In such a chaotic world, there was one thing that Kincaid desired—peace & quiet—and there was one person who could provide it. Sulphur Kincaid.

Nalani, a dedicated and compassionate teacher, never expected her life to take a turn when she met Lorenzo, a single father trying to rebuild his life after a painful divorce. When Nalani becomes the teacher of Lorenzo’s daughter, fate plays its hand, intertwining their lives in ways they could never have foreseen. As Nalani and Lorenzo spend time together, their connection grows stronger, igniting a flame neither of them can ignore. The walls around their hearts crumble as they navigate the complexities of love amidst the challenges of co-parenting and healing from past wounds.

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.

Pregnant by a man she learned wasn't who she thought he was and starting a new career, she's forced to step up and show everyone around her she's more than the hothead, feisty, girl they believe her to be.

Shalom Daniels has everything she wants in life outside of marriage and kids. Her career and personal relationships are flourishing, except when it comes to the relationship that matters most—one with a man dedicated to cherishing and protecting her heart. Fresh out of a relationship with a man who was almost perfect, Shalom begins to question if her boundaries and standards are too high, or if it simply isn’t her time for her happily ever after yet.

Putting herself first is what Jordana Evans knows how to do best. She’s at the top of her game in her career and no longer haunted by memories of her past threatening to steal her joy. In her mind, being in love is a want, not a need, and she’s convinced that she’ll be just fine without it. Having intimate relations with the opposite sex is something she’s willing to do for one night only. But then came along…him.

For Cypher Hall, being the mother to twin boys is far from easy. She has to work two jobs just to keep her head above water, and she still often feels like she's drowning. She hasn't been in a relationship since her kids' father eight years ago, and she's started to realize that Prince Charming may never ride up on his white horse and save her. Cypher never imagined that getting a tattoo for her birthday would ultimately change the course of her life forever.

Elias Omari exists in the darkness that clouds his mind. Cress Devereaux exists in the light that inspires her soul. Together, they create beautiful shades of gray. An arranged marriage forces two families to smooth the edges of their jagged past with the hopes of a new beginning. But can a union tainted with secrets and uncertainty promise an unbreakable alliance? The one thing that Elias and Cress share in common is family over everything, but should they continue to fight for family when that same family has never truly fought for them?

She yearned for him. Nyla Mullaney couldn't shake her want for a man she knew could never be hers. He desired her. Asan Chamberlain sought peace and found it in a woman who he should've been avoiding at all costs. They formed a bond that had them treading in forbidden waters with no desire to escape. Nyla and Asan were never meant to be, history said so, but fate had other plans.

When Montana Dixon returns home to Memphis, she’s given the opportunity to financially secure her future for the rest of her life. With that opportunity comes a commitment of marriage to a man she’s never spoken a single word to. Having sworn off love, Montana is okay with an arranged marriage for the sake of business—until she runs into her ex—the man who showed her how love can hurt.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel - The Vipers. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant.

Beckett: If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart.

We're not free to give into this. She's 19, and I'm 38. And I'm her boyfriend's father. Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I'd find the cure for what ravaged her and leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me. Four years later, I received an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it's rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before, those whose bones are said to make up the island's white sandy shores. And restless ghosts aren't even its most daunting peculiarity.

In this collection are updated stories from some of your favorite Valentines.

Atlanta, Georgia, 1950–Michael can’t believe his eyes as he watches the man he loves marry a woman from the back row of Mount Zion Baptist Church. When the beautiful couple is pronounced man and wife, he leaves his home in Georgia for the chance of a better life in New York City. Alexander is just trying to exist in Queens, New York. Although his family is aware of his unnatural attraction to men, they adore him. The price of hiding his true identity from the rest of the world leads to a deep and painful loneliness for Alex, even in the bosom of a loving family.

For Nala Stanton, love has not always been kind. She fell in love with a façade, and now she's desperate to free herself before it's too late. When opportunity arises, she takes it, even though being found would surely bring her a death sentence. Armed with a new identity and half a million dollars in stolen drug money, she disappears to start a new life for herself. For six years, she's had the freedom she craved, but that is all about to change when he is on her trail.

Declan Danger has always gone along to get along, keeping his twenty-year relationship afloat. But his world flips upside down when his girlfriend insists on opening their relationship. In the midst of spiraling, he encounters the alluring Mistress Elle.

I shouldn't have felt this way about her. She's my brother-in-law's first love. She was forbidden fruit. Ain't shit ever been forbidden for me. I take what I want, and I want her. I shouldn't have these strong of feelings for a woman I just met. I wanted to lay every man who even thought about looking her way… including my brother-in-law. Erin was mine before she even knew it. Our paths were meant to cross, our futures to intertwine.