Showing results by narrator "Iikane" in All Categories

Thalia, a 25-year-old wild girl gone good, moves back to her old neighborhood after a failed engagement and manages to catch the eye of the town's most wanted man - the incredibly sexy, single, devoted, and charismatic Reverend Isaac. Not only is there a large age difference between Thalia and the middle-aged pastor, but he also happens to be the father of Madison, her best friend since junior high school. Madison isn't trying to deal with her father dating anyone after her mother's death.

In this scintillating sequel to Dirty Little Secrets, Tyler Blake is off to Hollywood, the newest starlet of Tinsel Town, with a wonderful man by her side. Unfortunately, that man is married, and she once again crosses paths with controlling T-Roc. When Tyler thinks her life can't get any more complicated, she falls in love with Andre Jackson. He has it all - money, fame, movie-star looks, and the bad boy reputation that Tyler vowed to avoid.

After news of the attempted murder of his estranged fiancée, Gucci, Animal has two things on his mind: love and gunplay. With the help of his mistress, the deadly Red Sonja, Animal manages to elude his captors in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and washes up on the shores of Miami, Florida. He's one step closer to home, but it may as well be a world away. Animal is still a wanted fugitive, and getting to New York undetected proves to be trickier than he thought.

With their families torn apart by the vicious life of the streets, Sunshine and Rain find each other living with the same foster mother, who has a secret life of her own. With Rain's stern heart of steel and Sunshine's innocent heart of gold, they try to cope with traumatic, unforeseen circumstances that come their way. As these two diamonds hook up and shine, they go from rags to riches. Watch as Sunshine and Rain deal with death, betrayal, love, and sweet temptation. Can their newfound friendship survive all the madness?

The year is 1978. The Duncan brothers and their tough-as-nails women have vanquished their rivals and taken their place as the leaders of Waycross, Georgia's criminal enterprises. However, their rise to power has not gone unnoticed, and the family is rocked when their mother, Miss Bettie, is kidnapped and her body is found in a swamp. No one knows who the killers are, but instead of drawing closer, the family is split when their grief-stricken leader, LC, is offered membership in the South's most powerful black organization, the Council.

When Mecca's parents are killed in front of her by a family friend, she learns that true friends are few and far between. She is taken in by her aunt and soon finds out who is really riding for her and who is just around because they fear the wrath of Aunt Ruby. Making a deal with the devil doesn't seem all that bad when you're sitting on top of the world with endless amounts of money and designer everything, but it's not long before her beloved aunt Ruby is snatched away from her.

Nineteen-year-old Jewels is one of the Midwest's most wanted. The daughter of one of the baddest prostitutes to ever work the streets of St. Louis and a high-end call girl herself, she attracts nothing but the elite. She has caught the eye of 22-year-old Rome, a dope boy who quickly makes a name for himself in the Loo. One uneventful night, their worlds collide when Jewels is caught with a violent and deranged client, while Rome is laying low at the same hotel. After that evening, life for Jewels and Rome will never be the same.

There's a sayin' that if you come from my part of town, that you're from around the way. Around the Way Girls 4 is a look at the life of some street-smart women who think they have the world in the palm of their hands but are about to find out that things aren't always what they seem.

Nothing prepares Tyler Blake for the fast-paced living of New York City. A small-town girl from Georgia, she quickly gets caught up in the glamorous entertainment industry. While pursuing her dream of becoming an actress, Tyler continually gets sidetracked by men who promise to help her and finds herself going from one dysfunctional relationship to another. Just when Tyler finally believes she has found her ideal man in hip-hop producer Brian McCall, everything begins to go horribly wrong. Trapped in a nightmarish relationship, Tyler is determined not to go down without a fight.

It's been five long years . . . five years since I felt his touch, five years since I saw his face and here he is in my DM. I wanted so much more for us, so much so that I haven't let another man touch me in over five years. My friends probably think I'm crazy, but they don't understand when you've had a man who made you feel like no other. Hard to settle for anything less. I could feel the heat and mad chemistry as I ran my fingers across the words on the screen of my phone . . . it was him. I need to see him. I must see him. Just have to make sure that this time I don't get burned.

Four diverse young women meet after attending a very popular HBCU; each at a crossroads in their lives. Born and raised in the heart of Brooklyn, Franki doesn’t take crap from anyone. After relentlessly being hurt by the men in her life, she finds herself using them for the one thing she believes they’re good for. Sex. But when she’s labeled for her promiscuity and a new tragedy strikes, how will she recover? Paris, on the other hand, has led a life of privilege out in Beverly Hills; one that didn’t include very many minorities in her circle.

Brice Simpson is a newly promoted heroic detective with a secret past. He's riding the waves of fame, but he still feels he has something to prove, so Detective Simpson picks up a cold case on the murder of a 14-year-old girl. He's convinced the case will bring him redemption for his past indiscretions, but he soon finds out that the details surrounding the girl's murder may hit closer to home than he expects. When his younger sister goes missing, Brice's life is thrown into a tailspin that may cost him everything he has worked for.

Diamond, the sassy vixen that you love to hate, is back, and she has a few more tricks up her sleeve. After Kemp's death, she quickly moves on and shacks up with his best friend, Black. Unfortunately, things aren't running as smoothly as they expected. Diamond is quickly losing control of the situation - and her emotions - after multiple attempts on her life by one of the victims she believed she'd killed. To make matters worse, people from her past keep popping up and causing a ruckus, including the father that walked out on her 10 years earlier.

Jealousy, envy, and pure hateration. Maybe you've been there? Maybe you know someone that's going through it? Whatever the case you know when things get rough you can always count on your Sister Girls to be there for you. Take a look inside the lives of Crystal, Susan, Jewell, and Elsie. Their lives are laced with love, lust, and loyalty. Crystal must deal with a past she can't escape. Susan is in denial and needs to get real. Jewell is looking for a "good man." And Elsie is confused about her sexuality. When their issues explode, each woman is forced to confront her life and herself.

This collection is full of gritty stories of strong, spirited women who deal with everything from homicide and drugs to all sorts of turmoil - all while showing the men of the streets of Brooklyn that they are not afraid of anything. Perhaps the edgiest of all the Girls from da Hood books, this drama-filled installment follows a drug-fueled crime operation, which could put the girls and their extravagant lifestyles in permanent danger. But these girls from da hood are trying to find a way out of their troubles, by any means necessary.

Following the phenomenal success of Dirty Red, Essence bestselling author Vickie Stringer is back with a sizzling sequel filled with the notorious cast of characters—Red, Bacon, and Q—who made Dirty Red a smash hit. Now in paperback, following the phenomenal success of Dirty Red, Essence...

Written in prison and based on real-life experiences, the novel that launched the writing and publishing career of the bestselling author of Still Dirty, Dirty Red, and Imagine This…“the reigning queen of urban fiction” (Publishers Weekly). Let That Be the Reason is the novel Vickie M...

Imagine This is the sequel to Vickie Stringer's bestselling Let That Be the Reason, her stunning debut novel based on life as she knew it in the shocking underworld of the sex and drug trade. Vickie Stringer has gained a legion of fans for her portrayal of Pamela, a.k.a. Carmen, a woman who had...

Love can be messy, painful, and heartbreaking, but it can also be revolutionary, profound, and hopeful. With twelve stories ranging from love that’s found on one of the oldest HBCU campuses in the country, to modern-day romance budding against the rhythm and spirit of homecoming, You’ve Got a Place Here, Too is a celebration of Black love as well as everything HBCUs have given the community.

From the “queen of urban fiction” (Publishers Weekly), Vicki Stringer, comes a scorching crime drama of love, lies, loss, and the indomitable spirit of a woman scorned. Mischievous and manipulative, eighteen-year-old Red is an expert at deception with a provocative femininity. She employs...