Book picks similar to
On the Line by Fred Bowen


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growth-mindset
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The Mothers' Board: Mothers Know Best


Lashaunda K. Jackson-Williams - 2016
     But hold everything! The Mothers’ Board has been quiet for too long, and they refuse to lay down after seeing their beloved pastor vanish. What follows is a rollicking adventure with the mothers sticking their noses in plenty of people’s business and causing a fuss wherever they go—whether it’s breaking and entering a house to search for clues … or investigating the seemingly psycho church secretary. Along the way, the mothers show a heap of God’s love to some hurting folks—and put the smack-down on the devil every chance they get. It’s their church, after all, and mothers know best!

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?

Taken, But I Want You


Krystal Armstead - 2016
    No matter how much time has passed. This was the case for David “Blue” Jacobs. At the age of sixteen, Blue’s adoptive mother moved him from Greenville, North Carolina to Washington, D.C. in search for a better life. She thought that she was making a better way for Blue, but she only turned him into more of a monster. It wasn’t until the loss of a loved one that Blue decided to straighten up his life and leave the streets alone.When Blue left Greenville, he left behind his best friend, Chrystal Alison. Chrystal’s life was dependent upon her relationship with Blue. Misused, abused, and abandoned, Chrystal turned her life over to the hands of those she thought would help her. Chrystal finds herself trapped between a lifestyle that she doesn’t want to live and the people that she feels obligated to take care of by any means necessary.Just when Blue thought it was safe to say that he’d never see Chrystal again, every step he takes seemed to led him right back to her. The heart wants what the heart wants. No matter how many times you tell yourself that you’re better off without that person, a part of you will never be able to let go. Take a ride with these characters on their journey to recovery, forgiveness, and closure.

Addicted to the Hustle: A Carolina Love Thing


Zaii Renae - 2016
    With an absentee mother and alcoholic father Logan has the weight of the world on her shoulders. All Logan can really count on are her crazy ass friends Margo, April and her secret crush Ameer Sanchez to keep her sane. Ameer Sanchez is a young rich, and in demand. With a small circle that consists of his best friends Jacob and Daniel, he doesn’t need much else to hold him down, well except for that special someone. He's fine as hell and on his way to living out his dreams. He also has everything he wants and can have any girl he wants but ever since he laid eyes on Logan he knew that he had to have her. Unfortunately, for this bunch, life isn’t always as simple as it should be. Ameer is struggling to keep his head right, and do right by Logan but life keeps getting in the way. Keeping his past in the past is not working out as simple as he thought it would be. Friendships and relationships are challenged, and some may not survive. Not to mention that the streets are invading their circle with a vengeance. Roman is the plug that Jacob and Daniel work for and he has an offer that they can’t refuse, even if they should be running from it. With Roman about to step down will the guys step up and take his place or will unforeseen circumstances make it impossible. Will Ameer be able to handle a relationship and running the streets? Will Logan be understanding of his constant demanding schedule? Will outside forces as well as, the ones closest to them try to tear them apart? And ultimately, is being Addicted to the Hustle really worth it?

Say You'll Never Leave


Chelsea Maria - 2018
    The sweetest taboo my lips ever tasted. He opened my eyes to see that if I gave him the sweetest part of me, he would keep on loving me. So I gave until the wells of my water ran dry. Now I'm empty and he's ready to replenish. The echo of my beating heart reminds me that he left us because he was afraid. Unwilling to change my name from Worthy to Secret, I said goodbye. Him She said I Do and eloped her soul to me when she moaned my name. Time and time again, I gave her an open door. A chance to run and not be chained to me. But in the end, it was me who snuck out through the back door and cowardly walked away without so much as a goodbye. Her We promised each other forever. I won't allow him to hurt me again. Him I need her to trust me with her heart again. The quiet storm called "Us" is brewing, and it never felt so hot.

Tamar: Before He Was King


Shan - 2014
    He started from the bottom, but at a very early age, he always knew that he would one day run the streets--with his crew by his side. Take a look at how it all began for them all. From before he met Rozalyn, to when he was with Shalea, and before he was crowned king.

The Plug's Daughter


Nika Michelle - 2015
    Although he’s no lame, he doesn’t have a grandiose scheme to take over the drug game, or become a notorious street legend. He also doesn’t believe in flexing, having a reckless crew, being in the trap, or slanging on a corner. He simply chooses to lay low and maintain his weed hustle, only selling weight to a small, reliable clientele. His plug, Mendosa, is the exact opposite. He does run the streets of Atlanta as a huge supplier of weed and cocaine, and has since the nineties. Once Keenyn lays eyes on Mendosa’s twenty one year old daughter Jasenia, he’s caught up in her beauty and sophisticated aura. The only thing is, Mendosa feels that his daughter is off limits to any man; especially one he does business with. In his eyes his only daughter is cultured, pure and untouched. Little does he know, but “daddy’s little girl” is far from the angel that he thinks she is. Keenyn soon discovers that as well as the never ending drama that seems to come with his feelings for her. Not only is Mendosa a threat to him, but he finds out that Jasenia has a few deadly skeletons in her closet. Will those secrets cost him his life and to what lengths will he go to protect the plug’s daughter?

An Alpha's Claim


E. Bowser - 2021
    That is until a Hunter named Devana Okar entered his life with visions of rogue wolves and with the scent that she is his MATE.Dax wasn’t expecting the True Alpha of all Wolves to come to him with a mission involving working with a Hunter. A mission to stop a rogue wolf from killing other Alpha’s and taking control of their packs. Being an Alpha himself, he knew it was a matter of time before this rogue Alpha would be at his doorstep. What made finding this rogue more dangerous were the visions of this wolf working with something evil. The only time a Hunter gets involved in matters that belonged to the pack is if the problem had anything to do with demons. Dax had to protect his pack from what was coming and come to terms with Devana, a Hunter, who is his MATE.Devana has had visions of evil all of her life that affect anyone that she is close to. Her visions always had something to do with a Hunter and a demon, which helped her fellow Hunters fight against evil. Until one night, Devana dreamt of a smokey gray wolf whose eyes glowed the deepest crimson as he slaughtered an Alpha along with his entire pack. Devana saw pack after pack that would be targeted if she didn’t stop her vision from happening. She knew once her eyes opened that she would have to call a meeting with the top Alpha of all, Quinn Savir. Devana wasn’t expecting that her call would be answered. When the call was answered, she didn’t expect to work with Daxton Rayne, the white wolf with the violet eyes whose pack would be victims of this possessed rogue wolf. Devana, along with every other Hunter, knew exactly how much Dax and other shifters hated their kind.When Devana and Dax came face to face, everything changed with just one word. MATE.Will Dax manage to put aside his hatred for Hunters to be able to claim his mate?Can Devana finally let herself get close to someone who may be able to handle the gifts she comes with?How will Dax and Devana keep his pack and all wolf shifters safe from a demon-possessed wolf?