Rhonda M. Lawson – författare

Can a lack of self love make a woman self-destruct? Does a woman''s past really dictate her present? Are "loose" women only as deep as the make-up they wear? Meet Isis Reynolds. She''s young, pretty, and smart, but has a lot to learn about relationships. In her quest for love, she''s developed an "easy" reputation, earning disrespect from men, and hatred from women. Through it all, she strives to repair her relationship with God while fighting off the demons of her past and struggling to be the rock for her friend, Kendra, who struggles with the realization that she''s gay, and her sister, Cleopatra, who moves in with her boyfriend and tries to hide it from their parents. On top of it all, Isis quickly marries Vincent, who doesn''t seem to be as comfortable with his new wife''s past as he claims to be. As Isis'' world seems to fall apart around her, she learns there are no easy answers to life''s questions.

Alexis White spent much of her youth going after what she wanted and not caring who she hurt. She didn''t care about Christopher''s wife when she pursued an affair with him, but years later, she can admit that she was also wounded in the process. She''s still dealing with the anguish of having aborted Christopher''s baby and then losing the one man she believes ever loved her fully.In spite of her pain, Alexis realizes life must go on. More than a decade later, she has a successful pediatrics practice and is engaged to Jamar Duplessis. They have survived Hurricane Katrina, but with Hurricane Gustav threatening to strike, Alexis and Jamar must pack up and flee New Orleans. Unfortunately, Alexis finds herself right in the eye of another storm when she and Jamar decide to wait out the hurricane in Virginia Beach. Christopher and his wife Andrea live there, and are still nursing the wounds that Alexis helped to cause. Although Jamar is determined not to let this potential drama stress out his fiancée, an unexpected glitch in his finances demands his attention and nearly drives a wedge between him and Alexis.Someone is definitely out for revenge, but who? Is it Andrea? Christopher? Or maybe it''s Alexis''s former archrival, Nikki, who also makes a surprise appearance in Virginia Beach. Will Alexis be able to face the demons she thought she''d slayed years ago? This is a story of family, friendship, and forgiveness that proves that while time passes, some wounds never heal.

Twylite Knight has always thought of herself as a cut above the other girls who attend her New Orleans Catholic school. She makes excellent grades, has an angelic singing voice, and an older boyfriend who drives her around in his fancy car and showers her with gifts. Her family sees Peanut for what he really is—an abusive, manipulative criminal who will bring their daughter nothing but trouble. Once Twylite begins to see Peanut through her parents'' eyes, she leaves him, but Peanut isn''t ready to let go so easily. When his quest to get her back ends in a brutal rape, Twylite begins questioning her entire outlook on life.New to New Orleans, Isis Reynolds is a sexual assault victims'' advocate and has just been assigned to Twylite''s case. Having had a troublesome teen life herself, she immediately identifies with her client—so much so that she doesn''t realize she''s in too deep until she smacks rock bottom face to face.Dr. Alexis Duplessis has been Twylite''s doctor for as long as she can remember. Twylite sees the doctor as a big sister, so when she is raped, it''s no surprise that Alexis is the first person she runs to. Alexis, who traditionally only looks out for herself, now finds herself in the middle as she watches both Isis and Twylite self-destruct in their own ways.Will any of these women find their way back to sanity, or will they get lost in an issue that they find is much bigger than themselves? Is there really a light after the storm?