Showing results by narrator "Michelle Thompson" in All Categories

Black women are now one of the most educated groups in the United States. However, our educational achievements haven't translated into representation in higher-level, higher-paying roles within organizations. In Leading on Purpose, Dr. Julianna Hynes shares her story of going from being aimless in her career to having crystal clear focus after clarifying her vision, identifying her goals, and mapping out a strategy to attain them.

You cannot escape the reality of tomorrow by evading it today… Whitney Dahl only wanted one thing—freedom. Freedom to explore, to travel, to live a life outside the confines of her family's elite inner circle of billionaire business moguls and upper East Coast socialites. Freedom especially from a relationship that was dragging her closer and closer to the life her parents desperately wanted for her—barefoot and pregnant in some billionaire's kitchen. Whitney did everything she could to keep them off her back.

Lauren realizes she does not have enough money to buy a stuffed unicorn. She does chores and saves her allowance to get the stuffed animal of her dreams.

When Pearl Aster takes a receptionist job at Wolf Motor’s, all she is hoping for is enough money to get out of her parents’ smoothing hold, and away from their rule dominated life. Her upper-class status and its expectations are nothing that she wants now that she’s seen the ugliness it conceals. Yet these rough and rowdy men aren’t like anything she’s ever experienced. Brash, bold, dirty, and completely honest, but still more respectful than the man that she’s expected to marry.

Cassandra was a boss in everything she did and dating was no exception. She called the shots when dating and played the game like some men. She never let them get close enough to see her vulnerability or experience her love. Love, children, and family were the farthest thing from her mind; nothing was more important than her career, and this latest deal was her biggest. She had traveled the world for her career, but nothing would change her life more than that trip to the small town of Staton, Mississippi. Everything about the town was different than Cassie’s home state, Michigan.

Harbor Wilson is home again; this time, she ain't mad about it. But she is feeling some kind of way that her mother, Elizabeth, is considering selling their family's home. She is also stuck somewhere between the friend zone and happily ever after with her ex-fiancé, Ahmad Ferebee.

Five years ago, Harbor Wilson walked away from 137 Briarfield Lane, the place she'd once called home, with no intention of ever returning. Oh, how plans change. A phone call. A bit of pleading. And a promise to return home for just one week. Just one. That's all it took for Harbor to return to a place that harbored, every pun intended, all her emotional baggage. If she can get through this week of surprises without breaking down in a torrent of tears when the past demands to have its say, that will be a miracle. Harbor only hopes God is still in the miracle-working business.

Former New York City police officer Jonathan Bartlett took the job at the adults-only Suadela Resort to get away from the memories of his partner’s death. Living on the island in the middle of nowhere has been perfect. He can ignore the occasional nightmare that wakes him up in a cold sweat. What he can’t ignore is Amina, first when he sees her naked on the beach and later when she turns up as a guest at the resort.

African-American computer security expert, Alayna Alexander, will do anything to have a family, including marry a man she doesn't love. But confusion in the form of tall, dark Khavon Brighton, a former computer hacker, slips into Alayna's life when she is assigned to work with him on a top-level security project. Sparks fly as the two race to thwart a desperate cyberthief who has a personal vendetta against Khavon.

Your first love. Your first heartbreak. Your first time behind the wheel of a car. But my first time in Emerald Ridge is by chance. I was running from a mistake when I ran smack dab into River Stallone, a rugged, foul-mouthed, mountain man who wants all of me. My sister-in-law says he's got a reputation, but it's high time I have a first time.

Essence Jackson is an English teacher and single mom of two teenage daughters, Noa and Harper, who's navigating parenthood, childhood trauma and abuse, and a complicated relationship with her mother. Her therapist Dr. Reed guides her on a journey of acceptance, validation, growth and courage to finally understand that her past doesn't define her. When she meets a new man, Isaiah, her hard exterior begins to soften, as he comforts her through her pain, opening her up to a world of hope and level of compassion her heart has desired for years, slowly becoming the kind of peace she's longed for.

My name is Jax. Well, officially it’s Jacqualina Weaver, but I hate that name. My bestie nicknamed me Jax, so that’s what I go by. Veronica (Roni) Vaughn has been my best friend and sister for the last six years, through thick and thin. She's the only one I can count on. So, when she needs me, I'm not letting her down. I'll give up everything just to make her final wishes come true.

Dark shadows lurk in the corners of our rooms and next to our beds. But not all of these shadows are there to harm you. Some may be lurking to get more from you than that indescribable fear that most feel upon seeing them. Reena Hill is about to find out first hand exactly what the shadow in her room plans on doing with her.

In this third title in the Mesuline’s Daughters mermaid trilogy, Nerine has lived most of her life on her own terms–even though it meant being isolated and not with the man she loved. As a mermaid/lamia mix and wearer of the Stone of Love, her life is complicated in so many ways that she finds it best to handle everything herself. Especially when it comes to caring for the people who live on Azov, the island she helped create for others of mixed blood who were rejected by their communities.

Mermaid Lyria is her people’s most powerful healer. Her life is dictated by responsibilities and requirements and has been ever since she was a teen when the bracelet with the Stone of Clarity came to her, one of three stones imbued with great power and magic by her ancestor Melusine.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful animal kingdom in the forest, where all the animals lived happily under the reign of their king. A wise fox was the minister to the king. There also lived a gang of ferocious and destructive wild elephants at the end of the forest. One day, as the king was conducting a meeting with his kingdom, minister fox informed the king that a parrot couple needed his assistance in building a safe nest for their newborn babies.

Peet and her younger sister Louisa live in rural Edgecombe County in North Carolina with their grandparents while their mother is away working in another state. One day, Peet notices her grandmother offering watermelon to a guest. Peet yearns for a slice of watermelon that Grandma has placed on the porch for guests and feels upset that she was not immediately invited to have some. Later on, Peet learns a lesson from her mother about the importance of waiting patiently for whatever she wants.

Tulip realizes the world is changing around her because of a virus. She looks for ways to help her family and community get through the stress of the pandemic.

The story revolves around a successful events planner, Elena Cole, whose job is to help other people plan their weddings and events. Elena finds it cumbersome to get into a relationship. Constantly striking out, she commences an online dating and soon gets a real chance at love. Then she meets Oliver Drew, a handsome and charming doctor.

Heartbreak had always been Shannon Washington's calling card. Time and time again, she had been used by men, yet she kept picking the same type of guy. Just like Shannon (Reflections), Raymond Brown II had lost in the game of love. Raymond wanted a woman to look beyond his wealth and truly see the man he was, but the women of his past only saw the surface of the man he represented.