Urban African American

Hip music critic Dwayne Robinson has two main gigs: defending rap's rightful place in the music industry and scoring as many women as possible. But this smooth-talking b-boy has yet to try working love into his lingo - until "buppie" Danielle Embry slides into and rocks his world. A Connecticut suburbanite, Danielle is as far removed from Dwayne's Brooklyn ghetto upbringing as it gets. Yet despite this clash, these unlikely lovers are drawn together.

With demanding careers and two children, Cherise and Mason McKenzie find themselves spending more time apart than together, which allows infidelity with a trusted loved one to darken their doorstep. It is only through a series of near-tragic events that the couple are able to rebuild their lives and rekindle their love.

It’s real simple. Either you pay the money and live or refuse and come up missing. The Church Street District in downtown Orlando never had a close brush with organized crime - that is, until Patrick Washington arrived on the scene. His ruthless shakedown tactics forced nearly every business owner in the downtown district to relinquish a percentage of their earnings in exchange for his protection. But one owner in the district was not willing to give in to the extortion attempt.

As usual, death will always bring family back together. And with death, there are almost always secrets. Anika and Ebony find themselves on a journey that takes them from mourning to discovering that it’s “their time” with an ensemble of family and friends: a loving, sweet Geechee grandma, frenemies, and a not-so-endearing family. From Ravenwood’s own King of Rap and his wifey the Mouth of the South to a love that will never die, Bloodstone’s Jinx will have you questioning your own existence.

Now that Tasmin Pettiford and Elisa Hunte have discovered they are witches, one would think life would be smoother for them. Unfortunately, it’s never that easy. After nearly perishing at the hands of Archangel Michael and his equally powerful wife, they soon realize that an even bigger threat is in Salix Pointe…one that seeks to destroy them by any means necessary. The witches also have to grapple with the realization that Octavian’s parents killed so many people close to them. Not to mention that Aunt Noreen was betrayed by one of their own coven members.

A dark story of love, paradise, and hell. This is the life of Mala’ik. An angel who was outcast from paradise for his love for a mortal. He has wandered the earth for centuries searching for the reborn soul of the women he had condemned to hellfire. This is his story. His life as an immortal imprisoned among humanity.

Even the saved struggle when navigating their way through love. This much could definitely be said for the Fold family's oldest child, Angela. Perfection was the main objective when it came to Angela. She was stubborn, strong-willed, and completely incapable of relinquishing control, at times risking her own happiness to preserve the image of what others thought she should be. Angela must figure out which way to go after leaving a toxic marriage. And she may or may not find refuge in an equally stubborn alpha male by the name of Damien Christopher Briscoe.

In this legendary sequel, Legend is dealing with how it feels to come close to losing the one he loves after Shanecia is taken by Mello, but once he gets her back, he vows to not only have his revenge but to never lose her again. However, the more Shanecia is shown a side of Legend that she'd only heard of but never knew existed, the more she wonders if she's really about that street life. Determined to hold on to a relationship that has quickly become more important to her than life, she decides to stick it out and stand by his side. But at what cost?

Black Picket Fences is a stark, moving, and candid look at a section of America that is too often ignored by both scholars and the media: the Black middle class. The result of living for three years in "Groveland", a Black middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, sociologist Mary Pattillo-McCoy has written a book that explores both the advantages and the boundaries that exist for members of the Black middle class.

On the run from the law, Mayhem seeks refuge in a new city. But what he soon discovers is that New Orleans' hustlers are even grimier than the dudes he left dead in Atlanta. Lines are crossed; friends turn into bitter rivals; and the only certainty in Mayhem's life is death and bloodshed, until he stumbles upon Keedy, a diamond in the hood.

There's more to 24-year-old Sdia Mitchell than looks. This native Washingtonian has brains and brawn to match, but not without baggage. She was sexually abused as a child, which is more than a load for this beauty to carry. Just when Sdia begins to find peace and self-acceptance, along comes Mel Simmons, a handsome, fast-talking, womanizing barbershop owner from South Jersey. He not only takes pride in the control he has over his career, but, also in the control he has over his women. Soon Sdia finds herself struggling to escape Mel's demands, obsession, and narcissistic rage.

Tanisha Hopkins, aka Tiny, dreams of living the glamorous life by any means necessary. A bona fide, certified, authentic material girl in every sense of the description, Tiny is Feenin' to live life fast and furious and has found the perfect man to make all her dreams a reality. But everything that glitters isn't always gold. Meeting her match, Roscoe proves to be a disaster in the making. A hustler with a dream, a scheme, and his hand in the mix of everything. Tiny quickly learns why many people not only despise Roscoe, but fear him, too.

Cam'ron and Raheem hail from the notorious Brick City in Newark, New Jersey. The two friends grew up eating noodles off of the same fork, now they are primed to eat off the drug game. From the Bricks to the ATL, niggas must bow down or get laid down. Cam'ron epitomizes the grimy streets of Newark. He's a supreme hustler with a vicious murder game. Cam'ron loves four things: his money, family, his homie, and his boo. Touch either one and you get served, Cam'ron warns the streets.

Nikki Turner, Queen of Hip-Hop Lit, is back with one of her gutsiest female characters yet, a glamorous chick with a high-end hustle that can rival any man’s game. As the respected, renowned concierge for a luxury hotel chain, Beijing Lee caters to the wealthy and famous. Whether it’s securing a dinner reservation, a fleet of limos, or a record deal, or protecting her clients from the paparazzi, there’s nothing Beijing can’t do. She’s stacked up an impressive pile of IOUs from the world’s elite - and one day she decides it’s time to start cashing in.

Award-winning novelist Tayari Jones delivers a story based on the 1979-1980 Atlanta child murders. Told from the perspective of three fifth-grade classmates, Leaving Atlanta is a vividly disturbing, but hopeful novel.

As Fabiola climbs the ladder of success, she is pulled between the spotlight and the street, trying to resist industry moguls who find the allure of fresh meat irresistible and the thugs from the shadowy side of the ghetto who threaten to keep her close.

Best-selling author La Jill Hunt dishes the dirt in Old Habits Die Hard. Hunt focuses her attention on the fine ladies of the premier nail salon After Effex. Ya Ya, Camille, Taryn, and Monya bring the crazy drama as their love lives go for a rollercoaster ride.

James Parks's thriving bloodline, Ashley and Alex Black, have transitioned back to Baltimore living, and the drama they thought was over continues to plague them. It seems like chaos and drama is hardwired in their DNA. Ashley is hard at work in her career and is enjoying her new life, but an old flame comes back into the picture and wants to play for keeps. Throw in her boyfriend, Braxton, with his own secrets, and the drama explodes.

They say a good man is hard to find. Kardell Spencer and Lewis Turner know this all too well. Neither is lucky in love. Kardell Spencer is a hard-working, successful advertising company owner who has a no nonsense approach to work and professionalism. Lewis Turner is Kardell's flamboyant, over-the-top employee. They are polar opposites. Lewis speaks how he feels. Sometimes the things he says are so shocking that they leave people around him gasping for air.

When Desiree Johnson receives an unexpected call from her brother, Ernest, Jr., about their father, she and her 16-year-old son, Tyree, pack up and rush to her family's summer home in Idlewild. Desiree hasn't been to Michigan in over 17 years, but when her family calls, she feels she has no choice but to answer. As the summer heats up, Desiree struggles to balance the joy of returning to the community that shaped her childhood with the overwhelming memories of the love and pain she suffered the last summer she spent there,