All Zarinah wanted was to fall in love. Growing up, she had kissed her fair share of frogs. When an unconventional situation leads her to Lawson, her wishes might become reality. Lawson is the new CEO of his family's hotel casino chain. He's tired of aimless dating and women just wanting his money. When he meets Zarinah, he instantly feels like she's the one.

Kenya Higgs has the perfect life, at least from the outside looking in. Her husband Boston is handsome, wealthy, and he showers her with extravagant gifts like every day is Christmas. Kenya gets to rub elbows with the most affluent people in the community and take vacations at the drop of a dime. Kenya’s life is perfect, that’s if you don’t consider the unspeakable things going on behind the arched doors of their breathtaking mansion.

At twenty-one, Ason ‘Ace’ Williams Jr. knows all about inevitable endings. He’s formerly famous, a popular rapper’s muse, the son of a three-time NBA champ, and a little… complicated. After a disturbing scandal and loss rocks his world, he’s left to deal with both in a city that doesn’t quite feel like home. It’s a place filled with old family friends he’s never met, reminders of all the endings he’s had to endure, and even worse—he’s stuck there after his dad takes a job no one ever imagined him taking.

Kailani had been scarred from her last relationship and love was the last thing on her mind, but when Hendrix makes an appearance, she can't seem to shake, she learns to lower her guard. The two build a bond that seems unbreakable until someone from Kailani's past threatens to ruin it all.

Samad Baker has always been comfortable existing in the shadows. Allowing others access places Samad and the ones he loves in jeopardy. Nilou finds conflict with her heart and the life she chooses while Samad has conflict with his troubled past. If two conflicted hearts collide, there is bound to be an emotional explosion and when the smoke clears, there’s no guarantee that either will still be whole.

All Jerzey wanted was a family of her own. After things don't work out with her ex-husband, she takes matters into her own hands. Being a foster mom isn't easy, but having her best friend by her side to help makes it a little easier. That is, until the two blur lines and suddenly a friendship isn't enough.

The job offer she expected after taking an unpaid internship at a major shoe company didn’t come through. The friend who’d offered her a place to stay suddenly gave her 48 hours to vacate after a misunderstanding. And when she’s forced to move back to her hometown to live with her father and his mistress-turned-wife, it almost seems impossible for things to get any worse...until she runs into her former best friend, who’s only gotten fine with time.

For Maleek Jones, hockey is his wife. Everything and everyone else is his mistress, an aside. When unexpected responsibilities land in his lap, the balance of his world is disrupted, changing the way he sees everything.

Known playboy and award-winning R&B singer Wesley Johnson Jr. puts his dating rules to the side when he has a second chance encounter with the woman he can’t stop thinking about. Finding himself in unchartered territory, he realizes he can’t rely on his fame to earn the affection of this one special woman. Will his new ways be enough for her to let her guard down, or will someone from his past ruin their chances together?

Lyle DeLeone has always had the mentality of a hustler. Having grown up with a weak, drug-addicted mother and an ignorant, misogynistic father, she had to learn early on to protect herself and handle her own. Unfortunately, her ways caused those around her to deem her unlovable. So, it was no surprise that when she met the handsome Rashawn, she quickly snatched him up, hoping to prove that she, in fact, could be loved by a man. Married life with Rashawn isn't bad, but it isn't good either.

A tragic beginning to life led Jah and Shauka Disciple to homelessness and poverty at such a young age that they grew into men before their time. Yet, they turned their hunger, abandonment, and suffering into diamonds, mansions, and power. The natural hustler instinct they’d inherited from their father was their driving force. Yet, this story starts when Messiah turns 18 and is finally freed from his adoptive parents. Reluctantly, he leaves his twin sister behind as he, Jah, and Shauka run the streets and break yearning hearts along the way.

Can a good girl find love in a thug? For Lei Fifer, that’s the hundred-thousand-dollar question. When Lei, an introverted homebody, invites her girls over for a spa day, she isn’t expecting their conversation to shift to men in prison. As an advocate for rehabilitated people receiving the love, companionship, and support those who haven’t committed crimes receive, Lei doesn’t hesitate to put her money where her mouth is and bet that she can find a good friend or great love with someone through the pen pal program her father created.

Qua loves Wynner. Wynner loves Qua. Easy enough, right? But Wynner came with two brothers who couldn't stand Qua with their baby sister. Qua couldn't stand not having Wynner with him, even if he didn't have his life together. With faith, his word, and love, he grabs his love's hand and marries her at the court house. Flash forward five years, and all the promises that Qua has made Wynner he has come through on them. To stay true, secure the bag, and be her ace through all her pain. With Wynner always being sick, everyone babies her and is always worried about her.

Law grew up in the trenches. Hustling since the age of 12, his focus was making life better for his mother and brother. Finding intimate love was never a priority because he didn’t have many examples of that around him. Instead, he was taught to focus on getting money, not finding the one. Yet upon seeing her, Zuri pulled something out of Law that was foreign to him. Though he had been with his girlfriend, Whitney, for a long, exhausting decade, he had never experienced a woman taking his heart so mercilessly.

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.

My name is Kennedy Desiree Carter. I met the love of my life, Damion "King" Carter, five years ago. Back then, you would not have been able to convince me of the way that he would change my life, in good ways and bad. I was a good girl; on my way to college with a high GPA and big dreams of becoming a child psychologist. Yet, as soon as I met King, I also dreamed of being the best rider that any street nigga had ever seen. I was a good girl with a bad boy fetish, and King was the ultimate bad boy that came to love me in ways that I had never felt before.

Travel back to a small Southern town where, before there was Duncan Motors, there were the Duncan brothers: Louis, aka Sweet Lou, a lover of ladies and life and a man you did not want to cross; Lawrence, aka Larry, a screw-up as attracted to trouble as it was to him; and Lavernius, better known as LC, the soft-spoken college boy who simply wanted to sell cars.

Milan Brooks, a fashion buyer with a chip on her shoulder, has been through her share of cheating, disrespectful men. In most people’s books, she’d be rated a true dime, but she still hasn’t been lucky enough to find a loyal man. When a chance encounter with a childhood friend turns into a promising relationship, Milan thinks things might be different this time. Unfortunately, her younger sister steps in with plans of her own.

In the tradition of Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim comes A Pimp’s Life, the story of the rise and fall of Mack Jones. He’s at the top of his pimp game in Queens, New York, until he breaks one of the cardinal rules of Pimping 101 and falls in love with one of his girls. Destiny was once an innocent young girl tricked into selling her body, but now she’s as tough as the most seasoned professionals on the street. Then a tragic turn of events causes her to open her heart once again.

Keith is an 18-year-old high school student living in Harlem. He has a life plan that includes being the class valedictorian and going to Columbia University. His mother is a recovering drug addict and his family is broken in most meanings of the word, but he has remained unfazed by his surroundings. He meets two cousins, Jesse and Derrick, and his senior year is turned on its head as he finds himself in a love triangle that leads to the discovery of details from his past that his mother wanted to keep hidden forever.

Leaving his home of Freetown, Sierra Leone, to further his education, Haji Abimbola travels to Texas to study chemical engineering. It seemed he could never please his father, but in a quest to prove that he is capable of great things, Haji excels in his field of study. After several major accomplishments and still not having the approval he longs for, he chooses to live life on his terms.

Tyrell is a young African-American teen who can't get a break. He's living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father's in jail. His girlfriend supports him, but he doesn't feel good enough for her - and seems to be always on the verge of doing the wrong thing around her. There's another girl at the homeless shelter who is also after him, although the desires there are complicated. Tyrell feels he needs to score some money to make things better. Will he end up following in his father's footsteps?

In Married But Still Looking, a handsome young bachelor struggles to give up his appetite for casual sex when he finally proposes to the woman of his dreams.

Local gangster Dante (Jack Boy) knows more than anybody how dangerous and ruthless the streets can be. But against his better instincts, he allows himself to fall for a local female gangster named Alinna, considered to be somewhat of a competitor to Dante because she leads her own all female crew. Alinna, too, is very well aware of the dangers that come with letting feelings get in the way of business. But like Dante, she decides to embrace the attraction anyway. That however proves to be a mistake when she discovers Dante is two-timing her with a female gang unit officer.

Pain is a survival mechanism of fundamental importance. It plays a crucial role in our lives, and eventually molds us into whoever it is that we become. At least it did for Zuri. After her world is brutally destroyed, she feels she has nothing left to hold on to but the fading dream of escaping the ghetto. Young, beautiful, and naïve, she is drawn into the world of sex and money, working at a hole in the wall strip club in South Philly.

Michelle is a struggling single mother, but all things considered, she is making it. Accepting her responsibility as such makes it easier to deal with the subpar help she gets from the father of her child. Working as a paramedic, she loves her job and her son. It only takes one call while on duty to change not only her outlook on things, but her life as a whole. Michelle and Ty’Kym are two opposites with chemistry and mystery pulling them together. Their ride will give you a firsthand look at how fate can intervene at any time in your life.

He came into my life like the storm I'd never expected, forcing his way into my life with all the cocky arrogance that a man who built his way up from the bottom could possibly have. Like a god in human form, he seduced me with ease, and though I tried to play hard to get, he knew from the beginning that he would be getting me. There are a million and one reasons why I shouldn't love him. A million and one reasons why I shouldn't want him. Gucci is intoxicatingly toxic, a devil in designer shoes. He's the last man on Earth that I should ever want. But I want him anyways.

After witnessing the murder of his parents, Wolf goes out and avenges their deaths the very next day. Wolf's father always told him if anything happened, he would be the man of the house. Unfortunately, the tragedy forced him to be that and to make sure his siblings were always safe. Journey was finishing her masters degree and excited to start her endeavor into the world. However, she meets Colby, who she swears would never be the kind of man for her. He's too thuggish and rough around the edges. Unbeknownst to her, Colby has his own agenda and will stop at nothing to get her.

Even though Brynlee is a hood girl at heart, getting out the hood has always been number one on her to-do list. Now at the age of 25, she has done just that. Big house, dream job, and even engaged to her college boyfriend. She has it all, but she is consistently left wondering, am I really happy? Is my life complete? After getting into it with her fiancé Troy about the one thing she desires so desperately, she decides that it is time to let her hair down and escape reality for a while.

Yara Samuels has experienced her fair share of hurt in life. Growing up in a home ridden with domestic violence, Yara was taught at a young age that if it isn't painful, then it isn't love. It takes watching her mother be beaten to death by her stepfather for young Yara to learn that love taps shouldn't send you to the grave. All grown up, she searches for a man who knows how to love a woman with his heart and not his fists.

Treasure thought her life was perfect after winning the state title, but little did she know her night was about to take a dramatic turn. When she arrived home, she found out that an unexpected surprise had been delivered on her doorstep throwing her life into chaos. Seeking a distraction, she agrees to host a birthday party in the hood. Going there, she unknowingly sets herself up for a chance encounter with Kaine Bailey, a smooth, rich, handsome gangster. Despite their different lifestyles, Treasure and Kaine feel an undeniable attraction to one another. Will this unexpected encounter ...

Eight years after moving away from her hometown of Miami, Cherokee is back home to take care of her sickly grandmother. While trying to stay low and off the scene, she puts all her focus into her job and her family. That is, until the man who broke her heart many years ago unexpectedly walks into her life once again.

When 21-year-old student Shanecia Jones came home from college, her entire world was turned upside down when she found her mother in the bedroom, nearly dead from a drug overdose. Always eager to be the one to set things right for the people she loved, she decided, against the urgings of her cousin, Maliah, to confront the leader of the new gang in Liberty City who is responsible for serving her mother's addiction. But once she meets Legend, her life really begins to change.

Jahiem Carter is the hood's finest tattoo artist and quite the ladies' man. With all of the bruises on Antonia's body and her messed-up lifestyle, Jahiem sees a beautiful girl who's just been dealt some bad cards in life and wants to get to know her as a friend, but he cant help the physical attraction between the two.

Rhythm Mitchell is a single mom who works, comes home, and spends time with her son. Her last boyfriend hurt her bad, so she swore off men and had no problem being alone. She stays away from drama unless necessary, and her worst enemy is her best friend's sister. Zahra feels like Rhythm has been around too long, which interfered with bonding moments with her sister. Zahra and her sister can’t stand one another, but when she needs Kalila’s help, will the animosity they have toward one another stand in the way?

Growing up as a classically trained ballerina with dreams of being a professional dancer, balance was my life. Everything about me depended on it; my diet, my temper, my sleep and waking schedule. I even dedicated myself to rigorous yoga and martial arts training to learn how to maintain focus by balancing my breath. Balance was literally my everything.

Every man has his weakness. For prominent painter and sculptor Malakai Madden, that weakness has always been women. Now, he's finally ready to settle down and shower one woman with his love. There's just one major problem. Overnight, he's gained thousands of Twitter followers after his obsessive ex decides to leak some private information. To make matters worse, a well-known media source retweets them! Suddenly, every woman wants a piece of Malakai.

Alexis Griggs has worked hard to get where she is in life. She owns several clinics that service people in need and is a pillar of her community, but looks can be deceiving. Alexis and her brother, Jace, are both leading double lives, which are both illegal and deadly. It leaves little time for Alexis to have a personal life; that is until she has a chance encounter with single father Kevell Farrell.

Owen Santiago hasn't been dealt the greatest hand in life, with one tragic event in particular changing her for seemingly forever. Not willing to let the hardships drag her down, she presses forward, making herself happy the best way she knows how and by any means necessary. Owen is perfectly happy, or so she thinks, and believes the last thing she needs is a man, especially one as masculine, handsome, bold, yet undeniably sweet as Conquer. But what she soon realizes is there is a vast difference between men and little boys.

In the previous installment, Owen was faced with her haunting past, and with nowhere to run. Having let her guard down due to being with the handsome and protective Conquer, will she be able to get away unlike the last time? Or will the perpetrator strike again, ruining the progress Owen has made personally and romantically? If so, Owen will quickly realize that Conquer loves very hard and is extremely zealous when it comes to his La Bella. Now that Conquer has decided to go against the grain and make Owen his official girl, he is forced to deal with the many people that don't agree.