Power by Bella Jay
What if Aladdin was an above average thief in the hood, Princess Jasmine was the daughter of a crime boss, and Jafar was still the snake he always was? Welcome to Power.
For The Sultan Empire (TSE) nothing is more important than being and staying on top. The business and family come first.
Jolee Cullen was instilled this all her life and though she accepted it, all she wanted at her age was a chance at a regular life. But as the daughter of crime boss – Samuel Cullen -, and the heir to his throne, a regular life is never something she’d have. She was born with all the power she could want… but she wanted freedom. And once she meets Amare, she’ll have to decide between him and her empire.
Amare Thomas, a skilled thief, has spent the better part of his life trying to stay afloat for himself and his younger brother. When the consequences of a bad decision lands him on TSE’s payroll, he has no idea of the turn his life will take. Or that he’ll fall for his boss’ off limits daughter. For Amare having power is the furthest thing from his mind until he gets a taste.
Jareem Blackwood, the current right-hand man to Samuel, wants what he believes he deserves, and that’s to be Samuel’s successor. Jareem already has it all, but he doesn’t think he has enough. His pockets are deep but sometimes it’s not about the money, loyalty, or respect. It’s about the power. To him, you can never have enough and nothing or no one was going to stop him from getting the throne.
An Urban Fairytale Series is a series of standalone fairytale retellings and each book can be read as its own entity. Power, the second book in the series, is inspired by the classic fairytale, Aladdin.
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Bella Jay was born in Miami, Florida and currently resides on the east coast. Her love for writing developed as a teen when she used to browse message boards and write terrible fanfiction. It was then her dream to become a published author manifested. That dream has now come true with Power, her debut novel. Always one for new adventures and experiences, Bella spent three years living abroad in South Korea as an English Teacher. When not writing, she can be found traveling the world, running for fun like a crazy person, sipping on tea or wine while reading a book, and wishing healthy eats were pancakes or cupcakes.
What inspired you to write your book?
The fairytale Aladdin inspired this book. A friend of mine came up with the brilliant idea to take classic fairytales and put an urban modern spin on them.
Here is a short sample from the book:
“Is this your thing? Popping up on me?” I asked Amare. My eyes drew him in and my body melted. His presence made me weak.
“Don’t act like you not thrilled to see me.”
We hadn’t seen each other in person since the group gathering a week and a half ago. “Maybe I’m not.” I stuck out my tongue at him before he followed me inside my bedroom and I continued to my balcony where I had been FaceTiming with Ra. I sat back down in my lounge chair and grabbed my laptop that rested next to my glass of wine.
“What or who got you grinning so hard,” Ra asked causing the blood to drain from my face.
“That would be me,” Amare said coming into view. I pushed him away, and he grinned before running his hands through my hair and messing it up.
“Ass,” I said as he flopped down on the other lounge chair.
“Well, I guess that is my cue. Make bad choices!”
“Ra!” I yelled as the video ended. My lips poked out before I kissed my teeth and shut down my computer. Amare let out a chuckle. “I don’t know what you find funny.”
“Chill with that sass. I’m here for my date.”
“What date?”
He cleared his throat. “‘Winner has permission to make the next move’,” he mocked me and I cackled.
“I did not sound like that!”
“You did, but it was hot. So,” a lopsided grin graced his face. “I hope you don’t have plans for tonight because they’re canceled.”
“Actually,” I pulled my mouth to the side. “My favorite web series got a new episode coming out tonight so…”
“Wow. It’s like that?”
I shrugged. “Just like that.”
“A bet is a bet. You owe me a date. A real one. You in or what?”
“Like now?” I asked drawing my eyebrows together as I grabbed my glass of wine.
“I said tonight. Why are you stalling?”
“I’m not.” I headed over to my balcony railing. “But you know I can’t up and go somewhere. Not by myself anyway and–”
“You wanna spend time with me or not? All you talk about is feeling trapped. Well let’s go.”
“It’s not that simple.”
He frowned. “You don’t want it to be. Ain’t nothing stopping you from walking up outta here but you. What they gonna do? Stop you?”
“Not stop me but do their job and follow me.”
“Well lucky you, I’m good at losing people. Are we going or we staying in? Either way, I’m spending at minimum the next twelve hours with you.”
“Excuse me?” My eyes widened.
“I know Sam is out of town. I ain’t got shit to do so that makes me all yours for the rest of the night.” My bottom lip fell into its comfort zone between my teeth. Something told me he was serious about not leaving. I couldn’t say I’d mind. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my thoughts. “Let me show you my world.”
A small sigh escaped my mouth as I released my bottom lip. “Fine.”
“Good. Lead the way.”
“I need to change first.” A simple all white Fila mesh short set adorned my body, and I didn't see it as first date worthy.
“You look beautiful. Grab a jacket and we can go.”
My eyes rolled, but I smiled and grabbed a denim jacket and cross-body bag before heading out of my room.
As soon as we stepped foot downstairs, Mo was rounding the corner. Shit. I’d hoped we could make it out without being seen. “I’m heading out.”
“All right. Let me get Ray.”
“Okay, we’ll be out front.” We stepped outside the front door to where the roundabout was with the cars parked. “How do you plan to lose them?”
He looked at me with a smirk and then nodded towards something. My eyes followed and landed on a motorcycle causing me to squeak. “You gotta motorcycle?”
“It was a gift from G. By gift, I mean he forced it on me once my whip jumped to its death.” I chuckled as he pulled out a helmet. “We shouldn’t have a problem losing the extra weight.” He pulled me closer to him as he placed it on to my head. “You scared?” He tightened the strap under my chin before he turned around to get onto the bike.
Nerves washed over me but disappeared. Amare had made me feel safe since the first day we met and that hadn’t change. I smiled at him as I held his hand to steady myself. “No.” I swung my leg over and got comfortable behind him. Ray and Mo walked out and got into their SUV.
“Okay so first things first,” Amare said bringing my attention to him. “Hold on to me and keep your body neutral. You don’t have to lean. If you want me to slow down, tell me or tap my shoulder. Okay?” He looked over his shoulders at me. I loved the way he looked at me.
“I got it. Just make sure you lose them.” He nodded and revved up the engine and I wrapped my arms around him. I was ready for him to show me a whole new world.
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