After Promise’s mother dies in a tragic car accident, it leaves a void in Promise’s life that she is yearning to fill. This titular novel finds Promise spiraling into a life of crime and drug affiliation by the company she chooses to keep. Also coping with abandonment and a lifelong broken commitment from her biological father, Promise ultimately has two goals: to graduate from high school and to be loved.

After the arrest of Chancellor King and the murder of his eldest son and heir, Ghost, the King family and the streets of New York City are thrown into chaos. Chancellor’s older brother, Chapman, takes the opportunity to usurp the crown, breaking the line of succession and stepping over his nephew Shadow. Chapman’s first act as the new king is to banish what remains of his broken family, branding them enemies of the crown. Stripped of all wealth and power, Maureen King places a seemingly impossible task on the shoulders of Shadow.

They say that good girls like bad boys, and this was especially true for Pearl Stone, a child born of privilege to a drug baron and reputed killer known in the streets as Big Stone. Although the flashy, fast-paced nature of the streets calls to Pearl, she's been brought up to look but not touch. Yet when a young hustler named Diamonds crawls up from the swamps of Louisiana and sets up shop in New York City, everything Pearl was taught flies out the window.

Tayshawn Torres is a child born in the slums and cursed by the sins of his parents. His mother is a notorious drug addict and whore who's more concerned with getting her next high than she is with Tayshawn's well-being. His stepfather hates him so much, he literally treats him like an animal, forcing him to sleep in a cage and scavenge for scraps of food wherever he can find them.

Yoshi is young, fine, and larcenous. She lives her life playing on men's hearts as well as their pockets. But she learns the hard way that all that glitters isn't gold. Billy, a former high school basketball star, is at the end of her rope with the opposite sex. To her, all men are dogs, so she secretly seeks comfort in the arms of women - until she meets a man who makes her reevaluate her feelings.

Parish “Pain” Wells is a man freshly reintroduced to society, after serving time in state prison. Prior to his fall, Pain had been a heist man who showed the promise of someone who could go on to be a legend. His trajectory changed on the night he had made the mistake of accepting a ride from a friend, and found himself behind bars for the one crime he hadn’t committed. Several years later, Pain returns home to a world that wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire. The only one who still remains in his corner is his ailing grandmother.

Meet the Kings, one of the most influential families in New York City. In the power circles of the movers and shakers, they are regarded as modern-day royalty. A politically connected father, a socialite mother, and three promising children: They look every bit the all-American family...but every family has secrets. Some darker than others.

Daruis, aka Rio, the only child of a singer turned alcoholic, feels he has nothing to hold on to except the idea of escaping the ghetto. Years ago he took a gun charge for a friend and did some prison time. Unable to find a job when he gets out, Rio turns to hustling and finds escape in the arms of his soul mate, Trinity. When Trinity's mother dies, her abusive father looks to her to play the role of housewife and bedmate.

For years Lou-Loc, an efficient assassin and OG of the Crip organization, did dirt. After dancing on the razor's edge, he has become weary of the street life that has consumed him during his service to his set and begins to wonder if there's a better way to make a living. Lou-Loc and his sociopath counterpart, Gutter, leave Los Angeles for the colorful streets of New York, where Lou-Loc has dreams of becoming a writer, Gutter a kingpin.

The only family Eve Panelli has ever known is the infamous Twenty Gang. Orphaned as a small child, Eve quickly learned the art of the hustle, and by age 17 she had spent two years in prison. But now Eve is 18, back on the streets of Harlem with her gang, and up to one of her old tricks: strong-arm robbery. Despite her edge, she's got a soft spot for Felon, the up-and-coming street king. Eve's life takes a serious turn when the powerful DeNardi family, the city's biggest drug supplier, tries to tighten its hold on Harlem.

Meet Trent Bailey, who is fighting for the right to continue his stellar professional football career after enduring striking legal woes in the recent past. Trent cannot and will not blow his second chance for anyone; after all, this is the blessing he's been praying for. After receiving confirmation that staying focused is all he needs, it's what he aims to do. No distractions. That's until he bumps into two unexpected overnight guests.

Meet Omari, a gorgeous, hardworking 28-year-old man from the South Side of Chicago. 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 trades in busting his ass for working under Ching, hustling three major blocks on the West Side. All is good as Omari juggles work and the drug game - until Ching involves him in the murder of someone who ends up being the governor's nephew.

Detective James Wolf earned the nickname Lone Wolf from his inability to work with a partner. He's a hard cop who doesn't mind bending the rules to the breaking point to make a case, which is why Internal Affairs is digging in his backyard, looking for buried bones. People are starting to wonder which side of the law the Lone Wolf really hunts for. With his career hanging by a thread, he needs a major show of good faith to stay employed and out of prison. That's when he gets the call....

Two children from Sierra Leone, Liberty and A’shai, are brought together by chance, only to be forced apart by the most inevitable and tragic fate. Ashley & JaQuavis bring us this classic love story set against modern life’s most horrifying realities.

Taye “City” Savage and Akira White’s love story started in the projects. Ten years ago, they met when Akira was only a young girl and City was a grown man getting his hustle started. City and Akira’s bond was strong, and their fate was inevitable, so they thought. However, before their bound could be sealed, life happened.

After Promise’s mother dies in a tragic car accident, it leaves a void in Promise’s life that she is yearning to fill. This titular novel finds Promise spiraling into a life of crime and drug affiliation by the company she chooses to keep. Also coping with abandonment and a lifelong broken commitment from her biological father, Promise ultimately has two goals: to graduate from high school and to be loved.

Parish “Pain” Wells is a man freshly reintroduced to society, after serving time in state prison. Prior to his fall, Pain had been a heist man who showed the promise of someone who could go on to be a legend. His trajectory changed on the night he had made the mistake of accepting a ride from a friend, and found himself behind bars for the one crime he hadn’t committed. Several years later, Pain returns home to a world that wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire. The only one who still remains in his corner is his ailing grandmother.

After the arrest of Chancellor King and the murder of his eldest son and heir, Ghost, the King family and the streets of New York City are thrown into chaos. Chancellor’s older brother, Chapman, takes the opportunity to usurp the crown, breaking the line of succession and stepping over his nephew Shadow. Chapman’s first act as the new king is to banish what remains of his broken family, branding them enemies of the crown. Stripped of all wealth and power, Maureen King places a seemingly impossible task on the shoulders of Shadow.

Yoshi is young, fine, and larcenous. She lives her life playing on men's hearts as well as their pockets. But she learns the hard way that all that glitters isn't gold. Billy, a former high school basketball star, is at the end of her rope with the opposite sex. To her, all men are dogs, so she secretly seeks comfort in the arms of women - until she meets a man who makes her reevaluate her feelings.

Jonas, the only boy in a family of four children, has always been a fighter. From the neighborhood bullies to the stepfather who uses him and his siblings as punching bags, his life has always been one battle after another. When he crosses paths with rogue homicide detective Louis "Lou" Ceavers, he's offered a bargain that will change the course of his life. Detective Ceavers becomes like a guardian angel and surrogate father to Jonas, teaching him the game and guiding him in his quest for power.

Harlem had always lived by the code of the streets and respected the rules that governed them. But when his enemies break those rules and bring drama to his family, Harlem comes up with a plan to send them a very clear message: All is fair in love and war!

They say that good girls like bad boys, and this was especially true for Pearl Stone, a child born of privilege to a drug baron and reputed killer known in the streets as Big Stone. Although the flashy, fast-paced nature of the streets calls to Pearl, she's been brought up to look but not touch. Yet when a young hustler named Diamonds crawls up from the swamps of Louisiana and sets up shop in New York City, everything Pearl was taught flies out the window.

Meet the Kings, one of the most influential families in New York City. In the power circles of the movers and shakers, they are regarded as modern-day royalty. A politically connected father, a socialite mother, and three promising children: They look every bit the all-American family...but every family has secrets. Some darker than others.

The only family Eve Panelli has ever known is the infamous Twenty Gang. Orphaned as a small child, Eve quickly learned the art of the hustle, and by age 17 she had spent two years in prison. But now Eve is 18, back on the streets of Harlem with her gang, and up to one of her old tricks: strong-arm robbery. Despite her edge, she's got a soft spot for Felon, the up-and-coming street king. Eve's life takes a serious turn when the powerful DeNardi family, the city's biggest drug supplier, tries to tighten its hold on Harlem.

For years Lou-Loc, an efficient assassin and OG of the Crip organization, did dirt. After dancing on the razor's edge, he has become weary of the street life that has consumed him during his service to his set and begins to wonder if there's a better way to make a living. Lou-Loc and his sociopath counterpart, Gutter, leave Los Angeles for the colorful streets of New York, where Lou-Loc has dreams of becoming a writer, Gutter a kingpin.

Time stands still as up-and-coming fashion editor Gray Rose watches the man of her dreams walk into the club. The last thing Saint Louis kingpin Gunz Marciano wants is to become attached to one woman - until he spots Gray. After one night of erotic passion, Gunz and Gray embark on a tumultuous journey. When their obsessive love becomes too much and Gunz wants out, Gray is ready to let him go. Then she learns the identity of his new woman, and things get complicated.

I wasn't supposed to take on any new clients. All my current couples were already a handful. A marriage therapist with a failing marriage. If only they knew. That is until Kami Lynn walked into my office without her husband. I only treated couples. I was supposed to help save her marriage, instead I was the main reason for its destruction. I did everything the way I was supposed to. I graduated college. Went straight into my career. Got married and had a few crotch goblins and even accepted an outside baby for that man.

After losing his wife to the streets, Roddy decides to move him and his family to Atlanta, Georgia. Swearing off love, he eventually falls for the beautiful socialite of Atlanta, Jia Love. With a combined three million followers across all her social media accounts, she’s that girl. Falling in love with her, he just wants to make her his wife, and a mother figure to his son and daughter. Except, Jia isn’t ready for all of that.

In the middle of a water crisis, Money, a popular young boy throughout his neighborhood, has gotten himself into a deadly game of cat and mouse as he struggles to survive through the night when the city’s most notorious crime lord orders a hit on him. This story follows Money as he is on the run for his life desperately trying to find help in a lawless town.

Daruis, aka Rio, the only child of a singer turned alcoholic, feels he has nothing to hold on to except the idea of escaping the ghetto. Years ago he took a gun charge for a friend and did some prison time. Unable to find a job when he gets out, Rio turns to hustling and finds escape in the arms of his soul mate, Trinity. When Trinity's mother dies, her abusive father looks to her to play the role of housewife and bedmate.