In a world where Maddy ends up with Rue

"𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭." 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦. "𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭." 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

"𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢 , 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦" #ONMYBLOCK || Tiana, the daughter of The King of Prophet$, moved to South Central at twelve. Fast forward a couple years to this school year, she begins to fall for someone who was once just her friend. But when she starts seeing him differently, everything between them changes. 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 ... 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬.. 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭...𝘑𝘜𝘚𝘛 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋!! (𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘵𝘸) ©ᴀᴍᴏʀᴀꜱɪʀᴇ

Jamani Raelynn Carr has always preferred life behind the scenes-quiet, focused, and in control. But when she lands her dream internship as a sideline reporter for the Detroit Pistons, she finds herself thrust into the spotlight, balancing ambition, family expectations, and her own need for authenticity. Navigating the male-dominated world of sports journalism isn't easy, especially when every day feels like a high-stakes audition. Jalen Montez Duren, the Pistons' charismatic young star, is used to the pressure and scrutiny that comes with fame. But underneath his cool exterior, he's searching for something real-someone who sees the man beyond the jersey. When he meets Jamani at a chaotic NBA Media Day, a single thoughtful question sparks a connection neither of them expects. As Jamani and Jalen's paths continue to cross-on the court, at press conferences, and in the city that raised them-friendship slowly deepens into something more. But their growing bond is tested by public scrutiny, career setbacks, past heartbreaks, and the ever-present tension between personal dreams and professional duty. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Detroit, this slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance explores what it means to fight for love, identity, and your rightful place in the world. For Jamani and Jalen, the real victory might be learning to trust themselves-and each other-when the spotlight fades.

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 . 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱𝘆

"Cain, if you can't leave the streets for me and our baby, then me and you, we're done." I pointed between the two of us as tears streamed down my face and he bit his lip, looking down at the floor before he looked back up into my eyes. "Aight." "Shit over then, babygirl."

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦

"Solè, why'd you stay?" "Because, Zaire... you the first thing that ever felt worth staying for." ❀ 🝳 ❀ Harlem held the noise. Solè gave Zaire the quiet. Zaire Knox, Harlem's quiet storm, known for his ties to the streets and a gaze that read people faster than they could lie to him. Respected. Feared. Loved. With scars buried deeper than his tattoos, he never planned to love soft. Until a Harlem vinyl shop left behind by his late grandfather forces him to slow down, to breathe, to find his real purpose in the world beyond the streets. Solè Sinclair, soft but unbreakable, raised by her father after loss. By day, she serves warmth behind the counter of a café. By night, she disappears into her art, trying to paint the parts of herself no one ever sees. When their worlds cross, the city shifts. What starts off tense and unexpected turns tender. Together, they learn love can hold you just as fierce as the streets ever did, and softer, too. But love in Harlem always asks one question: what are you willing to risk when the heart wants more than the streets ever offered? A Harlem story. A hood love. A soft place to land. ❀ 🝳 ❀

NBA star Jalen Knox has it all-talent, fame, and a playboy reputation that won't quit. When bad press threatens his career, his agent turns to a risky fix: fake dating. Enter Renee Porter, a fresh PR rep just starting her dream job. Pretending to be the perfect couple was supposed to clean up his image, but soon staged dates, late-night texts, and stolen glances start to blur the line between business and real feelings. With paparazzi watching, messy exes resurfacing, and careers on the line, one question remains: can love survive when it starts with a lie?

WARNING: If you're too sensitive and overly precise, please do not read. *For drama and street life. *Needs editing. This book was written in 2015.