She embodies every young woman’s starry-eyed dreams and heads for Hollywood. On her rugged road to fame, Charlene’s using everything in her might to erase the past–even at the point of compromising her own love story. Charlene still can’t wipe away her deepest fear that shakes her very core… Raven.Raven Shaw grows up in her mother’s tiny Christian town Bellwood, North Carolina. She’s a feisty, confident young thing who won’t hesitate to use her fist when bullies mock her as a bastard. Overcoming teen depression, she finds love. A first love, a teenage romance to die for. Now, Raven can’t be fully committed to the man that has her heart until she learns shy she’s been neglected.When their path’s collide, Raven asks to questions–two family secrets–that can ruin their lives, leading mother and child on the road of feeling like a “Miss Nobody”

    Will she learn that love is all she needs or will the love she has be too much for her to stand? Only knowing the life of gold diggin', hustling men and rejecting love, Vera has suddenly found herself in a world where her game has "flipped... and slipped through her fingertips." While trying to retrace her footsteps in search of where her game could be, Vera discovers that the love she has for Dr. Taj Bennett won't let her go, the hatred that she has for her drug addicted mother is not easy to live with, and ghosts from her past won't seem to die. Get ready, get set, and run with Vera as Tu-Shonda Whitaker spins a plot explosive, passionate and humorous tale that is destined to be an urban classic!

    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.

    "The Flip Side of Sin" takes readers on a journey through the lives of a group of unforgettable characters who must overcome life's toughest challenges to find true happiness. It is a book in which worlds collide and people are forever transformed by the tumultuous changes that occur in one man's life. The story begins with Isaac Coleman, a man whose tragic mistakes cost him years away from everyone and everything that mattered to him -- especially his wife and son. Alone, confused, and bitter, Isaac can only become whole by learning to love again. But when he re-enters the world he left and attempts to get reacquainted with his now teenage son, Peyton, he finds heartbreaking rejection.As Isaac struggles to understand and change his plight, his only form of self-expression is found in the keys of his saxophone. When he later meets up with Miracall Lake, a woman with whom he shares a painful past, she surprisingly helps him to face his fears and reach for his dreams. In this case, love indeed conquers all -- or so it tries to in this tale of good versus evil and love versus hate. "The Flip Side of Sin" is a poignant and memorable work from a writer of immense talent.

    Sequel to This Can't Be Life

    Facing a future of cooking, cleaning and unsatisfying sex, Trudy decides to make some changes while she still can.

    The price they have to pay for the decisions they made as kids is steep. But the pair are ready to face whatever the streets bring them..as long as they have each other.

    . . Essence and Blackboard bestselling author Karen E. Quinones Miller returns with the follow-up to Satin Doll, her debut novel about four sassy women from Harlem. Puddin': Yeah, y'all know I'm gangsta wit' it. And that's why I don't give a hot damn about swindling these stupid wimps for whatever-be it a drink or their precious platinum credit cards. I may not have a college education like Gina and Tamika or a bougie job like Yvonne, but my sexy ass gets the job done.Yvonne: Let's face it: I'm too fine to be alone. I'm intelligent, gainfully employed-and did I mention how fine I am? Well, it's a lot harder to find a good man than you'd think. So why does everybody have a problem with me getting back with my ex? Please! He'd almost be perfect if he didn't still have a wife.Tamika: I guess I'm the most quiet out of all my girls. Marriage, motherhood, and med school will do that to a sista. And, hell, having a full-out drug war land in your home will certainly do the trick. It'll also keep you stressed, angry, and maybe even a little judgmental of your friends when they're sleeping with the enemy.Regina: Yeah, Little Joe ran the game twenty years ago. But it was that same game that helped me jump off my writing career. And after seeing him for the first time in years, I've got to at least talk to the man. Never mind that he looks better than ever and still has that same sexy swagger that I found irresistible. Or that he might not be the best example for my daughter...or that I'm still feeling my politician ex-hubby (just a little bit). Never mind all of that. Because talking never hurt anybody, right? Blending themes of friendship and street angst with tough, sexy, independent female characters, Satin Nights captures the edginess of urban grit and celebrates the strength of sista-hood.

    Almost thirty years old, with a three-year-old son who worships the ground he walks on, a pregnant girlfriend whose family hates every breath he takes, and a slain best friend whose death racks him with guilt, Jermaine realizes it's time to change. But can he step up to the challenge, or will he continue to be a Trouble Man?

    It was lust at first sight, and Rhapsody isn't going to let young Malcolm leave her presence without a promise to fulfill her fantasy.Malcolm had no idea when he accepted Rhapsody's invitation to her bedroom that he was selling his soul to the devil. Malcolm thinks he can bed Rhapsody and simply walk away, but she is not one to settle for a one night stand. Rhapsody goes to desperate measures to keep her cub extremely close to her. Gifting Malcolm a very expensive SUV, filling his belly with home cooked meals and funding a trip to Cancun are just a few of the tactics that Rhapsody uses to ensure that Malcolm spends his nights in her bed and no one else's. However, when Rhapsody finds a mysterious package on her doorstep containing proof of Malcolm's betrayal and deception, she seeks revenge and seals her own fate.

    They?ve never been afraid to share everything about their lives and definitely keep each other's secrets ? including hiding Dana's On-The-DL affair from her husband, Jonathan. Though Sylvia is uncomfortable with her participation in the cover-up and despises the man Dana's creepin? with, she remains a loyal friend. That is, until she finds herself attracted to the very man her friend is deceiving. As the lines of friendship and matrimonial territory erodes, all hell is about to break loose! Choices have to be made with serious repercussions at stake. If loving you is wrong, I don?t wanna be right!

    And one taste of Eric Chambers' thug loving has her spending like crazy to keep him primed, hot, 'n ready. But when her parents cut off the cash flow, this poor little bad girl makes a dangerous, life-changing choice. . .Puttin' Shame in the GameNOIREZsa Zsa, Malisha, and Kiki will do anything for a man who'll pay their bills and keep them in the style every trophy wife deserves. These gorgeous sistahs are using every lie, trick, and scheme in the book to seduce wealthy NYC police officer Noble into making one of them his one and only. But sometimes the only way to win is to know when to walk away. . .

    Then you met the femme fatale of all industry chicks, Chantal Morgan, as she desperately tried to go from Hooker to Housewife. Now prepare yourself for the ultimate showdown as their lives collide in Superstar. The sequel to the bestselling Hooker to Housewife.

    . .The night is full of wild things...When Kym Phillips embarks on a road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles to take her younger sister to college, she's anticipating an opportunity to bond with her sister and a chance to see the country. And as an accomplished, single professional with her thirtieth birthday only a week away and no marriage prospects in sight, Kym is looking forward to some quiet time to reflect on the frustrating course of her love life.Waiting for them...He roams the lonely highways and barren canyons of the Southwest. Leader of a pack of vicious minions, he hunts the night for travelers far from home... for prey.Deep into their journey, Kym realizes that someone is following them. Someone with an uncanny predator's instinct. Someone with a sick hunger for blood. Someone who, no matter what they do to escape, is utterly relentless...Explosive, lightning-paced, and impossible to put down, this is Brandon Massey at his thrilling best.

    But getting framed for a high-profile murder isn't what the cool-headed beauty signed up for...With police, government agencies, and a lethal third party on her trail, Abrianna will have to use all her resources to clear her name. That includes trusting an ex-con--and an attraction as incendiary as the lies they must expose. Now, as Abrianna puts her hard-won instincts and a team of street-rebels in play, secrets are their only chance to dismantle a powerful web of corruption--or be buried without a trace...