❝𝐒𝐎 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐘, 𝐍𝐎 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐄❞

"𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 ?" (Characters in story are not the characters on cover)

Mute, abused, hood, Chicago, saved, kidnapped

Ariel comes from a home where cruelty is normal-fat-shaming disguised as concern, neglect dressed as tough love. She's used to being invisible, both in class and in her family. The only place she feels peace is in books or when she sees him, the mysterious man who haunts her thoughts like a forbidden daydream. All she wants is to be chosen, just once, for who she really is. Lucien has never had something pure to protect. He's killed for pleasure, for power, for survival. But Ariel? She makes him feel again. He wants to shield her from every insult, every cruel word she's ever heard. And he'll burn the world down to keep her safe-even if it means becoming the monster she fears. To him, she is perfection in its most forbidden form. And once he's tasted her-emotionally or otherwise-he can never let go.

Sa'Lani Monee Jeffries has always been the thick girl who gets overlooked or played. At 27, she's done with love, focused on stacking her money as a nail tech and minding her business. But when a fine, chocolate, six-foot-three gangsta with a low voice and dangerous reputation starts showing up at her job, all of that changes. Kaizer "Kai" Rashaad Wynn isn't the type of man she ever wanted. He's quiet, mean to everybody but her, and runs the streets with a heavy hand. Yet when he looks at her like she's the only woman in the world, Sa'Lani finds herself letting her guard down piece by piece. What starts as playful flirting turns into late-night phone calls, expensive gifts, and nights that leave her body aching for more. But falling for a man like Kai means stepping into a world of hood politics, jealous exes, and enemies who will use anything-including her-to get to him. When street drama hits too close to home, Sa'Lani is forced to decide if she can love a man who lives by a code that could get him killed... or if loving him will be the very thing that breaks her heart. Because Kai doesn't just want her body-he wants all of her. And when a real gangsta falls in love with a thick girl, he ain't letting go, no matter who has to get out of the way.

The labeled nobody of the school is everything to someone and just doesn't know it. When Selena Cruz gets pulled into tutoring the Basketball star, Armani Saint, they start off on the wrong foot, which leads to a pinky promise that would change their lives. But is it for the better or the worse? Edited*

Naomi Brooks is everything he's not-pure, soft-spoken, raised on hymns and hallelujahs. A church girl with a kind heart and a secret longing for something more. Dave East is everything she's been warned about-ruthless, feared, raised on pain and silence. A man who doesn't beg, doesn't break, and doesn't believe in salvation. But when a quiet prayer crosses paths with a silent war, Naomi becomes the one light in Dave's dark world. And he'll burn it all down to protect her. As their worlds collide, secrets unravel, blood is spilled, and faith is tested. Because some love stories aren't about fairy tales... They're about survival. And when Dave finally uncovers the truth about who killed his mother, love might not be enough to stop him from getting revenge.

What happens when a girl falls for her secret admirer who became her stalker.