and get to the real. Come ride with a nigga…

     Leah Miller struggles to ignore her mother’s hints about her impending nuptials to David Raber. She knows their mothers had planned their wedding since the day they were born, but Leah is having doubts. David has tried his best to be everything his parents and his bishop want him to be, but he still isn’t happy. Now with the arranged marriage hanging over his head, it’s time for David to decide what he wants from life, and suddenly he’s not so sure it’s living the Amish way. Eli King inherited a farm from his father. Although he isn’t wealthy, he gets by. He’s had his eye on Leah Miller for years but doesn’t seem to have the courage to take it any further. When a mutual friend sets them up, the connection is instant, until Eli learns she’s betrothed to another. How can Leah marry one man while in love with another? Can David stand up to his parents and his bishop and do what his heart asks of him? How long will Eli be patient before he finally steps away from a future with Leah?

    When tragedy struck leaving Karrueche under the care of her evil step mother Elaine, she finds herself in the pit of misery, that is until her price charming Geek comes along and sweep her off her feet. Geek is a successful pharmacist by day, but a certified hustla with a closet filled with skeletons at night. Karrueche finds herself head over hills in love with Geek who has become her safe haven in her times of need; however, when the lies, deceit, and secrets begins to unravel Karrueche realize that happily ever afters are only real in fairy tales.

    Any woman in their right mind would be attracted to the tall, dark, talented and sexy Mr. Jones. So what was JaNair’s problem? Jerome Hayes, JaNair’s newest love and current boyfriend, has been sweeping her off of her feet since the day they met. Already feeling that JaNair is the one for him, Jerome plans to do any and everything to keep her in his life; even if it means keeping secrets and lying to the woman he loves.When shit starts to hit the fan, truths are exposed and lies are revealed. Will the shoulder Semaj lends for tears turn into the shoulder JaNair bites into when he shows her pleasures she’s never known? Find out what the next man is willing to do, when bae won't.

    Luckily, Namiko and Kiyuki get recruited to work for one of Detroit's finest, Maximilian Davis. Although only in it for the money at first, Namiko finds herself slowly becoming involved with the boss. She and Max come from two different worlds, but are trying to see eye to eye on the subject of love; much to the dismay of many people in the city. Even the people closest to Namiko and Max, feel themselves becoming filled with jealousy, and losing sight of the initial goal. Namiko soon becomes overwhelmed by all the backlash, danger, secrets, and side chicks, that seem to be a package deal when it comes to Maximilian. Will Namiko be able to stick it out with her man? Or will their love end up being only a sweet memory? To many women that are on the outside looking in, being married to a thug of Max's caliber, equals expensive bags, shoes, and vacations. Follow Namiko Allen, and find out what it really mean's to be married to a thug.

    

    His life is rapidly changed. His family is destroyed. An unbelievable story about escape, intrigue, survival and the miraculous ability of one young man to outwit and outlive his gestapo torturers.

    I was locked in the attic and only the older daughter, Len, was at home. I heard her say that she did not have a key to the attic door since her mother always carried the key, and I knew trouble had come. I moved over into a large box that was pushed under the eaves that was our agreed-upon hiding spot. I closed the top as best I could and soon heard the sounds of the attic door being broken down. In came a man to search the attic. More than once I saw the shadow of the searcher over me.” In this remarkable memoir, Ellen-Ruth Karpowitz Song recounts with astonishing clarity and a touch of humor her harrowing experiences as a child hiding from The Nazis in German-occupied Holland during World War II. Shuffled from family to family over an event-filled three-year period, Ellen-Ruth recalls how her saviors repeatedly risked their own lives to shield hers from the atrocities of the time. Ellen-Ruth’s grown children also provide their thoughts on their mother’s early history, and share insights into how this knowledge has affected their own lives. An extensive Appendix includes documentation of the ordeal and a photo gallery of lives lost and those left to carry on. Featured in Steven Spielberg’s SHOAH project, Ellen-Ruth’s amazing story is a memorable testimony of the strength of the human spirit. May we never forget...

    While she and her friends are preparing to graduate college, Anson is overseas trying to protect our country. Now that school is done for Shay, Anson is ready to start a family. She is hesitant, only because Sharee` was still a threat. Shay doesn't want to start a family until Sharee` captured. She doesn't have to wait too long, because Sharee` is ready to show her skills. Sharee` knows Anson's weakness, she plans to target it, and bring him down to his knees. Will Anson be able to protect Shay, or will she be under pressure to save him?

    The first time she sees Zeb, she sneers to see a slave working in the hot sun who smiles from sunup to sundown. He finds slavery tolerable? Livy will never accept it! No matter that Zeb's sweet spirit draws her, she will be free whatever it takes. Zeb is smitten by Livy the first time he sees her, but it's a challenge to even get her to say good morning. Brought up to find happiness and hope in every day, he begins his campaign to win her, his easy-going manner never faltering – until slavery's big boot crushes the spirit of his niece Faith, the child he loves as if she were his own. Even if it means he can't have Livy, he has to save Faith from living a cruel life among the master's family. From different paths, Zeb and Livy arrive at the safe haven hidden in the swamps, a place of wild flowers and abundance. But like the first Eden, Orchid Island harbors treachery and heartache. Leaving their refuge behind, Zeb and Livy and their new family begin the journey to their true heaven-on-earth.

    However there comes a time in every writer’s life when the need to have one’s work appreciated by others overcomes the reticence of their nature. With this book, I have reached the point where I can let you, the reader, enter. See me. Maybe some of the poems here will resonate with you, and that understanding, that secret “yes, I know what she means”, from a stranger, is what I seek.

    How the hell did Senior know who I was?“Who the fuck is Karrington?” Dreaux asked incredulously. The barrel of his gun was now pointed at me as if he already knew the truth and was waiting on me to lie.My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach and my words got caught in my throat as his question echoed inside of my head relentlessly. Hearing my name, my real name, slip out of Dreaux’s mouth before I could explain everything to him was paralyzing because I wasn't ready for that. The way he looked at me when he said it was even worse.“Keri!” he snapped. His eyes were clouded with anger, as he demanded that I answer him. “Who is Karrington?”“Come on Karrington,” Senior egged on in delight as he saw how much it tore Dreaux up to not know what was going on. Though Senior spilled the tea all over the goddamn place, it was my fault that the shit was hitting the fan because I should have talked to Dreaux sooner. “This is going to be so good. Go ahead, tell him."“I’m so sorry,” I apologized to him, as much as I hated to do this I had a job to do.

    When reality is faced not everyone will have that happy ending with a picture perfect life. Tyra’s story is the prime example of this. Sometimes women get so caught up on what they want things to be that they lose sight of what it really is. Not every man is for every woman. Jahrein is several girls’ dream, but is Raven’s reality. Tyra desperately wants Raven’s reality to somehow become hers, but soon discovers that in life you can’t always get what you want. Take a ride with a sassy, sexy, persistent Tyra. Love seems to be the element in her life that proves ever eluding. Still, she pursues love at all cost, and is willing to wager it all just to feel a fleeting moment of its embraces. Loving the wrong man can have detrimental effects on a girl with an already internally damaged heart. They Don’t Know Me gives you a new perspective on the novel Hold It Down Like Sister and Brother. Told in first person, this tale will give you a front row seat to all the juicy details you’ve wondered about with Jahrein and Raven’s infamous relationship. Sometimes you may think you know, but you truly have no clue.

    But in the aftermath, Avi is forced to flee to America. His darling wife Sara and the rest of his family soon follow – all except his brother Lieb, who stubbornly refuses to abandon his home. In ensuing years, while Avi lives the American immigrant’s dream, Lieb lives Russia’s nightmare: World War I, the Communist revolution, civil war, typhus, and famine. Still Lieb rejects Avi’s pleas to leave Russia. Then on the eve of World War II, Stalin’s pathological purges finally ensnare Lieb’s family. At last he realizes he must escape the Communist nightmare, but now all avenues are blocked, and Hitler’s armies are gathering. He turns to Avi, his brother in America, who frantically tries to rescue Lieb and his family with little more to work with than his own wit. Stretching from pre-Revolution Russia to post-Holocaust America, A Fine September Morning blends historical facts and fictional characters into a compelling epic family saga.

    But for Yakov, who questions his faith from an early age, becoming a rabbi is more an obligation than a calling. One summer, he discovers love in Rebecca, a young woman who challenges both his beliefs and his doubts. All too quickly, a family secret tears them apart and their lives diverge. Confused and curious, Yakov pursues a secular education alongside his rabbinical training. A chance encounter reunites him with Rebecca, who he learns is also studying to become a rabbi. His relationship with her blooms as he and his father continue to drift. But what will become of his relationship with God? This 20th anniversary re-release of Rabbi, Rabbi, Kane’s debut novel, is a masterfully written, deeply engrossing portrait of modern American Judaism. Now more than ever, Kane’s intimate prose will move any reader who has ever struggled with the complexities of faith, family, love, and personal identity.