How long does it take to fall in love? It most certainly can't happen in one night . . . can it? A one-night stand, an engagement, and a wedding, all within the space between New Year's and Valentine's Day. Could it be love? If so, is it meant to be?

All Jerzey wanted was a family of her own. After things don't work out with her ex-husband, she takes matters into her own hands. Being a foster mom isn't easy, but having her best friend by her side to help makes it a little easier. That is, until the two blur lines and suddenly a friendship isn't enough.

Best friends? With a celebrity? Impossible. That's how Sesali feels after a chance encounter with super producer Dash Dean. His offer of friendship has to be a smoke screen for an ulterior motive. Besides, she already has best friends, and one of them has staked a claim on Dash.

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.

Sometimes, you just need someone to help you see things in a different light. A shift in the angle.

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.

In order to find love, you have to take a chance. You have to open yourself up to the possibility of being hurt. You have to expose yourself in a way that you usually wouldn't; allow others to see vulnerabilities that you try to hide. Journalist Aria Smith tried that three years ago and it ended in disaster. Now, she's just trying to focus on moving up the ladder in her career. She's just been handed the most coveted interview in sports writing, so it looks like she's well on her way. Basketball star Tory Barker is fresh off of a championship season and is in high demand right now.

For Maleek Jones, hockey is his wife. Everything and everyone else is his mistress, an aside. When unexpected responsibilities land in his lap, the balance of his world is disrupted, changing the way he sees everything.

After her latest ill-fated attempt to find a forever relationship of her own, Tori Kennedy is content with connecting the dots for others, bringing them together in pursuit of lifetime love. Fresh off of the demise of her marriage, she decides to take advantage of an opportunity to do something a little—okay, a lot—crazy, and heavily fueled by an overload of emotions.

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?

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.

At twenty-one, Ason ‘Ace’ Williams Jr. knows all about inevitable endings. He’s formerly famous, a popular rapper’s muse, the son of a three-time NBA champ, and a little… complicated. After a disturbing scandal and loss rocks his world, he’s left to deal with both in a city that doesn’t quite feel like home. It’s a place filled with old family friends he’s never met, reminders of all the endings he’s had to endure, and even worse—he’s stuck there after his dad takes a job no one ever imagined him taking.

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.

I need a job, but I should’ve listened to everyone who warned me about Essex DePaul, the millionaire CEO of his own tax firm. He’s one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. He has eyes that make you forget to swallow, a dazzling smile guaranteed to make your heart race, and a face you’d surely never forget. Everything about him is perfect–everything except his attitude.

Honey Williams doesn’t trust men. Between her father and last lover, a part of her struggles with resenting the entire species. She’s spent the past six months hidden in the safety of her parents’s home hoping her kind heart will never be the cause of pain and misfortune again. That seems possible until a cranky client causes chaos … which leads to her meeting Mr. Librarian.

How long does it take to fall in love? It most certainly can't happen in one night . . . can it? A one-night stand, an engagement, and a wedding, all within the space between New Year's and Valentine's Day. Could it be love? If so, is it meant to be?

Simone is a woman on a mission: Stop being boring, and fall in love. That's easier said than done with no prospects on the table...or under the table...or near the table. Her luck changes when fellow neighborhood business-owner Roman Taylor walks through the door of her flower shop. Roman is single, successful, and sexy - everything Simone is looking for to embark on a whirlwind summer romance with the potential to spark an everlasting love. But things are never as "perfect" as they seem.

As the owner of Licked, an eclectic ice creamery and bar, Ryleigh Phillips doesn't have time for that love stuff. Serving up Nibble My Nuts sundaes and Drunken Sailor boozy shakes are as close to an orgasmic affair as she's had in months thanks to her expanding empire - until the night of her 10-year high-school reunion. When Ryleigh's crush, gorgeous ex-football god Cameron Mathis, comes streaking into her life (literally - streaking), she begins to wonder if she really can have it all. Enter Hunter Morgan, the contractor in charge of Licked's renovations....

To Collin Galloway, direction is a four-letter word. Sure, he hates his job, he hates living with his parents, and he really hates watching everyone move on without him. But he doesn’t know what he wants to do, long-term, and he won’t figure it out by thirsting over Jeremiah, the superhot, super-intense paramedic who is suddenly everywhere Collin looks.

Sebastian Shark is on the verge of realizing his dream. The Edge - the most luxurious Los Angeles skyscraper ever conceived - will be his legacy, an icon to dominate LA’s skyline just as Shark dominates its boardrooms. Self-made businesswoman Abbigail Gibson is on a trajectory toward massive success, but to get there, she must navigate the egos of her demanding clients - particularly the driven and obstinate Shark, who possesses the special talent of aggravating and arousing her within the same breath.

I was young and naive when I fell hard for bad boy Grizz, a shifter who was hot enough to melt my good girl heart. Big mistake. Because when good girls are naughty, they end up pregnant. Now I’m back in Forest Heights to care for my aunt with my son Rainer — the son I’ve been raising on my own for nine years because gruff, tough Grizz didn’t believe our baby was possible.

What I wanted for my birthday: Books. What I got for my birthday: my brother’s best friend playing matchmaker. Let it be known that I am 100 percent against being set up with somebody. And I’m 1,000 percent sure that Josh Carter's not the man to find me a boyfriend. I mean, if I’m so great, why isn’t he the one dating me? (For the record, I don’t know the answer. That’s just what the guy on the internet asked.) I’ll humor him. If I go on his little dates, he’ll teach my bookish, introverted self how not to be totally, completely, utterly, unforgivably awkward.

Nick Fletcher has the voice of a god and a tongue as sharp as a knife. His words can cut, and this time, his quick temper has earned him an intruder in his life and on his tour. Dalia Brenner looks like a grown-up Annie gone bad, but he wants nothing to do with her pin-up-worthy curves and smart mouth. His method of dealing is to keep his head down, get through the tour, and then he'll never have to see her again.

Rowe Prince is many things. But when it turns out Rowe’s lies conceal a secret that threatens the company I’ve spent years building, I have to choose: say goodbye to the sweet pretender I’m falling for, or risk everything for a man who just might be… the prince of lies.

Fresh off a divorce from a Hollywood hotshot, Madison Atwood needs an escape. With the paparazzi fresh on her heels and her love life splashed on every tabloid, she runs away to a swanky retreat in Northern California. Avalon Springs is the mountainside haven she needs to find herself again. Luke Dawson lives off the grid, preferring solitude to society. When he finds a beautiful woman soaking in the hot springs on his property, he can't stop himself from watching her. She captures his attention, but she's just a city girl - a beautiful distraction disturbing the peace.

How long does it take to fall in love? It most certainly can't happen in one night . . . can it? A one-night stand, an engagement, and a wedding, all within the space between New Year's and Valentine's Day. Could it be love? If so, is it meant to be?

Best friends? With a celebrity? Impossible. That's how Sesali feels after a chance encounter with super producer Dash Dean. His offer of friendship has to be a smoke screen for an ulterior motive. Besides, she already has best friends, and one of them has staked a claim on Dash.

Yazmeen Franklin is as green as they come. Her only real friend is her older sister, who raised her after their mother died. Because of their father’s poor example, Yazmeen has little trust in men, so dating is foreign to her. During her sophomore year of college, she lets her guard down and finally gets close to a man. However, he is a known womanizer, and she keeps him in the friend zone to protect her heart.

I met the love of my life when I was ten years old. Ever since Talulla Evans walked up to me with her gap-toothed smile and told me her name means "princess," I've been entranced. For the last twenty years we've been there throughout each other's storms. And somewhere along the line I fell in love. Deep in love.

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.

Anissa Dent is experiencing heartbreak like none she’s ever felt. Her husband of nearly twenty years has fallen victim to crack cocaine after a devastating loss. All her efforts to help him have failed, and to protect herself and her sons, she divorces him and has him removed from their home. That doesn’t stop him from popping in and out of their lives with promises of getting clean. Anissa desperately wants to move on in her life, but her love for what once was is holding her back. However, attending a family barbeque with her son proves to be the restart she desperately needs.

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.

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.

Some believe the old adage, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire". Well, in some instances the smoke is just a coverture for secrets. Dark ones. Ragee is a successful R&B singer, music composer, and actor who shot to fame and celebrity at rocketing speed. He has the voice, the troubled soul, the seductive look, and the alluring mystique, all of which give him the traditional packaging of a soulful rhythm and blues singer. But he also has an unshakable stigma attached to his stardom that won’t seem to go away.

Megatron Loric Manfield is the definition of perfect imperfection. He is not scared to love—he just knows that when it comes along, he wants it to be God-sent. When the right woman comes along, he will fall in line to receive his favor. Ruth Lindsay Gordon is saved, sheltered, and suffocated. Being a preacher’s kid is never easy and even harder when the preacher sometimes references himself more than the God he claims to serve. Desperately, she wants to be released from the hold that is her father, so she prays for God to send her Boaz. They say to be careful what you pray for.

The day Lisara Compton caught her husband in a rather compromising position changed her life in a way neither she nor her sons ever saw coming. Realizing too late that divorcing him would cause a domino effect of turmoil, she is now forced into an uncomfortable life that she can't seem to stay afloat in. With her eldest son acting out and a nonexistent ex-husband, Lisara feels things can't get any worse. That's until her ex betrays her and their son in a way that leaves her in need like never before. It seems she just can't catch a break, until she meets him.

For teenagers Angel, Rahsaan, and Kahmeer, the summer before their last year of high school is the time for unadulterated fun. What they don’t expect is for a party to lead to a shootout that changes the trajectory of their summer and their lives permanently. Cousins Imani and Darla, don’t expect connecting with Angel and Rahsaan to reshape their hearts and lives, but it does. They learn quickly that the only thing stronger than love is hate, and the only person they can trust is themselves.

Serena Howard and Blake Russell are two driven individuals with tunnel vision when it comes to their goals. The two meet in Philadelphia, and there's instant chemistry between them. They date, have fun, and eventually fall for one another. Will the desire to achieve their goals interfere with their feelings for one another? Will they sever ties, or will their connection be too strong to break?

Jamison Jareau has suffered a terrible loss. His wife of eighteen years passed away the day she gave birth to their son. Consumed with grief and guilt over her death, Jamison has thrown himself into work and raising his four children without her. Two and a half years have passed since he lost his soulmate. The kids are growing up and Jamison realized he needs a little more help with them than he wants to admit. At the urging of his mother-in-law, he seeks a live-in nanny to alleviate some of the stress of being a single parent.

Ella Amoure has her whole life ahead of her. As a soon-to-be college graduate majoring in marketing and minoring in international business, she has plans to see the world, which includes going to Paris, France, to complete her graduate degree in a few months. However, after falling in love, she begins to question her well-thought-out plans.