Showing results by author "Christina Jones" in African American

Losing everything doesn't have to be the end. Sometimes, it's a chance to find something different.

For Kora and Tariq, those lines have been blurred for a long time. Every time clarity seems to be within reach, something shifts, and in a single moment, focus is lost. Once again, they're in limbo. Between them, there is only one secret, with the power to alter their relationship....

When 26-year-old Reese accepts a position as a grad assistant, she has no idea an unpleasant encounter with a student will lead to the discovery of what she calls "the trifecta": fine, intellectual, and a little bit rude - three qualities she finds irresistible in a man. She has no intention of doing anything with that discovery. But everybody knows what happens to best laid plans. Jason is a grown man. He's at Blakewood State University to finish his degree and move on. The last thing he's interested in is the female population on campus...Reese might be a notable exception.

For Naomi Prescott, it's not just a cute little saying. It's a critical mantra, words to live by if she wants to retain her freedom, and, more importantly, her life. Impeccable planning is the only way to ensure she sets off the small flutters that will trigger the big ripple she needs to pull off the score of a lifetime - no matter the stakes. FBI Agent Marcus Calloway is a straight-shooter...if you overlook his sometimes unconventional, law-skirting, expensive ways of solving a case. A big arrest would do wonders to restore his reputation, and he has one woman in mind: Jolie Voleuse.

It all came down to me. The one who followed the rules, never went looking for trouble - I kept to myself. I just wanted to take care of my family. To not constantly look over my shoulder, worried about the things that went bump in the night. I just wanted to survive. But that wasn't meant to be. As luck - or fate, or something - would have it, the trouble found me. I followed a rabbit through the wreckage of a half-ruined world to get back what was mine, and wound up at the end of it. In Wonderland. But there's nothing magical about it.

Special Agent Renata Parker learns this the hard way, when the secret she's held close for many years is finally revealed, exposing her as traitor to the team of thieves, spies, hackers, and federal agents who thought they shared a common goal - take down Damien Wolfe. Her dedication to their cause doesn't quite stand up to scrutiny - especially for Quentin, a fellow hacker who was drawn to Renata's quiet energy before her true identity was exposed.

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.

If there’s any one thing Pierre and Logan have in common, it’s their ability to invite snap judgements based on shallow views of who they are. Logan is the privileged only daughter of a respected family whose legacy runs long and deep. Pierre is the moody, orphaned son of big screen royalty who couldn’t possibly live up to the prestige of his pedigree. Or maybe not.

Murderer is a title she never expected to wear. Friend? Sure. Boss? Hell yes. But murderer? Never. If only she hadn’t threatened exactly that, just before someone winds up dead, and her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. All he wanted was to live a quiet life, without all the danger and darkness of his past. Those plans are blown when he’s accused of a crime he has nothing to do with, leaving him with a hard decision…remain in the shadows, or do what he can to help a friend?

For better or worse… That was the promise Denver and Kensa made, but it’s a sentiment they’ve somehow lost along the way. What started as a passionate wildfire has diminished to a flicker, all but snuffed out by unspoken fears, perceived betrayal, and a complete breakdown in communication. Can either of them tuck their ego away long enough to rekindle their flame?

There’s no such thing as a right time to fall in love. It happens, or it doesn’t. Possible to fake, but not force. Impossible to simply wish away. This is the path that Rob and Iris find themselves on. He’s adjusting to cross-country move, a new job, and an existence that doesn’t include the woman he thought he’d spend his life with.

For Nalani Stark, legacy matters… maybe more than most things. Important enough that when that legacy — inextricably tied to her mother’s memory - is challenged, she’s forced to consider even the most undesirable options… Such as a match made in hell with Orion Sterling. The heir to the competitor she grew up being warned about. Orion is a man well-accustomed to getting exactly what he wants. Other than opportunities to grow the family business, he’s moved by very few things.

Love that says something, instead of just looking like it. Love you can always trust to feel like home. For both of them, it’s something that has always been just outside of their peripheral, something to be observed rather than experienced. A depth of feeling reserved for people who were “into” that, those with a different outlook, those more...deserving. Until their paths cross.

Jaclyn Love is a magnet for trouble - it seems to follow her wherever she goes. Unfortunately for Kadan Davenport, she also seems to be a magnet for him - even after a disastrous first impression that leaves him - literally - black and blue. Jaclyn is busy trying to find some sort of balance, and Kadan is just trying not to get swept up in the chaos. In a small city like Blakewood, it's hard to avoid each other...especially when each additional encounter makes them wonder if they really want to.

That's how blogger, Bianca Bailey begins the first post of what's supposed to be a new series on her website, in response to her readers curiosity about her feelings on love. That post never makes it to the public eye, but those three words perfectly sum up Bianca's outlook, and rule the way she interacts with the men around her — including Rashad. Rashad isn't interested in anything serious either, but for a different reason. Rashad loves women, and women love him, but he's avoiding trouble — the nickname his father uses for the kind of woman that makes you forget all others exist.

Tara... well, Tara sucks at choosing men. Cheaters, deadbeats, even criminals, Tara just seems to have a magnetic attraction for dysfunctional relationships. That is, until she meets Chris. Will she be able to move past her failures at love to explore something new? Val is a handful. Completely uninterested in anything that even resembles love, she's willing to push away the one person who would do anything for her. Can she come to her senses, and embrace the possibility of forever before it's too late?

Within the bounds of complacency, there exists a boring, beautiful sort of peace, and Khalida has found it. Welcomes it, in fact. A nice, comfortable life, with a great job, a good, albeit on and off again boyfriend, a great relationship with her younger sister...she has nothing to complain about. But that's only if she ignores the sense of unrest that has haunted her ever since she could remember, overshadowing her ability to connect in love. Only if she glosses over the fact that she’s leaning more toward a permanent off switch when it comes to Travis.

Thrust into a life and family that neither of them were looking for, Gabi Jacobs and Terrence Whitaker decide that they'll just make the best of it, because the have most important ingredient: love. Through the ashes of their failed romantic relationship, they're able to form a different type of bond, one that allows them to effectively co-parent their daughter, and even become friends. Constantly pulled together by chance and circumstance, will Gabi and Terrence decide to embark on a journey to finish what they started, or will they decide that it's best to leave the past in the past?

Keris Bradford is a woman on the brink. Of what? She doesn’t quite know. Her life is shifting, rapidly, and the sudden, captivating intrusion of Laken Kimble isn’t exactly...reassuring. For Keris, Laken is comfort and risk wrapped in one very appealing package. For Laken, Keris is barrier and providence all at once. For both, there arises a need to navigate those contrasts to a conclusion neither was looking for...a need to answer a simple question. If you want this...what are you willing to offer in exchange?

Hailey Freeman goes to Blackwood with a specific mission - at least on the surface. When a sudden tragedy thrusts her into chaos, she expects to find herself mired in confusion, bereft, while she figures out how to pick up the pieces. Instead, she finds comfort, clarity, and - baffling - familiarity in the arms of Ellis Boyd. A stranger. A stranger who can’t help wondering if he knows Hailey somehow, met her somewhere, another time that they just can’t remember—the only explanation for their swift, consuming connection. At least, the only one that makes sense.