Check out some of this season's most promising new reads:

The sequel to one of the most popular novels in urban lit, A Deeper Love Within: The Porsche Santiaga Story (Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books; $26.99), is the much-anticipated follow-up to Sister Souljah’s best-selling 1999 debut novel, The Coldest Winter Ever, about title character Winter Santiaga. A Deeper Love Within is the story of Winter’s younger sister, Porsche. As was the case in Souljah’s encapsulating prequel, this story is gritty, intense and emotionally thrilling. Readers will become drawn into the details of Porsche’s tumultuous life and will also get caught up on the lives of some familiar characters from the first book. After becoming jaded by life’s turbulent times—including stints in foster care, group homes and detention centers—Porsche, a stunning, hard-core young woman, is getting her life back on track and upping her social and monetary circumstances—by any means necessary.

Author Savanna Welles takes readers on a dark, sometimes chilling journey of life and love in When the Night Whispers (St. Martin’s Press; $24.99). After discovering her great-grandmother Caprice’s journal, Jocelyn uncovers shocking secrets of a failed marriage, unfaithful lovers, torrid affairs and wicked suitors that leave the lonely woman both disturbed and captivated. After Jocelyn meets a mesmerizing man who becomes her lover, the story of the duo’s whimsical romance and alarming truths about their relationship unfold. By the end of the novel, readers discover whether Caprice’s cryptic journal entries foreshadowed what was to come in Joceyln’s own life.

Domino Falls (Atria Books; $15) is a continuation of Devil’s Wake, Steven Barnes and Tananrive Due’s gripping, post-apocalyptic work. After escaping zombielike beings and other freakish creatures, a group of survivors finds a safe place in Domino Falls, Calif. But they soon learn the town is home to a murderous cult whose mission is to cover up details leading to the apocalypse they experienced. The novel is filled with suspense and emotion as the posse tries to unearth the truth behind what happened in their hometown.

Perhaps best known for her acting gig as Drucilla Winters on the long-running CBS soap operaThe Young and the Restless, Victoria Rowell has made what appears to be an effortless transition into the role of New York Times best-selling author. Her latest book, The Young and the Ruthless (Atria Books; $15), is the sensational follow-up to her previous novel, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva. Rowell continues the dramatic story of lead character Calysta Jeffries, an over-the-top daytime-TV actress who struggles with her personal and professional demons, triumphs and celebrity. In the latest "episode," Calysta has cleaned up her real-life drug- and alcohol-abuse issues and is dealing with one of the biggest obstacles she’s ever experienced: her jealous, conniving cast members who are determined to use the diva’s beautiful young daughter to plot her demise. Having been blindsided by those closest to her, Calysta must now figure out how to navigate and overcome her latest run-in with deception and betrayal.