American Contemporary

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.

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow's best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday.

Imagine this… You've planned everything perfectly for your sixth anniversary, hoping to make it a special day. But then your beloved stands you up, leaving you heartbroken and alone at home. Later, your best friend calls with some shocking news—she saw your boyfriend with another woman in his car while she was stopped at a traffic light. In a fit of anger, you grab your trusty bat and arrive at the scene to take out your anger on his car—only to realize later that it wasn't your boyfriend's vehicle after all. The owner happens to be a gorgeous gangsta, and he is pissed.

Saphire married Clay Matthews, a handsome, down to earth and loyal man who worships the ground her designer shoes walk on. But no matter how hard she tries to love him, her heart yearns for another. ​ Gade, Saphire's younger sister, married the man of her dreams. Lamonte Singletary is everything a red-blooded woman could ever want in a man. After the birth of their son, life has been picture perfect. That is, until Joe Burrels, a bittersweet memory from the past, returns with a haunting secret he is determined to reveal. ​ Now the bond of sisterhood could be destroyed forever.

2024 Global Book Award Silver Medalist Ghosted. It wasn't the first time—and probably wouldn't be the last. But I'll be damned if I let the same man do it twice. Except...it's him. The one with the dreamy eyes and that deep, rumbling baritone. The man I met ten years ago on a balcony, where one electric conversation felt like the start of everything. I thought he was it. He said he'd call. He didn't. Now he's the CEO of the company launching my fashion line—and I'm the woman who can make or break his brand. We're older. Sharper. But the heat between us? Still dangerous. His eyes still ...

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...

Unless it's under reconstruction...never close your heart. Essence best-selling author Monica F. Anderson aka Dr. mOe Anderson delivers a delightful, stand-alone sequel to her acclaimed novel “When a Sistah’s Fed Up” in this humorous and heartfelt story about love, family, and the power of forgiveness… Ambitious and beautiful, Faith Henry is a savvy woman. By all measures—her career, friendships, and financial accounts—she is certifiably successful. Right? Not so fast. She’s hopelessly entangled in the ties that bind: Her millennial daughter, Sloane, has returned to the nest ...

A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice Lindgren has no idea that she will one day end up in the White House, married to the president. In her small Wisconsin hometown she learns the virtues of politeness, but a tragic accident when she is 17 shatters her identity and changes the trajectory of her life. More than a decade later, when the charismatic son of a powerful Republican family sweeps her off her feet, she is surprised to find herself admitted into a world of privilege.

Small-business owner and financial advisor Samiyah Manhattan is mourning the death of her six-year marriage when she vows never to trust men again. Alone at a local bar, Samiyah attempts to put her situation in perspective when she is drawn inexorably to the presence of a nearby patron. Celebrity ex-boxer and heavyweight champion turned business mogul Jonas Alexander Rose never takes women too seriously. They only attach themselves to him because of his star-studded status. However, when he meets the beautiful Samiyah Manhattan, Jonas is overwhelmed by the heated attraction.

Nia Ali is the successful owner of a property management company in New York. While expanding her business and selling her way to the top, she realizes her love life is at an all time low. She then meets Darion Brown, a handsome contractor and blossoms a romance. But when her business relationships take a dangerous turn, she finds herself unsure if she can maintain the balance, or possibly lose everything.

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 ...

They said I was a bad idea. Poor. Violent. Criminal. They said I'd amount to nothing, and I believed them, too. Until I met her. Layla Barros saved me from my worst, but to do that, she lost the best herself. Now it's my turn to bring her back to life. If only I can figure out how to do it. I'll do anything to protect the chance we finally have together. I'll follow her to the other side of the word: Brazil. Cuba. You name it. But how can I be her true north when I'm still finding my direction, too?

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.

As the twenty-two year old single mother of three kids all under the age of seven, Veronica Wright is trying to carve a better life for herself. Allowing the Lord into her world has cleared away almost all the shackles that came from her having a crack-addicted prostitute for a mother. When she meets Kevin Brown, she's attracted to the man almost instantly. Despite having her life on track for a brighter future, deep down inside she doesn't quite believe that she's good enough for a saved, sexy, single brotha like Kevin. Her friends and family try real hard to convince her that good men ...

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.

With the skills of Michael Vick and the looks of Tyreese, Andrew "Amir" Davis, a.k.a. Amir, is destined to be a star. But in the streets of Raleigh, North Carolina, NFL dreams can quickly vanish, and a Black man can either go with the flow or become another name added to the local obituaries. Amir has the whole hood behind him. He's a beacon of hope for young men who feel they've been discarded by society. North Carolina is breeding him to be their star, but he has other plans in mind.

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 ...

Michael has been the lead pastor over HSCMBC for the past five years. Before he became a servant of the Lord, Michael’s first love was women. Women have always been a downfall for him. However, when Te’nae strolls inside the church doors by herself with her kids on multiple occasions, Michael is smitten with her. When he sees Te’nae in a dream, he believes it’s a sign from God. God has answered his prayers. He begins pursuing her and develops an obsession. Will the vision he prayed for come to pass? Te’nae joined HSCMBC for the singing and not the drama. As she communes with ...

I wasn't supposed to take on any new clients. All my current couples were already a handful. A marriage therapist with a failing marriage. If only they knew. That is until Kami Lynn walked into my office without her husband. I only treated couples. I was supposed to help save her marriage, instead I was the main reason for its destruction. I did everything the way I was supposed to. I graduated college. Went straight into my career. Got married and had a few crotch goblins and even accepted an outside baby for that man.

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.