Showing results by narrator "Benjamin Charles" in All Categories

Advice columnist Amelia Reinhardt had been told her entire life that she was destined for greatness. After gracing the cover of a popular magazine that highlights Black professionals, Amelia knew she’d finally made it. Now that her career was taking off, she no longer had an excuse to ignore the storm brewing between her and the man she’s known her entire life.

I moved into the building next to Pixie when I was 11. She blew bubbles through my window. I shot my Nerf gun through hers. We both had secrets, but one of us was fated to get hurt. I wanted it to be me.

Jonah Bennett wasn’t like his family. The mafia business was firmly what his brothers did, not him. That changed the day a rival family killed his fiancée.

Everyone around me kept trying to tell me that what I felt for Ananias wasn’t real, but I knew in my heart that it was. But did he feel the same? And if he did, could we actually survive with everyone we love against us?

The unblinking story of two lost and self-destructive drifters - a failed painter working as a counterman in a cheap diner and a woman in flight from domestic violence - trying to find a place for themselves in the back streets of San Francisco, Pick-Up is hardboiled writing at its nihilistic best.

The week of the culinary conference was Xander Northcott’s time to shine. Fresh out of a long-term relationship, he cemented his newly single status by accepting Piper Andrews’ invitation back to her room that first night. It was all fun and games until a few months later, when he received a phone call from the woman he barely knew. She was pregnant - with his child.

I named myself. I took the word animal out of their mouths, wore it like a badge of honor, then shoved it down their throats. I've fought for what I have. I see you coming before you even know you want a piece of me. In a city riddled with warring families, I'll rise up between them. My people, the broken souls I gather, will have power by the time I'm done with them.

As heir to my family's mafia throne, I've learned to threaten, torture, and kill. But the only place I really feel at home is on the ice. So when Mom has my coach murdered to end my figure skating dreams, I know it's time to run. With my hot but off-limits bodyguard by my side, I flee to a little town where she'll never find me.

A tragic beginning to life led Jah and Shauka Disciple to homelessness and poverty at such a young age that they grew into men before their time. Yet, they turned their hunger, abandonment, and suffering into diamonds, mansions, and power. The natural hustler instinct they’d inherited from their father was their driving force. Yet, this story starts when Messiah turns 18 and is finally freed from his adoptive parents. Reluctantly, he leaves his twin sister behind as he, Jah, and Shauka run the streets and break yearning hearts along the way.

One thing that held constant in Shelby Donovan’s life was her career. As a world-renowned artist, Shelby’s paintings traveled the globe, landing in museums and homes across the nation. But what she couldn’t seem to get under control was her love life. Her mother insisted it was because of her best friend, Sebastian Cartwright. They’ve known each other for years. Sebastian and Shelby shared everything; embarrassing moments, secrets, dating tips, affection, and even an explosive kiss during one tipsy night on Shelby’s birthday.

I had the perfect friends, the perfect family. The perfect everything. We were a greeting card you wanted to frame. And then he showed up on our doorstep, looking like the aftermath of a rock concert, claiming to be my adopted brother’s half-brother. Sounds like trouble, right? He looked like trouble. Hell, his name defined trouble. Ruffian had bad news and heartbreak written all over him. But knowing he would break my heart didn’t stop me from falling.

Three friends experiencing life’s uncertain changes decide they need relaxation beyond the usual girls’ night out. A friend tells them about The Den, an upscale male strip club. They find out the club is a shell of what really lies beneath - and soon, the ladies are venturing into their mind and body’s wildest desires.

Three friends experiencing life’s uncertain changes decide they need relaxation beyond the usual girls’ night out. A friend tells them about The Den, an upscale male strip club. They find out the club is a shell of what really lies beneath - and soon, the ladies are venturing into their mind and body’s wildest desires.

With the men who are stealing my heart by my side, my skating career is taking off in ways I never imagined were possible. But my criminal past keeps haunting me.

Desmond Simmons' life is at an impasse. After a tragic near-death experience, he’s left struggling to pick up the pieces of an existence that’s grown monotonous. He’s so sure he’s stuck until an old neighbor reappears, turning his new, uneventful life upside down. While reconnecting, the two embark on a journey that leaves them grappling with their new lives and falling back into a whimsical world full of secrets they created as children to escape reality. They soon learn that outrunning the truth isn’t as easy as it once was, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.

Born and raised in Atlanta by a father who blames the family rift on music, Amara Johnson’s talent for guitar and passion for poetry have always been just that: talent and passion that she channels into her work as a music teacher. When her estranged grandfather—a man known as much for his raspy, soulful blues songs as his perplexing personality—passes away, Amara discovers a collection of old letters, journals, and a tattered photo that offer more questions than answers.

His smile is what got me. It was charming but held a hint of the sexy thoughts I was hoping he had in his head like I did with only our first glance. He may be tall, dark, and handsome, but I’m telling you, it was his smile that got me. I’m sure of that detail. Too bad all I did was avert my gaze and let a blush rise up to my cheeks, outing me for having sordid thoughts about my son’s preschool teacher.

Even when I'm halfway around the world, my mother won't leave me be. I'm never going to become the mafia princess she hoped for. I'm going to show the whole world who I really am—on the ice, with the grace and beauty I've always dreamed of. But the competition is tougher than ever, both in the figure-skating community and in the criminal underworld I left behind. If Mom forces my hand, can I find a final move that'll free me from her control forever...or will I be the one who'll lose everything?

Slayton Turner, ex-NFL player and manager of The Corporation Kensington swore he’d never want anything or anyone again. Until he heard her sing. Aspiring singer, Willow James, is all about building her career, so an invitation to perform at a Christmas party where a notable music executive will also be in attendance, is a dream come true. But what happens when an invitation for just one night, turns into so much more?

With love comes pain. And with pain comes scars. Believe me, I have had my share of it all. After my mother's death, my father couldn't deal. So once again, we're moving. To a town full of lies, darkness, and corruption. All masked in sunshine and money. But then I meet him.... My biggest mistake. My biggest temptation. A royal pain-in-the-ass. And Darrian King is no prince. He's controlling, aggressive, and downright wrong for me. But what he dishes out, I give right back. After all, love hurts. And so do we.