Grief stricken, her mother turns to heroin to ease her pain. She doesn't notice that her son has no food or that her daughters' clothes are torn and dirty. Worst of all, she doesn't see what her boyfriend does to Angel behind closed doors. Desperate to support her younger brother and sister, Angel hits the streets looking for anything or anyone to help. But she's fifteen years old, so options for legal work are few. As a last resort, she turns to her brother's best friend, Antoine, who arranges for a job for her at a strip club. It's only supposed to be for a while, until she can get her working papers. Angel is convinced she won't fall victim to the streets like her mother. But the fast life has its temptations and a magical ability to make you forget.

    Now she’s clean and sober but in need of a desperate favor—she asks Jason and his wife to take care of her teenage daughter for forty-eight hours while she handles some business in town.But Hayden never returns.And her disappearance brings up more unresolved problems from Jason’s past, including the abrupt departure of his best friend on their high school graduation night twenty-seven years earlier. When a body is discovered in the woods, the mysteries of his sister’s life—and possible death—deepen. And one by one these events will shatter every expectation Jason has ever had about families, about the awful truths that bind them and the secrets that should be taken to the grave.

    . . and their lives.

    Rollin' dice is an everyday hustle for Wasuan, and he's one of the best the hood has ever seen. No one can defeat him. That is, until he stumbles across a dude from the same hood named Tone who has just as much confidence, a little too much mouth, lots of cash to back it up, and a strong desire for Wasuan's girl. When Wasuan is challenged and the stakes grow high, he finds himself caught out in deeper waters than he can swim in, with Tone dangling three options: pay up, take your last breath, or sacrifice something much greater...his girl, Enychi. But when Enychi agrees to spend one night with Tone in order to save her man's life, she finds herself caught up in an unwilling love triangle like the streets have never known. Love, betrayal, lies, sex and money are just the beginning in this scandalous tale, where loyalties are put to the ultimate test. In this new novel, T. N. Baker takes the term "sheisty" to a whole new level.

    Being the first person in her family to gain a high school diploma, she has set the tone for greatness. But her prominent future becomes so nebulous that she turns to the streets for guidance and support. She soon realizes that the ''life'' of fast money and frivolous behaviors has not only plagued her, but other family members as well, suffering the same issues that were handed down for generations. In spite of her failed attempts to overcome her problems, she's determined to triumph once again.

    No matter how hard he works at his job at UPS, it is never enough to take care of himself and his long-term girlfriend. After continuous pressure from his older cousin, Ching, Omari finally traded in busting his ass for working under Ching hustling three major blocks on the Westside. All is good as Omari juggles work and the drug game. That is, until Ching involves him in the murder of, who ends up being, the Governor’s nephew. As he dodges homicide detectives, Omari is also trying to dodge getting caught between two loves. He’s been committed to Aeysha for seven years, but is falling each day for Simone, an older more established woman who is at his every beck and call. After years of playing the side chick, Simone finally finds love that she thinks is all her own. Just as she settles into loving Omari, she finds out about Aeysha and her desperate mind begins to plot on how to finally win her man. Simone’s best friend, Tammy, thinks Simone is crazy as she herself is running from an obsessed ex-boyfriend who is persistent in trying to kill her. Tammy lives in hiding for months as she asks herself this burning question; how can a man love a woman with the same hands that he is willing to kill her with?As the murder investigation leads to arrests, the walls come down on these lovers. Murder, sex, and indictments lead to unforeseen tragedy and unexpected love.

    He just rolls the dice better. But the Chicanos don't see it that way, and when one of their brothers is brutally slaughtered in a barroom shootout because of Curtis' dealings with heroin pusher Fat George, the Mexicans cry revenge on Curtis, leaving his brother with a wrecked body that will forever prevent him from being the basketball star he'd always dreamed of being. Curtis swears vengeance, and the streets run red with black-Chicano warfare!"He lived by the code of the streets and his books vividly recreated the street jungle and its predators." -New Jersey Voice

    Sunday Tolliver is this close to making her music industry career dreams come true-until her mother spends her entire college fund. Now Sunday's only chance to get to college means slaving as a "personal assistant" to her diva cousin, Dreya. And since Dreya just got the record deal of a lifetime and an upcoming tour with hip-hop's biggest rapper, Truth, Sunday is sure Dreya's ego-trippin', among other things, couldn't get worse. But when bad boy Truth starts pushing up on Sunday and her life becomes "Paparazzi Blogs Gone Wild," a jealous Dreya is on the warpath. Can Sunday make the right moves before her dreams go up in smoke for good? Praise for Nikki Carter "Step to This is hot, it's new, it's now...with characters that leap from the pages, it's absolutely a must-read." --Monica McKayhan, Essence bestselling author"Nikki Carter is a fresh, new voice." --ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Essence bestselling author"Literally and figuratively, drama is on high alert in the first installment of Nikki Carter's hot new teen series, The Fab Life. An undeniable page-turner, Not A Good Look is sure to capture the attention of every teen who's ever dreamed of becoming hip-hop's next overnight superstar. Readers are certain to fall in love with Sunday and her diva cousin, Dreya, just as fast as the many cute boys in their lives." --Mitzi Miller, Essence(c) bestselling author

    Just when everything seems to be going their way, jealousy secretly takes hold of their close friend, Tee. Knowing that women are Keith's weakness and downfall, Tee goes out of his way to bring Keith's success to a devastating halt by using the stunning, sexy Selina to set him up. But his plan falls short when Selina and Keith fall for each other.Keith's down chick and baby mama, Tukey, attempts to regain Keith's love by taking a case for him and ending up behind bars, only for Keith to marry the home-wrecking Selina. Baffled, envious, and full of rage, Tukey plans and carries out a plot so vicious, all the money in the world can't help Keith recover.

    Antonio and Natasha's world is turned upside down, and their young love is put to the test, when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime. Antonio fights to stay alive on the inside, while on the outside, Natasha faces choices that will change her life. Over the course of a decade, they share a desperate correspondence. Often, they have only each other to turn to as life takes them down separate paths and leaves them wondering if they will ever find their way back together.Startling, real, and filled with raw emotion, Upstate is an unforgettable coming-of-age story with a message of undeniable hope. Brilliant and profoundly felt, it is destined to speak to a new generation of readers.

    Gena the main character finds herself in true blue love with Quadir, a millionaire associated with the cartel. Quadir is faced with combating the art of extortion and interception masterminded by the notorious Junior Mafia, which reigns from the inner city streets of Philadelphia onto the pages of this book. Both Gena and Quadir find themselves caught up in the vicious, yet seductive, world of drugs and money, only to find that success int his Game is no easy win. There's no way out once you're in, and everyone in stays forever...TRUE. Enjoy a copy today of the ORIGINAL and CLASSIC cover copy of TRUE TO THE GAME!

    Fatherless and with an addict mother, Netta, the leader of the Pussy Pound, relies on her body and her wiles to survive the harsh streets of Baltimore, but finds there is more to life after her heartbroken lover Black swears revenge on her.

    Trying to put his past as a drug dealer behind him, Alec runs into one of his old clients, now a successful businesswoman, who asks for his help in stopping their teenage son from becoming a drug addict...Title: .Where There's Smoke..Author: .Little, Terra..Publisher: .Kensington Pub Corp..Publication Date: .2009/01/01..Number of Pages: .326..Binding Type: .PAPERBACK..Library of Congress: .bl2009013328

    With traps set in place, Jazmine pulls Love s right hand man, Thump into the mix, causing a deadly, yet twisted love triangle. Even with the cops on his trail, Love has his fingerprints on everything in the city, including the mayor that he helps get elected. All is still going according to plan until a New Jack named Swag steps on the scene with the same determination as Jazmine to knock Love from the top spot. Which of the two will be successful? In the world of treachery, lust and corruption, the one with the power has the most Swag!

    Despite their shared past, when they’re pitched against each other in their battle to win Nikki’s heart, they find themselves tragically torn apart. Meanwhile, with Nikki herself conflicted and unable to choose between the two men, the situation finally begins to come to a head and they find themselves on the run as greed, betrayal, and heart ache pull the three of them in different directions.Will Dre and Hassan be able to resolve their differences? And will Nikki finally make her choice?Or will it end in catastrophe?With over 100 five-star reviews, “Torn Between a Goon and a Gangsta” brings all the best of urban fiction in a rollicking ride full of drama, betrayal, and unexpected twists!