African Urban

Hip music critic Dwayne Robinson has two main gigs: defending rap's rightful place in the music industry and scoring as many women as possible. But this smooth-talking b-boy has yet to try working love into his lingo - until "buppie" Danielle Embry slides into and rocks his world. A Connecticut suburbanite, Danielle is as far removed from Dwayne's Brooklyn ghetto upbringing as it gets. Yet despite this clash, these unlikely lovers are drawn together.

In Black on the Block, Mary Pattillo - a Newsweek Woman of the 21st Century - uses the historic rise, alarming fall, and equally dramatic renewal of Chicago’s North Kenwood-Oakland neighborhood to explore the politics of race and class in contemporary urban America.

Picking up where Essence best-selling author La Jill Hunt's Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda left off, Too Close for Comfort follows Paige Michaels and her no-nonsense friends as they search for love. Paige has finally broken loose from her no-good man, and she's loving the single life - until Quincy Westbrooke shows up.

Blazing with scandal, deception, temptation, and revenge, this third installment in the Twisted series blurs the lines of infidelity and tests the true meaning of love.

Now that Tasmin Pettiford and Elisa Hunte have discovered they are witches, one would think life would be smoother for them. Unfortunately, it’s never that easy. After nearly perishing at the hands of Archangel Michael and his equally powerful wife, they soon realize that an even bigger threat is in Salix Pointe…one that seeks to destroy them by any means necessary. The witches also have to grapple with the realization that Octavian’s parents killed so many people close to them. Not to mention that Aunt Noreen was betrayed by one of their own coven members.

Carl Weber is the New York Times best-selling author of such fan favorites as So You Call Yourself a Man. The First Lady is the tale of a preacher's wife who learns she's dying and vows to find her husband another woman. There is no shortage of ladies who want her man, but will she be able to find a suitable replacement among the conniving church women?

Sometimes love can take you by surprise. Kara Newell has a big-city life that needs a major shakeup. Her dedication as a social worker is unwavering, yet her heart tells her that there is more to life than just work. Kara gets the push she needs when, shockingly, she inherits a large estate on an island off the South Carolina coast. Now the charming town of Angels Landing awaits her—along with a secret family she never knew she had.

On the surface, Riverview High School looks like the post-racial ideal. Serving an enviably affluent, diverse, and liberal district, the school is well-funded, its teachers are well-trained, and many of its students are high achieving. Yet Riverview has not escaped the same unrelenting question that plagues schools throughout America: why is it that even when all of the circumstances seem right, black and Latino students continue to lag behind their peers?

In Moving Up, Moving Out, Will Cooley discusses the damage racism and discrimination have exacted on black Chicagoans in the 20th century, while accentuating the resilience of upwardly mobile African Americans. Cooley examines how class differences created fissures in the black community and produced quandaries for black Chicagoans interested in racial welfare. While black Chicagoans engaged in collective struggles, they also used individualistic means to secure the American Dream.

Tara Davis' in love and when you're in love you'll do anything for your man. Tara's new love is Larry "La" Baker, the biggest dope boy arms dealer and sex trafficker Hartford, CT's ever seen. Naive to the world of crime, Tara happily does anything her boo asks. But when the law swoops down and Tara finds herself in a serious jam, will La come to her rescue in time or will a life behind bars become her reality?

Some things that happen in the dark should stay in the dark, but that never seems to be the case. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Niya Brown learns this the hard way. The code of the streets is passed down to her from her mother, and to Niya, the code of the streets is law. Life deals Niya a bad hand that forces her to fend for herself at an early age when her mother and sister are taken away from her in a twist of fate. You will never believe what happens next. Truth and falsehood collide in a way that brings Niya face to face with a secret that will change her life forever.

Nia Hudson, fashion powerhouse and philanthropist, swore love wasn't for her because she was too busy chasing after her dreams. But when a blast from the past resurfaces and refuses to take "no" for an answer, Nia decides to give him one hour of her time. Before she knows it, the two have become a couple. East and Nia have nothing in common; he's the complete opposite of everything for which she stands. East is definitely living life in the fast lane, selling everything he can get his hands on and not knowing when the Feds - or friends disguised as enemies - might come after him.

Several years have passed, but Sylvia McMillan still can’t run and hide from the truth that continues to tear at her soul. Her love for Jonathan Taylor, her ex-friend’s husband, remains. Jonathan has moved on, though. In less than six months, he plans to watch his new bride cascade down the aisle as they join hands in holy matrimony. He’s not about to let Sylvia’s slickness derail him again - but then again, how can he resist the one woman who is willing to honor every single one of his wishes?

Lieutenant Stuart Lyons is a single father and a well-respected veteran law enforcement officer. In addition, he serves as head of security at the ever-popular New Hope Church in Atlanta and above all, he loves the Lord. When sudden pandemonium strikes his “normal” life and he begins receiving threats from an unknown person who only identifies himself as “Dr. A. H. Satan”, Stuart’s life is turned upside down.

Job Wright has had plenty of setbacks in his life, but nothing compared to the event that led up to him having to move his family to Phoenix, Arizona, to 2333 Rong Street. If only he had the power to delete portions of his life. Job battles himself, his wife, and his imprisoned former business partner to find the true meaning of God, believing that new surroundings will make the difference. But will everything Job is running from catch up with him?

Raised on the deadly streets of New Orleans, James Johnson is displeased and disheartened by the drug game and the sickness it's inflicting on his race. Unexpectedly, James has befriended America's most wanted and deadliest fugitive, Osama Bin Laden. Now he and Osama have joined forces in an effort to eliminate the nation's drug trade.

Thanks to James Johnson's ground-breaking technology, the drug game and oil exports are now on life support. His prophecy has been fulfilled. However, the Saudi Arabian Oil King, Shalik Khalid, has unleashed a vicious death squad on American soil. The message is clear, and now the surviving members of the Johnson clan must regroup, while the architect of their movement lies in critical condition. The reigns have been passed down and now there exists one logical decision for the heirs to the throne. "Bring to them what they brought to us!"

In this urban take on Cinderella, Briella is trying to find her way in the world. She is dealing with her cruel stepmother who forces her to work in a brothel, being a slave to her stepsisters and trying to keep her grades up...Prince has always been a gentleman, even though he was raised by a kingpin. When he meets Briella something else ignited inside of him. He instantly knows he must do whatever he can to protect her, especially from her stepmother who is the core of Briella's rough life.

Amber Halloway is what some would call “forbidden fruit” because she is so stunning. When her father is murdered by the local kingpin’s mob, she uses her beauty to her advantage. Step 1: Infiltrate. With the help of her older brother, Dawg, she gets a job at the biggest strip club in the city to gain the attention of the man responsible for killing her father. Step 2: Make him fall in love. Amber just never anticipated that he would be so charming. Step 3: Rob him blind and deliver the same fate as he did her father.

Essence best-selling author Keith Lee Johnson's popular series continues with this fourth book, which reaches back to unearth the roots of JohnnieWise's family tree. On the eve of her arranged marriage in an African village, a 16-year-old girl elopes with her fiancé's younger brother. But the lovers are captured and sold into American slavery - and the girl wonders if she'll ever see her man again.