April has come and gone. It brought lots of crazy weather and some pretty amazing books. Check out these new releases.
Smoke N Stroke
Aja
Have you ever met a man who sets your soul on fire… and you also happen to hate him too? Yes, no, maybe? Well for me, that man is Zaire Booker. I can’t stand his guts, and yet I crave feeling his large hands roam all over my body nearly every moment of every day.
Professionalism and passion intertwine as Zaire Booker and Nala Jackson offer therapy to the patients who depend on them at Higher Pathways Counseling Center. Zaire, accustomed to taking the unconventional route, finds himself intrigued by Nala’s adherence to traditional methods. Meanwhile, Nala, who loves following the book, struggles to find a diagnosis in the DSM V for what burns inside her for Zaire.
In the battle between professionalism and passion, Zaire and Nala are discovering a whole new world of ecstasy. As they explore the depths of their desires, they realize that love is the wildest therapy of all.
The Maverick’s Thirty-Day Marriage
Rochelle Alers
“Marry me…for a month!”
Cowboy Ross Burris has an image problem, and he needs to fix it in a hurry. When sports reporter Celeste Montgomery comes to town for an interview, opportunity knocks—and Ross answers. He can’t believe it when he proposes to the city girl, but no one is more surprised than Celeste when she actually says “I do!” to the sexy rodeo star. But she quickly realizes she’s made a terrible mistake, because all she wants is to make her fake Mr. a forever husband…
When I Think of You
Myah Ariel
Kaliya Wilson has paid her dues. But all the years behind the reception desk at a flashy film studio have only pushed her movie-making dreams further out of reach. That is, until a surprise reunion presents an opportunity that could make her career, or break her heart…a second time.
It’s been seven years since Kaliya’s whirlwind college romance with Danny Prescott went up in flames. While her passions have stalled, his career is taking off. So when the hot shot director reappears to offer her a job on his next production, it’s a shock to the system. Working with Danny may recapture the intensity of their film school days, but trusting him again won’t come as easily.
As the pair allows themselves the openness and vulnerability to entrust their deepest truths to each other, the possibility of a true connection draws ever closer. But when Hollywood politics and scandal threaten to sink the production and her career, Kaliya may have to risk everything to do what’s right—even if it means letting go of the second chance love of a lifetime.
Touch of Smoke
A.C. Arthur
When the clinic Sariya McKinney worked at is closed, she has to scramble to find a legal alternative for the medicinal cannabis her patients need. A night out reveals her best friend’s brother, Ro, is a cannabis banker, who can help her take the steps to opening her own dispensary. Their business link quickly turns into a series of passionate hook-ups that neither has a desire to stop, until passion leads to emotions that quickly become too much for them, and those closest to them, to handle.
As far as homecomings go, Ronan “Ro” Simmons, couldn’t have asked for a better one when the woman he’d convinced himself he could never have, ends up in his bed. But helping Sariya with her new business venture and falling in love with Sariya are two different things and that age-old warning of never mixing business with pleasure soon becomes his reality.
Stealing Home
Riley Baxter
In the electrifying romance where the spotlight shines brightly, an unexpected collision between fate and desire sets the stage for a gripping tale of love, self-discovery, and the complexities of relationships. In Stealing Home, follow the tumultuous journey of Maylon, a charismatic and talented baseball player, and Kierra, a vibrant young woman with a hidden vulnerability.
When a routine swing sends Maylon’s baseball hurtling into the stands, it strikes Kierra, the sister of his best friend, with a fateful force. As their eyes meet in the aftermath, an inexplicable connection sparks between them, transcending the boundaries of friendship. But their contrasting worlds threaten to tear them apart.
Kierra harbors an intense fear of attention, an anxiety that paralyzes her when faced with public scrutiny. Maylon, on the other hand, thrives in the glow of the limelight, basking in the adoration of fans and the acclaim of his achievements. As their lives become entwined, they must confront the profound challenge of reconciling their conflicting desires.
Drawn together by an undeniable attraction, Maylon and Kierra embark on a delicate dance of self-discovery, navigating the complexities of their relationship against the backdrop of a demanding baseball season. Together, they confront their fears, push each other’s boundaries, and learn that true love requires compromise, understanding, and the courage to embrace vulnerability.
Love in the Red Zone (audiobook)
Love Belvin
Meet Trent Bailey, who is fighting for the right to continue his stellar professional football career after enduring striking legal woes in the recent past. Trent cannot and will not blow his second chance for anyone; after all, this is the blessing he’s been praying for. After receiving confirmation that staying focused is all he needs, it’s what he aims to do. No distractions. That’s until he bumps into two unexpected overnight guests.
Jade Matthews is doing everything she can for herself and her young son, Kyree. After journeying through her own bumps in the road, she’s finally getting it together. She’s doing what she has to do to make sure her family of two stays afloat. Life’s setbacks won’t stop Jade from providing for her little one, even though she fumbles each pass thrown at her.
What starts out as a temporary favor turns into rapid passion. There’s one agenda here, but getting to the same meeting point has never been more difficult. Fighting their way through trust and self-esteem issues, the two must meet in the right zone; the red zone, where you may think you’re safe, but life has a way of intercepting blessings and . . . turning the tide.
Blood Justice
Terry J. Benton-Walker
Cristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice.
They took back their family’s stolen throne to lead New Orleans’ magical community into the brighter future they all deserve.
But when Cris and Clem restored their family power, Valentina Savant lost everything. Her beloved grandparents are gone and her sovereignty has been revoked—she will never be Queen. Unless, of course, someone dethrones the Trudeaus again. And lucky for her, she’s not the only one trying to take them down.
Cris and Clem have enemies coming at them from all directions: Hateful anti-magic protesters sabotage their reign at every turn. A ruthless detective with a personal vendetta against magical crime is hot on their tail just as Cris has discovered her thirst for revenge. And a brutal god, hunting from the shadows, is summoned by the very power Clem needs to protect the boy he loves.
Cris’s hunger for vengeance and Clem’s desire for love could prove to be their family’s downfall, all while new murders, shocking disappearances, and impossible alliances are changing the game forever.
Welcome back to New Orleans, where gods walk among us and justice isn’t served, it’s taken.
You Never Know
Connie Briscoe
Alexis Roberts is asleep one night when someone breaks into her home and tries to assault her. Though she manages to escape serious harm, the invasion has left her scared and shaken. The police are investigating, but Alexis has few details to share with the detective on the scene. She’s hearing impaired and could not find her cochlear implants in the darkness, which left her unable to both see and hear the intruder.
Was her attacker a stranger or someone whom she knows—a person who may have once been close to her?
Flashback to a year earlier when Alexis meets the man of her dreams. Marcus is handsome, successful, polished and everything she’s ever wanted. Attentive, charming, and fluent in American sign language, he’s unlike any man she’s ever known. Believing he is the Mr. Right who was meant to be her forever partner, Alexis says yes when he asks her to marry him. Why wouldn’t she?
But once they’re married, Marcus grows distant and resembles little of the charming man who swept her off her feet. Who is this stranger she’s married? Determined to uncover the truth, Alexis begins to carefully unearth the secrets in her husband’s life. When she makes a horrifying discovery—his first wife is missing and suspected dead—Marcus suddenly disappears without a trace.
Now, in this gigantic house in an isolated neighborhood with no family and friends nearby to help, a terrified Alexis waits for her intruder to return. She’s trapped in the dream home that has become a nightmare, unsure who Marcus really is . . . and what he’s capable of doing.
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Courage to Love Again
Kimberly Brown
Pascha St. Claire has nothing to live for.
After five years, her once-loving husband, Raymond, decides to end their marriage. He’s unable to deal with her mental health, significant weight gain, or the idea that she cannot seem to birth him a child. She returns home one night to find her belongings on the curb and the locks to her home changed. Her pleading falls on deaf ears as Raymond has made the decision to end their marriage. With no other option, Pascha is forced to leave and never look back.
When Callum Ellis accepted the reservation for his car service, the last thing he expected was to pick up a beautiful, weeping stranger. His heart goes out to her as he drops her off at a hotel. After discovering her credit cards have been canceled, Callum swoops in to pay for her stay. Though she wants to protest, Pascha realizes she is in no position to decline the stranger’s generous offer.
Months roll by and Callum is still unable to get Pascha out of his head. A chance encounter finally lands him in her presence, and Callum is determined to make the most of it. Though she initially declines his interest, Pascha soon finds herself intrigued by the once-kind stranger. Fear has her recoiling at his advances, but men like Callum come to restore. Will Pascha continue to avoid the inevitable, or does she find the courage to love again?
Back Down Memory Lane
Lamartz Brown
Memories, they say, last for a lifetime… but what if it’s only temporary?
Adulting for Berkeley So’Lei Carson started at a young age due to childhood traumas that crippled her ability to grow past her roots. When Berkeley is attacked and loses her memory, she has a chance to plant again. Longing to put her past behind her, she embarks on a journey of self-preservation. Will she harvest the right seeds in this new season of drought and disaster, or will the rain of the past yield results for the future?
Iceland “Ice” Jones’s love for planes made intersecting runways a no brainer… Until his flight landed on an island fueled by the wildfires and desires of his soulmate, Berkeley So’Lei Carson. A catastrophe separated their soul tie, leaving behind the distant memories of a true soul connection. Will Iceland fight to rebuild what once brought them together, or will he leave the wasteland never to return?
Iceland and Berkeley travel up and down, faster than the speed of sound, Back Down Memory Lane. Both realizing that what once was, will always be, even if it’s forgotten in the moment.
My Heart at Ease
LaQuana Brumfield
When friends become lovers, they forget the rest of the world exists. Even the people they were supposed to be in a relationship with.
Ten years was a long time to go without speaking to someone. Especially when that person was the only man to ever hold your heart. Kitty Carrell is a Country music singer at her wits end with the industry she used to love. Needing time away from her tour and a boyfriend from hell, she decides to go back home for the weekend. The only thing scary about going home is, Marcel is there.
Marcel had just returned from a twelve-month deployment and home wasn’t feeling like home. The house he shared with his fiancée, Chanel, had been completely changed around and he no longer fit. When he finds out Chanel has been cheating, seeing Kitty at his parents annual St. Patrick’s Day party could either be the best or worst thing to ever happen to him.
Kitty and Marcel are in a fight against the urge to love each other. Will they stand firm on their principles or lock in and forget the world exists?
One of Us Knows
Alyssa Cole
Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.
Then a surprise visit from the home’s conservation trust just as a Nor’easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.
Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.
Out of Office
A.H. Cunningham
Genevieve Raymond was born an overachiever. After opening a hot new hotel chain location in Panama, she’s on track for a major promotion. But first, she desperately needs a break, even if her overbearing mother doesn’t approve. For two glorious weeks, Gen’s giving herself permission to explore the beautiful beaches of Colón—and the stimulating attraction she shares with her sexy-as-hell driver, Adrián Nicolas.
After a family tragedy, Adrián’s recently shifted his own focus to prioritizing the life part of a healthy work-life balance. To workaholic Gen, Adrián’s laid-back devotion to his family’s hometown hostel couldn’t be more appealing. Their long-term goals might not align, but two weeks in paradise only calls for seductive physical chemistry, and Gen and Adrián have got that, without a doubt.
But when their intimate connection flourishes beyond sunsets and spice, Gen finds herself questioning whether the career path she’s been on is even where she wants to be. With continents between them, a real relationship doesn’t feel possible. Until fate reveals their futures might be more closely woven than they thought, leaving them wondering whether a two-week fling might have what it takes to last forever.
The Mania of Love
Mel Dau
“Never be afraid to live out loud.”
If only PrimRose “Prim” Jordan could take her own advice. Circumstances and life events have her living under a cloak of secrecy and deceit that she doesn’t see herself ever coming from under. The weight is not only heavy on her, but it sometimes falls heavier on her son. What will it take for her to stick her head out from under this cloak? The real question that needs to be answered is whether removing the cloak is worth the mania.
Siar McKinney is the man with the plan. His plan is to live a happy, stress-free life loving the people in it. A plan wouldn’t be a plan without a curve ball or two. The curve ball pitched is a beautifully cloaked woman. Will the cloak be too heavy for him to remove? Will he be prepared for what is uncovered once it’s removed?
Love can be a mania by itself without all the other added foolishness of life. Will these two find a way to ride out the mania or will it completely engulf them? Once the cloak is pulled back, will they both be able to handle what comes with it
You’re invited to join the crew to see just where the Mania of Love takes us. Welcome to the Mania Crew.
Smoke Screen
Kimmie Ferrell
Raphael:
To most, I’m the black sheep of my family. Owning Weed the People, an upscale marijuana dispensary located in the heart of D.C., hasn’t helped clean up my image. I don’t care. My main concern is growing my business. Until a chance encounter brings me face-to-face with the one that got away, twice. Ashlynn Harrison is smart, funny, caring, beautiful, and the newly appointed chief vintner of Harrison Family Vineyards. Under the guise of partnering with HFV to create a cannabis-infused wine, I’m determined to show Ashlynn why the third time’s the charm.
Ashlynn:
I spent the last five years traveling the world, learning how to be a better winemaker while running away from the pain of heartbreak. Now, I’m back home as HFV’s newest—and first woman—chief vintner. With much to prove and my work cut out for me, a collaboration with Raphael Reed sounds tempting, much like the man himself. It could also set me apart from the vintners before me. However, with our not-so-complicated complicated history, working together could have us on Cloud Nine or cause more than one relationship to go up in smoke.
She’s a Baddie
Monique Fisher
Christopher Rossmore has one dream: to run Rossmore Wineries, the vineyard that has been in his family for generations. Despite preparing for the role since birth, Christopher finds himself competing with his estranged father’s gold digging fiancee for the job.
In order to become CEO, he has to convince celebrity couple Michaela Hamilton and Hunter Lawrence to hold their star studded nuptials at the vineyard.
He can run a business with his eyes closed, but public relations is not his jam.
He’s gonna need some help.
Isobel Brooke Taylor has one dream: to run Taylor Made Hair Care, the family run hair care brand currently helmed by her father. Despite traveling all over the world to solidify Taylor Made’s status as an international brand, the board is worried that her reputation as a party girl & socialite would make her unsuitable to take over.
In order to get the top job she has to convince the board that she can balance business & pleasure.
Walking into a crowded party and walking out with everyone eating out of the palm of her hand? Easy. Doing the same thing in the boardroom? Not so much.
She’s gonna need some help.
When Izzie and Chris discover that Michaela and Hunter are hosting a couples only retreat, the perfect plan emerges. These childhood best friends will pretend to be lovers, while Izzy helps Chris woo the future Lawrences and Chris helps Izzy woo the board.
But, can Christopher and Isobel get through the retreat without wooing each other?
This Time Forever
Dara Girard
One bouquet
Three sisters
And a wedding day that will change their lives forever
Nobody notices Cat Kayode.
She feels invisible in comparison to her beautiful sisters.
But when a bouquet toss at her sister’s wedding ends in disaster, Cat finds herself thrust into the path of the one man who not only notices her, but despises her too.
Bryant Meadows can’t look at Cat without remembering a painful and humiliating incident that happened years ago. He avoids her every chance he gets.
Until he discovers something surprising about Cat that not only shakes him to his core, but causes him to look at her in a whole new way…
One More Valentine
Katrina Jackson
When Mei Barnes was eighteen, she saw Miles Jefferson across a crowded room and knew immediately that he would be the love of her life. The first time Miles saw Mei, he knew that whatever he did for the rest of his life would be to make himself worthy of her love. For fifteen years, their relationship was easy and joyful, until it wasn’t.
It’s been three years since the divorce and the only thing time had given them was more pain until their best friends, Ezra and Candace, reunited over New Year’s Eve. When they get the invitation to fly to Paris to celebrate their new relationship, Miles and Mei agree out of love and loyalty to their friends. Reuniting for one more Valentine’s Day together dredges up all their old hurts, but also two decades of a love written on their souls.
Finders Keepers
Sandra Kitt
She found a love worth more than money.
When Olivia Cameron set out to renovate the house left to her by her great-aunt, the last thing she expected to find behind the walls was millions of dollars worth of currency dated circa 1929. As the director of a charter school, to reap this much money would be life changing, so long as it’s hers to keep. But when FBI agent Sloan Kendrick comes to question her, the instant attraction thrumming between them gives Olivia nervous butterflies.
Sloan feels the pull between him and Olivia too, but he’s got a job to do. As his investigation brings him and Olivia closer, Sloan recognizes in Olivia’s hesitation that she doesn’t fully trust him yet…
Because a romance like this is too good to be true. Olivia has already had her miracle, and lightning doesn’t strike twice, does it?
Holy Grail
Charae Lewis
Life was ideal for Nyomi until a shocking revelation disrupts her entire existence. Not sure of how to move on, she becomes trapped in a state of devastation with no way out. After a night on the town, she’s propositioned with an interesting invitation. After hearing the terms and conditions, Nyomi declines and leaves the offer on the table. Yet, she decides one part of the deal may be something she wants to indulge in…
Hezi was bored with his mundane routine. Clubbing and satisfying his sexual desires had gotten old fast. One night at the club changed his entire outlook on life. A captivating encounter leaves him smitten and curious. She’s everything he didn’t know he needed. However, there’s one thing stopping him from enjoying her completely…
Taste the Smoke
Sheryl Lister
Kenya Grant knows heartache and is determined not to make the same mistake again. When it comes to men—if she chooses to date at all—she keeps things light…no commitments, no ties. Until Alonzo Bennett. Sexy and caring, he awakens an explosive passion that tempts her to open her heart once more.
Kenya is everything Alonzo wants in a woman, from her brilliant mind to her stunning beauty, inside and out. With each caress and sensual kiss, they’re drawn closer together and he’s convinced she’s the woman he wants to spend his life with. But getting Kenya to trust again means healing old wounds and proving to her that their love is a risk worth taking.
Fake It till You Make It
Siera London
When Amarie Walker goes for something, she goes big—including starting over. Leaving her cheating ex and entire D.C. life in the rearview, she crash lands in a small town with no plan, no money, and no job. An opening at the animal clinic is the only gig for miles, no surprise considering the vet is a certified grump. If Eli Calvary ever cracked a smile, Amarie might faint on sight from shock. At least his adorable golden retriever appreciates her fabulousness…and shares her love of daily treats!
When Eli took over his late father’s practice, he quickly discovered the clinic was facing foreclosure. So there’s no time for social niceties, especially not flirting, even with someone as gorgeous, bubbly, and business-savvy as Amarie. Yet when Eli needs to invent an investor on the fly, it’s her name that comes to his lips. Now, for the sake of their furry clients, Eli and Amarie hustle to save the clinic, trying to ignore the nonstop sparks between them. Because while their partnership may be fake, their connection already feels way too real.
Say You’ll Ride
Tucora Monique
Stevie Bluehaven faces a tough decision: break the number one street code or stay in an abusive relationship. Choosing herself, the twenty-seven-year-old dog groomer goes against the grain and runs to a new city with her baby, best friend, and the clothes on her back. Taking advantage of her fresh start, Stevie pours all her time into building her clientele and restoring her faith in herself. However, an impromptu night out leads her to a place inhabited by a dangerous man, with broadening energy and protection the runaway didn’t know she would need.
In a world where loyalty is everything, Shiloh Sharp is a man who commands it. As the owner of the hottest strip club in Silk Hills, he has a reputation of being a boss, and as the president of a notorious club, he’s created a reputation of being dangerous. No matter how others view him, Shiloh’s only concern is the way his daughters see him. With that in mind, the street racer offers a helping hand to a curvy woman who gets tangled in his beef. There’s no way he could know the act of kindness would lead him to confront his principles and people from his past.
Stevie and Shiloh don’t have much in common except knowing the impact of breaking the rules. When given the option to ride or die, will the duo hold each other down or hold each other back?
Marinated Conditions
Tyora Moody
Eugeena Patterson-Jones is excited about planning her daughter Leesa Patterson’s wedding. With three months to go, there’s lots to do. They meet for lunch at the award-winning Smokin’ Ward barbecue food truck owned by Leesa’s wedding caterer.
Lately the Smokin’ Ward owners has been at odds with a local barbecue competitor. When the competitor’s body is found inside his food truck, Leesa’s friends become suspects.
Usually, Eugeena is the one who’s sticking her nose into situations, but Leesa is determined to find out who’s trying to destroy her friends’ business and frame them for murder. The mother and daughter team up to find the smoking gun.
Mr. Steal Yo’ Girl
Natisha Raynor
Honey Baines met True at a time when her world was falling apart. And while she appreciates him she doesn’t love him. While she’s waiting to fall True is falling deeper. Years and an engagement later Honey still feels the same and she knows she has to do something about it. Honey thinks she’s broken. Until she meets Banks Hayes and he evokes feelings in her she didn’t know she could possess. This only adds to her troubles and Honey is torn….until skeletons start falling out of True’s closet and she wonders if she knows him at all.
Banks did three years in prison and with no plans to return to the game he finds two jobs and enrolls in college. Leveling up in life and being there for his sons are his only focus until he meets Honey. He’s enthralled with her but she belongs to somebody else.
Fate Be Changed
Farrah Rochon
If you could change your fate, would you? Merida understands that as princess of Clan DunBroch, she has certain obligations—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Especially when one of those obligations means losing her freedom by becoming betrothed to a man she has never met. Merida balks at this tradition, but her mother Queen Elinor insists that Merida must do this to embrace her role as future queen.
Determined to chart her own path, Merida follows magical wisps to a witch’s cottage, where she is given a magic pastry and promised it will incite “a great transformation” in her mother. But instead of feeding Elinor the pastry, Merida eats it herself.
Merida awakens in the past, a now-teenage Elinor holding a knife to her throat and accusing her of espionage. She’s been transported to a time when the Clans MacCameron and DunBroch are bitter enemies. And it just so happens that the timing of Merida’s arrival has kept Elinor and Fergus from meeting.
Will Merida be able to bridge the rival clans, help her parents fall in love, and change her own fate?
Smoke and Mirrors
Angela Seals
Crimson
Over my lifetime, people have labeled me as a conceded S.O.B and they might be right. Being the bastard son of the late Mr. Cromwell, I inherited one of the most successful cannabis cultivation centers in the northern hemisphere.
I also inherited my I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude from my estranged father, which may cost me my business. After my public breakup with America’s sweetheart, I lost many clients. My only saving grace is a favorable rating from the renowned cannabis critic, SmokinLady. Her articles make or break careers. There’s just one major problem.
She hates my guts.
After one stupid decision over fifteen years ago, things were never the same between us. She thinks I’m an insensitive jerk and I think she’s an uptight killjoy. If I can convince her to forget about the past, there’s hope for my farm. But when the smoke clears, will this gorgeous woman still hate me? Or will she realize that we need each other in more ways than one?
Days Are Coming
Pat Simmons
I’m coming for the children.
Minister Jude Morgan has a strong relationship with the Lord but doesn’t know what the latest message means. He is determined to intercede for his young mentee, Carlton Oliver, and children worldwide.
Nine-year-old Carlton wants to get to know his estranged dad, but at what cost? He’s about to discover many things he doesn’t know about the man who fathered him, and he’s on a mission to worship the Lord.
Sinclaire Oliver regrets getting her ex, Harrison Wakefield, involved in her life and that of his son Carlton. He’s more trouble than the monthly child support payments she had to sue for. She knows he’s angry but never expects it to take a dark turn. Sinclaire learns that God makes no mistakes, even when things don’t make sense.
As God sends His judgment on the earth, the devil plants decoys to distract the saints from their mission to be on guard. Is the world doomed, or is there room for redemption?
Embers and Smoke
Tiye
When the first man who broke her heart is the one to mend it…
If there’s one thing former NFL player Jace Legend loves, it’s a confident, sexy woman who’s not afraid to stand her ground with him. Especially when it’s his new reluctant business partner in his latest venture, which joins his two favs: good food and good smoke.
If there’s one thing that the decidedly single, Chef Spirit Kimble hates, it’s an arrogant man who believes he has all the answers. Especially when that man just happens to be the boy who tormented her in high school and now has invested in her failing restaurant without her knowledge.
While Jace is convinced that his idea of an upscale cannabis-infused restaurant will be a success, Spirit is sure the idea will fail in a state known for conservatism and cowboys. As they work tirelessly together to open Embers in time for 4/20 day, Jace and Spirit bump heads at every turn. Until they realize that their fiery clashes are a recipe for the passionate love neither ever knew they craved.
A Peculiar Case of Love
Wynta Tyme
Life can change in the blink of an eye. No one knows that better than successful tattoo artist Sonnet Ballad. Loss is a terrible feeling to experience as she heals from the absence of her parents. Now she’s left to help her brother, Damien, become an entrepreneur like herself. With their new goals and routine ahead of them, what could possibly go wrong? Sonnet’s life is changed the moment a slick talking alderman and her That Girl mentality walks into their lives. A string of sabotages and attacks lands Sonnet behind bars with her freedom stripped away.
In her new home, she finds love in the most unexpected way and time. Time is something Sonnet doesn’t have. Her execution is scheduled for two months away, and Level E’s prison guard Piston Hunter, can’t fathom the idea of losing her. She’s the first real love he’s ever had. Will Sonnet’s sentence be overturned in time, or will Piston experience a loss he’s never felt before?
Unlike Before
J.B. Vample
A love neither expected, begins at first sight.
Since divorcing her ex-husband nine years ago, thirty-five-year-old Patience Harvey has focused on rebuilding her life and raising her eight-year-old daughter, Noelle. Thriving and content with her career and her growing family, the last thing that Patience is thinking about is entertaining another relationship.
Running a successful construction company from the ground up has kept Michael Carter busy. However, after three years as a single man, the thirty-seven-year-old bachelor has reached the point where he’s longing for companionship, but feels that he’s missed his chance. That is, until an unexpected detour to a bakery leads him to meet a fellow patron who immediately catches his eye—and unbeknownst to her—captures his heart.
Patience never imagined that a pit stop for a few pastries would put her in the presence of a man who could make her consider diving back into dating. Yet as she continues crossing paths with the enticing Michael, she knows she’s ready. However, as courtship flourishes into romance, Patience’s past resurfaces, threatening not only their bliss, but her sanity.
Will Patience’s past trauma tear this new relationship apart? Or can she and Michael overcome the obstacles thrown their way to reach their happily-ever-after?
Changing of the Guard
Tiffany L. Warren
In a new world where melanin-deficient people cannot come outside during daylight hours without suffering severe burns or instant terminal cancer—there is one bright spot. A cure. Developed by NASA scientist Judah Cranston at the urging of his white wife Paige who wants to go to the beach, plant a garden, and try to regain the semblance of a normal life. Using government resources without the permission of his superiors, Judah risks his career, friendship with Zyan, and reputation; putting everything on the line for the woman he loves. But while the cure might provide protection from the sun, and possibly grant the gift of telepathy, it comes at a steep price. One that Paige may not be willing to pay, even if it means losing her dark knight in shining armor.
Kissed by the Sun
Tiffany L. Warren
When a solar event (the surge) curses melanin-deficient humans with fatal burns or terminal skin cancer; but blesses melanin-rich humans with telepathy and increased intelligence, the world’s hierarchy is tilted on its axis. But for interracial couple and NASA doctors, Judah and Paige Cranston, there’s more on the line than ancient ideals. Now, due to Judah’s inability to tolerate verbal speech and Paige’s inability to understand telepathy, they must rely on sign language to communicate. But the chasm between them grows as Judah’s intelligence allows him to participate in an advanced warp space travel program with Paige’s work nemesis Zyan, who was Judah’s ‘work wife’ before the surge, but now is his confidante and maybe mistress. Paige can’t be sure, but Judah’s work hours are getting longer while no one seems to be interested in finding a solution that allows melanin-deficient people to come outside during the daylight hours. The only one who seems to care about the melanin-deficient is Ethan Wright, a former megachurch pastor turned underground activist with one mission, to save the remnant white race. After a catastrophic work function leaves Paige feeling distraught, she teams with Ethan to launch an underground movement behind Judah’s back, while he’s in Miami with Zyan researching a potential cure for the surge’s impacts. Will Paige’s betrayal push Judah into Zyan’s welcoming arms?