Book picks similar to
Hooked on a Fifth Ward Menace by Grad Marie


urban-fiction
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Tempted by a Boss: The Rome & Jelcie


Mandee - 2016
    Her husband, Kelton, was quite the opposite of her; he is unmotivated and needs someone to hold his hand down the trail to success. Blinded by love, she disregarded her mom’s warning to not marry him, and boy was she paying for it now that Kelton’s business went under. Kelton’s real estate development company goes under after mismanagement of funds and terrible business decisions. Desperate to prove his worth as a man, he begins to dabble in the dangers of street life and quickly realizes that he has bitten off way more than he can chew. While down on his luck, his wife finds evidence that he could possibly have been unfaithful in their almost five year marriage. Laylah Rice, the rising hair slayer herself. With the boom of the Slay Haven Hair Company, she is content with running a successful business and being a mom to her beautiful four year old, Lark. More than just a best friend to Jelcie, they were like sisters. Laylah’s world became a whirlwind when her ex-lover Rocky comes back in the picture. Dark chocolate and sexy best describes Rome Bennett. With a need for help with branding his new night club, Surge, he seeks out the expertise of The Mathews Branding Agency. Not only would helping the dark chocolate god with his branding be good for Jelcie’s business, but the money that she would make from his account alone was enough to seal the deal. Rome’s sexy appearance and his business savvy demeanor tempts her in ways she never thought possible. Always the good wholesome girl who plays by the rules, will Jelcie submit to Rome’s unwavering appeal?

When You Know It's Real : Siah & Noni


K.C. Mills - 2017
    She’s beautiful, smart, and owns her own party planning business with her best friend. However, that’s on the outside looking in. What most don't know is that she’s in love with a man who might possibly never love her back. Yosiah O’day is everyone’s dream. He’s basically has it all, looks personality, and an empire that he runs in a way that keeps his bank accounts laced and his adversaries envious. All of these things make him the star of every woman's dreams. Unfortunately, Yosiah isn't really capable of love, so he doesn’t commit. The closest that he has ever gotten to that is with Nonie. It's nothing for him to drop everything for her, and he will give her anything she asks for, with the exception of the one thing she wants the most, his heart. Kizzie is trying to have the best of both worlds. She’s in love with her boyfriend, Red, but in lust with her longtime fling, Jock. The balancing act is starting to get complicated, especially since Jock wants more from her than his secret weekly visits. Kizzie just can't seem to figure out who she wants the most. Red is stability and Jock is danger. Unfortunately, it might not be her choice to make because the line is being drawn and Kizzie will have to choose a side or Jock will choose for her. Running things side by side with Yosiah, Jock has enough on his plate, but Kizzie insists on complicating his life with her indecisiveness about their so called relationship. If he hears her say that he’s not her man one more time, he’s going to show her exactly what that really means. Problem is, she has him so wrapped up that he doesn't really know if he can truly let her go. What makes it worse is that he knows her man isn't worth the time she puts into him, but he can't be the one to tell her. Caught between what they want and what they need is truly making life complicated for these four. Add in the enemies who are lurking in the background and you have a twisted tale of love and war. Find out how it all turns out when they hit the battle field to square up and face off.

Lil Mama From The Projects 2: Love In The Ghetto


Mz. Toni - 2015
    She's pregnant by the man of her dreams and is surrounded by true friends and family. Things couldn't be better, but in Cherish's world all good things come to an end. Will she and Mega stand the test of time? Or, will Cherish's world continue down a road of turmoil?

Saved By A Kingpin


Chase Sidora - 2016
    Not only that, she is strikingly gorgeous, witty, and smart. But she is also damaged. No matter how many great qualities she possesses; Riley has ended up scorned by love time and time again. This time though, when love leaves her with absolutely nothing and she is ready to call it quits once and for all, she finds refuge in an unlikely place. Mason Moore is handsome, wealthy, and noble. But for every positive attribute there is an even stronger, much more ruthless quality hidden underneath the surface. Growing up the son of a street legend in Passaic, New Jersey’s Aspen Place Projects, Mase has been groomed for the street life ever since he could remember. So when Mase inherited his title of Kingpin along with all the burdens that came along with it when his father was murdered in cold blood he was up for the challenge. Along with his childhood friend Steele, Mase has prided himself on his ability to continue to build and grow the organization that was handed to him with ease… that is until money turns up missing and a new flame threatens to knock him off of his square. Riley and Mase hit it off instantly and seem to be made for each other but can they really trust the fairytale their connection appears to be? Is it real or is their love circumstantial? Are they entertaining the idea of something that isn’t meant to last? With both their pasts hell bent on being a part of their futures, falling in love with each other could cost Mase and Riley not only their relationship but also their lives.

He Got the Keys to My Heart


Glitz - 2016
    She's not the typical gold digger type. Noel works hard for what she wants. She's a Nashville native, when she meets the demanding bossed up Keys from Miami in a night club, her life changes. Keys is a thug who runs the south. He is used to having what he wants, when he wants it, but with Noel it's different. She doesn't fall to her knees like everyone else in his life. She plays the cat and mouse game with Keys not impressed with his boss demeanor. When she finally decides to live a little and consider a friendship with Keys, bitter exes and family members don't want to see them happy making her think about reconsidering everything. Will he be able to gain the keys to her heart?

When A Good Girl Meets A Thug


Kelly Marie - 2016
    He can have any woman he wants and women want nothing more than to be his queen; especially his accidental baby momma, Monae. The women he has encountered do not even begin to qualify until he meets Honey. Honey Unique Johnson is in a loveless five-year relationship with her boyfriend Jerome. They had the perfect, straight life together until he became a man of the streets. The sudden change and the street life is too much for Honey and she walks away. But then she meets Ky-mani and all is great until she finds out that he is none other than Law, someone who Honey has learned to fear. Can she look past the king of the streets and see the man inside? Can she overlook who he is, when she left her boyfriend for being a street nigga? Can Ky-mani find a way to hold on to the one woman he can't live without? Find out as you follow this unlikely couple as they battle with finding a way to merge their two different worlds together whilst facing off with snakes, family secrets, lies and betrayal.

When A Hood Girl Puts It On You


K.B. Cole - 2017
    Hood love hasn't done anything but cause me pain. Maybe I fell for the wrong hoodlum. But I'm over it, my new man’s going to be a square. I'm going to find some who can treat me right. -Raeya Everything that Raeya Duval does is for her son. She's determined to provide him a better life than she's ever had. At twenty-four, she has a bright future ahead of her. There's just one problem… Her no good baby daddy. Fed up with the lies and cheating, but trying to keep her son’s father in his life, she stays, but the love has been gone. Flacka loves his son and Raeya, but he loves the attention other women give him too. Being faithful is the farthest thing from his mind. He knows that Raeya’s not going anywhere. Not as long as their son adores him. But when he commits the ultimate betrayal, he learns that every woman has a breaking point. But he’s not going to let his family go without a fight. Raeya has to fight for the life she wants for her and her child. Sometimes it’s better to be a single mom then to let your child watch you be treated like nothing. Can this hood girl find the love she deserves? Will Flacka be able to win Raeya back? What will he do if he doesn’t? When a new man steps in and tries to be everything Raeya’s ever dreamed of, will she let him in or go back to Flacka and his mess? Hood love is addictive but sometimes you have to give it up to find true happiness. Javari is far from hood, but he sees something in Raeya that makes him want to give her his all. No one understands what he sees in her, but they just don't know. When A Hood Girl Puts It On Ya’ its hard to resist!

Something Bout That Gangsta Love


Stormy - 2021
    Unfortunately, Davina isn’t one of them. With an unloving and dysfunctional mother her only choice is to take on the responsibility and fend for her little brother. Thinking that her life couldn’t get any worse she loses her job and her mother kicks her and her brother out on the grimey streets of Houston all in the same day. She runs into her longtime crush Nigel and he ends up helping her get back on her feet. Nigel is fresh out of the county jail scheming and scamming his way to the top and Davina can’t seem to resist him. Their chemistry is undeniable but to her he’s out of her league and to him; she’s just too average. They’re both on the come up but will they let their guards down and let love lead the way to the money and a relationship?

A Hood Love in Atlanta


Mz. Demeanor - 2015
    Being a young up and coming rapper in the game, Todd chose his career over his responsibilities based on the advice of his manager Delano Dawson. Delano was abandoned by his mother at birth; and had never formed an affinity for the fairer sex. Life was always about what made him happy and that was all that mattered until he met Mona-Lisa. Could the bad advice he gave his protégé turn out to be his blessing or will it be another curse on the streets of Atlanta?

Greek and Fiona 2


Pebbles Starr - 2016
    Falling for an immediate member of the Konkwo Mafia Family has its privileges as well as its downfalls--for example an over controlling, power hungry father-in-law. Mazi will do any and everything to tear their union apart, even if it means spilling a little blood. Will Fiona and Greek be able to overcome the many obstacles laid before them? Or will they succumb to the forces fighting to keep them apart? Tyler was always looking for the love in the wrong places, and she found it in a smooth talking, sexy Honduran by the name of Cruz. But everything that glitters isn't gold and Cruz is holding a deep, dark secret. Can Tyler make it out alive, and will she ever find the true love she feels she deserves?

All I Want is that Hood Love 3


Mercedes G. - 2015
    Mega’s tired of playing games and there’s a new chick in his life, but there’s something about Taysia that he just can’t seem to shake. Will they finally let go and throw in the towel? Or is their love for one another strong enough for a happily ever after?

The Descendants


Neicy P. - 2019
    There are many more magical beings on Earth, and they live amongst us as humans that are in touch with a side of them that makes them powerful.
 Surreal’s parents give him the life that every kid dreams of. He grows up with friends that look at him as if he is a brother. He doesn’t like the title because of the big secret that he has kept from them, a secret that brings out too many questions that can’t be answered without putting them in danger. He gets away with it for years, until a pool party ends in a blood bath with most of his peers as the victims. With the secret out, he has to travel with a group of friends to get to the Olympian Stadium to connect with the primary source of his power to defend himself from the sons of Hades. Surreal is looking forward to the tough journey ahead. What he doesn’t count on is the new company of a human woman… so he thinks.
 Nova has been on her own since she was thirteen. She notices how different she is and decides to travel the road alone. Nova never knows where she is going until she gets to her destination. It is a pull that she can’t escape that draws her to a stranger that was walking across the street. When they touch accidentally, she feels something different, something that she has never felt before. The stranger promises her the comfort that she doesn’t know to exist. Being on the opposite end of people’s anger makes it hard to trust him. That all changes when she learns of the common trait they hold as a secret.
 Once upon a time, the world was ruled by the gods of lightning and of the seas. It would be their descendant that will protect them from the one dangerous enemy they couldn’t seem to kill.

Keep Ya Head Up: An African American Urban Tale


Twyla T. - 2019
    It’ll pull at your heartstrings while providing the lesson of never giving up and to always keep your head up. Another 5 star read by Twyla T.” ~ K. Larry, Freelance Proofreader Award-winning and national best-selling author Twyla T. taps into your emotions with this new spellbinding standalone. This story deals with surviving your circumstances, playing the hand that is dealt to you, engaging in a taboo relationship, and participating heavy into the street life. Jay is constantly ridiculed for having lesbian parents. He deals with it as best he could, but his coping method may have him traveling down an unfamiliar avenue with dire consequences. Ant is smart, intelligent, and looks for a better way in life. However, a run-in with a cop teaches him that things can be upended in the blink of an eye. Zack is being raised by his single dad and tries to maneuver through life closely following the path his dad has set for him, but will he be able to resist all temptations that arise? Basketball star with the NBA in his future, Tre is having an illicit romance with a forbidden figure. When his secret is discovered, this relationship jeopardizes his chance of a better future and can destroy his basketball career before it even gets started. Four best friends—Jamal, Anthony, Zackary, and Trevor—learn that life is not as easy and brighter as Tupac’s song says. Things don’t always get better, but they never let up or give up. Through it all, they encourage each other to just keep their heads up, remaining hopeful throughout the struggles and pain.

Stackin' Paper Part 6...: Money In The Grave


Joy Deja King - 2019
    Once taking down Arnez, he is left to go to war with an even deadlier opponent. Maverick makes it his mission to destroy Genesis and everyone he loves. When his plan is set in motion, a trail of dead bodies are left behind.Caleb is torn between his love for family and the code of the streets. When he is faced with the ultimate betrayal, he has to decide to exact retribution or allow karma to deliver the ultimate consequence. Amir continues to seek his father’s forgiveness but it proves to be a difficult journey. Genesis isn’t willing to have mercy on his son after his deceit was the catalyst for putting his daughter’s life in jeopardy. When Amir receives his own life changing news, his father is the only one he can turn to. Will Genesis help his son or leave Amir to fend for himself?In the latest installment of the Stackin’ Paper Series, the game is deadlier than ever. Tomorrow is not promised and all you can ask is when you die, put your money in the grave.

Chosen: Forever & A Day With My Brooklyn Bae


E. Shanie - 2019
    What he thought was going to be a boring night turned into a night filled with good vibes. DiZarie is a woman who knows her worth & has very little time for any dude who can’t look past her curves. Idle chit chat never fazed her & weak pick up lines never gamed her. She wanted something that felt real & lucky for her Kalen was the realest. Right when Kalen & DiZarie start to build a budding relationship, Kalen’s best friend Kalyla steps in ready to play defense. To be Chosen is to know your place not only in the world but in the arms of your lover. Will DiZarie know where she stands with Kalen or will Kalyla’s antics force a wedge between the two love birds?