Jane Doe


Jessica N. Watkins - 2008
    Watkins wrote Jane Doe during her freshmen year of high school and after giving birth to her son. She was fifteen years old. She wrote Jane Doe as a heart wrenching reflection of life through the eyes of the urban teenager. Jane Doe is set in the “Windy City” during the year 1996. The main characters, Lyric Caldwell, Latrice Anderson, and Victoria Renee Brown, allow you into their adolescent world of fitting in, insecurity, boys, heart break, and love. Entering their first year of high school at Kraton High, Lyric, Latrice, and Victoria find themselves battling with common factors of the urban environment; teenage pregnancy, single-parent homes, and peer pressure. Victoria was forced to move in with her estranged father after the death of her mother. Forced to work and fend for herself, “Vic” has grown a thick skin against her father’s verbal and physical abuse, and strangers have to climb the wall that she has built around her heart. Lyric has a hard time helping her best friend break down this wall as she is forced to handle matters of her own; refereeing a game of tug of war between her older boyfriend, Russell, and her virginity. With substance abusive parents, Lyric often times prefers to lean on the maturity of her other best friend, Latrice, for counsel. However, Latrice is dealing with problems of her own when she realizes that she is possibly pregnant by the neighborhood high school dropout, Taij. Now she is faced with the unfeasible task of explaining to her demanding and strict mother that she has not only been sneaking and having sex with the boyfriend that she was not supposed to have, but also may possibly become what her mother has feared the most; a statistic. Through this novel, Watkins reveals the genuine thoughts and motivations of the urban teenager. Jane Doe is geared toward the urban adolescent, but is attention seeking enough for any adult by illustrating the rebellious teenager living “ghetto fabulous” with consequence, and highlights the unexpected heroes of our urban communities. Jane Doe reaches out to that insecure and yearning teen, and illustrates the consequences of refusing to look beyond the small window of fitting in.

Trouble Man


Travis Hunter - 2003
    Almost thirty years old, with a three-year-old son who worships the ground he walks on, a pregnant girlfriend whose family hates every breath he takes, and a slain best friend whose death racks him with guilt, Jermaine realizes it's time to change. But can he step up to the challenge, or will he continue to be a Trouble Man?

Slumped Part 1


Jason Brent - 2013
    Or at least that's the way it's been for Slump. Since a child he had the responsibility of taking care of himself along with his younger brother and sister by any means necessary. The only thing he has ever been good at is killing, so good that the streets named him. "The Boogyman" but Slump faces a problem when he has to find out the hard way that not everyone is afraid of the Boogyman. He has one goal, get this money and get out fast. That's until his past begins to catch up to him. This classic tale by Jason Brent is sure to leave readers breathless.

It's Not Me, It's You


Elle Wright - 2021
    Seriously, it’s comical!Want to know how I messed up my life? Getting arrested for stealing a priceless artifact for a tearful client.Want to know what my biggest problem is? Spending my life teaching women how to break relationships when all I want to do is make a relationship—with him.Want to know what that makes me? The Break-Up Expert who is questioning everything I thought I knew.IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU is the first book in the Young In Love Series, featuring the very large, very fun Young Family. If you love romance with layered characters and laugh out loud moments, snag your copy. This novel contains sex, profanity, and sensitive subjects that some may find triggering.

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.

Remember The Time


Tay Mo'Nae - 2020
    

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?

Sparks of Temptation: The Proposal\Feeling the Heat


Brenda Jackson - 2015
    With one convenient proposal, he could have the Southern beauty in his bed and her birthright in his hands. That's only if Bella says yes… FEELING THE HEAT Their long-ago affair ended too abruptly. And Dr. Micah Westmoreland knows Kalina Daniels hasn't forgiven him. But now that they're working side by side, he can't ignore the heat that still burns between them. This time, there will be no question about his motive—he plans to make her his.

Rise of an American Gangstress


Kim K. - 2012
    But when havocenters the picture and the Feds seize her family's ill-gotten gains,Fancy's lavish Caribbean trips are traded in for cold winter nightsin the heart of the hood.When the gravity of Fancy's situation causes her to crumble, it'sher roots that put her back together. Unwilling to stay down, Fancyrealizes that she was born to hustle, and this American Gangstressis reborn. What emerges is a fierce contender the streets aren'tready for.

It's Like Candy


Erick S. Gray - 2007
    When she falls in love with Eric, one of her victims, all she wants is to find her baby sister, and settle down with her new love. But River soon becomes a prisoner of her dangerous world. And escaping it may cost her more than her life.By the time she turns sixteen, Starr is working for a pimp and turning tricks daily. But when an assault by one of her "dates" lands her in the hospital, Starr meets a woman who wants to help her change her life. Starr's heart is too hardened to believe in second chances, but soon she begins to long for more than selling her body just so she can survive. However the game does not give up its players so easily.Enter Eric's cousin, Yung Slim, fresh out of jail after seven years. He's looking to reclaim the streets and take care of some old grudges. When Yung Slim goes to battle, Eric—torn between his love for River, his ties to his cousin, and the lure of the streets—gets in too deep. When the war breaks out on the battlefield of the streets, who will be left standing?

Trickin'


Brandi Johnson - 2012
    She's determined to come up, and she won't stop until she does. Nothing is going to stop her from getting the hottest clothes, the finest men, and money to burn. Easily influenced by her conniving girls Shayna and Quiana, Ra'Keeyah resorts to shoplifting, stealing married men's credit cards, and passing bad checks to get what she wants. Ra'Keeyah is struggling to stay on top, and she has sunk to an all-time low when she meets Brick. He's a savvy, street-smart hustler who will surely take her young heart for a ride and make her want to change. Will she be able to resist, though, when Shayna comes to her with an idea that is sure to keep their pockets on swole? This idea could cost the girls a little more than they bargained for, along with teaching them that not everyone is to be tricked!

This Is Life


Shakara Cannon - 2012
    Sequel to This Can't Be Life

Real Riders Never Die


A'zayler - 2014
    No matter how hard she tries it seems she’s unworthy of the affection of others. That is until she meets the beautiful Assassin Demoto Youngblood. He’s perfect in her eyes. From the moment he entered her life, nothing’s been the same. Although she doesn’t agree with his profession, she could never imagine escaping the irreplaceable love he gives. Demoto Youngblood is a ruthless killer with a past filled with vengeance, betrayal and murder. These things compiled together are enough to make anyone heartless. The moment he laid eyes on Taryn, all of that goes out of the window. In a world full of lies and dishonesty she’s the one thing that’s remained true. It would be a beautiful thing for Taryn to have finally found her happy ending, but how long will it last? The moment she’s found her safe place everything comes crashing down.

Keisha


Darrell Debrew - 2005
    Follow Keisha as she discovers that Clarence, the man she wanted to dedicate her life to, is responsible for the murders. The one and only goal of her revenge is to make him suffer like she is suffering. Murdering Clarence and his partner or sending them to jail just isn't good enough. As Keisha devises her plan for the most vicious payback, she meets resistance from DC's most successful and ruthless homicide detective, "The Pinstriped Bitch," who pressures Keisha to give up the evidence against Clarence. As Keisha's thirst for vengeance escalates, she meets Jezebel, a high-priced call girl who teaches Keisha the art of seduction and makes her a brand new woman, helping her get the sweetest revenge possible. HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED.

In Greene Pastures


Kendra Norman-Bellamy - 2007
    But as Hunter investigates, he finds the community turning against him, even as he falls deeply in love with Jade.