Book picks similar to
Mama, I'm In Love With A Thug by Mercy B.


african-american
needs-editing
romance
5-star-reads

I'll Give You Mine: An Urban Love Story


B. Love - 2017
    It’s not their fault I turned out to be a hoodlum.” – Giovanni “Grim” Re For Grim, even his name spoke of the constant battle that warred within him on a daily basis. His government name, Giovanni Re, was chosen specifically by his father. He wanted Grim’s first name to remind him that he was favored by God while his last name meant King. His nickname, Grim, stemmed from his past of being somewhat of a grim reaper towards his enemies. For a great deal of his life, Grim struggled with his good heart and evil mind, unsure of if he’d ever have a peaceful relief… until Havana. Havana Brooks has always been soft spoken and quiet natured. In her relationships that led to her being taken advantage of. In her career that led to her music being shelved while she watched her label mates gain the stardom she dreamed of having. There was a good thing about being so nice and sweet, though. It allowed her to be peace for Grim. As friends, Havana settles Grim and he builds her up. She nurtures him while he gives her a voice. He strengthens her while she weakens him. For those around them, Grim and Havana are a match made in heaven, but these two will have to go through hell to be with each other. *I’ll Give You Mine is the spinoff for If You Give Me Yours. Although both stories can be read as standalones, it is recommended that you read If You Give Me Yours First. This book does contain explicit language and an urban setting. If either of these things go against your personal preference, please skip this book on your journey for literary entertainment.*

Knight in Chrome Armor: Knight & Blaize's Story


Myiesha - 2015
    Now at 23, she's starting to realize she's nothing more than a human punching bag to him. Locked inside the house of hell, alone with no family or friends, physically and emotionally battered, Blaize continues to hold on to a relationship that may eventually kill her or place the one she cherishes the most in danger. After finally escaping the torment, she runs to the only person she knows. Detective Gregory Knight is at the top of his game in his career. After losing his wife to an unexplained death, he's determined to move on with life with his 7-year-old daughter. He has been working on Blaize's domestic abuse case for the last 3 years. Knight breaks the number one rule of never mixing business with pleasure when he starts growing feelings for Blaize. With Detective Knight to the rescue, he helps her through her most difficult times and helps build her into a stronger woman. With her newfound strength and not missing the fact that Blaize is one of the most beautiful women he has ever laid eyes on, his feelings for Blaize start to grow, and his willingness to protect her may jeopardize everything he has worked hard for. Will this damsel be worth his distress?

Trap-A-Rella


Tony Steele - 2013
    And when her soon-to-be husband, Trevan "TC" Clayton, is shot to death right in front of her on the night he proposes to her, her life takes a dramatic turn for the worse. TC's mother gives all her son's worldly possessions away—including he and Nisey's Florissant suburban home—to a two-bit con-artist/ex-pimp turned reverend. Nisey is left with no other choice but to move back to the drug-infested Section 8 apartments of St. Louis' JVL.Stripped of the ghetto fabulous lifestyle, Nisey and her girlfriends pick up the scale and baggies to turn their misfortunes into a fortune. Quickly, she and her clique of "Trap-A-Rellas" become the talk of the Lou, and just as fast as she reaches the top, schemes are set in place to knock her back down.

XYZ


Kimille - 2019
    Mastering life’s principal and hellacious course of Hard Knock Life 101 was nothing to eXavier and eZekiel Yarbrough at an early age. Their wisdom and fearless innocence allocated them guardian angels over baby cousin, iYanna. Drug addictions, immorality, abuse, and evil are all cycles that these three have a vivid familiarity with, yet out of the wicked mentalities that assaulted them grew love, loyalty, hope, tenacity and nobility. Despite the licks they gave, as well as took, they found a safe haven in an old head called Diego. A man that knew the streets and the streets respected him. This family has an abundance of dysfunction, but their devotion to each other is unrestricted and immovable! Friends for life. Life has not been particularly kind to Najia Kennedy. She's had to sacrifice more than she's wanted and taken more L's than wins. But somehow, she's managed to stay on her feet with her head held high, all the while searching for where broken hearts go. Love remains elusive as her son's father pops in and out of their lives with empty promises and leftover lies. Najia's friendship with iYanna has withstood the test of time and her shenanigans, as she factors into the equation that is XYZ. Love forever. The streets don't owe him anything. He's taken everything he's wanted by omission or commission. Kreed is a new breed of boss, college educated and street smart. He's the boogeyman in a suit, encompassed in a mystical aura of strength and power that leaves many starstruck. He's so immune to the world around him that he's stunned at the foreign emotions caused by the feather-like thundering of a miniature storm called iYanna. He envisions her as his future, but her family views him as a catastrophic danger to all that they've invested in her. Love and hurt, joy and pain, good times and bad, take all as prisoners. When you have everything you want, is there room for more? When you have nothing, will you accept anything? XYZ is a spicy urban romance with charismatic characters, life altering situations and breathtaking moments that will fascinate you from beginning to end.

Creepin': A New Orleans Love Story


Chenell Parker - 2015
    Growing up in the projects of New Orleans with a drug addicted father and an unconcerned mother forced her to mature beyond her youth. Determined not to accept her surroundings, Mia stepped up to take responsibility for her siblings, her parents and her parents' mistakes. The only solace in her life was the unconditional loving relationship she shared with her Godfather Von. Mia adored Von more than life itself and she couldn't see herself losing his trust. That is until her new love interest crept into her heart and into her bed. As lies, deceit, and jealousy are creepin' into Mia's life, will her secret affair shatter the relationship that she cherished so much or will she continue creepin'.

Danity & Kayne: A Street Love In Miami


Antronette - 2016
    She's the owner of a booming private school in Miami, her relationship with her man Mitchell is promising and life couldn't be any better. Or so she thought. A chance encounter with one of her students' father turned her world upside down. She never expected to fall for the King of the streets.Single father, Kayne Grant is feared by many and wears his title as Florida's Connect proudly. He rules the state with an iron fist like any Jamaican Rude Bwoy would. Nothing moves period, without his approval. He has a lot of money, power and respect. He also has his fair share of women. But when he meets the beautiful, complicated and feisty Danity, who also happens to be the owner of his daughters’ private school, she gives him a run for his money.Follow Danity and Kayne on their roller coaster ride of a relationship. What happens when a good girl falls for a Rude Bwoy? Will she be able to tame the beast in him? Or will his many women and ties to the streets tear apart their perfect fairytale?

Loving A Dopeboy Through It All 2


Prenisha Aja' - 2018
    
 With death on the table, we all hope that Rohan is able to save Tiyanna’s life and show her what it feels like to have some love you without inflicting pain or causing emotional damage. 
 Will love win? That is one thing that many of us are wondering as we sit back, watching something so toxic take place and unfold. 
Will Tiyanna be able to escape Charles’s wrath and explore love with Rohan, or will Loving a Dope Boy Through It All cost her everything?

The Wife of a Hustler


Porscha Sterling - 2015
    But the thorn in her side is his babymama, Trinity, who still loves him and makes no effort to hide it. Although Vanessa loves her husband, there is only so much of his conniving baby mother that she can take. Especially when another person enters the picture.While Ty is in Miami helping Trinity take control of her brother's Haitian drug cartel after he is locked up by the Feds, Vanessa meets Mayhem, a sexy rival hustler in NYC, who is after everything Ty has. Like Ty, he is a sexy thug; a self-made millionaire who earns his living off moving dough in the streets. The only difference is that whereas the family life gave Ty a heart, Mayhem doesn't have one. And it's something about his cold-hearted, rough nature that causes Vanessa to want to risk it all.Ty is trying to juggle the two women in his life and at the same time fight off Mayhem who ignores the rules of the streets and is steadily attacking Ty's empire. With Ty's mind on helping Trinity in Miami, his focus isn't on his family or his wife. By the time he tries to get himself together, it may just be too late.

The Purest Love For The Coldest Thug


Miss Jenesequa - 2018
    However, deep down Solána knew her stubbornness had sent her mother to an early grave. After tragedy strikes, she gets back on the right path and focuses solely on herself… until she stumbles upon a bewitching addiction like no other, with not a single cure in sight. 
Kisan, known to many as Mace, on the surface appears to be a collected, handsome, and prestigious young man. And he is… among many other things. Those that know more, know him to be bold, calculated, and extremely cold-hearted. They know how crazy he truly is; how he can lay one finger on a trigger and aim perfectly without fail; a gentle giant to not one single soul but the only woman who has his heart—his three-year-old.
 Kisan and Solána are immediately drawn to each other, sparking an uncontrollable fire between them that neither party are able to put out. However, when the attractive heavy hitter and stubborn beauty’s worlds collide, it sets off a cascade of life-changing events. Events that not only change their lives but the lives of everyone around them. Loving a man like Kisan could potentially be the most intense and intimidating thing of Solána’s life, but is she willing to risk it all for a man she should be running far away from? And is Kisan willing to let a woman access the deepest, darkest parts of him?
They say the purest love is hard to find… but now that Kisan has found it, can he make it last? Or will his inner demons get the best of him?

A Billionaire Finessed My Heart


K. Renee - 2018
    Ciera and Ari have goals to accomplish, and nothing is going to stand in their way. Never having been in a real relationship, neither girl is equipped to deal with the extra emotions that it takes. So they think, but when they meet the Kassom brothers, all of that will change. Juelz Kassom, runs a billion-dollar drug empire and has decided to go legit. In his exit, he decides to leave the empire to his brother Zelan. Can Zelan handle the reigns? Juelz heart belongs to his deceased Fiancé Kenya, and their daughter Kari he has vowed to never love again. Until he comes face- to -face with the beautiful Ciera Voss, can Ciera break down those guarded walls around his heart? There are many snakes surrounding Juelz Empire, and personal life. Can he and Ciera’s romance stand the brewing storm coming their way? Zelan (Zel) Kassom has always followed the motto “I am my brother’s keeper ” his respect for his only brother is unimaginable. Ready to step up and become the King of New York. It was time; he was ready for the crown. Ever since, the breakup with his ex girlfriend, Zelan has no interest in a relationship. Until his encounters with Ari Voss, no matter how hard he tries to rid his mind of Ari, she plagues his every thought, his every move.

Her Loyalty to Him: A King's Heart


Deshon Dreamz - 2016
     A handsome successful husband, two beautiful children, a family that she loved and success. Everything Jade ever thought was hers and true... switched in a night. The night her husband got into a near fatal accident that not only erased his memory of the man he was... It also forbids him from explaining to his wife why her sister was in the car at the time of the accident. Apollo King has no recollection of his wife or children. He has no idea what it means to be the King Of The South. Everything that was ever taught to him is long gone, erased with the possibility of returning slim to none. Jade, Apollo’s wife steps up to take over all of Apollo’s operations in order to keep the family business afloat. But with Apollo’s attack comes startling revelations that threaten to ruin everything that they have built. They say if you love something then let it go and if it comes back then it’s meant to be but is unconditional love enough to withstand the damage that Apollo caused? To the left or right of every man…is a strong woman holding him down! But, will him doing what many would consider the unforgiveable, cause him to lose the one thing in his life that he cherished the most; his wife, the woman he has no memory of?

Jholee & Kiandre: A Gangsta And His Good Girl


Bianca - 2019
    At twenty-two years old, Jholee had given up everything, including her full-time hours at school, her apartment, her expensive bags, and her car after her drug dealing dad's indiscretions put their family in a bind that blindsided them all. With everything that Jholee had given up, that still wasn't enough for her family to get back to normal, and after her dad shut down the thought of her taking her clothes off for money, she only had one thing left to sell: her virginity. Kiandre 'TK' Kincaid has had the Jacksonville streets secured when it came to moving weight, but after years of watching his father make money off women lying on their backs, he decided to try his hand at building his own legacy without stepping on them to get there. In order to make his dreams of owning a strip club a reality, TK finds himself moonlighting at his father's sex shop from time to time. When circumstance leads him to working the front desk, it's there that he meets the very impressionable Jholee. After realizing that Jholee isn't cut out for being a sex worker, he trashes her application and literally takes matters into his own hands. Jholee and TK's worlds collide faster than they both would like to admit, but just as there are things keeping them together, there are just as many pulling them apart, including but not limited to Jholee's best friends, Riley and Octavia, her parents, TK's parents, and TK's girlfriend Cheyenne. But there is something about fate: You can't stop it.

The Illest Chick


Cassie - 2014
    Nakhai loves Quinn as if she was his little sister, and wants nothing but the best for her. When Quinn makes the decision that she wants to help Nakhai run the “business” while DJ is locked up, he is reluctant, butagainst his better judgment, he brings her in and teaches her everything. Khai has just stepped up from the world of marijuana and into the world of cocaine and has linked up with the only other team that can make as much money if not more than he can. When Khai links up with Stylez and Mar, the streets of Buffalo don’t know what hit them. After running into Quinn in the mall, Stylez wants nothing more to make her his, but can he handle the fact that she’s the other half of the duo that’s serving him his product? Will Quinn ever tell Stylez that she is his supplier, or will she remain a silent partner until her brother comes home and bow out gracefully without ever saying anything to him?

The Beauty of This Street Love: A Texas Tale


Elle Kayson - 2017
    The four brothers of the Kinsey Cartel were as crazy as hell. The oldest two, Tremell and Tristan, aka Tre and Tripp, might just have been the craziest of all. Crossing any of them could end your life, especially given Tre’s unique skills at murder. No one messed with them… until a pair of best friends, Shamar and Cyn, came in and turned Tre and Tripp’s world upside down. Shamar Parker, a quiet college girl, found herself caught up in the game, given to Tre as collateral. Tre’s captive would soon become his lover and he vowed never to let her go. With an attitude the polar-opposite of her best friend, Cyn Murray stormed into Tripp’s life, demanding the return of her friend. In the process, she also stormed into his heart and Tripp knew he had to lock her down. But the Kinseys’ old habits died hard and their lifestyle threatened to push the women they wanted most out of their lives. Can their love survive the streets?

A Hitta Has Feelings Too: Dallas and Chloe's Hood Love Story


M. Monique - 2020
    Settling down is nowhere on her radar. When she gets in a sticky situation, she seeks out the help of the last person she wanted to deal with or even lay eyes on.Dallas McQueen is a man any woman would love to have show them any attention; except the headstrong Chloe. A man that has known nothing but war his whole life has a soft spot for the petite beauty and will stop at nothing until he gets her.Chloe knew the blue-eyed Hitta was the man she wanted to be with but she didn’t know if she was prepared for the lifestyle he lived. Already having a family of Hitta’s, she wanted something different and thought it would be easy getting away from him.Dallas had to come harder than ever to prove to Chloe that Hitta’s have feelings too and the way he feels for her is like no other. Will Chloe give in and allow Dallas to finesse her heart? Or will she continue to run from what her heart really wants.