Paris Simmons-Holyfield is finally pregnant with the baby she's dreamed of for so long. There's just one complication: she's not sure who the father is. After a night of drinking with her ex-coworker Darius Connors, it could be him. Considering her husband's track record, chances are it is. Still, Paris keeps quiet and prays it's not, because Darius isn't ready to give up on his crumbling marriage.

When a battle of wills threatens to tear a family apart, a child shall lead them--straight to a shocking secret. Will they betray their faith--and each other--to keep it buried? After seven years of marriage, Paris Simmons-Holyfield and her husband, Andrew, are still childless. Now Paris is determined to adopt orphaned nine-year-old Jasmine Noble. Trouble is, Jasmine's in the custody of ex-stripper Gabrielle Mercedes. Worse, Andrew is vehemently against the idea--and he's not alone. Paris's father, Lawrence Simmons, a powerful politician, has vowed to shut his daughter down. The only man to even dare be on Paris's side is shady Darius Connors. Unemployed and not quite out of the dog house with his wife, Darius is more than happy to help the beautiful, vulnerable, yet undeterred Paris. . . Paris has her suspicions about why her husband and her father are so opposed to the adoption. But the reality is far more scandalous than she imagines. To get to the bottom of it, she'll have to deal with blackmail from the last person she ever expected--and battle Gabrielle, who'll fight with everything she's got--including the truth. Soon, all involved will learn just what's on the other side of dare. . . "I absolutely love Vanessa's unique writing style." --Mary Monroe

What if Jesus didn’t die so our lives could look perfect? What if He died so we could stop feeling like our lives have to be perfect to mean something? What if we simply live out our own story, even if it doesn’t look as others say it should? Mandy Steward set out in pursuit of these what-ifs. She didn’t find answers so much as she discovered a messy grace that knows no limits and a God that was and is willing to thrash about with her no matter her questions or struggles or doubts. What she found was abundant life, but it didn’t look like she thought it was going to. It was far different, and much deeper. This is a book without “easy” answers that lets those struggling with faith and searching for more know they are not alone.

Nathaniel Berman’s Divine and Demonic in the Poetic Mythology of the Zohar: The “Other Side” of Kabbalah offers a new approach to the central work of Jewish mysticism, the Sefer Ha-Zohar (“Book of Radiance”). Berman explicates the literary techniques through which the Zohar constructs a mythology of intricately related divine and demonic personae. Drawing on classical and modern rhetorical paradigms, as well as psychoanalytical theories of the formation of subjectivity, Berman reinterprets the meaning of the Zohar’s divine and demonic personae, exploring their shared origins and their ongoing antagonisms and intimacies. Finally, he shows how the Zoharic portrayal of the demonic, the “Other Side,” contributes to reflecting on alterity of all kinds.

Part Terry MacMillan, part Jan Karon, Blessed Trinity is the first book in an exciting trilogy from bestselling author Vanessa Davis Griggs. Faith Alexandria Morrell, the oldest of a mysterious trio of sisters, lives a troubled life and guards a horrifying secret. Yet few, least of all her new church family, would believe this always impeccably dressed woman is so utterly lost. But what lies beneath the surface of Faith's carefully constructed veneer could completely destroy her. Needing help, Faith and her sisters, Hope and Charity, join Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center. This new mega church, led by the dreadlock-wearing, Holy Ghost-filled Pastor George Landris, just may offer the solace she needs. But Faith soon discovers that all is not well in her new church home. Vanessa Davis Griggs offers an incisive and affecting look at the inner-workings of mega churches and the transformative power of faith ...