American Contemporary

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons.

He’s young, rich, intelligent, tall and ready to settle down. I’m Louisiana thick, curvy, and I’d like to say fine because it fits, and I keep trying to talk myself out of love. And as fate would have it, I’m stuck in his home on Christmas Day. Being an assistant, to Destiny- the owner and lead decorator at Dobrielle's-has good and bad qualities. It's one of Louisiana's largest and most sought after design firms. And I'm leaning but eager for my opportunity to shine. I get big coins, but I’m still only my boss’s assistant. She gives me the job to decorate the office Christmas ...

Savannah has awakened to the fact that she's made too many concessions in her marriage. Bernadine has watched her megadivorce settlement dwindle. Robin has an all-American case of shopaholism. Gloria has taken happiness and security for granted. But being at the wrong place at the wrong time can change everything. All four are learning to heal past hurts and to reclaim their joy and their dreams; but they return to us full of spirit, sass, and faith in one another.

Alana Powers is a triple threat. Brains, beauty, and intelligence. As a smart and savvy businesswoman, Alana's drive and passion for ensuring the success of Powers Construction is unparalleled. Nothing and no one can get in her way—except marriage. Noah Tate is caring, compassionate, and driven by his need to succeed. Fresh out of jail, past mistakes are now behind him, and Noah is determined to prove that he has learned valuable lessons about life. This time, he refuses to allow anything to stand in his way. Unfortunately, his record is proving to be more of a hindrance than he expects.

When an unexpected blizzard grounds all flights, Nia and Andrew’s holiday plans are put on ice, and they’re stuck spending Christmas Eve at the airport. Soon the pair of travelers decide to make the best of it and team up to spread holiday cheer to the other stranded passengers. After all, just because their flight is cancelled doesn’t mean Christmas is. Now they’re about to discover that with the right person, home for the holidays can be anywhere—and life’s crossroads are the perfect place to begin a new story.

Falling for the Rancher A steamy, small-town cowboy romance featuring an alpha rancher, a strong-willed city girl, and an undeniable love worth fighting for… Edye Dolson never planned on staying in Texas. She came to check on her sister, not fall for a ruggedly handsome cowboy who pushes all her buttons—good and bad. But Luke Stanley isn’t like the men she’s used to. He’s intense, protective, and knows exactly what he wants. And what he wants is her. Luke knew from the moment he laid eyes on Edye that she was trouble—the kind that tempts a man to risk it all. She’s independent...

Lydia Troutman, successful private chef, is a woman with a heart for the Lord. She’s smart, resourceful, kind, and beautiful. Given that she’s all that, she should have a loving significant other in her life, right? Unfortunately, every single man Lydia has ever dated has turned out to be a dud. When she happens to meet a handsome widower at a counseling session, perhaps Lydia will discover that when it comes to love, God can order a sista’s footsteps, helping her stride into Heaven, right here on Earth.

Brains, beauty, and faith. Forty-four-year-old Angelique Avery has all three. She also has two siblings — two younger sisters — who’ve been married for years, leaving Angelique the last woman standing. Angelique wants a soulmate, too, but her Mr. Right has been quite elusive. With menopause feeling like it’s right around the corner, Angelique has all but given up on ever having a husband and children of her own. When a handsome, charming, and very saved technology executive offers her an exciting job opportunity — all on a silver platter — Angelique ends up doing what she always...

Sylvia can't seem to get past her trifling ex, Jamir, or her traumatic vehicle accident that left her psychologically paralyzed. Dontrell is still stuck on his ex, Samiah. Both seem to be nowhere near ready to try something new. But when Dontrell ends up being Sylvia's Uber driver, their lanes begin to shift in another direction....

Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well-paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

She spilled vodka on the wrong man. He saved her from a beating then made her kneel in front of the whole club to clean it up. Jada is a broke law student working in an underground Bratva fight club to save her sister’s life. She keeps her head down and mouth shut until a spilled tray of vodka puts her in the crosshairs of a dangerous captain. But it’s Ivan who steps in—Bratva enforcer, monster in the ring, and the man whose cold gray eyes see everything. He doesn’t hit her. He humiliates her. And then he keeps watching. Ivan is used to being obeyed. Feared. Alone. But the girl in ...

Amari is forced to confront her own struggles and the threat of her mind consuming her. Trapped in the crossfire, she must find the strength to reclaim her life and her love before it's too late. With the stakes higher than ever, Domonick will stop at nothing to eliminate all threats to his family. But as he fights to protect what's his, he uncovers earth-shattering revelations that challenge everything he thought he knew.

For more than 15 years, best-selling author and historian Hampton Sides has traveled widely across the continent exploring the America that lurks just behind the scrim of our mainstream culture. In these two dozen pieces, collected here for the first time, Sides gives us a fresh, alluring, and at times startling America brimming with fascinating subcultures and bizarre characters who could live nowhere else. Following Sides, we crash the redwood retreat of a cabal of powerful military-industrialists, and more.

**THIS IS A RE-RELEASE** In this New Jersey Love Story spin-off series, we take a ride through the streets of the dirty Jersey, with the heirs to the Jones and Knight throne, as they experience love and everyday life. Thanks to their parents’ hard work and sacrifices, these siblings have always lived the privileged life of luxury houses, cars, and jewels. Meet Malachi Jones… the twenty-four-year-old laid back, ambitious playboy. During the day, he’s an elementary school gym teacher, but at night, he’s a whole different person. Money and women fall on his lap wherever he goes. ...

Beautiful, successful artist Maxine Moore is no stranger to adversity. She has big faith, and even better, her God has always provided for her needs. She has a loving family and supportive friends. And her Mr. Right? Well, unfortunately, he has somehow eluded her. Maxine is in her thirties, and she knows that her forties will soon be around the corner. When by chance she meets a handsome stranger, her instincts tell her that he’s her Boaz, her soulmate…she knows that he’s The One! But her Mr. Right has a BIG secret. And so does Maxine. In the end, will her faith be strong enough to ...

Celebrated author Cheris Hodges pens romantic tales that hit all the right notes. In Recipe for Desire, Marie Charles’ party-girl days come to a screeching halt with a DWI arrest and a totaled Jaguar. Sentenced to 500 hours of community service at a local women’s shelter, her only bright spot is a fellow volunteer, TV star Devon Harris. But Devon wants nothing to do with Marie and her selfish ways - until her work at the shelter has her turning over a new leaf.

Six months ago, I gave my heart to a girl. Beautiful, kind, and sexy as sin, she's the only person who saw past my record or the color of my skin. Who ever saw me for me. She loved me enough to let me go, to let me leave this city to find my own path. But without her, I drift, lost without direction. Without me, she spirals, desperate for connection. I gave my heart to a girl, and she gave hers to me. But love shouldn't hurt this much.

The lovely Denise Washington has a humble heart and a giving personality. As the owner of a very successful spa — Rejuvenations — she's been blessed to not want for anything material in her life. She has doting friends and a loving family. The only thing missing in her idyllic existence is a soulmate. But Denise isn’t worried about that, she's a woman of faith and she's sure that God has her Mr. Right on lock — she's sure her Boaz will come along eventually. When an old friend — the saved, fine, and fabulous Dr. Mike Young — shows up unexpectedly in her life, will he be that ...

She's Been Scarred... She's Broken... Shannon is striving to become a successful professional. After a tragic event occurs in her life, she's left feeling guilty and unworthy of love. She’s on a journey to correct the mistakes of her past, and with God’s help, she knows she can do it. When a familiar face from days long gone shows up in her future, will she be able to open her heart to receive all the love, joy, and happiness that the Lord is trying to offer her? In the end, will Shannon see that God is trying to answer her unspoken prayers? Her unspoken prayer for a happy-ever-after ...