Despite sharing a birthday with the holiday, Christmas just wasn't Noelle's thing. As a kid she had been in love with the holiday, but adult Noelle just saw it as another day to get through. Jay has moved back home after a breakup and is looking to reconnect with his childhood bestie. Cooking up a scheme to get her in the holiday spirit with her sisters, he's determined to bring back to the old Noelle.

On the surface, Kai Alexander has it all—the perfect life—but her niggling subconscious is hellbent on the fact that her happily single status is in need of eradication. Instead of succumbing to the new age wave of sliding onto an app, she goes old school—placing a personal ad in her hometown newspaper, hoping to spark a love connection. Bringing an additional lady into his life wasn't in Theodore “Rux” Reed‘s life plan, but you know what they say about the best laid plans... When the perfect woman is literally dropped at his doorstep, he was powerless to resist the desire to get to know her.

Despite her own dumpster fire of a love life, Calista Franklin is a hopeless romantic. Unfortunately, her life is filled with an amount of busy that precludes her from dating and finding Mister Right. Her best friend’s sudden nuptials, however, place an unexpected opportunity for love within arm’s reach. Kirk Langley is suddenly thrust into being a single parent upon the untimely demise of his brother and sister-in-law. Balancing caring for his six-year-old niece in addition to running his own business leaves little time for dating.

All Zarinah wanted was to fall in love. Growing up, she had kissed her fair share of frogs. When an unconventional situation leads her to Lawson, her wishes might become reality. Lawson is the new CEO of his family's hotel casino chain. He's tired of aimless dating and women just wanting his money. When he meets Zarinah, he instantly feels like she's the one.

The job offer she expected after taking an unpaid internship at a major shoe company didn’t come through. The friend who’d offered her a place to stay suddenly gave her 48 hours to vacate after a misunderstanding. And when she’s forced to move back to her hometown to live with her father and his mistress-turned-wife, it almost seems impossible for things to get any worse...until she runs into her former best friend, who’s only gotten fine with time.

You met them in the Valentine and Rose series. In this prelude, I will formally introduce you to Malik Anthony Clark, Tristian Neil Clark, and Langston Jamal Clark.

When souls are tied, it's never goodbye. A boy I was that summer evening I met you, pulling your belongings out of the truck and into your new home. I knew it was love then. A whole man I was the day that you met me at the altar and agreed to love me until death do us part. A shell of a man I've become since it did, unable to move on, move forward, or progress in any way until I discovered that not even death was permanent enough to keep us apart. A better man I'm destined to be, knowing that, at some capacity, you're still with me. Our love is one that never dies.

Morgan and Messiah share many things. Love, hate, lust, trauma, and children. They are bonded forever by the gift of parenthood, but Morgan's attachment to Messiah comes with immense pain. After the discovery of Messiah's condition, Morgan's conflict is intensified. She knows how healing the M&M bubble can be, but she also knows that Messiah has the ability to ruin her. Will Morgan finally take her second chance with her first love? Or will she make the hardest decision of all and let go of the past?

This contract is entered into by and between Allegra Malone and Damon Dawson. The term of this agreement shall begin immediately and continue through its termination date of never. The terms are as follows: Find the bright side when your best friend (the woman you’ve secretly been in love with for 10+ years) finds an engagement ring in her live-in boyfriend’s gym bag.

Zahi was young and living life to the fullest. Then, he was thrust into fatherhood and forced to change his outlook on life, love, and happiness. The self-proclaimed bachelor did not expect to be swept up in emotions he'd never felt. However, caring for his daughter, Zuri, charged a part of his heart that he thought was dead. The spark awakened a need for more out of life. From the moment he laid eyes on India, he was drawn to her. The pull was so intense, and no matter how many times he told himself to stay away from her, he just couldn't follow his own command.

Royal St. Claire was drawn to Gemma Jacobsen from the start. It was an instant connection–one he’d never had with another woman. But he has it with her. With Gemma.

At a young age, Dom Kincaid thought he had met the girl of his dreams, Zoree Boudreaux. However, fate had other plans. Forced apart, their lives travel down different path until those paths cross years later. Forced together out of necessity, the two have to perpetuate the ultimate commitment, marriage. Will the arrangement give the two a second chance at love? Or will the past that separated them keep them apart? To protect their families, the arrangement began but the true question is how will it end.

Israel Lewis was a scandal-ridden divorced pastor who recently accepted the Senior Pastor position at a new church—giving him the fresh start he so desperately desired. The church was in a beautiful city and was the city where she lived—the one who got away. Leona Aldaine was one of the top brokers in Sable Falls. After running into a childhood friend, she experienced a whirlwind love affair. He was everything she’d dreamt about in a man until he wasn’t. They are both in the same city. Will they deny the connection or work to find their way back to each other?

Known playboy and award-winning R&B singer Wesley Johnson Jr. puts his dating rules to the side when he has a second chance encounter with the woman he can’t stop thinking about. Finding himself in unchartered territory, he realizes he can’t rely on his fame to earn the affection of this one special woman. Will his new ways be enough for her to let her guard down, or will someone from his past ruin their chances together?

Samad Baker has always been comfortable existing in the shadows. Allowing others access places Samad and the ones he loves in jeopardy. Nilou finds conflict with her heart and the life she chooses while Samad has conflict with his troubled past. If two conflicted hearts collide, there is bound to be an emotional explosion and when the smoke clears, there’s no guarantee that either will still be whole.

On the surface, Kai Alexander has it all—the perfect life—but her niggling subconscious is hellbent on the fact that her happily single status is in need of eradication. Instead of succumbing to the new age wave of sliding onto an app, she goes old school—placing a personal ad in her hometown newspaper, hoping to spark a love connection. Bringing an additional lady into his life wasn't in Theodore “Rux” Reed‘s life plan, but you know what they say about the best laid plans... When the perfect woman is literally dropped at his doorstep, he was powerless to resist the desire to get to know her.

Despite her own dumpster fire of a love life, Calista Franklin is a hopeless romantic. Unfortunately, her life is filled with an amount of busy that precludes her from dating and finding Mister Right. Her best friend’s sudden nuptials, however, place an unexpected opportunity for love within arm’s reach. Kirk Langley is suddenly thrust into being a single parent upon the untimely demise of his brother and sister-in-law. Balancing caring for his six-year-old niece in addition to running his own business leaves little time for dating.

Ciji Sinclair's star is on the rise. As a celebrated interior designer, she's recently wrapped her first show on CanDo Network. She's excited to show the world her unique point of view in the world of design, but there's only one problem . . . William Preston is one of CanDo Network's golden children since the show he cohosts with his twin brother is a linchpin of the network's success. He's rattled by the mere presence of new kid on the block, Ciji, and what her show means for the network.

With ten years into a successful marriage and a thriving business, Destiny Harris was living the life most only dreamed of. There was only one addition that would bring everything full circle, but a harsh reality turned her world upside down. Betrayal and lies replaced the truth she believed to be the foundation of her happy life. MyKyng Masters was a man of substance and structure. Even at a very young age, he had a firm grasp on everyone and everything around him. With an already complicated life, the last thing he needed was a reminder that no one can maintain complete control.

Cali falls in love, fast and hard. It’s intense, emotional, and then he is gone. This is what happens when you give your heart to a man who lives recklessly. Months pass and she finds herself falling again. This time will be different, but there’s something about this man that feels familiar. Something about him that makes her feel safe. He’s not the love she lost but he is someone who makes her feel alive. Someone who makes it easier to smile, to breathe, to exist.

Kamille appears to have it all. As the owner of a successful business, her funds are unlimited. However, her professional life is the only thing that seems to be working in her favor. Aside from her Ari, best friend, Kamille's social life is nonexistent. As her family vacation nears, Kamille is excited until her cousins point out that she's going solo. Kamille doesn't have a problem with being single, but she gets tired of it being thrown in her face. Ari suggests Kamille uses an upscale escort service. Kamille isn't sold on the idea, but eventually takes her advice.

Good Girls Love Thugs tells the story of four young best friends whose lives change dramatically after getting caught up with the extremely sought after “King brothers” Kendrick, Kendreeis, Kendon, and their cousin Kayden. The King brothers run the biggest drug operation in Baltimore, Maryland, where money and women are the least of their worries. Follow innocent Nic, crazy Christy, sensitive Morgan, and feisty Jessica as they deal with thirsty jump offs, vengeful exes, infidelity, and even some shady family members, in hopes of proving good girls can too be with thugs.

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.

Lyra Hart, a teacher’s assistant working her way through college, lives a simple life. Her sister Natalie is a constant reminder that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. After a lifelong trail of arrests and stints in rehab, Natalie lands on her sister’s doorstep with a promise not to end up like their mother, who overdosed just a few years prior. Lyra’s first mistake was trusting her younger sister. Her second was the one-night stand she thought would drown her sorrows.

Sienna Shaw thought she’d found forever when she met the wealthy and charming Tyir Willis. For months, Tyir wined, dined, and wooed Sienna until she agreed to relocate to be closer to him. In the blink of an eye, Sienna’s would-be fairytale love is snatched away. Being a single mother was never on Sienna’s list of things to do. When her prince charming turned out to be a frog, she’s left to figure out how to navigate through motherhood alone.

Kelaya Harper knows two things when it comes to Hezekiah Perez. One, she loves him. Two, they can never be together. They are from two different worlds and blending them will be a tragic misstep. Hezekiah knows his heart belongs only to Kelaya and will do anything to prove that they are meant to be. Just when he thinks they are finally locked in, everything implodes and he fears his life will never exist with the love and balance he craves.

Hakeem was an all-American ball player who had offers for a full ride to just about every Division 1 school across the country. Everything changed when his parents died in a fatal car accident, leaving him to care for himself and his twelve-year-old sister. Seven years later, Hakeem is a senior at a local college, doing the best he can to ensure his sister Kaliyah graduates from high school while he balances hustling and college to ensure better days are on the horizon.

Skylar Addison is one of the best sports attorneys in the city, so when the firm she worked for “reallocated” her out of a job, she felt as if the rug had been snatched from up under her. Finding out that her ex had her terminated after she decided that she no longer wanted to be in a relationship, only made matters worse. After a pity party at a local bar and grill, Skylar found herself falling for the type of man she swore she would never think twice about.

Imagine this… You've planned everything perfectly for your sixth anniversary, hoping to make it a special day. But then your beloved stands you up, leaving you heartbroken and alone at home. Later, your best friend calls with some shocking news—she saw your boyfriend with another woman in his car while she was stopped at a traffic light. In a fit of anger, you grab your trusty bat and arrive at the scene to take out your anger on his car—only to realize later that it wasn't your boyfriend's vehicle after all. The owner happens to be a gorgeous gangsta, and he is pissed.

Past relationships have left Nova scarred. Finishing up school and opening her boutique were her main focus until she ran into Grayson. Grayson was worried about being a great father and his photography career when Nova ran into him, in the most literal sense. While Nova tries to run from Grayson, afraid he'll turn out like the rest of the men who broke her heart, Grayson is determined to show her different. Not one to let go without a fight, he's determined to show her the beauty he sees behind the lens.