Book picks similar to
Mogul by Terrance Dean


fiction
music
african-american
cultural---issues

Prelude to Bruise


Saeed Jones - 2014
    How do we reckon our past without being ravaged by it? How do we use people, their bodies, to express ourselves? Danger is everywhere in these poems, but never overwhelms them; the poet is always an anchor on the other side. And his story carries us relentlessly along.

Spoiled Rotten


Brandi Johnson - 2008
    She thought she was better than everybody, or rather you thought it. But remember the day you found out that she lived in the projects/ghetto/hood just like everybody else? You were shocked, and now less envious of her, knowing she came from exactly where you did. Well, Trouble is that chick! Spoiled rotten by her brother, who has a complex occupation, and her boyfriend, the star B-ball player at their high school being sought after by colleges across the map who don't mind lacing him with SUVs and putting money in his pocket to sway him towards attending their university to play ball--Trouble seems to have it all. And what she doesn't have, she manages to get. But unlike some of the chicks in these other street lit tales; she doesn't have to use her body to get things. She uses the ghetto diva attitude that makes people believe she deserves the best and therefore they do back flips trying to provide. This urban novel has a completely different twist than any other written thus far. In Trouble's journey, she loses her brother, who she is closer to than bark on a tree, and feels as though it's the end of the world. But when she finds out that the person who murdered him had once tried to get with her, a huge scheme comes to mind in order for her to seek revenge. She pretends to like her brother's killer in order to get him right where she wants him, but her plan backfires when something happens that she never saw coming. She falls in love with her brother's killer.

Baltimore Chronicles Volume 1


Treasure Hernandez - 2010
    . . a new drama. Treasure Hernandez is back with her second street series, chronicling both sides of Baltimore's black market. Derek Fuller is the head detective of a Baltimore narcotics unit. His team has been assigned to take down the biggest drug operation in the city. There's only one problem: the head of the operation is his brother, Scar Johnson. Separated in Baltimore's foster care system, they came from two different walks of life, but both met at the top on opposite sides of the law. With the Assistant District Attorney in their back pocket, this was a marriage made in heaven--until the drama and deceit enters. Delve into this treacherous story of love, deceit, lies, and murder. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and once one brother feels betrayed, the only retribution is death.

Midnight


Sister Souljah - 2007
    In her bestselling novel, The Coldest Winter Ever, Sister Souljah introduced the world to Midnight, a brave but humble lieutenant to a prominent underworld businessman. Now, in a highly anticipated follow-up to her million-selling masterpiece, she brings readers into the life and dangerously close to the heart of this silent, fearless young man. Raised in a wealthy, influential, Islamic African family, Midnight enjoys a life of comfort, confidence, and protection. Midnight's father provides him with a veil of privilege and deep, devoted love, but he never hides the truth about the fierce challenges of the world outside of his estate. So when Midnight's father's empire is attacked, he sends Midnight with his mother to the United States. In the streets of Brooklyn, a young Midnight uses his Islamic mind-set and African intelligence to protect the ones he loves, build a business, reclaim his wealth and status, and remain true to his beliefs. Midnight, a handsome and passionate young man, attracts many women. How he interacts and deals with them is a unique adventure. This is a highly sensual and tremendous love story about what a man is willing to risk and give to the women he loves most. Midnight will remain in your mind and beat in your heart for a lifetime. Her "raw and true voice" (Publishers Weekly) will both soothe and arouse you. In a beautifully written and masterfully woven story, Sister Souljah has given us Midnight, and solidified her presence as the mother of all contemporary urban literature.

Lipstick Dom


T. Styles - 2014
    But when her younger sister discovers her in an uncompromising position, she uses the information as blackmail, making her world a living hell. Her burden grows when she falls in love with her best friend who is all about money, which Echo doesn’t have. After being rejected from her mother and first love, Echo goes away to find herself, resurfacing years later as a powerful drug boss with an insatiable sexual drive. Before long her BFF returns, married to a dangerous man with ulterior motives. Soon old feelings from the past bubble to the surface and Echo finds herself caught between two loves. One who is passive aggressive and the other who would do anything to maintain Echo’s heart, including kill. Lipstick Dom is for ladies who love ladies and T. Styles’ fans who appreciate a drama filled love story.

The Family of Max Desir


Robert Ferro - 1983
    From the back cover copy:Max Desir loved his Italian-American family--even after his iron-willed father exiled him from its intimate innner circle.Max Desir loved his lover, Nick, with whom he openly took up life first amid the enchantment of Rome, then amid the realities of New York.Two loves so deeply felt--in a man so painfully divided...

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies


Deesha Philyaw - 2020
    The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church's double standards and their own needs and passions. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.

Winter Waites


Lucy Lennox - 2021
    And now he's my patient.When Winter Waites knocks on the door to the snowy cabin where his next physical therapy patient awaits him, he has no idea his dream celebrity is on the other side. Gentry Kane is everything Winter has always fantasized about. But it was only a fantasy. What happens when Winter is faced with the flesh and blood man who wants more than physical therapy? Can one night in a cozy cabin lead to more? And how will that affect Winter's growing career in the tiny, charming town of Aster Valley?

Pop Star


Eden Finley - 2020
    BRIXProtecting people is not what my company usually does, but the boss knows I need money, and the pop star is offering an insane amount to live with him and make sure no more crazy fans break into his house.I’m doing it for the money and nothing else.He may be the prettiest man I’ve ever seen, and I may feel sorry for the celebrity life he’s been forced into since he was a teenager, but that doesn’t mean anything.Just because he fascinates me, that doesn’t mean I like him.It doesn’t.Professionalism. I’m gonna live it. Breathe it. Enforce it … Mostly.

The Object of My Affection


Stephen McCauley - 1987
    They share a cozy, cluttered Brooklyn apartment, a taste for impromptu tuna casserole dinners, and a devotion to ballroom dancing lessons at Arthur Murray. They love each other. There's only one hitch: George is gay. And when Nina announces she's pregnant, things get especially complicated. Howard -- Nina's overbearing boyfriend and the baby's father -- wants marriage. Nina wants independence. George will do anything for a little unqualified affection, but is he ready to become an unwed surrogate dad? A touching and hilarious novel about love, friendship, and the many ways of making a family.

The Undercover Rock Star


Jenna Galicki - 2016
    It was a chance meeting with a handsome stranger that changed everything. Brandon stirs Cameron's interest and his heart, but will the mysterious man reveal his true identity before their vacation in paradise is over? Sometimes life in the spotlight was a heavy weight to bear for Brandon Bullet. He never knew if men were interested in him as a person or just enamored with his rock star status – until he meets Cameron Douglas. It wasn't often that Brandon shared a connection with someone who wasn't aware of his notoriety. He's determined to keep his identity a secret while the two of them get to know each other and before someone blows his cover. The Bulletproof Series The Undercover Rock Star, Book 1 Branded, Book 2 Bassist With Benefits, Book 3 BULLETPROOF, Bulletproof Book 4 Also: The Stage, An Immortal Angel/Bulletproof Crossover Novella

Misfit Mage


Michael Taggart - 2019
    He didn’t expect to find unusual friends, fierce enemies, and primal powers.Jason thought that it was the end of his life after being hunted and attacked by a band of ruthless thugs. Instead, he tapped into the source of creation and emerged from his Death Experience with magical powers.As a new mage, Jason finds himself part of a wonderful - and dangerous - new supernatural world. He also finds himself in the middle of a mage war as he becomes part of an unlikely group of protectors who are defending a mystical mansion from those who want to destroy it.Jason has little power, and the band of misfits are on the losing side, until he discovers he can see and manipulate magic at a remarkable level. What he detects begins his journey into discovering how his new powers really work, and just might be the edge that they need to survive.If you like witty dialogue, diverse characters, magic that feels real, and intense action, then you will love this LGBTQ urban fantasy. Buy Misfit Mage today and step into a new enchanted world.

The Painting of Porcupine City


Ben Monopoli - 2011
    His coworker Fletcher Bradford is looking for a heaven spot of his own, and his is even more elusive. Out since age 12, Fletcher's been around more blocks than Mateo has ever painted. He's dated all the jerks, all the creeps, all the losers in between. At 26 he's decided the only way to meet a nice guy is just never to give him a chance to prove otherwise. When he's introduced to Mateo, Fletcher expects to add another notch to his bedpost. But Mateo is different--and from him Fletcher will rediscover a long-lost feeling: surprise. What Fletcher finds in the trunk of Mateo's car will change his life in ways he never imagined--and may help him find what he's always wanted.From the author of THE CRANBERRY HUSH comes an epic story spanning years and hemispheres and miles of painted walls. At times sexy and sweet, gritty and gut-wrenching, THE PAINTING OF PORCUPINE CITY takes readers along with Mateo and Fletcher on an adventure through the subways of Boston to the towers of São Paulo. Are you in?

A Boy at the Edge of the World


David Kingston Yeh - 2018
    After moving to Toronto to attend university, Daniel embarks on a series of misadventures both comic and tragic, as he navigates the pitfalls of dating and relationships while juggling the needs of his eccentric family and newfound friends.A Boy at the Edge of the World is a coming-of-age novel that explores the variegations of sex, intimacy, and queer desire. It is both a rollicking dramedy and a philosophical reflection. In the end, Daniel’s story is the story of each of us: our universal search for love and family – at the edge of the world.David Kingston Yeh has been listed among “writers to watch” by CBC Books. He lives with his husband in Toronto, Canada. [more:] https://www.goodreads.com/author/1733...

Heart's Desire


Monica Jackson - 1998
    In a desperate move to destroy the senator's chances at reelection, Kara joins his staff, and sets her sights on his loyal right-hand man. But soon, her feelings for Brent Stevens leave her caught between desire and disaster, love and lies.