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.

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

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.

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.

In part one of A Ruthle$$ Love Story, Lourde’s only focus was proving to his father that he was worthy of the throne. Now that he knows Belmonte blood doesn’t run through his veins, he’s left with questions about who he really is. In the midst of all his family’s dirty laundry, he finds himself in love for the first time. When he loses himself, will he turn to Loyalty to remind him who he really is or feed into the ruthlessness he’s been immersed in all along?

Kailani had been scarred from her last relationship and love was the last thing on her mind, but when Hendrix makes an appearance, she can't seem to shake, she learns to lower her guard. The two build a bond that seems unbreakable until someone from Kailani's past threatens to ruin it all.

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.

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.

Mystery, crime, and grit surrounded his family, often bringing power-hungry enemies right to his doorstep. Never one to back down from any opposition, he often stood victorious. But this new threat is something different and not at all one he is prepared for until an old love comes to save him.

Cadence was forced to run to protect the one person she would give her life for. Sol was forced to run to protect the one person who he feels that he failed. You can’t hide from your indiscretions and you definitely can’t hide from your heart. When two creative souls are drawn to each other with an undeniable connection, the riffs and harmonies are a beautiful complicated mess.

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.

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?

Andru is fresh out of prison, standing in the middle of a blessing and a curse. Just when he thinks all he’ll have to show for his life is the barbecue shop and street life, a beautiful, alluring woman walks in and steals his heart.

Dior moves to a new city for a fresh start. After losing her mom at a young age and dealing with the scars left behind, she struggles with more than skin-deep insecurities. Enzo is rebuilding his life after being released from prison. As a successful business owner, he's ready to settle down and start something real. When he and Dior collide, the two instantly feel a spark, but Enzo doesn't realize that Dior is more damaged than meets the eye. Will he be able to help her out of her shell and show her what real love looks like?

Elise Bennett is desperately seeking solace from the hands of the man who promised to love, honor, and cherish her til death do they part. Those vows had been forsaken long ago, leaving Elise to bear the brunt of the abuse happening within the walls of her home. Fearing for her safety and the safety of her children, she does the only thing she can think to do when opportunity arises … she runs. While her intentions are noble, her methods are flawed, and she soon finds herself at the mercy of a stranger.

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.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the dark to my sister’s light - the awkward loner to her social butterfly. Growing up, she had it all: our parent’s unyielding approval, perfect grades, a permanent spot at the popular table, and the attention of the hottest guy ever - Duke Kincaid. After 18 years of living in her shadow, I couldn’t wait to escape - to finally be my own person. Yet here I am - back in my hometown, once again in Valorie’s shadow. Only now, it’s eternal.

Joey Diamonds is on the verge of being a “made” man, with ice-cold blue eyes that pierce through the hearts of women...and men. After being disowned by his Mafia family, losing the love of his life, and realizing the world at large is his enemy, Joey throws extreme caution to the wind on his journey of self-debauchery in the name of fame and fortune. The Purple Don is the story of how self-destruction is never simply an internal state, and everyone around can be destroyed in the process.

At 35, Gina Bourque is still playing the field. If he’s single, in his early 20s with dark hair and brooding eyes, there’s a damn good chance you’ll find him in her little black book. Jeffrey Ryan never imagined that at nearly 40 he’d find himself widowed and a single dad. But here he is - stumbling through this thing called life with two impressionable daughters watching his every move.

Leaving his home of Freetown, Sierra Leone, to further his education, Haji Abimbola travels to Texas to study chemical engineering. It seemed he could never please his father, but in a quest to prove that he is capable of great things, Haji excels in his field of study. After several major accomplishments and still not having the approval he longs for, he chooses to live life on his terms.

Thirteen years before Emma Dumas bought me in a bachelor auction to teach me a lesson, she stole my heart down on Key West. I fell so hard for this girl, I made all the promises. Only with Emma, I really meant them. And then I disappeared. But it wasn’t my fault. Let’s just call my reason “Family Business”. I’d tell you what that business is, but then I’d have to kill you. Just kidding. I can’t tell you what my family business is because it’s so secret, even I don’t know.

The NHL’s been at my door since I was 18, but I’d never leave the Swedish Hockey League—not while raising my little brother. But now he’s grown, and the Carolina Reapers show up with my greatest weakness: Langley Pierce, their new head of PR. I’ve never been able to say no to her. She’s fierce, independent, and the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. She also has a stubborn streak wider than my entire country. One comment from her smart mouth about never dating again, and I propose. No, really, I actually propose.

All Sevyn wanted was to finish law school and make her late grandmother proud. She was never the one to color outside the lines or go against the rules. When Sevyn is suddenly faced with past due bills and eviction, she becomes overwhelmed trying to stay above water. Nasir is content in his relationship with his long-term girlfriend. The two of them have an understanding. Inviting another partner in the bedroom has never been an issue—until now. When Sevyn joins the couple for one night of pleasure, Nasir instantly becomes attracted to the innocence surrounding her.

Lainie Capshaw has been servicing injured cowboys long enough to know that a charming Western drawl combined with a fine physical form doesn't mean you should fall for a man. As a sports therapist, she travels the rodeo circuits patching up riders-and fending off their sweet-talking, swaggering advances. So no one is more surprised than Lainie when she finds herself involved with not one, but two men on different circuits....

Liza B.—the only DJ who gives a jam—wants to take her neighborhood back from the soulless property developer dropping unaffordable condos on every street corner in DC. But her planned protest at a corporate event takes a turn after she mistakes the smoldering-hot CEO for the waitstaff. When they go toe-to-toe, the sparks fly—but her impossible-to-ignore family thwarts her every move. Liza wants Dorsey Fitzgerald out of her hood, but she’ll settle for getting him out of her head.

Meet Trent Bailey, who is fighting for the right to continue his stellar professional football career after enduring striking legal woes in the recent past. Trent cannot and will not blow his second chance for anyone; after all, this is the blessing he's been praying for. After receiving confirmation that staying focused is all he needs, it's what he aims to do. No distractions. That's until he bumps into two unexpected overnight guests.

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.

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?

In part one of A Ruthle$$ Love Story, Lourde’s only focus was proving to his father that he was worthy of the throne. Now that he knows Belmonte blood doesn’t run through his veins, he’s left with questions about who he really is. In the midst of all his family’s dirty laundry, he finds himself in love for the first time. When he loses himself, will he turn to Loyalty to remind him who he really is or feed into the ruthlessness he’s been immersed in all along?

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.

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.

Alexis Monroe and Jaceon Palmer were college sweethearts. They’d planned their lives and were set to get married until Jaceon reveals a change in the plans they had for the future. Hit with the devastating blow that he no longer wants children, Alexis breaks things off. Years later, she is married with a beautiful daughter and pregnant with her son. Tragedy strikes when her husband is killed in an unsolved hit-and-run accident. After struggling through her pregnancy and dealing with her grief for a year, Alexis realizes she needs help.

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.

Rayna thought her life had been stabilized, in spite of losing her sole source of support. Azmir throws a monkey wrench in her world to include himself, but not without exposing a few of his own imperfections. With all the mistakes he makes, he finds trying to secure a place in Rayna’s heart is no easy feat. He fights at all cost to remain there, even if it means removing all competition, including the woman herself, by breaking down the ice-covered walls surrounding her heart.

Elias Omari exists in the darkness that clouds his mind. Cress Devereaux exists in the light that inspires her soul. Together, they create beautiful shades of gray. An arranged marriage forces two families to smooth the edges of their jagged past with the hopes of a new beginning. But can a union tainted with secrets and uncertainty promise an unbreakable alliance? The one thing that Elias and Cress share in common is family over everything, but should they continue to fight for family when that same family has never truly fought for them?

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.

Aaliyah is determined to celebrate her thirtieth birthday with a boyfriend. And after a failed blind date, the local bartender, Ahmad, suggests she joins a dating app. Filled with lies, catfish, and fetishizing, the wild world of online dating makes Aaliyah think she’s in over her head. And she is. But with her two best friends and a protective bartender by her side, what could go wrong?

Brandon Sims has it all. The brain that produces million-dollar ideas, the charming personality to get what he wants, and the looks to seduce any willing bachelorette. According to his mother, the only thing that’s missing is a wife and kids, and the more time he spends with his personal assistant, Calliope, the more he agrees with her. Calliope represents everything he wants in a woman—educated, ambitious, and so damn sexy. The easiest thing for him to do would be to marry the woman of his dreams, but the hard part is convincing Calliope.

Beautiful disaster. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of her. Who hurt you? The first question comes to mind when I open my mouth to greet her. Although it wasn't the easiest to reach, I knew her heart was pure. Gentle to the touch yet stubborn as a bull, she made it hard to resist her. Unintentionally, she sank her hooks in me. She was the calm before my storm. A thunderous, darkening storm with lightning that graciously exposed the paternity of my brother and me. Though the gloom of it all lingered above both our heads.

Ashira, a belle from the suburbs, is the wealthy acting CEO of her father’s booming building firm. That's when she’s not the dancer on the Gram and TikTok, dating the latest Black Hollywood shooting star. To her, Jas, a construction laborer, is a walking conundrum. He’s fruitlessly ambitious yet steadfast in his spiritual convictions. He’s enigmatic, well-read, regimented, and poor. Oh, and a felon. An incredibly disarming parolee who wants no connection to her. Until he does.