Mia used to have a taste for thugs and hoodlums, but now she's moved on. All the thug life gave her was two fatherless children and a lifetime's worth of heartbreak. She's finally turned her life around and is making a go of it as a successful single mother when she gets a letter: Tyrone, the father of one of her children, is getting out of prison. He wants to get back in his son's life. Mia would have to be crazy to take him back . . . but this time, it seems the tiger really has changed its stripes. Or at least, he'd like her to believe he has.
Layla Kennedy is a master at hiding. Since the age of 14, she's been hiding behind a veil of mental illness. Her racing thoughts, unpredictable behavior, possessive, compulsive issues and panic attacks are, for the most part, controlled by an assortment of medications. . .that is, when she takes them. On Halloween night, Layla walks a tightrope that lands her in hot water. . .she impulsively shares a night with a handsome brother in a pirate's costume. Jordan Scott, attorney, is immediately captivated by the mysterious Bad Cinderella who danced her way into his room, but like Cinderella, she slipped away into the night. Unable to forget the beautiful woman, Jordan is left speechless a month later when he spots her sitting across the courtroom. . ..she's the paralegal to his nemesis at another law firm. Layla sees him, too. Those lips, that chin, that body. . .it ‘s him! It's the worst possible thing that could happen because she's in no position, mentally, to get involved with any man. Unknowingly, Layla and Jordan soon become entrapped in a well-staged plan of blackmail. Unveiling their secrets brings heartache, but ultimately becomes the catalyst for their survival.
Dina Reigns allowed her past to determine her future. Orphaned, adopted, then losing her adoptive parents in a tragic accident, her future appears grim. Her grandmother became her guardian and guided her through her turbulent teen years. Dina never wavered, determined to become a person of value. Educated as nurse, she seeks a Ph.D. in nursing as her ultimate goal; she contracts with a childless couple to become a surrogate mother and uses the money she earns to finance her goal. Drew Tyler is a football player, a wide receiver for the Boston Anchors, a professional team. When he scores the winning touchdown to win the League Championship for the team, in his exuberance, he throws the ball into the stands. That is when he sees Dina, standing, smiling at the red-haired youngster who catches the ball. Stunned by her beauty, he knows that he has to meet her. After many false leads he finally finds her, but she is already pregnant. Can he convince Dina that his love for her is real or does she continue to cling to her goal of proving herself?
Enjoying the last day of merriment in LOVE Park, Kevin Zahir Dunmore sees a woman across the courtyard, and knows instantly he has to capture her image. He doesn't miss a step, sketching page after page of her silhouette. He ponders, if only he were close enough to see the shade of her eyes. Never one to let a moment pass he approaches her, swagger peppering his steps. Little does he know. . .his life will never be the same. The sensation is of butterfly wings skimming down her neck and across her exposed shoulders. Ashlyn Farrell feels open, and she shockingly relishes the imaged touch. She's forever in control, and as her life as a photojournalist depends on that control. However, on that day, she lowers her professional camera and basks in it. She wants to roll her head back toward her shoulders and raise her arms to the sun. Kevin and Ashlyn are vastly different, him from the Southside of Philadelphia, she a child of privilege, reeled in the gated communities of suburban Chicago. He's a self made, younger man, who's charming, confident, and at times slightly arrogant. She's worldly, brilliant, and a tad bit reserved. As their lives become more intertwined, traveling from the cool surf of the Atlantic, to the heated hills of S„o Paulo, their passion ignites, but is their love strong enough to face the skepticism of her family, or his male ego?
Candace should've listened to her father. He warned her about gangster rappers and forbade her to go to Rilla's concert, but his strong guidance only fueled her defiance. Candace sneaked to the show anyway, and, at seventeen, she got the thrill of her life when Rilla invited her onstage for a special serenade. Candace gave herself to him that night and turned her back on everyone she knew when Rilla asked her to run away with him. Six months later Candace finds herself in Overbrook Meadows, Texas; a world away from the beautiful home and family she left behind in New York. Rilla has been dropped from his record label, and he's a fulltime dope man now. Candace's stomach is getting bigger, and she can't say for sure who the baby's father is. She thinks things are as bad as they can get, but she's wrong about that. Candace has not yet experienced the real pain her new life has in store.
Deena Newman is sassy, single, and arguably the sexiest attorney at a prestigious law firm. She's highly competent and valued, but most of her success has come by way of bedrooms rather than boardrooms. When the position of a lifetime comes available, Deena slips into her stilettos for the ultimate seduction. But will this last rung on the corporate ladder secure her future or cost her everything she's worked for? Sometimes passion and power carry a price, and dreams turn into nightmares.
Lanisha Elder thought she found a diamond in the rough. Her sexy boxer beau has nine first-round knock-outs under his belt, and Lonzo put a ring on her finger, promising to never stray as he pursues his championship dreams. But it's hard to keep a roof over their heads in the meantime. Strapped for cash, Lonzo goes to work for a notorious crime boss, and trouble soon follows him to the people he loves. With her and her baby's life in danger, Nisha's not sure if she and Lonzo will make it to the final bell. Things get even more complicated when Nisha's first love returns from the war. Ellis is a handsome and decorated Marine now, and he would love to swoop in and deliver Nisha from the madness she calls life.
Ten years ago, Mona, Rene and Dawn were the closest and most popular friends at Finley High School. Everyone knew they would be kindred spirits forever, but after graduation the real world lured them in three different directions, and the trio has little contact until their high school reunion. The girls, now women, are instantly inseparable again, but broken promises linger like ghosts from the past. An attempt to recapture the hope and innocence of their youth leads the ladies down a road of discovery that is sometimes hilarious, sometimes sensual, other times dark and painful. And what they thought was their simplest vow, to live love to the fullest, is no easy task for the Finley sisters.
A shocking betrayal. When photographer Star Evans returns to her hometown of Liberty Creek, Texas, to attend her grandmother's funeral, she has no idea of the drama that awaits her. Star receives a letter written by her grandmother informing her that eight years ago she crafted a shattering lie in order to separate her from the young man she loved. Now, in order to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish, Star must come face to face with her past by enlisting the help of her first love. The One That Got Away. Case Matthews once loved Star with all his heart and soul. Until the day she left town without a word of goodbye and shattered him, body and soul. Now, years later, Case is a successful rancher who's moved on from heartbreak and loss. When Star comes knocking at his door asking for his help, he has no intention of having anything to do with the pampered princess. But when danger comes calling at her family's ranch, Case steps in to protect the woman he still loves. And as they work together to unravel the mysteries of the past and present, an explosive passion re-ignites.
Peri Reed is a survivor. The next time a good looking man crosses her path, she's going to smarter and wiser. However, when a very good-looking man of Irish descent crosses her path, Peri is at a loss. Sure Brendan Donovan is good looking, stable, and is an art director at a prestigious museum in Dallas, Texas, but she's still waiting for the other shoe to drop. With each date, Brendan is wearing down her resistance and Peri finds she's drowning in a sea of love. Brendan knows he has his work cut out for him. Peri is a beautiful woman, scarred but beautiful. Was getting to know this brown- eyed beauty worth all the trouble she was putting him through? Yes, he decides, after the first kiss, Peri was worth getting to know. He just had to convince her that he is nothing like her previous lover. When said lover makes a reappearance, Brendan's protective side comes out and he's ready to protect her at any cost. In that instant Brendan realizes that he wants Peri in his life permanently. He knows it's possible. He'd just have to show her the art of love.
