Showing results by narrator "Benjamin Charles" in All Categories

Advice columnist Amelia Reinhardt had been told her entire life that she was destined for greatness. After gracing the cover of a popular magazine that highlights Black professionals, Amelia knew she’d finally made it. Now that her career was taking off, she no longer had an excuse to ignore the storm brewing between her and the man she’s known her entire life.

Jonah Bennett wasn’t like his family. The mafia business was firmly what his brothers did, not him. That changed the day a rival family killed his fiancée.

Once upon a time, the pressure to be the perfect daughter her demanding mother needed nearly broke Mikayla Whitman. Desperate to find an outlet, she picked up a pair of drumsticks, forever altering the rhythm of her life. Since then, she’s been determined to make her own way, finding her home with her bandmates even as she fights to keep her past and her present firmly separate.

Seven years ago, my boyfriend broke up with me over the phone. The worst part was, I never even saw it coming. At first, I figured he’d regret it and come racing back to me, begging for my forgiveness. But when that never happened, I realized that I needed to put Tyson Hunter behind me and move on with my life. Getting over a guy like him was easier said than done. Especially when I couldn’t seem to avoid his face. He was everywhere: on billboards, commercials, magazine covers, and movie posters. I guess that’s what happens when your ex is a famous actor.

I had the perfect friends, the perfect family. The perfect everything. We were a greeting card you wanted to frame. And then he showed up on our doorstep, looking like the aftermath of a rock concert, claiming to be my adopted brother’s half-brother. Sounds like trouble, right? He looked like trouble. Hell, his name defined trouble. Ruffian had bad news and heartbreak written all over him. But knowing he would break my heart didn’t stop me from falling.

Even when I'm halfway around the world, my mother won't leave me be. I'm never going to become the mafia princess she hoped for. I'm going to show the whole world who I really am—on the ice, with the grace and beauty I've always dreamed of. But the competition is tougher than ever, both in the figure-skating community and in the criminal underworld I left behind. If Mom forces my hand, can I find a final move that'll free me from her control forever...or will I be the one who'll lose everything?

I should have known I could never run fast enough to stay free of my family's clutches. Now I'm back under my mother's thumb, being prepped as the heir to her mafia throne...and for other plans so shady that she's keeping them secret.

Courtesy of my controlling father, Marshall and I have been living together for the last couple of years. Because of his profession, we’d managed to stay out of each other’s way. His age and respect for my father is what kept him from giving in to my flirtatious advances. Over the years, we’d managed not to cross that line, until that one slightly drunken night.

With love comes pain. And with pain comes scars. Believe me, I have had my share of it all. After my mother's death, my father couldn't deal. So once again, we're moving. To a town full of lies, darkness, and corruption. All masked in sunshine and money. But then I meet him.... My biggest mistake. My biggest temptation. A royal pain-in-the-ass. And Darrian King is no prince. He's controlling, aggressive, and downright wrong for me. But what he dishes out, I give right back. After all, love hurts. And so do we.

Giselle King refuses to wait for time to pass her by without obtaining everything she desires. After fulfilling her goal of becoming a dental hygienist and having financial stability, she knows she’s ready for a family. Years of dating proved to be a waste. An arrangement was made to bless her with two beautiful children, who keep her busy, but she’s still not totally happy. She wants a loving relationship with the man of her dreams… a man that’s perfect for her. Impatience with the dating process causes her to make another arrangement.

As heir to my family's mafia throne, I've learned to threaten, torture, and kill. But the only place I really feel at home is on the ice. So when Mom has my coach murdered to end my figure skating dreams, I know it's time to run. With my hot but off-limits bodyguard by my side, I flee to a little town where she'll never find me.

The Lonely Letters is an epistolary bBlackqueer critique of the normative world in which Ashon T. Crawley - writing as A - meditates on the interrelation of Blackqueer life, sounds of the Black church, theology, mysticism, and love. Throughout his letters, A explores blackness and queerness in the musical and embodied experience of Black Pentecostal spaces and the potential for platonic and erotic connection in a world that conspires against Blackqueer life.

Management consultant Crimson Knox is as fierce as they come. A bruised heart from her college days turned her into a career-driven powerhouse with a trail of successes behind her. Still, her heart secretly yearns to love and be loved. She won’t settle for just anyone, though. A brief romance taught her that. But when love comes back around and taps her on the shoulder, will she be able to recognize its face?  

Born and raised in Atlanta by a father who blames the family rift on music, Amara Johnson’s talent for guitar and passion for poetry have always been just that: talent and passion that she channels into her work as a music teacher. When her estranged grandfather—a man known as much for his raspy, soulful blues songs as his perplexing personality—passes away, Amara discovers a collection of old letters, journals, and a tattered photo that offer more questions than answers.

Quinn has made mistakes - like sleeping with the wrong people. It’s taken him time to figure out what he wants in bed and out of it. Understandable, since he’s attracted to both men and women and surrounded by a network of friends who seem to have no trouble finding love in any combination. When he meets Trevon - the sexiest man ever - on the side of the road, only one thing keeps Quinn from pursuing him: Trevon’s even sexier wife, Devra. Financial and safety concerns forced them into a marriage of convenience they both secretly wish was more.

His smile is what got me. It was charming but held a hint of the sexy thoughts I was hoping he had in his head like I did with only our first glance. He may be tall, dark, and handsome, but I’m telling you, it was his smile that got me. I’m sure of that detail. Too bad all I did was avert my gaze and let a blush rise up to my cheeks, outing me for having sordid thoughts about my son’s preschool teacher.

I met her among the chaos of a gang fight - one that I inadvertently started. Ember. Beautiful, feisty, and passionate. And the sister of Mercy, an infamous assassin. We fell for each other, hard. Until forces outside of our control intervened. Now, she's a prisoner, doing everything she can to keep her family safe. And I'm her guard, doing everything I can to set her free. I'd take a bullet for her. Hell, I'd take a few. In this dark, twisted world, we only have each other. But I have to wonder, is that enough?

Nora: He broke me. He gave me everything I never knew I wanted then in one moment destroyed all my happiness. Now I’m back in Araminta to finish senior year before I move on and leave this town full of fake and corrupted people behind. I don’t expect him to chase me. To change the game. He wants my heart but it’s destroyed. Even as we fight back against his enemies who want to ruin his name, he puts me above all else. He wants to protect me. Fix me. Claim me. Too bad I’m not the same girl I was. I can’t forgive him...

Desmond Simmons' life is at an impasse. After a tragic near-death experience, he’s left struggling to pick up the pieces of an existence that’s grown monotonous. He’s so sure he’s stuck until an old neighbor reappears, turning his new, uneventful life upside down. While reconnecting, the two embark on a journey that leaves them grappling with their new lives and falling back into a whimsical world full of secrets they created as children to escape reality. They soon learn that outrunning the truth isn’t as easy as it once was, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.

Evelyn Townsend is the friend your parents warned you about. She's always jumping off bridges with reckless abandon. So when a reality show promises the opportunity to meet her perfect match, Evelyn is all in. There's just one major catch—her soulmate will be picked by a panel of experts, and she doesn't get to meet him until they are face to face at the end of the aisle.