The crew is back in this drama-filled novella, but now, it’s the kids turn to tear the streets up! When Noella and Amir’s son, AJ, finds himself in a sticky situation, he quickly realizes who his real friends are...or rather, who his true love is. Ryder and Kobra’s daughter, Kiah, is the spitting image of her mother, the fiery attitude included. She rides for AJ through the toughest moments in his life until one day, they look up and realize they’re more than best friends.

All Zarinah wanted was to fall in love. Growing up, she had kissed her fair share of frogs. When an unconventional situation leads her to Lawson, her wishes might become reality. Lawson is the new CEO of his family's hotel casino chain. He's tired of aimless dating and women just wanting his money. When he meets Zarinah, he instantly feels like she's the one.

The job offer she expected after taking an unpaid internship at a major shoe company didn’t come through. The friend who’d offered her a place to stay suddenly gave her 48 hours to vacate after a misunderstanding. And when she’s forced to move back to her hometown to live with her father and his mistress-turned-wife, it almost seems impossible for things to get any worse...until she runs into her former best friend, who’s only gotten fine with time.

Samad Baker has always been comfortable existing in the shadows. Allowing others access places Samad and the ones he loves in jeopardy. Nilou finds conflict with her heart and the life she chooses while Samad has conflict with his troubled past. If two conflicted hearts collide, there is bound to be an emotional explosion and when the smoke clears, there’s no guarantee that either will still be whole.

Ashira, a belle from the suburbs, is the wealthy acting CEO of her father’s booming building firm. That's when she’s not the dancer on the Gram and TikTok, dating the latest Black Hollywood shooting star. To her, Jas, a construction laborer, is a walking conundrum. He’s fruitlessly ambitious yet steadfast in his spiritual convictions. He’s enigmatic, well-read, regimented, and poor. Oh, and a felon. An incredibly disarming parolee who wants no connection to her. Until he does.

When souls are tied, it's never goodbye. A boy I was that summer evening I met you, pulling your belongings out of the truck and into your new home. I knew it was love then. A whole man I was the day that you met me at the altar and agreed to love me until death do us part. A shell of a man I've become since it did, unable to move on, move forward, or progress in any way until I discovered that not even death was permanent enough to keep us apart. A better man I'm destined to be, knowing that, at some capacity, you're still with me. Our love is one that never dies.

Elias Omari exists in the darkness that clouds his mind. Cress Devereaux exists in the light that inspires her soul. Together, they create beautiful shades of gray. An arranged marriage forces two families to smooth the edges of their jagged past with the hopes of a new beginning. But can a union tainted with secrets and uncertainty promise an unbreakable alliance? The one thing that Elias and Cress share in common is family over everything, but should they continue to fight for family when that same family has never truly fought for them?

Known playboy and award-winning R&B singer Wesley Johnson Jr. puts his dating rules to the side when he has a second chance encounter with the woman he can’t stop thinking about. Finding himself in unchartered territory, he realizes he can’t rely on his fame to earn the affection of this one special woman. Will his new ways be enough for her to let her guard down, or will someone from his past ruin their chances together?

From the moment his eyes met hers, there was something. Time stood still, the world around them vanished, and electricity... instant electricity. Immediately, she owned him in an inexplicable way he couldn’t quite understand. He couldn't escape her. Not in his dreams. And soon, not even in his reality. He was the man that made her soar. There was nothing in the world she wanted more than him. Absolutely nothing. His touch made her levitate. When she was with him, she was limitless. He felt like home.

Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award‑winning novelist, who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York. When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that 15 years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love.

Earning a man’s trust and then setting him up has reluctantly become like second nature to Saylor Finch. After her parents and the father of her unborn baby tragically die, leaving her all alone, she has to do what she can to feed her daughter and put herself through school. When her boss forces her to set up Preston Wolfe, a known kingpin, things take a sudden shift. Feelings develop, and lies are thrown around, creating a web so tangled Saylor might not make it out alive.

All Jerzey wanted was a family of her own. After things don't work out with her ex-husband, she takes matters into her own hands. Being a foster mom isn't easy, but having her best friend by her side to help makes it a little easier. That is, until the two blur lines and suddenly a friendship isn't enough.

You met them in the Valentine and Rose series. In this prelude, I will formally introduce you to Malik Anthony Clark, Tristian Neil Clark, and Langston Jamal Clark.

Can a good girl find love in a thug? For Lei Fifer, that’s the hundred-thousand-dollar question. When Lei, an introverted homebody, invites her girls over for a spa day, she isn’t expecting their conversation to shift to men in prison. As an advocate for rehabilitated people receiving the love, companionship, and support those who haven’t committed crimes receive, Lei doesn’t hesitate to put her money where her mouth is and bet that she can find a good friend or great love with someone through the pen pal program her father created.

Putting herself first is what Jordana Evans knows how to do best. She’s at the top of her game in her career and no longer haunted by memories of her past threatening to steal her joy. In her mind, being in love is a want, not a need, and she’s convinced that she’ll be just fine without it. Having intimate relations with the opposite sex is something she’s willing to do for one night only. But then came along…him.

Simone is a woman on a mission: Stop being boring, and fall in love. That's easier said than done with no prospects on the table...or under the table...or near the table. Her luck changes when fellow neighborhood business-owner Roman Taylor walks through the door of her flower shop. Roman is single, successful, and sexy - everything Simone is looking for to embark on a whirlwind summer romance with the potential to spark an everlasting love. But things are never as "perfect" as they seem.

When Sierra's father died, he left her in charge of the family business. At the age of 28, Sierra Adams became CEO of Adams Advertising & Design, one of the top 10 advertising agencies in the world. Her work was her life. She lived and breathed it every day, leaving little time for play. Having once been in a relationship that completely destroyed her, Sierra vowed to use men for one thing only: SEX. No strings, no problems, and most importantly, no heartache.

When I said, "I do," I meant it for life. When he said, "I do," he didn't mean it at all. Divorced and single, I'm ready to find true love. When a business deal requires me to create an online dating account, I find myself drawn to Mister_Mystery. He's not looking for love. I'm not looking for another lie.

Milan Brooks, a fashion buyer with a chip on her shoulder, has been through her share of cheating, disrespectful men. In most people’s books, she’d be rated a true dime, but she still hasn’t been lucky enough to find a loyal man. When a chance encounter with a childhood friend turns into a promising relationship, Milan thinks things might be different this time. Unfortunately, her younger sister steps in with plans of her own.

All Sevyn wanted was to finish law school and make her late grandmother proud. She was never the one to color outside the lines or go against the rules. When Sevyn is suddenly faced with past due bills and eviction, she becomes overwhelmed trying to stay above water. Nasir is content in his relationship with his long-term girlfriend. The two of them have an understanding. Inviting another partner in the bedroom has never been an issue—until now. When Sevyn joins the couple for one night of pleasure, Nasir instantly becomes attracted to the innocence surrounding her.

Nero is the king of Legacy Prep, living a life of power. Elle is the school's punching bag, living a life of fear.

My name is Adelaide Edington, and my life was mapped out for me before I even entered the world: who I'd date, where I’d attend college, what I'd be when I grew up. But there comes a time in everyone's life when they face a fork in the road. Should I go left, or should I go right? It didn't matter as long as I didn't remain stagnant any longer. Jett Stone opened me up to a whole new world, reminding me that it was okay to find my own way. I could have roots in Willow Springs and still spread my wings and fly. What I didn't expect was to fall in love with the broody football player.

Mav disappeared before I could ever tell him about the child I carried. I’ve had years to get over him, and I’ve tried. But the second I see him again my heart lurches and it’s like all that time evaporates. I still burn for him, even though I know it’s a bad idea. I try to remind myself about the bad things: his possessiveness, his quick temper...but he’s different now. More mature. Protective. Settled. And hiding something. Something bigger than the child we share.

The night Jennifer Monroe meets Vance Etienne, the father of a young woman in her life, she knows he's her one. But somehow, she finds herself thinking of the past with her ex-husband more often than she should. There's no doubt about what Vance and Jennifer feel for one another. Can they let the hurt of the past go to focus on their future? Will their pasts be willing to release them from its grasps to pursue an intentional and all-consuming love?

Rena Jackson is ready. She's worked her tail off to open up her own hair salon, and she's almost ready to quit her job at the dive bar. Rena's also a diehard romantic, and she's had her eye on bar regular Axel Heller for a while. He's got that tall-brooding-and-handsome thing going big time. Problem is, he's got that buttoned-up Germanic-ice-man thing going as well. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Rena's about ready to give up on Axel and find her own Mr. Right.