It started with a proposition (in a hotel bar of all places). The brooding drug lord. The beautiful damsel with jagged edges. You know the rest, right? It’s a page straight out of a hood fairy tale. But our story is far from a classic romance. Because Ahsan Patton isn’t your typical gangsta. He’s the kind that’ll order a hit then rearrange your guts to a slow jam. So, tell me why I agreed to be his fake girlfriend again?

Puma Wade learned early on that you can't count on a soul in this world. Everyone who has ever loved her has either abandoned her or let her down. The walls around her heart were there to protect her from getting hurt again, but when she meets a smart-mouthed club owner, things take an unexpected turn.

Psalm Reign is the IT specialist for his family's online brokering business. When his brother is shot and sent home under 24-hour nursing supervision, he moves in to assist with caring for his brother and watching his back. As handsome and successful as Psalm is, he's always been more into gaming and computers than the fairer sex. When the gorgeous chocolate nurse gains his attention, he starts to wonder if there is more to life than his family's crime empire and designing games.

Sevyn Stephens spent her entire childhood on the outside looking in, watching her father and his family bask in wealth and privilege while she and her mother struggled to make ends meet. But when tragedy strikes, Sevyn is thrust into the opulent world of her father, forced to move into his mansion with her younger sister Ciara and her cold, calculating stepmother. In order to survive, Sevyn tries her best to remember and utilize every piece of advice her mom instilled in her, but will it be enough?

I never planned on selling weed to make ends meet while juggling medical school. I certainly didn’t plan on catching feelings for Jordin "Mercy"—a street-smart charmer with a past darker than his flawless caramel skin. He’s got power, money, and enemies, yet somehow, his world feels safer than my own. But loving a man like Jordin isn’t simple. It’s a tightrope walk between devotion and destruction, secrets and survival.

Lessyn Bradshaw had been taught very young that a man was only good for one thing: his money. If he couldn't provide security, then he wasn't the man for her. However, Lessyn didn't want that for herself. She wanted someone who could provide love, safety, fidelity, and multiple orgasms. After being engaged for three years and never truly being fulfilled in the bedroom or otherwise, Lessyn was unsure if being married to the rich designer was worth the risk of being unhappy—unsatisfied. When she meets Gabriel, his energy and vibe immediately have her intrigued.

Protection. Monroe Iris has lived her entire life seeking it. She longs to have a safe space to fall in love—to be vulnerable. She's surrounded by things and people that were put in place to fill her with security but has none. Her entire life has been molded around being the perfect wife for an imperfect man. She's stuck following a family tradition that doesn't mean her well, without anyone in her corner to save her.

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.

Michelle and Kelsie have never had it easy, but the one thing that has remained consistent in each of their lives are each other. Both in their early twenties and with the stress of the world on their shoulders, they both manage to still be there for each other through it all. Michelle's dream is to be a top stylist, well her dream was a reality until she was fired from Naomi's shop because of her boyfriend. Tasheem is all Michelle knows, and that's being physically and mentally abused by the man she has loved since she was younger.

Since his mother’s death and his brother’s imprisonment, Maven Gold has been in a vicious cycle of sleeping with a different woman every other night to numb the pain. Frequenting a local sex club gives him access to various flavors to satisfy his palate. When a chance encounter with a blast from the past arouses more than his libido, he vows to make her his.

In this urban love story filled with betrayal, jealousy, shocking revelations, and forbidden obsessions, will the good girl and extra rude bad boy be able to develop a true love? Or will Camarih's negative outlook on life and love, continue to be true? But how easy is it for her to walk away when she gave him her all, and when there wasn't much left to begin with?

Life should be sweet for him and his wife, Malayah. However, the universe is throwing Lynx's world on its axis and stirring up trouble. Issues that were supposed to be buried resurfaced and could potentially threaten his happy home. Lynx also has to deal with the law trying to creep into his life. He rules his empire with an iron fist, and if he can be connected to any crimes within his organization, Lynx could be put under the jail and never again see the light of day.

You may remember the names June and Free from the series Insane 4 U. They were briefly mentioned, and with their quick introduction, we could all take a wild guess and realize that the two of them had the ability to put the T in toxic. June is Insane's big brother, and now, it's his turn to have his own story. June and Free have had this situationship going on for a few years now, and while some may admire their relationship, others will agree that it's toxic and draining. They could be good for each other, but for some reason, they just can't get it right.

I knew I wanted her since the first time I saw her at that kitchen counter sobbing. I could see the pain in her eyes, and I knew she had never been loved right. She probably never had someone console or love her the way that I knew I would. I couldn't love her then. My heart wouldn't allow me to, knowing that everything or everyone that loves me ends up leaving this earth.

Anastazia Chase has always had her life perfectly planned out. But what she didn't plan for was to be wrapped up with her current man Cedric. What started out as a potential fairytale romance quickly changed to the opposite, leaving Anastazia to become a woman she barely recognizes. When she realizes life won't ever change with him, she makes a shocking decision that sends her life into a tailspin.