This book has given me everything that I have craved. Suspense, secrets, drama, love, and from all points I absolutely could not put this book down. I finished it one day and that is a feat that I haven't done in a long while. The book starts off with you having no idea what is happening and then from there you are taken for a whirlwind of a ride.  You meet a young lady named Beautee Hill and to me, she served as a triple threat. She was married to thug herself that no one knew of. Still a virgin which meant she was faithful to a point and she was a federal agent, but not your normal federal agent. Underneath her skin, she held revenge and contempt for one man and his name was Zaire. The one man who put her husband behind bars in the first place. Beautee start on this path of redemption and revenge by being the finest thing on the planet in Zaire's eyes.  No knowing who she is, Zaire enters the scene and hooked on her from day one and even though she doesn't want to say it out loud, after a few pages she is starting to feel him too.

This book gave me those goosebumps all up and down my arm while reading this book. But the funny thing is that, it was one of those books that once you started to pick up on the story line you did not want to put it down. I got to say it was creepy, scary, crazy good, but just to be honest not a book that I would pick up again. Every character in this book was connected to a forest and an ancient indian story contained within. It takes you a minute to connect the dots and the authors gives you very provocative scenes that will have you putting this book down at the same time picking it up just to get more. The first character you meet is Jed and his vibe was very hard to read. He is an prominent artist who makes huge reset in his life by buying an house in Spiritwood to get in touch with his artistic roots. From here, you start to learn of all the characters and you see how they all become connected in this quaint little town. Janet is young woman who is very frail and in a marriage that had me feeling sorry for her.   Henry was the one person who was creepy to me but kept me guessing.

First off this house is seriously creepy it has a very dark history about a family that lived there.  I give the authors kudos for that because I was creeped out, the minute I read that she fell off that cliff.  The story centers around the mystery of Isabella and Richard the lovers who lives were ended very abruptly and no idea why it happened.  Jane is a young women who is looking to her dissertation on a creepy house that is owned by Bastian You learn of Jane after all the creepiness and find that she is hooked to finding out the past behind the Hall.  This is where you learn of Bastian and that this lovely mansion is being renovated by him.  He is the owner of this place and also the reputation that his family has placed inside its walls. Jane gets a letter saying that she can come and visit as a tourist but she is determined to get access to documents that could make her paper the bomb.com. 

Secrets? Yes there are tons of them throughout the book that I like to call an error in miscommunication, but the sinful part is where you completely lose me.  The way I saw it there was only one sinful person in this story and he just got beneath my skin because his secret was the reason that everything and everyone around them was affected.  In this story the book centers around a young woman named Symone who I saw, had a good life, a nice family, and long term goal that is starting to become fulfilled.  She even finds the need to help out a friend and I found that this woman had everything she wanted except she had a hidden desire, a hidden voice that took the help of her friends to find. 

I agree and disagree with this read because even though I believe that love conquers on.  I am questioning if young love is really that strong.  I felt like I walked through the twilight zone and was reading about the problems that puppy love has, but I was clearly mistaken.  It was more of a tale about going after your dreams and following your heart as best you can.  It had tales of friendships that were gained and broken.  And unique set a character who each in a way had to grow in order to not just get what they want but learn how to come to terms with who they are and how they love.  Lankenua is a teenage girl who is uprooted from her home in Africa by her parents and is flown all the way to the US of A, where she goes to school at Gramby High and runs her parents store part time.

 The story was really all over the place for me and was really one of those books that I would pick up for a few day and put it right back down for the same amount.  It was story that intrigued me in the love factor, but was losing me at times when it came to the character development.  The plot of the story had its moments where you are moving from one scene to the next very quickly.  All in all, my nose was in this book when it had the chance.  You meet Rico and Rockwell who live in the H in Illinois.  These two are together and have their own hustles in away.  Their relationship is really on and off and in secret due to Rockwell’s uncle Marcel.  Rico works for Rockwell’s uncle and I got to say that is grimy.  Rockwell well she is a different breed of hustle and is good at boosting stuff from stores.   How they met was out of the ordinary because Rico thought she was fine as wine but never saw her approaching him.

So this book automatically introduces you to all the characters.  Well, at least the main characters.  Princess and Kia are at a club living it up for the last time and are being eyed by this cat named Mace.  He automatically has a thing for Princess and you can just see it or read it. On the outside,  Mace is the perfect gentleman.  Princess, in turn feels it too and what started in the club seems like its going to be a long term thing.  I read this and thought it was going to be your typical love story because these two characters moved really fast as far as the progression of a relationship.  You get to see how strong the bond between the two cousins are when you see Kia leaving for college and leaving Princess there for the first time in years.  When Mace and Kia have left, she ends up turning to her ex for attention.  She does feel guilty, but that moment quickly passes in her mind.  Princess finally get the phone she has been waiting for and goes to see Mace where he dumps a tripto Las Vegas in her lap. 

Mirrored Lives by Rique Johnson The book starts off with us having a look at a woman named April who is love with thunderstorms and in love with her husband Virgil.  Her sense of intimacy has another notion, though. Even though they have been together for a few years April feels like their sex life has been going downhill.  After she confesses this to her husband she goes to the bathroom and finishes what he never started from the looks of it.  Then you meet Ariel who is also married and loves her husband and actually has not complaint.  Well, except one and it has nothing to do in the sex department.  Even after her man gives her all the pleasure imaginable, she finds herself in the bathroom as well and then things starts to get weird.  To a point to where they see themselves but it's not them.  It freaks them for a minute, but snap out of it due to different circumstances.  Life goes on for usual for these two, but you see them doing the exact same thing as you continue reading.  Another thunderstorm is headed their way and then it starts to get intense.

I read this book back in college, but as I was sifting through the books that I wanted to read it again, my mind automatically went to this book.  Besides Ashley and Jaquavis, Zane has been my favorite author for a very long time and this book was the first time I read something different in a love story that wasn't linked to the drug game.  This book made me believe in love again and had me in tears each time.  From the start, you meet the character of Rayne way back in the teenage days and you basically see her family and friend settings and just how she is living and its ok but it could be better.  Because of Rayne's mother, Rayne grew up quick and put up with a lot of things but she stayed true to herself.  To me, she sounded like a typical girl with that best friend and that high school crush on boys well at least one. Still in the teenage days, you meet the main character Yardley and his boys Dwayne, Felix, and Mike.  You actually meet them at a time where Yardley is still a virgin which I found interesting because no book I have read has really took it back the far, but I see why.  

The drama continues to unfold in Gangsta Divas by Denesha Diamond.  I don't know how long we are going to keep this up, but I'm always hyped up when another Diva book comes out.  Of course, all your favorite characters are back and are coming back more ruthless than ever when it comes to being on top of the street game.  The one gang, the cripettes make an appearance in this book and you actually get a few questions answered.  Willow is making a statement, Leshelle gets what she always wanted, and Tashara is letting her love for Profit rule all. The book picks up right where the Street Divas left off and Lucifer's life is flipped upside down when one minute she is professing her love and the next she is losing her love and gaining some hope at the same time.  With Fat Ace gone, there is a power struggle between Lucifer and her brother, but that doesn't last long because Lucifer is not having it. She knows she controls all the power of the Vice Lords and she is not about to fight for it.  Her brother does take too long trying to realize that.

Now, I have always loved my short stories by Zane and she will always be the queen in my eyes.  This book holds a close second to me though because it was just as erotic and proably more raunchy than just about any book that I read.  It had boldness, sex appeal, all mixed in with just the right amount of love to make each story in this book come to life as if it was really happening.  I just had one question for these authors.  Where do they live so that I can move into this complex community.   There were a lot of short stories in this book that I am not going to name them all.  You are just going to have to read the stories and see for yourself how good of a book this is, but here are some of my favorite reads from this book. Jackie:  if you have real feelings for someone, don't let the moment pass you by. Sow Her Oats, Plant His Seeds:  Secrets, secrets and what do you know more secrets. Birthday Celebration: She got a birthday to remember.  I was jealous Beautiful Music:  a different take on love & sex

From the start this character's name is Fancy.  There is a reason behind her nickname and why it stuck it with her. You see this young girl who looks like she has everything going for her.  She has friends, nice clothes, looks very comfortable in her curvaceous body and brings the confidence right along with it.  But underneath that exterior is a woman with a hurt past and a more hurtful presents.  I like to introduce you all to Maribel.  A twenty nine year old who was breaking her back trying to be her nickname, Fancy.  She didn't get like this on her own, her whole mindset by a young cat named Shawn who ended up becoming her best friend. So fast forward to now and Fancy is living it up with three friends every night and taking the bus home right after.  No one, not even her best friends know the truth about her until she comes across Aaron. When you first meet Aaron, he honestly sounds like a genuine guy.  He accepts all of her and their relationship moves pretty fast.  Everything seems well until Fancy sees his real colors and ends up right back where she doesn't want to be.  Through this downfall, she found her best friend Shawn who helps Fancy get back on her feet.

Allison Hobbs got me with this book and when I say got me, I was in shock and awe at the very first page. She took the stories of these three girls and took me through a very dreary story of what happens when you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. To me this story was very dark with hint of hope as you see Gianna's character not just be the first victim but for me the main character of this story because you saw her at her best as well as at her worst. You meet Gianna at the start of this book trying to escape from her captor, Bullet.  Side note though, I don't hate his character because he wants to snatch girls, I couldn't stand his character because of his innate stupidity.   When Gianna does escape, you would think that she would find help somewhere, but it turns out that NOBODY helps her or sees the danger that she is in.  When Bullet does capture her he takes her back and thus from here the story of Stealing Candy begins.

It's a quickie alright, as in it is a short read.  This book is for people who want fast story to hold them over or just don't like read long stories.  I already like this book, because it's the only book that puts the scene in Texas. Mercedes and Kandi have an organization called Groupies Inc and they each have their own preference of guys they target for this website.  What is it?You may be asking yourself.  Well, it's a website that keeps tracks of celebrity and what they prefer in the bedroom and different cities they would be in for other groupies to get on it as well.  Mercedes is a firecracker who is not only confident in herself but know how to handle her money.  Calvin aka C-bone is her current target and you see that Mercedez could have had a thing for him, but Calvin played a player role from the start.  Later on,  you see that Calvin was actually really feeling her a lot.  Along the way, you meet Coco and Tasha, a few of Mercedez friends that are also apart of this incorporation except Tasha is a little inexperienced. 

We start off learning that Memphis has three gang groups and within it, there are females who have a factor in how these gangs operate.  We have the  Flowers, Cripettes, and the Queen G and I did not read the story yet, but I heard this author was good in supplying me with the drama and suspense that I crave in stories.  From the looks of it, she doesn't disappoint.  The first two pages, instant fight and you already know what it's about.  The author kind of threw you into the mix of things with limited facts, but you catch on rather quickly.  For those that don't, Tashara is Leshelle's sister and Profit is Fat Ace's brother or closet thing to and they don't want to be a part of any of these gangs and just love each other, but being where they are from its not possible so things hit the fan when their little love is exposed to the wrong people.  You kind of see how they're relationship started and bloomed with the flashbacks. In the beginning of the book, you also meet all the characters in one and how each of them role.  You meet Leshelle and find out what she is to the head of the Black Gangsters Disciples.  She was probably the worst one for me and the most dramatic so, in a sense, I hated to love her character.  She is Tashara's sister and feels responsible for her despite her sister not wanting to have anything to do with any type of gangs.  You also learn a little about how both of the sisters were brought up and you get a glimpse of Leshelle and why she is the way she is.  You also see how these two lethal combinations met and how far Leshelle went to gain her position.

This book was interesting and really wasn't the type of book that I stop and read, so this was a first for me.  The book starts off really weird because I have no idea what's going on but, the next few pages make it pretty clear.  I never really  knew what I was in for, but I am very glad that I read it.  I felt like you were watching a young girl blossom into this strong independent woman.  Her family and the choices that she made really made her who she is. You are introduced to Shae Byrts who is a young girl who is not living the good life.  Her and her family have a mix of love and hate that come together in the worst way.  Her mother is an alcoholic who forces Shae into a motherly role for her siblings.  Mrs. Byrts is nothing nice to her family and you really only see her doing two things in this story.  Leaving to get drunk and yelling at her kids and those two combined make for a nasty tale.  In this house, she also lives with her grandmother and three brothers and each of them have their own story that will touch your heart in some kind of way and you will start to understand Ma Violet and Toby's character as they progress.   What I have noticed with each of them was that they were all suffering from something within the family.

The authors brought all of my favorite characters back for a whirlwind of a ride in the Cartel 4 by Ashley and Jaquavis.  If you haven't read the first three I suggest you close this tab, go and read them and come back at me.  All the hidden unanswered question are revealed and a few surprising characters return for some eye popping reveals In the privacy of his home Carter keeps his relationship with Mia a secret from his family and for good reason really. He accepted Mia and all her ways and didn't know how to present that to his family.  I loved how the authors showed the boundaries of Carter and Mia because even though she came back, Carter wants to trust her and Mia would follow him to the ends of the earth.  They have magnetic pull to each other because their hearts were in it from the very beginning.

After reading this book, what can I say I am a sucker for drama?  This book did more than just pull me into the story of Wisdom but I felt like there was more realness in this book than any book that I have read.  Honestly, I don't know whether this book was based on a real story or not, but as the situation and the drama unfolds, it's almost if most of this book was based on a real story.  I don't know if it was or not but Jabar is on author that we should keep our eyes on in the future. At the start of this book you are introduced to five people who are playing chess, so to speak with the street game of hustling.  The book just starts off dirty with Wisdom, Dank and Dammoe having a standoff with this cat name Bam.  Things take a turn for the worse and Bam pays with his life.  The boys think that they got off scot free and life goes back to normal for them.  Detective Brown has a different theory for the murder of Bam and gives his theory to Captain Smith who has ulterior motives.  On the other side everything seems to be going well for Wisdom and is crew.  Money is rolling in and people are eating.  This is also where you start getting introduced to each character and the type of person that they are.  My favorite one was Sky and not because she was the only female character, but she was the one was level headed and knew that the streets had her man, but always hoped for the best.  Hoping that he would get out of the game.

This is another book where the author took me in a completely different direction then I thought it was going to.  For me, that is what made the book interesting and why I really don't read the back of books because I want to get the shock right when I am reading.  You meet this young lady named Ki and she is adjusting to her new life with Rameer who is very much in love her.  So in love with her, in fact that he introduces her to his world and they live in it together.  Rameer loves Ki in every way shape and form, but it is his that have their way of tearing them apart. When you first read the book, you see how strong their love is and what really pushes them apart is not outside forces but more of themselves and that's just the start of the book.  You see Ki really taking everything in and learning the ropes and for a second I thought their love was what was going to keep them together.  When eight years pass, that is where the fun begins and you meet some more lively characters. Rameer has disappeared and Ki is trying to adjust to her new life and right when she is ok with his disappearance, he returns and starts to try to get her love back.

Ok, so this book was the finale of all the Naughty series by Brenda Hampton and it didn't fail to excite me.  Instead of the book being titled Naughty and a number, the author took a different route and decided to call it Jaylin's World and it fit perfectly with the story.  The chapters don't all center on Jaylin, but the characters do and I have got to say, I am going to miss this little journey.  I mean, I have read all of the books and loved every single one of them, but no, there were no tears.  More like a round of applause for giving Jaylin, Scorpio, and Nokea the ending that they deserve. So the book starts off a few years after the last one and Scorpio is married with two kids and her husband is not all that cracked up to be marriage material.  Scorpio accuses him of cheating on her and we don't know for sure whether he is or isn't.  They are on the road when this happens and they get into a bad accident that seems to have more of a major impact on her kids and everyone is rushed to the hospital.  If you missed out on what happened between her and Jaylin well, this is where you find out.  You also find out that she is still holding on to a secret that will soon come to light.