Book picks similar to
The Thicker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice by Kendra Rainey


a-pending-placement
fiction
read-these-books
richland-ebook

The Chameleon (Clay Brentwood Book 6)


Jared McVay - 2018
    The town hall in Waco, Texas was alive with activity. Nearly every citizen, except for the sheriff, the bartenders and the men who preferred whiskey to politics, turned out to hear Senator Rodney P. Morgan discuss his plans for building a university of higher learning just outside of town. This was a big-ticket item for the people of Waco and they had high hopes for the new school. Good schools were few and far between out here, especially universities. The good ones, like Harvard and a few others, were all back east and very expensive. Henry Lowe, owner and pharmacist of the Corner Drugstore, set up a table near the front of the town hall where he handed out free bottles of his newly invented soda pop. He was still working on a name for it, but claimed it was a real pepper upper. The new drink was a big hit with the women and children, along with a few of the men. Not many, but a few. Most of the men preferred beer or whiskey, or even coffee to this sweet tasting non-alcoholic beverage. Two of the men who tried it said they enjoyed buttermilk over the sweet soda. Undaunted, Henry declared it a big success. Being a widower, Henry was also a big hit with many of the widow ladies in Waco and proclaimed his new soda drink would make him rich and famous. Senator Rodney P. Morgan, a large man in his fifties with a strong jaw, steel blue eyes, and mutton chop whiskers, stood on the stage looking out across the room filled with people. He had no doubt the idea of a university of higher learning would garner him the votes he needed to help get him elected for a second term. Whether he could actually raise the money, or build the school was of no consequence. If he could make them believe this was of a prime interest to him and he was trying to do as he promised, he was guaranteed to win their votes and that was why he was here. That’s what political campaigns were all about, winning votes, not actually getting anything done. If he’d learned anything during his first term, it was to make the voters believe you were looking after them and their interests. And, if he did actually get something passed that was important to them, they would say, “He did exactly what he promised to do and you can’t ask more than that.” BACK COVER The newspapers called him, "The Chameleon," because during each assassination the killer looks incredibly like someone that everyone knows, including the Governor of the state of Texas. When Clay Brentwood gets on his trail, he has to wonder if those around him are what they seem. Even, Clay's boss, Bill McDaniel, head of the Texas Rangers - has been acting strangely and Clay can't be sure he is the same man he has known all these years. For Clay, the problem is obvious - how does he stop a madman with no known identity?

Carson Kettle


Wyatt Cochrane - 2021
    Marshals failed, can farm boy Carson succeed?After the Civil War, to the people of Oak Bower, Arkansas, “…he'd always be Carson Kettle, son of the man who'd chosen the winning side in the war and would forever pay for it.”Folks in town all called both him and his father ‘Yankee Lover.’ All but her, and she’s gone.Only sixteen, and untrained and untried in the ways of Colts and fists and evil gunmen, Carson’s determined to ride into the Indian Territories and bring Lijah Penne to justice. But Lijah’s feared by all, and even the best deputy United States marshal can’t find him.Can youth and determination overcome an experienced outlaw, forged in the crucible of the Civil War to kill man, woman, or child, without a second thought?No one thinks so. They say: leave it to the grownups, you’re too young, too inexperienced.And maybe they’re right, but they don’t feel what Carson feels, and he saddles up anyway…Book one in a new, clean, Classic Western Series.

Outlaw Brand : Book Two: Hell to Pay


Tracy T. Thurman - 2018
     A loose lipped, opportunistic, man from the past, seeks to profit from his knowledge of a ruthless gang of outlaws. He ignites a firestorm of events that lead to death and destruction. Ride along with Deke and the Ferguson gang as they face bounty hunters, and the threat of a rogue company of vigilantes calling themselves ‘Rangers’. A new enemy emerges, bent on revenge, challenging their strength, and testing the mettle of an ally. They fight to overcome the odds against them, as well as those within themselves. The gang considers turning over a new leaf, but will the circumstances let them? Deke is faced with the love of a pretty girl, and a past event that could chase her away. He learns that not every question is answered by how you pull your guns. New ways, and even new life, enters the Ferguson Ranch. Deke even learns the meaning of standing behind a lawman’s badge.

Married To The Connect


Miss Candice - 2018
    Not only was he a product of his environment, but he was the son of a queen pin. With a queen pin as a mother, the drug game was destined for him and his four brothers. Together, The King Brothers ran the hood, but Momma Ava wanted them run the drug game. And that they did. Although taking over blocks came easy for Quentin, he wanted more. Q wanted The Kings to become the first black mafia family. What he hadn't planned on doing was falling in love, but fate intervened and he fell for the beautiful Simone Anderson. After the death of Simone's mother, she and her two sisters moved in with their aunt on the east side of Detroit. Change didn't come easy and she began to isolate herself from everyone except for her best friend Chanel, her sisters, and her cousin Dani. But on the day of Chanel's most talked about pool party that changed. She fell for Quentin, and later found herself doing and experiencing things she never even dreamed of. She went from "the new girl" to "Queen Q". Being with a hoods celebrity came with many perks. What Simone didn't know was that it came with lies, infedility and heartbreak too. Part one of Married to The Connect, mostly taking place in the early 2000s, tells the love story of Quentin and Simone and how they went from teenagers falling in love and going through hell, to married adults raising children and running a lucrative drug empire together.

When a Gangsta Falls in Love


Robin . - 2017
    After graduating from private school with honors, Amiah was ready to move on with life and start college. Most of all, before summer ended, she had some other goals that she wanted to achieve, which was release her first R&B mixtape to show off her beautiful singing voice. But, before graduating, she meets a guy named Oxy and that changed everything around her. Oxy isn’t your average dude from the hood. Outside of his street life, he had goals of his own. After the death of his mother and his 6-month-old son, he promised to get his life on track with a legit business, and even settle down and get married. After Oxy met Amiah, he knew she was the one for him. However, he isn’t sure if he is the one for her, with all of the burdens in his life. Will Oxy be able to remove all the distractions in his life to be with Amiah, or will all his baggage run her away from his love?

The Legend of Jake Jackson (Jake Jackson #7)


William H. Joiner Jr. - 2020
    

Defiance: The Complete Box Set (The Defending Home Series Books 1-3)


William H. Weber - 2017
    He grows his own crops, generates his own power and draws fresh water from his own deep aquifer.But when a nearby town's water supply dwindles in the searing Arizona heat, Dale's peaceful existence is threatened.The new mayor and sheriff want every last drop for themselves and they're willing to do whatever it takes to get it.With a crooked local government conspiring against him, Dale will need to stand in defiance or risk losing everything.Includes all three books in The Defending Home Series. Book One: Defiance, Book Two: A House Divided and Book Three: Judgment Day.

The Haunting of Forsaken Manor (Ghost Hunters Book 1)


Cat Knight - 2020
    

Road To Somewhere: Book Two in the Clearwater Series


Julie Mayerson Brown - 2019
     The day her kitchen ceiling collapses on top of her, Patty’s life unravels. Whether a sign from above or plain bad luck, she has no idea. But her brush with death shakes her to her core. With no boyfriend, no plans, and no where to stay, she leaves her condemned home and heads to California wine country to be near Cece, her best friend, confidant, and quintessential voice of reason. A few days in the quiet small town of Clearwater will give her the comfort she needs to contemplate one of life’s most enduring questions: "What now?” But instead of quiet and comfort, Patty is met with even more troubles—Cece suffers a crisis of her own, a new friend ropes her into a demanding situation, and an enticing yet complicated man has her spinning toward romantic disaster. However, it’s the mysterious arrival of her younger sister that pushes Patty to the brink and forces her to question everything she thought she knew about her siblings and about the family that rejected her. Now, faced with a monumental decision, Patty has no choice but to gamble on the one person she trusts the least —herself.

Marriage Jitters


Madhuri Tamse - 2020
    She struggled organizing the wedding as Viren Dewan’s classy extravagant attitude kept hurdling her work. Least did she know they had a history together, a knot which his family easily forgot and hers denied to accept. What would happen when that past resurfaced?A roller coaster ride of a forgotten accidental marriage, claiming its identity between Innocence versus Power.

Invasion (The War of 1812 Epics #3)


A.J. MacKenzie - 2019
    May 1813. Under covering fire from their navy on Lake Ontario, U.S. troops storm ashore at Niagara. Captain John MacLea and his reformed company of militia fight desperately but they and the other defenders are overwhelmed and forced to retreat.The American force is mightier than it has ever been, spearheaded by Colonel Peter Beauregard, a ruthless spy-master, and James Boydell, a Canadian captain, former friend of MacLea's, and traitor to his country.As the invading army closes in, and with no time left, the hope of an entire army, and all of its men, rests on the shoulders of the most unexpected of people. Failure is not an option. They must succeed, or face total defeat. A brutal, moving action-adventure thriller, steeped in intricate historical research, perfect for fans of Adrian Goldsworthy, Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.

The Rifleman (The M. Allen Western Gunfighter Collection #1)


M. Allen - 2017
    The United States Bounty Hunter Western Adventures

The Connect Who Took My Heart Away


Coco Shawnde - 2019
    Living with a man she's planning to depart from comes with more complications than the marriage itself. When Miani was put out with her four-year-old son, it broke her spirit and her heart. Miani becomes unsure of her future but running into her old friend Obasi might just change her outlook on life and love. Obasi Remy has been pumping vast quantities of artillery from the islands to flood the streets of St. Louis, making him the go to connect. Obasi is the Boss of all Bosses. Running into Miani reminds him of everything he’s missing in regards to having a woman in his life. She’s the one who got away and the only woman who can handle his aggressive demeanor. Reuniting just may be the best thing that could ever happen for both of them. Dice Howard has been drowning in despair since her husband's untimely demise. The only thing keeping her sane is her son. A night out grants her a chance encounter with the connect, Hosea Juelz. One night of passion leaves her wanting more, but at the same time ashamed for the feelings she holds for someone other than her deceased husband. With a close-knit family, her secretive relationship becomes everyone’s biggest question. Dice has chosen to keep it all hidden, but when you're with a connect, how far can a secret this big be held under the rocks?

The Paradise Gig (Key West Capers Book 15)


Laurence Shames - 2020
    FICTION: Poolside at their motel, the Fab Four fell into conversation with a snappy-dressing local named Bert the Shirt, who listened as the band worked out a harmony to the most beautiful song he’d ever heard--and wouldn’t hear again for over half a century. FACT: That night, the Beatles played an unannounced free concert in the motel bar. Everyone was welcome. Local musicians showed up with guitars and keyboards, and had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of jamming with the Beatles till 4 am. This legendary event has forever after been known to Key West locals as THE PARADISE GIG.FICTION: Next day, hung over and exhausted, the Beatles left for the airport, having somehow lost a stained and battered notebook that held a priceless stash of unrecorded songs. NOW CUT TO THE PRESENT: A beautiful woman is doing a yoga headstand on a Key West beach when she’s abducted by a pair of thugs. An aspiring young singer is offered a recording deal that seems a bit too good to be true. Bad things happen to a couple of one-hit wonders…And old Bert hears a new song that is hauntingly familiar, but that he can’t quite place.Could it possibly be the same song he’d heard at poolside so many years before? Could it be that all the present mayhem circles back through the decades to THE PARADISE GIG? Could the precious, even sacred, Beatles notebook possibly turn up after all these years? Could Bert be the hero who would rediscover that stash of unheard songs for music lovers everywhere—and save a young singer’s life in the process? With Nacho, his intrepid Chihuahua, at his side, and with no one but bumbling detective Pete Amsterdam for an ally, the undaunted Bert the Shirt sets out through the Florida haze to piece it all together, learning along the way how much the world has changed—and how much it has not. In equal parts suspenseful and nostalgic, funny and romantic, this time-bending caper celebrates the power of music and the many tricks of memory, the joys of youth and the comforts of age, and the free and funky spirit of Key West.

The Guesthouse on the Green Box Set


Michelle Vernal - 2021