Book picks similar to
The Knife in My Back by Stacey Covington-Lee


african-american
general-library
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Daughter of the Game


Kai - 2010
    Her poem, Pre-Destiny was featured in the April 2008 issue of Essence Magazine and she was a Featured Poet in A Place Of Our Own (APOOO) national tribute in April 2008 and RAWSISTAZ Author Showcase, April 2007. She is a contributing poet in Step Up to the Mic: A Poetry Explosion, by Poetic Press (Xpress Yourself Publishing). A winner of the No Candles Infinity Contest, hosted by Osbey Books, Kai is credited for writing emotionally raw and thought provoking works. Her short story featured in If It Ain't One Thing..., by Diva Books, Inc., received praise for its originality and realism. Similarly, her tribute to mothers, entitled Soften My Soul, featured in APOOO's Mother's Day Tribute, has resulted in an outpouring of praise and personal testimonies. Additionally, Kai's poem My Baby Girl, was featured in the Fall 2008 issue of The Write Vibe, and her poem The Other Women is featured at Tribute to Black Women. Kai also serves as a Guest Reviewer for RAWSISTAWZ Reviewers. An alumni of Hampton University, SUNY Brockport and Georgetown University Law Center, she is a licensed attorney and proud parent.

Dear Drama


Braya Spice - 2012
    Right is leading her down a dark path and bringing her nothing but pain.

All About Her Thighs


Lola Beverly Hills - 2015
    She shows off what her mother gave her in a scantily clad uniform, getting big tips at the restaurant where she works. Then, she encounters an old classmate with educational ambitions who invites her to his church, and she finds herself falling for him despite the fact that they come from two different worlds. Stuart Jacobs had always had feelings for Claire in high school, but never pursued her because his extracurricular activities would not permit him the time to have a relationship…nor was he her ideal. Now his mother is adamant on him meeting and pursuing a relationship with the daughter of a highly esteemed mayoral candidate, but after running into Claire after graduation, he sees it as fate and will stop at nothing to be with her. However, when he finds himself competing with a friend for her attention, she becomes the talk of every concerned mother at Renewal Baptist Church. Meanwhile, Cecelia Faulks, First Lady of Renewal, is dedicating her summer to instilling faith and wisdom into a group of young adults, all while trying to keep the church and her marriage together with a smile. Cecelia sees the bond forming between Claire and Stuart and tries to talk down the bad rumors swirling about her, but when the rumors are confirmed, will it be too late to change for the girl who was all about her thighs?

The House That Hustle Built


Nisa Santiago - 2015
    Pearla is a born hustler, and Cash was born to steal. Pearla sets her sights on Cash and motivates him to take his petty crimes to the next level.Together, the two get money throughout the tri-state, while friends and family want to be upgraded without putting in work. At first, the couple makes it rain in the hood, taking care of those they love, but a hustler always knows when to draw the line.Suddenly, Pearla proclaims the ATM closed, and a quiet storm begins to brew. When the beggars can't beg anymore and the borrowers can't borrow anymore, friends become enemies. Words and bullets are exchanged, leaving The House that Hustle Built under attack and at risk of collapse.

Silver Platter Hoe


Reds Johnson - 2013
    And she will stop at nothing to get them. No woman's man is off limits. No lie is too devious for her to tell. No scheme to get money is too scandalous. And she is not above committing downright treachery, even against her very own blood. When Trina's sister, DESIREE, finally finds the happiness Trina has always wanted for herself, envy sets in and a fierce sibling rivalry unfolds. Using sex and deception as her weapons, the Silver Platter Hoe sets out to take everything that Desiree has attained, including her man. Will Trina's ruthless schemes work? Or will her cold-hearted deviousness be her downfall?

She Was a Friend of Mine: Best Friends Forever 1


Jasheem Wilson - 2012
    As a present she receives a dead family and a missing brother who mysteriously vanished around the same time the fire consumed her family. Shi battles with love, depression, friendship, betrayal and grief in this tale of revenge.

Official Street Queen


Leondra LeRae - 2013
    Their mother, Daisy made sure they understood this and would never forget it. “You will meet a lot of people in this world, men and women. Some may become some of the best people you know, while others will be the worst. At the end of the day motherfuckers will stab you in the back, but I want y'all to always remember, y'all are sisters before anything.” Having to grow up faster than they thought when their mother passed, the girls took on a whole new meaning of LOYALTY. Doing whatever it takes to make sure they needed and wanted for nothing they took to the streets. Don’t get it twisted selling their bodies wasn’t on the menu but selling some of the purest cocaine that Newark, NJ had ever seen was! The girls built themselves a team of the wildest cats in the game. But what happens when the ones you thought were loyal can’t be trusted anymore. The men in the game ain’t feeling women running a business that they feel should only consist of men. But once respect is earned and love comes into play will the sisters’ still go by what they were taught or let the streets tear them apart.Being crowned the queen wasn’t intended and the love of thy sister is all they knew, but will the motto “money over niggas, it's all business, nothing personal” still stand when the gun smoke clears?

That Devil's No Friend Of Mine


J.D. Mason - 2009
    . .but he was also manipulative and controlling, especially to those he loved.  His death begins to unravel deep secrets and shocking desires among the people he cared about the most. . . His daughter, Kristine, feels that with her father’s death she is finally free.  His best friend and business partner, Lamar, feels that now can finally have what he has longed for all these years: Kristine.  His protégé, Cole, the boxing champion and rising star, married a woman Bishop never approved of and may have been right about.  Rayne, the blues singer and ex-junkie relied on Bishop to keep her clean and is now slipping down a dark path without him.  And Rhonda, Lamar’s wife, is determined to ignore what has been unfolding in front of her if it means that her predictable life will go unchanged.  And then a newcomer steps onto the scene and threatens to turn everything upside down. Five very different people whose lives are only connected by Bishop suddenly find themselves up close and personal as desires, dreams and passions collide.

A Hood Chicks Story Part 3


Lashonda Devaughn - 2011
    Finally, she left the hood that kept her captive to everything she tried to avoid; the same streets that raised her. Where her blood, sweat and tears were shed. She’s convinced that her new life in a new city would bring forth the happiness she’s always yearned for…But no matter where you go, you can’t avoid the cold world…..There’s a saying………..”You can take the girl out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the girl”… Tiara proves that there are no boundaries when it comes to loyalty…..Will Tiara finally get her happy ending, or will the streets prove victorious over her life? Ride along with Tiara in “A Hood Chick’s Story pt. 3” The FINAL CHAPTER!

Miss Nobody


Nicole Dunlap - 2012
    She embodies every young woman’s starry-eyed dreams and heads for Hollywood. On her rugged road to fame, Charlene’s using everything in her might to erase the past–even at the point of compromising her own love story. Charlene still can’t wipe away her deepest fear that shakes her very core… Raven.Raven Shaw grows up in her mother’s tiny Christian town Bellwood, North Carolina. She’s a feisty, confident young thing who won’t hesitate to use her fist when bullies mock her as a bastard. Overcoming teen depression, she finds love. A first love, a teenage romance to die for. Now, Raven can’t be fully committed to the man that has her heart until she learns shy she’s been neglected.When their path’s collide, Raven asks to questions–two family secrets–that can ruin their lives, leading mother and child on the road of feeling like a “Miss Nobody”

A Kingpin's Dream


Briana Crosby - 2015
    With loving men of power comes drama and jealousy. Can Briana and Persia handle everything that comes their way or will they crack under pressure? They say that love is forever but is forever enough?

Freedom is Not Free (Rashard "Stone" Mysteries #1)


King James - 2010
    Stone is apart of an elite fugitive task force known in the streets of Houston as the “Ghost Squad”. The young officer’s life is suddenly interrupted and he has to return to his hometown to bury his father. Stone discovers that his father, had unfinished business with a dangerous organization. The members of this organization will stop at nothing to maintain their secrets and power that has kept them wealthy for years. The reader will discover that a small city like Montgomery, Alabama can have serious big city crime. Get ready to dive into a book that is full of action and suspense.

The Velvet Rope


BRENDA L THOMAS - 2005
    From this Essence bestselling author comes a sexy, fast-paced novel about astreet-smart girl determined to make it big in the glitzy nightclub business.288 pp.

The Circle: The Beginning


Ashley Antoinette - 2013
    A family of criminals at the highest level. On the eve of their exile from the life of crime...It all goes bad. These brothers and sisters ho on the run from the law and are on a wild run to the border before they authorities capture them. This page turning, face paced, and sexy short gives you the introduction to a legendary series.

Lady's Night


Mark Anthony - 2005
    Now Lady must find a way to survive on the cold, hard streets. After landing a dead-end job at a donut shop, Lady wonders how she will ever make it out of a six-dollar-an-hour existence. Then she meets Cream, the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in New York City. Cream quickly decides that he wants to own this beauty and recruits her for his prostitution ring. Lady joins the "Cream Team," but she has no intentions of working the streets forever. In fact, she plans to run the show and she's willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. But the streets don't love nobody, and it's not long before Lady is deep in a game she can no longer control. The question is: Will she be able to get out of the game before the game claims her?