Looking for Love . . . Lifelong friends Coco, Nita, and Tia have spent years looking for love in the arms of flashy pro athletes, hoping to land a baller but ending up with a stream of failed relationships. The beautiful and demure Coco has endured years of physical abuse from her boyfriend, Sonny, while Tia, a single mother, has dated her fair share of cheaters and yearns for a stable companion who will be a father figure to her son. And feisty, seductive Nita is tired of being the million-dollar mistress and wants to settle down— if she can find someone worth coming home to. Changing the Game . . . Now that the women are approaching thirty, they’re finding it harder than ever to compete with the pro groupies. Determined to change the game and find some worthwhile men, Tia hatches an outrageous plan. Soon the trio is "holy rolling," masquerading as God-fearing churchgoers at a local conference for young ministers in the hopes of snagging a prominent pastor. But will their big gamble pay off? Men of the cloth are still just men, after all. As the three friends meet their potential life partners, they will have to decide how far they want to take their holy rollers scheme—each risking heartbreak while taking a chance on finding a reliable, responsible man to love and cherish, flaws and all. ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s #1 nationally bestselling novels include Let the Church Say Amen , I Know I’ve Been Changed , and Say Amen, Again , winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Her collaboration with Victoria Christopher Murray has produced four hit novels, Sinners & Saints , Friends & Foes , A Blessing & a Curse , and Fortune & Fame. BET released a movie in 2013 based on ReShonda’s book Let the Church Say Amen in which she had a minor role . She also had a role in the made-for-TV movie The Secret She Kept based on her book of the same title. Visit ReShondaTateBillingsley.com, meet the author on Facebook at ReShondaTateBillingsley, or follow her on Twitter @ReShondaT. 1 That fool needs to die. I’m talking an acid-in-the-face, burning-in-the-bed, slow and painful death.” Audra Bowen’s eyes grew wide as she stared at her friend. Juanita Reynolds, or Nita as she was called by those who knew her best, was never one to mince words, and the way she was glaring at Coco, their other friend, in disgust proved she was maintaining her sterling record. “You need to put some arsenic in his coffee, lace his beer with cyanide, something,” Nita continued. While Audra would never be that graphic, she definitely felt where Nita was coming from. She also knew that she better jump in this conversation, because sensitivity was not Nita’s strong suit. “Coco, no one thinks you need to try and duplicate a Lifetime movie,” Audra said, cutting her eyes at Nita. “We are just really concerned about you, that’s all.” They were sitting in a booth for lunch at Grooves Restaurant, one of the swankier spots in Houston. Audra should’ve known something was up. When the hostess had tried to seat them near the door, where they usually liked to sit so they could see and be seen, Coco had all but had a fit and asked to be moved to the back, in a secluded part of the restaurant. As soon as she removed her sunglasses, they saw why. “A man has one time to put his hand on me,” Nita said. “One time.” She held up one finger. “Then it’s gonna be a lot of hymn singin’ and flower bringin’.” “Calm down,” Coco began, slipping the dark sunglasses back on. “It’s a lot worse than it looks.” “If it got any worse, you’d be dead,” Nita snapped. The sight of Coco’s puffy black eye made Audra want to cry. It was especially noticeable because of Coco’s light skin. Of the three of them, she was the prettiest. She could pass for Mariah Carey’s sister, except there was nothing glamorous about Coco. She wore her golden brown hair straight and parted down the middle. With her petite frame and passive demeanor, she looked like a librarian. Still, she’d never had any trouble attracting men, which was why they couldn’t understand why she stayed with that psychopath Sonny. But it was useless to complain. They’d been down this road so many times, and no matter how many times Sonny hit her, Coco refused to leave. She was repeating a vicious cycle. Her mother was in an abusive relationship, which she, too, refused to leave. Nita asked the question she always asked. “Coco, you are a smart woman with your own money and your own job as a teacher. I don’t understand. How long are you going to let him do this to you?” “I told you, I’m working on an exit plan if Sonny doesn’t get it together,” Coco said, giving the answer she always gave. “Sonny has been stressed ever since the Texans cut him. He’s been worried about getting picked up by another team. I just don’t want to leave him when he’s down.” “Go somewhere with that bull,” Nita snapped. “Players get cut every day. So you’re supposed to let him beat you because he’s feeling sorry