Book picks similar to
Belly Song and Other Poems by Etheridge Knight


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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.

I'll Never Love A Dope Boy Again


Twyla T. - 2017
    When she loses the love of her life to the streets, she vows to never love a dope boy again, but some promises are meant to be broken…. Demetrius is a product of the streets and has spent the last five years in jail because enough was never enough. When he is released from prison, he tries hard to turn his life around, but as the saying goes…old habits die hard. Only settling for jump offs, he is mesmerized when he meets Kamora and instantly makes up his mind that he will do whatever it takes to win her over. Will Kamora be able to keep the promise that she made to herself after she meets the charming and persistent Demetrius? Will Demetrius be able to leave his dope boy ways alone to get Kamroa or will he be forever tied to the streets?

Tamed by a Beast 2: An Urban Love Story


Indigo Love - 2017
    Will she be able to get away, or will she become Ramos’ next victim? Jamir’s put in a position where he makes another enemy who becomes a real threat. Due to that, he puts killing the man in the picture with Kay on the back burner...for now. His hit list is getting longer; however, he’s not moved. That only makes him go harder. On the hunt for Yummy, he finds out that the plot thickens with her and she’s planning to take him down by any means necessary. Will he find her before she gives him up to the FEDS, or sends someone to murk him? Keeping DEA Agent Daniels on his payroll is also proving to be a waste when he admits to not having a way to keep a warrant from being issued for his arrest. With that looming over his head, he tries to focus on protecting Kay, as well as keeping his own life and freedom intact. He also notices a drastic change in Kaylen that he never saw coming. Kaylen is frantic to find her sister Kylie, who has been taken by DFACS and returned to her unfit mother Connie. In the process, she is attempting to cope with what has happened to Laila. Feeling like everything is too much to bear, she decides to shed the layer of innocence that was once her shell. Now, she feels the burning desire to get vengeance, even if it means she must commit the act of murder herself. The hate she feels for Yummy is festering and all she wants to do is end her life. It starts to become an obsession. However, Jamir wants her to stay out of it and let him handle the situation. Will she back down and let her man be her voice of reason, or will she stick to her guns? Was Kylie’s decision to go back to her mother a big mistake that she’ll regret, or has Connie really made a change for the better? With the chaos surrounding Jah and Kay on one hundred, it’s a fight for these young lovers to stay alive and in love. Will they come out on top in the end, or will one of them, or both, be added to the growing body count?

All The Dope Boys 'Gon Feel Her 2


Jahquel J. - 2019
    After not seeing him for years, she finds out that time had been treating Haze well. He’s far from the next door neighbor with busted shoes and hand me down clothes that she remembers. Time has provided him with money, cars, and jewelry, all the stuff that Kenni had been fascinated with, that he didn’t have back then. With Kenni going through her problems with Bridge, he’s a welcomed change from her everyday reality. There’s only one problem; Haze is in a serious relationship with his girlfriend, Whitney. When Hans moved he and his brother, he never thought he would run into Saylor again. However, fate had other plans and placed her back into his life. Saylor had always been the one on his radar back home. He loved everything about her, and for a moment they shared a small fling. A few years older and having lived life, Hans is ready to hang up his player ways and make Saylor his woman. Except Saylor is caught up in a three way triangle with Darren and Brix. While Saylor thinks she’s being a friend to Darren by helping him out, he’s seeing it as more. After running into Brix, the two dance around their feelings like they’ve done in the past. Saylor is still hurt that Brix chose Juleena, and Brix is hurt that Saylor didn’t fight hard enough for what they had. In this finale, Kenni and Saylor fight to discover what true love feels like. Their road has many curves, however, when true love is real, no matter the obstacles, true love always wins. Will Kenni get the courage to leave Bridge? Will Saylor choose to rekindle a relationship from her past? Find out in part two of All the Dope Boys Gon’ Feel Her.

This Heart Still Holds You Down


Tay Mo'Nae - 2019
    With a new guy in her life serving as a good distraction, she thinks she's finally ready to take that next step but there’s only one issue. Kolby isn’t trying to let Ma’Loni go. Learning from his mistakes he tries to get Ma’Loni to see that he’s ready to commit to her. With an attraction that can’t be ignored and trust that’s been broken, can this couple find their way back together? Tired of the back and forth Jazlynn wants to rid herself of Kordell, permanently. She tried to stay away until an unfortunate event brings the two back together, now they must try to co-exist while fighting off the feelings they both wanted to leave in the past. Kordell, back with his son’s mom, is determined to move on from Jazlynn and her insecurities but the pull the two have can’t be denied. Will they be able to throw all the secrets and lies that broke them up away and start over, or has this couples ship sailed? Join these four in one last ride and find out if the heart is really holding them down.

A Hood Love in Atlanta 3


Mz. Demeanor - 2015
    Mona-Lisa and Delano have had their share of ups and downs but their bond was unbreakable. However, the storm is far from over as they struggle to become untangled from the lies they fell victim to in the beginning. Just when Marissa was trying to put her life back together, karma came back around and dealt her a hand that she may have to throw in. Will Mona-Lisa and Delano be able to stand the pressure of a love that’s been nothing but drama from day one, or will they finally have to call it quits? Will Marissa be forgiven so that she can move on, or is she left standing on the other side? Since fighting for his life, Todd has come to realize the error of his ways. Without anyone in his corner, all he can rely on are his old methods and hope they don’t become his last ones. The tension mounts on the streets of Atlanta for the last time. Who will be left standing when the smoke clears?

Never Made Love to a Thug: Until I Met You


Cherie Briggins - 2017
    Some would even call her stupid. Feeling as if she's constantly on a rollercoaster ride of love and abuse, Mirror finally wants off. She's losing herself and her future is starting to look bleak. Until he steps into the picture. Now that Trust is a free man, he's focused and determined to be the King of New York. While hustling day and night, the only thing he wants is money, respect and those to fear him. But when he spots a beautiful girl sitting on a stoop, will he continue to be as focused as he once was?

Sibling Rivalry 2


Vanessa M. Kirby - 2013
    Now it’s time for them to put their differences aside and come together as a family unit. Using lies and deceit to mend her relationship with London, India prays the truth about her mom never comes out. As London seeks answers to some long-hidden family secrets, she exposes the skeletons in a lot of closets. The shocking discoveries she uncovers lead to events the sisters never saw coming. Will the sisters survive the revelations in one piece, or will it tear them apart forever?

Still Can't Trust Her


Kyoshi - 2014
    Zacari and his crew are on a mission to paint the streets of Virginia red to get them back. Miss Ty is still in a coma and not showing any signs of improvement. Skye's mother Marisol also has a few secrets of her own. Moriah is starting to have regrets about her involvement. Who is Mister and why is he so hell bent on revenge? Will Miss Ty make it? Ride along with Skye, Zacari, Jamari, Rick, Mark, Falan, Marisol, James, Moriah and Mister and find out if all can be forgiven or if she Still Can’t Be Trusted.

The Price of Loving A Boss


Kia Jones - 2016
    Along for the ride was her best friend, Red. Their hopes of landing big modeling gigs are soon dashed as they realize that the city of dreams can also be the city of nightmares. Within the first six months, all of their savings are gone, and they find themselves struggling to get by, so they snatch up jobs as maids.They meet Gee and Yazz, brothers from Haiti who are in desperate need of citizenship, when they are assigned to clean Gee’s luxurious penthouse. Determined to fulfill their dream of bringing affordable health foods to the U.S., the brothers make the marriage proposal of a lifetime to Diamond and Red.Although both marriages are business deals, feelings get involved and the ladies find out the real price of loving a boss.

Giving My Heart To The King Of Atlanta


Mo Howard - 2018
    They have a million followers who check out their channel for pranks and couple travel videos. Chloe thinks life is perfect until she finds out that her prince charming is cheating. Humiliated and disrespected, Chloe gives up her YouTube channel and is back at square one, living on her best friend Layla’s sofa. Without Eric she feels like she can’t go on; that is until she runs into a handsome stranger, Cole Lewis, that reignites her need to create. What she doesn’t know is that her new boo is one of the most feared men in Atlanta. He runs the city with an iron fist and likes to be low-key, which doesn’t fit into Chloe’s public lifestyle. Somehow they learn to manage their relationship, but not without a few hiccups (like Eric trying to coming back in the picture and online haters who don’t want Chloe to be happy). 
 Layla has always been there for her best friend and that doesn’t stop when Chloe is at her lowest. Layla encourages Chloe to move on and forget about Eric. She wants her friend to be happy and she knows that Cole would be perfect for her. While trying to play match maker she goes through changes of her own with her high-school-sweet-heart-turned-fiancé, Ken. He is not the man that she thought he was. While dealing with a broken heart, she meets a man that takes her breath away, causing her to face a difficult question. Will she leave the love she’s known for years and try something new, or continue to hold her man down even though he hurt her? 
 Giving My Heart to the King of Atlanta is filled with love and drama. Chloe and Layla must go through their fair share of trials to get their happy endings.

My Savage and His Side Chick


B. Love - 2019
    Sisters Catalina and Kaia want nothing more than to be the main women of these eligible savages, but they soon realize that other women aren’t their only competition – the street life is too. In the “My Savage and his Side Chick” two-part series loyalties are tried, forbidden bonds and souls are tied, and love and lives are put on the line. Will Javaris and Amari come out victorious in the end, or will they learn the hard way that the game isn’t played fair… and the streets always win?

Snatched Up by a Bad Boy


Prenisha Aja' - 2019
    Now at the age of 25, she has done just that. Big house, dream job, and even engaged to her college boyfriend. She has it all, but she is consistently left wondering, am I really happy? Is my life complete? After getting into it with her fiancé Troy, about the one thing she desires so desperately, she decides that it is time to let her hair down and escape reality for a while. But what she isn’t prepared for is the person she finds herself bumping into. Sawyer McKnight, the neighborhood’s bad boy, is now the hood’s hottest rapper. He went from the slums to the mansion but still, he is missing someone to share it with. In this love tale, you have two people from the same background but different walks of life. Can the two be what the other truly needs or will they just settle for what they’re already used to?

Falling For A Savage : Soraya & Jadyn's Story


Koya - 2016
    Wanting to escape the life she felt was a lie, she moves to Atlanta ready to start her new beginning. Everything is better and she starts to feel like a new person until she meets him. Jadyn Harris is the nigga to know and to be seen with. Growing up in Alabama and dealing with life has turned him into a savage. After getting the offer of a lifetime, he quickly packs up and heads to Atlanta, ready to cash out. With money on his agenda, running into Soraya was something he never counted on. When they begin to fall into a web of feelings, things become hazy. With life hitting them at every turn, Soraya starts to realize that the life she's put herself in was one she wasn't prepared for. Trying to see the good in Jadyn, she begins to question if Falling for a Savage was worth all that comes with it?

Finding Love In a Dope Boy


Antoinette Sherell - 2019
    With her best friend, Hiro, and her boyfriend, Yohan, both along for the ride, will she be able to keep her focus, or will blurred relationships cause her to be in over her head? Hiro Smith’s main focus has always been basketball and his best friend. However, when the dynamics with him and Akela begin to change, he’s left questioning their friendship. When he crosses paths with the alluring Zuri, he’s forced to figure out feelings he had no idea existed. Hades, fresh out of prison, and Loyalty are adjusting as new parents. The two think they have it all figured out until his street life, her career goals, and parenthood become hard to balance. Will they be able to keep their heads above water, or will the stress of it all cause them to make illogical decisions? Every relationship isn’t meant to last, and sometimes friendships are just that; a bond that shouldn’t be taken further. Find out in this standalone if love can be misguiding or if it leads them exactly where they need to be.