Showing results by narrator "Iikane" in All Categories

Ethic has power, but love has always been evasive. After ordering the hit that mistakenly killed the love of his life, Ethic is haunted with guilt and refuses to love again. Focused on being a better man and keeping his family safe, he is raising three children, one of which is a defiant teenage girl, Morgan. No matter how hard he tries to keep Morgan away from the streets, she is determined to defy him. When Morgan finds herself in a vulnerable position, Ethic is pulled back into the deadly game where he was once king.

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.

No one's life is perfect, but Henley doesn't have many complaints. She graduated from college, landed a great paying job in Dubai, and married a man who swept her off her feet. The only thing missing from the equation is a child. Henley and Ethan are working hard to add to their family, and when Ethan suggests an unconventional method Henley is thrown for a loop. Is the proposition weird or is her man just that loyal that he would do anything to ensure she was able to have a child?

Saint Baptiste fell in love. That was never part of the plan. His relationship with Naoki was supposed to be purely physical. He never intended to feel anything for her, but from the moment they locked eyes four years ago, he felt something. At the time, he didn't realize that the feeling was love. Uncertain how to handle his emotions, he put up walls and tried to maintain control—the one thing he didn't have with her. In focusing on his ego, he did the very thing he never wanted to do: ignored the 'fragile' label only he could see and mishandled her.

In his new position as head of the Baptiste family business, Saint faces many challenges. Nothing could have prepared him for the challenges that came with dealing with the alluring Naoki Childs. She was the insoluble problem his big brother, Jahad, talked about. A problem that couldn't be handled with a phone call, a meeting, or by simply emptying his clip. Saint thought he'd never be faced with a problem he couldn't handle, especially where a woman was concerned. But he quickly learned that Naoki wasn't just some woman. She was much, much more than that.

Jaxon Daniels was supposed to be my forever. I've loved him since I was thirteen years old, and like a foolish little girl, I believed that our love would carry us through everything. Every challenge. Every obstacle. Every heartbreak. But that was before I knew anything about pain and the challenge of overcoming crushing disappointment. Before I knew that loving someone doesn't always mean you get to have them, sometimes it means you have to let them go. Now, thanks to my sister marrying his brother at a romantic resort in Mexico, he's back in my orbit.

Harlow Shaw feels naïve for believing in happily ever afters, but she craves a love that lights her up. She thinks she has it all with her boyfriend—Until his promising baseball career overshadows their relationship, and he asks her a life-changing question. It causes her to wonder if what they have is all she ever truly wanted. Harlow is yearning for more than the curated life she is living. A trip to Bali, a move to Seattle, and an alleged burned cup of coffee lead her to a friendship she didn't know she needed and a love so deep she can feel it in her bones.

Kyrell Knight believes life is a game to be played and thoroughly enjoyed. He rarely takes anything seriously, lives in the moment, and indulges in as much pleasure with women as possible. But the sarcasm, money, and women are an attempt to erase the memories of his past as he tries to forget what he came from. It works until his past wants to be a part of his present. Kyrell reconnects with Quinn Halifax at their mutual best friend's engagement party. They spark up a friendship that quickly turns to flames when it becomes a superficial, no-strings-attached relationship.

Malaya Ipswich is stuck in a marriage that she describes as pure hell. Her husband, Trent, is nothing short of a man whore, and he shows no compassion to his wife or devotion to their marriage. After years of contemplating a divorce, Malaya is swept off of her feet by a young, sexy thug.

Love can be messy, painful, and heartbreaking, but it can also be revolutionary, profound, and hopeful. With twelve stories ranging from love that’s found on one of the oldest HBCU campuses in the country, to modern-day romance budding against the rhythm and spirit of homecoming, You’ve Got a Place Here, Too is a celebration of Black love as well as everything HBCUs have given the community.

Harlow and Acyn have their happily ever after… Or so they thought. When their wedding is in jeopardy from outside forces and well-meaning family members, they decide to take matters into their own hands and escape to the Oregon coast.

It's been five long years . . . five years since I felt his touch, five years since I saw his face and here he is in my DM. I wanted so much more for us, so much so that I haven't let another man touch me in over five years. My friends probably think I'm crazy, but they don't understand when you've had a man who made you feel like no other. Hard to settle for anything less. I could feel the heat and mad chemistry as I ran my fingers across the words on the screen of my phone . . . it was him. I need to see him. I must see him. Just have to make sure that this time I don't get burned.

Destined for marriage has always been Dr. Simone Austin's belief, and now that her career is where she wants it, she is ready for forever. In walks one sexy, Chris Alexander, apologetically late to her chemistry class. From the first moment their eyes meet, he tempts her to forget her careful approach to love and focus on their tantalizing moments of the here and now.

Ceazia Devereaux has seen it all on the streets. She's gone from a gangster's girl to being married to the game. After the murders of a few of her associates, she's ready to divorce herself from the lifestyle she once knew and become the "good girl" she was raised to be. Ceazia finds her way to Atlanta, where she hopes to find a man who can take care of her. Parlay is a big-name rapper who fits the bill perfectly. Ceazia sets up a chance encounter with him, thinking she's on her way to a fresh start.

Hazel has nothing and no one in her life; the only thing she "owns" is an insatiable addiction to heroin. Her addiction brings her to the slums, where she quickly learns the tricks of surviving - of hustling and getting her street smarts. She'll do anything to feed her habit, even if it means robbing and conning and selling her own body. Yet no matter how much heroin she does, the pain that has cut deep within her never goes away.

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!

Following the phenomenal success of Dirty Red, Essence bestselling author Vickie Stringer is back with a sizzling sequel filled with the notorious cast of characters—Red, Bacon, and Q—who made Dirty Red a smash hit. Now in paperback, following the phenomenal success of Dirty Red, Essence...

Four diverse young women meet after attending a very popular HBCU; each at a crossroads in their lives. Born and raised in the heart of Brooklyn, Franki doesn’t take crap from anyone. After relentlessly being hurt by the men in her life, she finds herself using them for the one thing she believes they’re good for. Sex. But when she’s labeled for her promiscuity and a new tragedy strikes, how will she recover? Paris, on the other hand, has led a life of privilege out in Beverly Hills; one that didn’t include very many minorities in her circle.

From the biggest names in urban fiction comes a collection of unforgettable stories of urban love and its consequences.

Against all odds, Adirah Messa has been accepted to Billet University, a prestigious institution founded in the 1800s for people of color. Determined to excel, she arrives at the university intent on minimizing distraction and focusing on her studies. That goal is soon interrupted when she is noticed by members of the "in" crowd, who invite her to the most popular frat party on campus. Adirah finds herself smitten with someone of another race and is taken on a ride she can never return from. Unbeknownst to her, Adirah's newfound love is not only a master seducer.