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.

When souls are tied, it's never goodbye. A boy I was that summer evening I met you, pulling your belongings out of the truck and into your new home. I knew it was love then. A whole man I was the day that you met me at the altar and agreed to love me until death do us part. A shell of a man I've become since it did, unable to move on, move forward, or progress in any way until I discovered that not even death was permanent enough to keep us apart. A better man I'm destined to be, knowing that, at some capacity, you're still with me. Our love is one that never dies.

You met them in the Valentine and Rose series. In this prelude, I will formally introduce you to Malik Anthony Clark, Tristian Neil Clark, and Langston Jamal Clark.

Zahi was young and living life to the fullest. Then, he was thrust into fatherhood and forced to change his outlook on life, love, and happiness. The self-proclaimed bachelor did not expect to be swept up in emotions he'd never felt. However, caring for his daughter, Zuri, charged a part of his heart that he thought was dead. The spark awakened a need for more out of life. From the moment he laid eyes on India, he was drawn to her. The pull was so intense, and no matter how many times he told himself to stay away from her, he just couldn't follow his own command.

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.

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.

Cadence was forced to run to protect the one person she would give her life for. Sol was forced to run to protect the one person who he feels that he failed. You can’t hide from your indiscretions and you definitely can’t hide from your heart. When two creative souls are drawn to each other with an undeniable connection, the riffs and harmonies are a beautiful complicated mess.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Best friends? With a celebrity? Impossible. That's how Sesali feels after a chance encounter with super producer Dash Dean. His offer of friendship has to be a smoke screen for an ulterior motive. Besides, she already has best friends, and one of them has staked a claim on Dash.

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.

Career-driven and goal-oriented is what Suny Daniel is. After studying under the best surgeons in Texas, she's ready to make a change. That change leads her back to her roots in New Orleans. A mishap with her current boyfriend on New Year's Eve lands her in bed with the mysterious Kross Stockley. Kross Stockley is a wild card, one that tends to shy away from relationships and commitments. The moment that he meets Suny, he is immediately drawn to her. He quickly realizes everything that what he thought he didn't want, turns out to be exactly what he needs. But at what cost?

When club owner Adrian Bryant discovers his biological father is hotel magnate Elliot Crawford, his life unravels. Shunned by Crawford while he and his mother struggled, Adrian hatches a high-profile plan to destroy the Crawford name - and the reputations of his two half-brothers. But to shield the woman he loves from the hell he intends to unleash, Adrian has to let her go. Photographer Dana Singleton is heartbroken and confused by Adrian's behavior. But just when she's given up on their relationship, she begins to discover the truth - and a dark side of Adrian.

Losing everything doesn't have to be the end. Sometimes, it's a chance to find something different.

For Aurea Belle Shepard, everything she's ever wanted has always been right in front of her. At 17, she decides to leave her hometown to get away from her abusive foster father and oblivious foster mother. Her freedom from them is worth leaving everything behind - except her best friend, Prentice. Prentice has been Aurea's rider and protector since they became friends, so when she returns to their hometown, Prentice tries to reconnect and create those roles for himself all over again. Things are different now.

Family over everything! It sounds good in theory. But in reality family can be the first to screw you over. Paris, the stunningly beautiful sister, has always been the golden child, effortlessly captivating everyone around her. However, her breathtaking exterior hides a darker side—one that led her to betray her sister Samaya’s trust by sleeping with her man. Their once inseparable bond, igniting a fierce rivalry filled with resentment and longing. Samaya, on the other hand, is equally beautiful but feels overshadowed by Paris's allure. As she grapples with the betrayal, she finds ...

How long does it take to fall in love? It most certainly can't happen in one night . . . can it? A one-night stand, an engagement, and a wedding, all within the space between New Year's and Valentine's Day. Could it be love? If so, is it meant to be?

Can you remain in a marriage knowing that practically every woman around you has tasted that one part of your husband’s body that’s supposed to belong to you…and only you?!? Patience once loved everything about her husband, down to his dirty drawers. In the back of her mind, she always felt that he was seeing other women behind her back, but that was something she could never prove. A turn of events on a day that was supposed to be used for her to relax her mind and free herself of all negative thoughts about her relationship, caused Patience to leave behind the weak version of ...

Freelance writer Jacqueline Tate arrives in Los Angeles and soon meets brilliant, award-winning scientist Randall Atwater, the man she's come to cover at a conference on trends and technology. He is everything she's read about - brainy, witty, handsome, and cool. And after a week spent with the most fascinating man she's ever known, there's no way she can give him up. There's just one problem: Randall's wife of 20 years. No matter - men like Randall are few and far between.

Lieutenant Colonel Brenden Jasper lives a life of secrets, danger, and clandestine missions. As commander of the most elite Black Ops unit in the world, nothing is more important to him than protecting the country he loves. But there's a reason only the toughest, battle-tested, alpha men can call themselves members of the Black 2131 brotherhood. None but those in the highest realms of government even know of its existence, and it's Brenden's job to avoid emotional entanglements so he can keep it that way.

The only things in Jersey Kincaid's world that she has time for are keeping her grades up so that she doesn't lose her scholarship to South Texas University, playing the bass in her band, The Prototype, and satisfying her coffee addiction. Oh, and the occasional random hook-up she indulges in to pass the time. Love? Eh, not so much. Save that crap for a Katherine Heigl or Natalie Portman movie. That's why when Jersey meets Isaiah "Zay" Broussard, with his soulful gray eyes, quick wit, and easy charm, she's determined to remain aloof.

Since Yakima's been able to date, her detective father has reminded her of the type of men to steer clear of. At twenty-seven, she's done just that until one night of partying and a botched raid lead her into the house of mob boss Francisco Matisse.

Hidden away near the end of Long Island, New York, is a community where affluent African Americans, their friends, and the wannabes have secretly vacationed for more than 75 years. Unlike the bluffs of Martha’s Vineyard, black folks here own five miles of prime beachfront. With a mix of legacy families, new money, hangers-on, and thirsty developers, drama can never be far behind in a place called...the BLACK HAMPTONS.

“God made the woman from the man’s rib. Not from his head… that he should command her. Not from his feet… that he should walk upon her. But, rather from his side… to be his partner in life. From under his arm… to be protected by him. And from near his heart… to be loved by him.”~Matthew HenryNassir “Nas” Braxton was a man who never believed in love until he ran into his fiancé, Ciara. Ciara was everything he thought he wanted in a woman. That was until one random night when he wanted to surprise her, but he was the one that got the surprise of his life. Jamecca “Mecca...

Keyara Henderson's life takes an unexpected turn when more than half of her vision deteriorates due to diabetes. In an effort to regain her independence, Keyara opts to attend Georgia Southern University, a prestigious university with a drive long enough to prevent her from having anyone to fall back on. Although he has reservations, Keyara's father relents under two conditions: one being that she must stay in an assisted-living facility and the other requiring her to employ a chauffeur.

Returning home after a long sojourn abroad, Blu contemplates whether the time has finally come for her to put down some roots. Bryan, meanwhile, has been firmly rooted in one place and in one life for what now seems like far too long.