Book picks similar to
Finessers by Lucinda John


street-lit
5-star-reads
african-american
african-american-fiction

My Love Ain't Meant For A Thug : The Beginning Of Us


A'zayler - 2015
    He’s been living his life on the grind for as long as he could remember. Dominating the streets, and every other small time hustler in quest of his position at the top. Showing no mercy to the men and disregarding the women Congo was on a power trip until the murder of his oldest brother. Everything he’d worked for came to a screeching halt and he’s left with nothing. Now he’s forced to live a regular life working a regular job. The dope game having always been his first love, he now has nothing left that’s appeasing to his heart. A unique beauty dumbed down to nothing more than an extra source of income, Honey, is desperate and lost. She desires a way out of her current situation but with the only family she has locked away forever, she’s all alone. Getting to the money day in and day out, Honey shuts herself away from any and everything not aiding in her success. Having been used and taken for granted in her past relationship, she’s a little more resistant to the advances of the handsome young thug that’s captivated her truest feelings. She’s determined to ignore him and his efforts until there’s no more reasons to run. Here in the moment with this totally perfect stranger Honey decides to give it a chance. Both needing security and someone in their corner they embark on this new journey together. Struggling but determined to make it, Congo and Honey stick side by side, loving one another past their current situation. Believing in the visions he has for them and the passion filled relationship they’ve started, Honey promises to stay down until he makes it. Congo’s life was going nowhere fast until his heart took to Honey, so now that he has her he’s going above and beyond to show her that as much as she believes that it isn’t, her love is indeed meant for a thug.

Every Girl Needs a Thug


Shantay - 2014
    Shanice is just a young vibrate teenage girl that is trying to focus on graduating college and making something out of herself. When she meets Money, a young rapper that captures her heart and changes the course that she is directed in, instead of only doing her she does him, but will loving him get her burned in the end? JaeCia is going through the motions being that her dad is locked up and her mother doesn’t care about her. She finds solace from her crazy world in TJ, someone who has always been there for her but will she allow her heart to open and be loved? Amora is living her days in hell, hiding secrets left and right but trying to keep a cool exterior. She just wants to be loved and focus on school but when she meets Bangga she finds herself doing things she would have never done and telling him things she never would tell even her two bffs. Will Bangga he be her diary? Or will their pages be burned?Authors Shantay, Yanni and Lola Bandz weave together a story of young love, heartbreak, truth and lies and will have you asking yourself is it worth it to really love a thug in this 1 part of a 2 book explosive love series. Come find out why Every Girl Needs a Thug.

She Gotta Be The Dopest To Ride With The Coldest


Kyoshi - 2016
    Instead of going away to college or turning up every weekend, she spent her days behind the counter at McDonalds. With a mother fighting Lupus and bills that had to be paid, Azuri put her life on hold to be whatever her mother needed her to be. A night working the late shift changed her life. It was the day she met Kashmir “Gotti” Banks. Gotti is an arrogant, smart mouthed boss from Harlem and used to getting everything he wanted, that is until he met Azuri. Love ‘em and leave ‘em had been his way of life for the past twenty five years. Chasing women was never his style and being caught, had never been Azuri’s style. The chemistry between the two was far more than either of them could ever imagine. Not sure if Gotti is good for her, Azuri built a wall up that he was determined to tear down. A day at the Rucker started a whirlwind romance between the two, but will they have a happily ever after? Lies, drama, murder, sex and deceit threaten to destroy the union the two have built. Will their love stand the test of time? Or will too many lines being crossed, tear the two apart? Find out in this juicy tale, unlike anything you’ve ever read...

Bad Boys Love Good Girls: The Return of the Outlaw


Porscha Sterling - 2019
     Janelle's dreams are all set to come true when she gets the chance to become the District Attorney of New York City. The only thing making her have second thoughts is the fact that she’s married to the city’s ultimate bad boy, Luke ‘Outlaw’ Murray. With no one around who understands her ambitious goals, she finds a friend in a woman who truly only wants to bring her down. The saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ always rings true but once Janelle finally realizes that her enemy is right in front of her, will it be too late? Luke ‘Outlaw’ Murray is the bad boy who no one ever imagined could be tamed. Now that he’s a family man, his reckless lifestyle has changed, but the savage in him is very much alive. With Janelle focused on her own dreams, he turns his attention back to running the streets... only to meet someone he would have never expected: Chloe Harvarty, the sister of Chris Harvarty, a man whose life he ended in order to protect the woman he loved. His guilt plagues him when he sees the way that his actions have utterly devastated her life and, against his better nature, he’s caught up—feeling obligated to help a woman he begins to feel responsible for. When a simple friendship begins to cross the line over into a lane that he knows he shouldn’t explore, will Outlaw stand strong or will he turn back into his old self and fall back into his womanizing ways?

Nobody's Side Piece


Niyah Moore - 2014
    Regardless of what the streets say, she trusts him. Plus, she ain’t nobody’s side piece and he would be crazy to mess up what they got going. Romello is so concerned with taking over the whole TL region, that he doesn’t realize just how much Mylah is onto his every move. Not only does she find a way to get revenge on him for cheating, but she hits him with another fatal surprise. Sleeping with the enemy has never been so sweet.

Not Another Thug Story


Desiree M. Granger - 2016
    For the rest of the readers that already know what's up? Welcome back. Let's continue with Montana's story.

It's Either Me Or Her 2: A Side Bitch Story


Tiece - 2016
    With a new hit single out, featuring a sexy rapper by the name of Yung Gunner, she’s certainly making waves of her own. She’s in a good place, and just wants to live drama free while enjoying her life. However, with Brooke using she and Chase’s unborn baby as a ticket back in his life, things can get real ugly at any given time. Chase is feeling good about the decision he’s made. Being with Rayne makes him happy and it keeps him focused. Now all he wants to do is be the hottest producer around, while taking Rayne’s career to the top. And with the signing of Yung Gunner to his record label the only way from here should be up. But dark secrets began to surface that threatens to end his relationship with Rayne and bring his entire empire down. Brooke is quickly learning that she can’t play with fire without getting burned. Skeletons in her closet start falling out all over the place leaving Brooke feeling vulnerable. With her ex-lover, Q popping up in Atlanta things quickly spiral out of control as she attempts to run from her past. There is only one problem with that. Q is not letting her out of his eyesight until he gets what she owes him and some. Will Chase and Rayne hold it together? Or, will Brooke find a way back into his life? Find out what happens when two women are both in a race for one man’s heart in, It’s Either Me Or Her 2.

She Gave Her All to the Hood's Finest 5: Wacko Reloaded


Shvonne Latrice - 2020
    

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.*

Keyshia and Cashmere: A Jersey Hood Love Story


Karma Monae - 2015
    And with beauty, education, and a hustler’s ambition, she proved just about everyone who doubted her wrong. Making it to the top wasn’t easy, but with her brother Ru, and his crew behind her, she was destined to make it happen. But she soon learns what goes up must come down and that having a few secrets of her own may just come back and bite her in the ass along with tearing her relationship with her brother apart at the same time.Ru had been raising Keyshia since she was a little girl, ever since their crack head mother ran off and left them for dead. After he steps up and does what he knows best, which is getting money, it’s only fair he takes his right hand man Cashmere with him. But what happens when they both end up facing 20 years in the feds? With his wifey Tandy by his side, Ru is prepared for anything as long as she is riding. But will she ride when she finds out Ru’s been hiding secrets of his own? Cashmere was the hoods hot commodity for as long as he could remember. Fast cars, pretty bitches, and racks of money were nothing new to him. Neither was going to jail. But after getting done dirty by his baby momma, he realizes the only person he ever loved was Keyshia, but being with Keyshia meant betraying his right hand man something he wasn’t sure he wanted to do. What happens when Keyshia’s big secret is revealed, will Cash still want her or will he write her off like all the other bitches who done him dirty?It’s a thin line between loyalty and love, and with secrets on the horizon not everyone is strong enough to make it. Take a ride with the crew in the first installment of “Keyshia and Cashmere: A Jersey Hood love Story”

Luving a Thug


Lola Bandz - 2015
    Queenie finds out what type she is when she can't cover her tuition and her life that she worked so hard for begins to crumble around her. She is then thrown into a world that is only made for boss bitches. Falling in love with a thug, yayo, and scheming friends, her life gets better by the second. Read Luving A Thug the first installment in the amazon e-book series.

Crushin' On A Boss: The Streets or Love


Tysha Jordyn - 2016
    She loved Je’Marcus Watford past his flaws and stayed loyal, even when he failed to put her first. She dove head first into their young love, allowing Je’Marcus to be her lifeline when her mother abandoned her to chase the street life, but when the smoke clears and those blinders come off, Aniqa finds herself living a heart-breaking nightmare. Hoping to give her baby girl, Essence, the world, Aniqa is faced with a tough decision: move on from Je’Marcus’ abusive love drought, or stay blindly committed to a disloyal dude. There’s just one problem, though: the only way Je’Marcus plans to let her go is through death. Linc Carmichael is a low key boss that wants no parts of the L word. Determined to take the family business to the next level, he plays it close to the chest when dealing with chicks. He sticks to chicks that don’t expect a commitment and has one main rule: no chicks with kids. That all goes out the window when he meets Aniqa; her natural beauty and heart of gold bring Linc to his knees, and he knows he has to have her—no matter who has to die in the process. Crushed is what you feel when love don’t love you back, but Linc just might be the one to renew Aniqa’s faith in love when she finds herself Crushin’ on a Boss....

Are We In This Together


Tina J. - 2019
    Yes, she could've run away but she had a lot to lose and decided to stick it out. She had two stepsisters; one, was Ana who was her best friend and had her back through thick and thin and then there was Autumn who hated her. Mason comes into her life and introduces her to things she only dreamed about. However, just like most men he has a past that he was trying to hide from her; but it all comes out and someone must pay for the pain it caused. Max on the other hand is in love with Ana but has the baby mother from hell. She will do any and everything to break them up. Ana tries to see past the drama but it's pushing her further away from Max who is her first love. Take this ride and find out if the love these couples have will stand the test of time or dwindle away.

Wifey vs. The Streets


Chrissy J - 2015
    She knew it was a better life outside of the projects and she wanted it. Damon Young was that nigga in the Fort Green projects. He controlled everything over there. He had been checking River out for a while now and he finally got the chance to speak to her, when he stopped his worker from putting hands on her. Take a ride with both River and Damon and see what they go through to make their relationship work. River feels like she's in a losing battle with the streets for Damon's heart. What will happen when life-changing events occur and a new man by the name of Major Atkins enters River's life? Will she still have to battle with the streets for the love of her man or will she walk away from it all? Find out in Wifey Vs the Streets...

Sicka Than Your Average: A Good Girl Turned Savage


Mz Toni - 2016
    The only problem she didn't factor in was the distance Harvard would put between her and her nine year old sister. When you have a mother who can't let go of her youth, and a father too busy trying to make ends meat to provide for his family Charm has no choice but to pick up the slack. Charm makes the hard decision to attend college to build a future for her little sister when tragedy strikes leaving Charm to question her purpose in life.