He prayed for her in the dark. She begged to God for him to let her go. Ky'leigh Ace thought loving a man like Julian "Toro" Cortez was just part of growing up in the Southside. But when he got locked up, she found out the truth: being in love with a gang member was one thing-raising his daughter alone was another. Six years later, he's back. Fresh out. Full of pain, pride, and poison. But Ky has changed. She's colder now. Stronger. Smarter. And she's been keeping Jurnee away from the streets. But Julian doesn't play when it comes to his daughter. Or Ky. In the world they come from, love ain't sweet-it's war. And every night, somebody's out there whispering a Lover's Prayer just to survive it.

ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴ-ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ꜱʜᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪꜱᴋ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ʀᴜɪɴɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ. ʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴘʀᴇᴄɪꜱᴇ, ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟʟᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀʟᴄᴜʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ. ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰʀᴇᴇ, ᴡɪʟᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛ. ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ ʙᴜʀɴ, ʟɪɴᴇꜱ ʙʟᴜʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ꜱᴛᴏʟᴇɴ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ꜱɪɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. ❝ɪꜰ ʟᴏᴠɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ɪ'ᴅ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ.❞ ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴇ𝒬ᴜᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ... ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏ ꜰᴀɪʀ

Prosper Klarity Athens was supposed to say I do to the man she loved-until the doors of her wedding burst open and a stranger with a devil's smile claimed her as his wife. Kapone Symeer St. James doesn't ask. He takes. And what he takes has already been promised to him in blood. Bound by a vow made before Prosper ever took her first breath, she's forced into a marriage she never agreed to with a man who rules California's streets by fear alone. Kapone is power, control, and calculated violence-everything Prosper swore she'd never bow to. But when lies, betrayal, and obsession start bleeding from inside her own family, Prosper is forced to confront the truth: The real danger isn't the man who claimed her... It's the ones who want to destroy what she's becoming. In a world where love is lethal, loyalty is bought in blood, and obsession is the purest form of devotion-Prosper must decide if she'll keep running from the darkness... Or sit beside it on the throne.

when I come home I just need love but you disregard it...

Formerly known as "Just A Kiss." If you want to familiarize yourself with this story before reading, please go take a look at "Shorts," a book with short stories based on and inspired by songs. "Loving him was easy. Learning to love herself was the real story." Let's follow Karmine, a young woman trying to make sense of who she's becoming while facing the realities of her upbringing. From schoolhouse drama and dealing with abandonment to the quiet battles she fights within herself, Karmine had to grow up quickly-learned to wear strength like armor. But then there's him-the one person who's always there, no matter how messy things get. Him, his presence, are reminders that she doesn't have to face everything alone. He loves her loudly even when the world is silent. Love isn't just about grand gestures, but about the quiet moments that remind you you're still worth living. Karmine begins to see that healing doesn't always mean being unbroken. As she learns to open up and find her place in the world, she discovers that growing up simply means learning to love yourself just as loudly as someone else loves you.

Before Kelsey, before Paris. The Carter boys were following in the foot steps of their dad. Making a come up for themselves they planned to exceed their fathers reputation in the streets. Building an Empire from scratch.

She's a quiet BBW college girl who mind her business and stay out the way. They was never supposed to cross paths but once they do, danger, and love mixed with the streets. And when you fall for a man like him... there ain't no such thing as safe.

Asmara My'yanni Dawson has always wanted to help people. Majoring in Social Work, she's almost finished with her senior year of college. She kept her mind in her books and her heart away from love. She didn't swear it off, she just took a break from it after she experienced a major heartbreak her freshman year of college. The guy she thought she was in love with ghosted her, and it was later revealed that her best friend from high school not only slept with him, but had his child as well. She then realized that not every one deserved your trust and your heart, so she kept it on lock, until she met him... Esai Zamier Lewis always felt like the world was against him. Being diagnosed with a mental disorder, surviving poverty, and having to grow up fast, turned him into an emotionally unavailable person. Recently released from prison, Esai is learning to live in a world where his mother and brother aren't in it with him. Coping with promethazine to sleep through the pain, he doesn't realize it's doing more harm than good. Trying to uphold the promise to his mom, he opens his own tattoo shop, Esai's Ink. With the help of his friends and recent love interest, he realizes he's not alone as much as he thought. Follow Asmara and Esai as they both go through life with each other by each other's side. Relationships and friendships will be tested, secrets will be revealed, loved ones will be grieved. Can they survive it all? First book! Enjoy!

He wants to love her loudly. She's scared to believe she deserves it. Some love isn't light. Some love is felt in the bones. This is The Weight of Love.

Two teens brought together due to a forensics project