Showing results by narrator "Opal Black" in All Categories

Essence Knox never thought she'd be starting over at her age. After two decades of teaching math at Hardwood High, raising her daughters, and keeping everything together, she's faced with a quiet house and tough decisions. Selling the family home seems like the right move, but letting go of the past and the pain that comes with it is easier said than done. Little did she know, her fresh start would come in the form of a new colleague. Enter Xavier Sharpe, the retired military man turned high school teacher.

Burned by her ex-husband and a messy divorce, Jeannie Dubois isn't looking for anything more than a good friend. Besides, she's still dealing with the ex who can't seem to let her go. Insert NBA coach Aiden Walsh. Sure, he wants so much more than friendship with the beautiful woman he met at a wedding, but he's sure he can play the part, and he's good at biding his time. So, for now, he'll fill any role she wants. But when these two friends become lovers, things quickly turn complicated. Jeannie finds out Aiden is so much more than just Manhattan's favorite coach.

Honey Williams doesn’t trust men. Between her father and last lover, a part of her struggles with resenting the entire species. She’s spent the past six months hidden in the safety of her parents’s home hoping her kind heart will never be the cause of pain and misfortune again. That seems possible until a cranky client causes chaos … which leads to her meeting Mr. Librarian.

When Nia Nash got involved with Drake Paradise, heir to the Paradise Construction empire, she never thought she'd end up raising their son alone. Hurt and furious, she's spent four years trying to forget everything about him. From the way his piercing blue eyes would follow her every move to the way he set her body on fire with only one kiss. Drake Paradise not only broke her heart, but he changed the course of her life forever.

The holiday season is the time for forgiveness, love, and family. That's why Drake has decided it's time to finally deal with the leftover baggage from his past. He thought he was ready. Two years should have been long enough to get over the hurt and wreckage his deceased father left behind. But Drake quickly realizes that's not really the case. The letter and the video he's kept locked away—the same ones that were supposed to set him free—only serve to confuse him even more.

Denali Peters was sure her life would never get any better. She had two children with a man who showed her with time just how impure his intentions were. At the top of her priority list was being a great mom, but working two jobs and raising her man along with their kids began to take a toll on Denali. Eventually, she realized the importance of self-care and her own happiness…but that happiness came with a hefty price.

Wynter Driscoll is home. The unexpected death of her estranged father has brought her back to the place where love died and a grief filled the place she could never quite grow in. As the daughter of a hoarder, she’s had more than her fair share of feeling like an afterthought … unimportant … invisible. After inheriting her childhood home, Wynter is determined to erase the painful memories of her past one box at a time. While making a fresh start, the last thing she expected to find was love.

Sametra Andrews knows how to run into burning buildings, but facing her own emotions has been a harder fight. For seventeen years, the devoted single mother and fearless firefighter has kept life simple: protect her son, avoid heartbreak, and never depend on a man to show up. But one rainy night shatters that plan. After a devastating car crash leaves her son Samaj hospitalized, Sametra meets Dr. Malik Holloway, a fine physical therapist with Alabama roots, healing hands, and an energy that disarms her defenses without even trying.

Single dad Grant Thomas has been smitten since the stunner, Day, walked into his store. Though burned by love, Grant still seizes the opportunity to ask Day out–right before his ex-wife arrives demanding he take their angry teen for the summer, perhaps longer. Unsure if he can balance work, fatherhood, and romance, Grant's determined to try.

Ebony Callaway wasn't looking for love. After a messy divorce, all she wanted was peace, her art, and to figure out how to keep up with Basquiat, the too-big, too-stubborn puppy who turned her quiet life upside down. Enter Dr. Tyler Hill. The handsome, steady veterinarian who shows up to help with Basquiat's training and ends up unlocking something deeper in Ebony, too. With Tyler, she feels soft again. Safe again. Like she doesn't have to fight to be seen or hide who she really is. But love after heartbreak isn't easy. Between the chaos of teaching and the weight of past mistakes.

Bentley didn't come to Hardwood High to fall in love. She came to prove something—to herself, to the people who doubted her, and maybe even to the chickens named after Destiny's Child living in her backyard. Her plan was simple: survive her first year teaching English, build a community in her classroom, and absolutely not get distracted by anyone with a killer smile and thighs that make her rethink her professional goals.

Brooklyn Waverly just wants to be happy. Unfortunately, happiness seems like a pipe dream for her. Her career as a social-media-famous dress maker is derailed by scandal when a client with her own social media following steals Brooklyn’s man. Now jobless, man-less, and potentially homeless, Brooklyn needs to start over from scratch.

25-year-old Dreux McCoy was in no condition to fall in love. When she loses someone close, the easiest thing for her to do is shut down, but after running into Kamron Vega, he woke up something inside of her that she’s had closed off for so long. As secrets start to unravel, Dreux does the one thing she’s best at, run.

Lyric Delaney, Kerri Rhodes, and Paige Thompson are all chasing happiness and trying their best to balance life. At first glance their lives seem flawless; beautiful homes, perfect marriages. But behind those blissful facades, the reality of balancing happiness, blended families, and their husband’s exes could turn even the most enviable unions into matrimonial disasters.

Three years ago, I had one unforgettable weekend with a man who made me forget every rule I'd ever followed. Then he ghosted me like it never happened. Fast forward to now—he's standing in front of the faculty at Hardwood High, all smug and suited up, introducing himself as our new assistant principal. Every time he walks into my classroom, opens his mouth in a meeting, or so much as breathes in my direction, I have to remind myself I like my job too much to cuss him out.

I was left a swanky NYC apartment, courtesy of a will I didn't know I was in—but it comes with a caveat. I have to marry an incredibly rude—and fine—stranger. My first reaction is a clear, "I don't." My finances don't let me get that far. And Josh needs this fake marriage to get custody of his late friend's son. Is it enough to make me put up with the most abrasive but handsome white boy I've ever met?

Suvi Summers never had luck in the love department. Failed relationship after failed relationship leads her to an unforgettable interview with the matchmaking service. Blaze Snow was a ladies' man. He’d never had any trouble finding a woman, but keeping her was a different story. When his best friend signs up for a matchmaking service, he goes for moral support but ends up in an interview of his own. Neither of them expects to gain much from the service, but when they meet at the alter a few weeks later, they are forced to come to terms with feelings neither of them were prepared to reveal.

Every Woman Needs a Wife is the hilarious, but thought-provoking story of a wife who does the "unthinkable." Strolling in on Vernon and his mistress one night, Brandi Spencer insists that the new woman in his life come home and earn her keep the honest way—on her feet helping the wife clean the house, keep the children, and pay the bills, instead of laying on her back servicing the husband.

Genesis Alexander is living high off of life, enjoying her career and her life with her wonderful husband Sean. However, that bubble quickly burst when a surprise greeting stares Genesis in her face. She reacts without thinking and has to decide whether she wants to start over and let guilt consume her. A cheating man can dish it out, but they definitely can't take it. Sean has no problem dipping his dipstick into anybody he pleases. He's living a shady life but still holds on to his love for his wife.

Warrior "War" Davis is ready for anything life has to throw at him, or at least he thinks he is. He's not a man that should be played with on any level, but love doesn't care about your position. When love enters the battlefield, will it be a fair fight? Life has a funny way of humbling you. When the humbling comes from a person you don't want to even like, will he submit himself to love?