On the eve of the biggest meeting of her career, corporate lawyer Lucy Smith has been saddled with her precocious nephew, courtesy of her flaky sister’s unexpected vacation. Determined to stick to her plans, Lucy brings Nathan with her to the bank to close the deal. Instead, some nut-job robber forces her to point a gun at a cop, telling her to pull the trigger or watch Nathan die. Detective Constable Grady Harrison manages to escape with only a flesh wound. And wearing only his boxers. But he can’t seem to convince Lucy that his gut instinct—the same instinct he’s ignored since it led to disaster in Afghanistan—warns him she wasn’t just a random hostage, but a target. When Lucy’s car blows up, she’s forced to admit she needs Grady’s help, which melts her carefully ordered world into a chaotic pool of desire. But as threats pile up and Grady’s grip on his heart slips, the only thing standing between them and death is the last thing he trusts: his intuition.

    That was the first time my young heart fell out of rhythm. By senior year, we were best friends, and my unconditional love for him had awakened. By the time we finished college, I experienced my first heartbreak. He’d chosen another. Someone that wasn't me. He's still my best friend. I love him. All I need is for him to love me the way I’ve always loved him, but now I’ve embarked upon another problem... I’m falling in love with someone else. Is it too late for us? Why can’t he see me? See that I’m the only woman who can love him efficiently. Him The first time I laid eyes on her; time stopped. I vowed to never let her go and accepted the tormenting role of being her best-friend. I wanted to be her lover. I courted others unwillingly, because she sought men that weren't me. She's the air that I breathe. No one else compares to her. Am I invisible? Why can't she see me? See that I'm the only man who can fill her hollow places.

    Wearing rose colored glasses, still believing he can change, Keya finds herself once again, tangled in Locke's sinister and sexual desires, that have now escalated. Having no real support and no way out will any one ever come to her rescue? Will someone save her or will she soon be able to save herself?

    

    When she falls in love with Eric, one of her victims, all she wants is to find her baby sister, and settle down with her new love. But River soon becomes a prisoner of her dangerous world. And escaping it may cost her more than her life.By the time she turns sixteen, Starr is working for a pimp and turning tricks daily. But when an assault by one of her "dates" lands her in the hospital, Starr meets a woman who wants to help her change her life. Starr's heart is too hardened to believe in second chances, but soon she begins to long for more than selling her body just so she can survive. However the game does not give up its players so easily.Enter Eric's cousin, Yung Slim, fresh out of jail after seven years. He's looking to reclaim the streets and take care of some old grudges. When Yung Slim goes to battle, Eric—torn between his love for River, his ties to his cousin, and the lure of the streets—gets in too deep. When the war breaks out on the battlefield of the streets, who will be left standing?

    

    And with beauty, education, and a hustler’s ambition, she proved just about everyone who doubted her wrong. Making it to the top wasn’t easy, but with her brother Ru, and his crew behind her, she was destined to make it happen. But she soon learns what goes up must come down and that having a few secrets of her own may just come back and bite her in the ass along with tearing her relationship with her brother apart at the same time.Ru had been raising Keyshia since she was a little girl, ever since their crack head mother ran off and left them for dead. After he steps up and does what he knows best, which is getting money, it’s only fair he takes his right hand man Cashmere with him. But what happens when they both end up facing 20 years in the feds? With his wifey Tandy by his side, Ru is prepared for anything as long as she is riding. But will she ride when she finds out Ru’s been hiding secrets of his own? Cashmere was the hoods hot commodity for as long as he could remember. Fast cars, pretty bitches, and racks of money were nothing new to him. Neither was going to jail. But after getting done dirty by his baby momma, he realizes the only person he ever loved was Keyshia, but being with Keyshia meant betraying his right hand man something he wasn’t sure he wanted to do. What happens when Keyshia’s big secret is revealed, will Cash still want her or will he write her off like all the other bitches who done him dirty?It’s a thin line between loyalty and love, and with secrets on the horizon not everyone is strong enough to make it. Take a ride with the crew in the first installment of “Keyshia and Cashmere: A Jersey Hood love Story”

    After two failed marriages and numerous short-term relationships, she’s ready to wave the white flag and give up on love. Yet, with Christmas quickly approaching, she dreads spending the holiday alone. Will a chance encounter with a handsome stranger make all of her Christmas wishes come true? After thirty years of a nearly perfect marriage, widower Lincoln Richwood struggles to move on with his life. The idea of dating at his age seems daunting … until he meets the vivacious Carolyn Jenkins. Normally a straitlaced kind of guy, there’s just something about the woman that tempts him to walk on the wild side. Opposites attract, but will their differences derail their relationship and keep them from embracing the love they both desire? A Jenkins Family Novella

    Sayi Mathis; left after twenty years of marriage. Two people left by the people they pledged to spend the rest of their lives with, were mistakenly checked into the same condo on vacation with their families and friends. Yuliana, nor Sayi were thinking about meeting someone on a trip that was supposed to pull them out of the bad space they were in, but one thing about love is that it sneaks up on you when you least expect it.

    After the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Aaliya was left with no choice but to put her life on hold and raise not only her daughter, but her younger siblings, Harlem and Amelia. Cleaning up the messes behind a countless number of notorious thugs, Demetri Mikhailov was the go-to guy for any job— just as long as you were talking the right price. When a longtime friend of his sends him on a search for his children, Demetri willingly obliges. With little to go on, Demetri is shocked to face the vivacious Aaliya. He didn't have the slightest clue as to what he was getting himself into when he crossed paths with the chocolate beauty. As a bond is built and love is found, the pair finds themselves entangled in a web of lies, secrets, and betrayal. Trying his best to keep the truth behind his lies, Demetri finds himself in a situation he can't seem to get out of. When Aaliya finds out his secret, will Demetri's biggest fear come true? Will Aaliya call it quits and walk away or will love prevail and she choose to stay?

    

    

    She is in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend Raymone. Tired of being forced to deal with his baby mama drama and sidechicks, Mia finally decides that enough is enough! She decides to move on and turns to Harlem, who has always been there for her. However, Raymone won’t make it easy. His obsession and jealousy gets out of hand and leads to all sorts of conflict. Will Harlem and Mia be able to weather the storm and find true love, or will Raymone ruin their relationship? Love, Lies, and Obsessions is a tale filled with deceit, murder, and drama with an unbelievable ending!

    'In Too Deep' is a gripping novel about three brothers who choose very different life paths.

    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.