New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe sweeps readers back to the streets, porches, and parlors of civil rights-era Ohio to bring to life the first steps of an enduring friendship between two girls from opposite sides of the track. . . Annette Goode is a shy, awkward, overweight child with a terrible secret. Frightened and ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food. But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens: Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, generous Rhoda, who is everything Annette is not--gorgeous, slim, and worldly--welcomes Annette into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and dignified father;her lovely, fragile "Muh'Dear;" her brooding, dangerous brother Jock;and her colorful white relatives--half-crazy Uncle Johnny, sultry Aunt Lola, and scary, surly Granny Goose. With Rhoda's help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms as a woman. But when her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a horrific childhood crime, Annette's world will never be the same. "A coming-of-age journey depicted with wit, poignancy and bite." --Publishers Weekly

"Monroe is a masterful storyteller." --Philadelphia Inquirer There are some things even forever friends can't fix. . . Annette Goode Davis is a survivor. Life has often knocked her down, but she's never stayed there for long. To Annette, it's all about family and old friends like Rhoda O'Toole. And right now, Annette needs all the friends she can get. Because lately, her husband, Pee Wee, barely has the time of day for her. And she has no idea why. . . Desperate to regain Pee Wee's affections, Annette goes on a crash diet, gets a makeover, and looks hotter than she has in a long time. Everyone notices--except Pee Wee. So when handsome Louis Baines showers her with attention, Annette finds herself having an affair and spending money on Louis like there's no tomorrow. But when she learns a terrible secret about her new lover, she realizes she's in way over her head. Soon Annette must face the fact that she may have destroyed the life she loved--and this time, not even Rhoda can help her make things right. . . "A fast-paced, sexy, tense story that will make readers think twice before getting tangled up in an affair." --Booklist "Monroe's never better than when she's writing about Annette and Rhoda. . .who are always getting in trouble." --Publishers Weekly

The new edition of a modern classic by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Mary Monroe! The riveting second book in the acclaimed God series sweeps readers back to 1970s Ohio and the stunning story of secrets, survival, and a woman who refused to give up. Growing up, Annette Goode thought all men were as low-down as the father who abandoned her, including the boarder who abused her for years and the men she slept with to earn the money she needed to run away from her life. Now, after decades of heartache and severing ties with her dangerously unstable friend Rhoda, Annette’s real life has started to take shape… But her dark past won’t let her go. When an old secret scares away her fiancé, Annette settles with Pee Wee Davis, her on-again, off-again sweetheart since childhood. Then her ex-friend Rhoda suddenly walks back into her life, forcing Annette to decide what she should believe—and what she can forgive—as she tries to salvage the one relationship she just can’t seem to let go . . .

From Colleen Hoover, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us, a heart-wrenching love story that proves attraction at first sight can be messy. When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn't think it's love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her. Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future. They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all. Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.

Includes excerpt from Bad blood (p. [415]-424).

Countering dire pronouncements of the irrelevance of African American institutions, Teresa L. Fry Brown celebrates the way African American women continue, often invisibly, the task of passing on moral wisdom in African-American families, churches, and communities. The book begins with the author's analysis of intergenerational transmission of spiritual values as depicted in selected African American women's literature written since 1960 (gospel music, poems, novels, short stories, and autobiography). An interpretive framework is grounded in three ethical presuppositions based on traditional African American spiritual values, African American Theology and Ethics, Womanist Christology and Ethics, and values culled from the author's own experience and religious beliefs.

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe comes the story of two lifelong friends, their secrets and lies, and the new challenge that may divide them once and for all. . . With a lovely home and family, Annette Goode finally has it all. Heaven knows she paid her dues--from an abusive childhood to a rocky start as an adult. Annette's friend Rhoda knows too, for Rhoda has been both her savior and her greatest fear. Their relationship has survived some serious shake-ups. But now that things are good, someone apparently thinks they're a little too good. . . When Annette receives an anonymous--and menacing--birthday gift, it's just the beginning of a slew of hostile letters, vicious phone calls, and vile packages from a female who is obviously disguising her voice. Comforted by Rhoda and Rhoda's teenage daughter, Jade, Annette hopes the problem will somehow disappear. But when the threats extend to her child, Annette realizes the situation is dire. For soon her tormentor reveals exactly what she wants--and how it could destroy everything Annette has built. . . Praise for Mary Monroe "Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston." --Publishers Weekly "Watch out Toni Morrison, there is a new sister in town." --Rapport