Book picks similar to
Never Say Never by Dwayne S. Joseph


african-american
urban
b-urban-fiction
audio

Momma's Baby, Daddy's Maybe


Jamise L. Dames - 2005
    This Essence bestseller from an author to watch takes an unforgettable look at love, lust, and secrets that can break hearts--and destroy homes.

Chocolate Sangria


Tracy Price-Thompson - 2003
    Although she has a very light complexion, she is proud of her blackness, even as she takes a beating from the very sistahs she tries so hard to emulate. Her only friend, Scooter Morrison, is an upwardly mobile brother who also happens to be young, gifted, and gay. Then a chance encounter with two fine Puerto Rican men changes Juanita’s and Scooter’s lives in ways they could never have imagined. There is Conan, a hardworking man who wrestles with both his love for Juanita and his guilt over his brother’s death; and Jorge, an unscrupulous bad-boy thug who has no problem using what he’s got to get what he wants, until he comes dangerously close to getting scorched by his own flames.Fast-paced, suspenseful, and unpredictable, Chocolate Sangria explores the hearts of two lovers who get caught in the great cultural divide—and the devastating consequences of keeping secrets, telling lies, and betraying those you love.

Bad Girlz 4 Life


Shannon Holmes - 2008
    Tonya Morris a.k.a. "Tender" is back and this time the ride is wilder than ever.Coming of age in the Badlands of north Philadelphia--one of the toughest and poorest communities in the country--Tonya Morris has had to make some desperate and, at times, ruthless moves in her bid to survive. When Tonya stepped into the unforgiving business of stripping, she found herself caught up in a world of sex-filled nights, dirty money, backstabbing cohorts, and murder.She left that world behind to become a hairstylist. However, after she is blacklisted from salons across Philadelphia and is evicted by her shady landlord, Tonya finds herself back in the stripping business. Except this time, she promises herself, things are going to end differently.Tonya teams up with her best friend, Na'eema, to organize underground sex parties, and it's not long before they have a team of beautiful girls and are rubbing elbows with athletes, rappers, and celebrities.Then Tonya's ex-lover and now music industry superstar, Q, steps onto the scene, and everything takes a dramatic new twist. Because it's not just Q who is back in her life. His murderous baby mama, Niecey, is fresh out of jail and ready to raise hell. And she's got Tonya in her sights. In the meantime, Tonya's past has risen like a beast, threatening to tear away all her newfound success. But Tonya isn't going down without a fight.

Entangled


K. Elliott - 2003
    Entangled is a love story between a major drug trafficker and a history teacher. The subplots include a black DEA agent with divided loyalty. He wants to do his job and rid the streets of drugs but on the other hand he knows that the system is corrupt and it targets minorities, this story has all the elements of a major motion picture.

Dirty Money


Ashley Antoinette - 2005
    Consumed with her desire for revenge, she and her best friend Monica enter a life of drugs, fast money and betrayal - adopting the lifestyle that pushed them into the game in the first place. Hiding their true identities they quickly rise to the top of New Jersey's dope game. Using everyone who crosses their paths, nothing - not betrayal or addiction - will stop them from dispensing their street justice.

The Circle: Autumn's Story


Keisha Ervin - 2014
    This fast pace book picks up where the last begin, highlighting the young lady, Autumn as she tries to get to the border and escape the feds. Keisha Ervin delivers a sure fire classic.

Is the Bitch Dead, Or What? (The Ritz Harper Chronicles Vol. 2)


Wendy Williams - 2007
    Playing a clever trick of her own, Williams left her heroine on the brink of death at the end of the novel. Now the second installment of the chronicles reveals what Williams’s readers are dying to know: Is the Bitch Dead, or What?The drive-by shooting that brought her down forces Ritz to look back on her climb to the top and the people she loved, lost, used, and abused along the way. There’s the brief dalliance with Tracee, her best friend, and the romance with a man with some secrets of his own; the loss of her beloved Aunt M; and the recent appearance of the father who abandoned her and is now demanding a financial payoff and fifteen minutes of fame. At the heart of it all is Ritz’s need to figure out where the real-life Ritz ends and the radio bitch begins.For the huge audience hooked on The Wendy Williams Experience and readers itching to find out what happens to the over-the-top star of Drama Is Her Middle Name, Is the Bitch Dead, or What? is packed with all the irresistible shocks and insider dish that make Williams the hottest voice in America today.

So Gone


Jennifer Luckett - 2013
    She's the principal of Harper High in Atlanta, Georgia. Having a great job, making good money, and being highly educated still doesn't replace what she longs for. She’s been wishing for one thing all of her life, true love. In her quest for a soul mate, she found Blunt. His swag personifies the streets, something she's totally against. She finds herself mesmerized by his love, and her heart overtakes her mind. Little does she know, there's another side to him.Molaysia is suddenly faced with some mind blowing information concerning Blunt. She has to decide whether she's sticking around or moving on. She soon discovers that being So Gone over a man can almost cause you to lose your mind. Will Molaysia turn and walk away or stand by her man? Find out in this drama-filled tale of love, lies, and deceit.

The Circle: Rain's Story


Treasure Blue - 2014
    The Porters. Honing their robbery skills since their youth, were introduced to the intricate world of armed bank robbery, diamond heist and murder by their mentor and confidant Smtty, to perfection. Fearless and daring, the Porter family pulled off dozens of licks, reaping them millions over the years. But, on the eve of their retirement, ready to leave the dirty life behind them, the unthinkable happens, changing Rain and her once close knit family forever, as every federal agency submerge and arrest all her siblings. Alone, Rain wages an all out war against the City of Baltimore in order to free her family, but a sudden turn of events will soon make her suicide-like mission to free them even harder than she ever imagined

Dime Piece


Tracy Brown - 2004
    On one hand, she has found happiness with the love of her life, Raheem "Rah-Lo" Henderson. He is unhappily married with children, and Celeste is his well-kept secret. He loves Celeste without question, proving his affection for her by financing her dream- a beauty salon called Dime Piece. But when Rah-Lo is incarcerated for his part in a brutal crime, his right hand man Ishmael Wright is left to hold down the fort. This causes him to come face to face with the feelings he has secretly harbored for Celeste for far too long. While Rah-Lo's away, will Celeste and Ishmael give into their passion for each other, or will their loyalty to Rah-Lo stand in their way? Meanwhile, Dime Piece is the setting for tons of drama between hairstylists Charly, Nina and Robin. The ladies vie for one man's attention and the fireworks begin. Dime Piece is packed with drama, love triangles and passionate encounters. The question is, which of the ladies will ultimately be the one and only Dime Piece?

Harlem Heat


50 Cent - 2007
    She was also a mom at fourteen years old, and did what she had to do to raise her daughter, Chyna. Now Chyna's all grown up, a stunningly beautiful exotic dancer with a baby girl of her own, while super-sexy Roxy is at the height of her power running Harlem Heat, a gun-trafficking ring. It's a lucrative life- style some would do anything to have. And when former drug kingpin Panama Pete returns to the hood after serving fifteen years in prison, a spiral of violence traps Roxy and Chyna and has them running from the law - and running for their lives.

Full Circle


Ayana Ellis - 2010
    Told with comedic rawness and colorful sarcasm, Ellis's second novel is an epic story of love, loss, pain, and forgiveness that shines a spotlight on the painful reality of domestic abuse.

Daddy Long Stroke


Cairo - 2010
    Daddy Long Stroke, is a womanizer. Arrogant and self-indulged, he is what every woman secretly craves in the bedroom—rough, rugged, and ravenous. And he is always happy to deliver. Alexander knows no boundaries when it comes to pleasing a woman, leaving no area untouched, not even her heart—or her wallet. But love is the last thing on his mind. Getting paid, and whetting his sexual appetite are the only things that motivate this salacious gigolo. And any woman trying to claim him finds herself on the receiving end of heartache, tears, and drama. Written in raw, graphic language, Daddy Long Stroke is a cautionary tale of one man’s insatiable thirst for sex and his quest to bed down as many women he possibly can—no matter the costs, and no matter who gets hurt in the process.

She Got It


Nicole Jackson - 2013
    The land in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Meet Falen. She’s grown up in the infamous Fifth Ward and life has never been easy. Her crack addicted mother left she and her sister years ago to fend for themselves. Now at nineteen Falen is left homeless and hopeless. Along with her best friend Toya the two try to climb out of the gutter. Tino is one of the biggest ballers in Fifth Ward. He’s pushing major weight. The ladies love him and he loves the ladies. He’s a sucker for a nice round rump accompanied with a pretty face. So, when he encounters a troubled Falen sparks ignite instantly. She’s everything he never knew he wanted and he’s everything she’s always been afraid of. Even as Tino tries to assist Falen she just can’t elude misfortune. Problems take on a new meaning until she stumbles across a drop being made. After consideration Falen and Toya make a brash decision to step in during a small window of opportunity and steal what they think is cash. To their complete and utter shock they ended up snatching ten kilos of cocaine. With their backs against the wall they have no choice but to get out in the streets and hustle. In this story of love, lust, and betrayal friendships will end and bonds will be broken. Money is the root of all evil and it can turn the most innocent person into a ruthless conniver. Taking ten kilos from a hustler can change lives forever, especially when no one seems to know who’s at fault. With an all-out war promising to rear its ugly head, will Tino be able to save Falen? Or will both their futures cease to exist?

Natural Born Hustler


Nikki Turner - 2010
    She has more game in the streets than a basketball player does on the court, and her boyfriend, Fame, loves every single inch of her. But unlike her mother, who has been in one bad relationship after another, Desember is not going to wait on a knight in shining armor to save her, and even her love for Fame can’t stand in the way of Desember selling anything and everything—legal or illegal—that can turn a profit, so that she never has to depend on a man. The only thing Desember feels she’s lacking is a father to call her own. And her mother refuses to tell Desember who he is.When Fame finds himself at the wrong end of a gun, fighting for his life, Desember wants nothing more than to stand by her man, but Fame warns her from his hospital bed that she isn’t safe. Desember wonders if she was the real target. Her mother, concerned for Desember’s safety, arranges for her daughter to travel to Richmond, Virginia, to live with Desember’s father and his wife.And when her father’s identity is finally revealed, Desember learns that she is a Natural Born Hustler.But are her troubles really over? Or is the worst yet to come?