Book picks similar to
A Good Man Is Hard to Find by ReShonda Tate Billingsley


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The Office Girls


Sylvester Stephens - 2008
    When the newspaper runs an article he finds offensive to African American men, he writes a rebuttal, which offends so many women it gets him fired. Michael then sets out to write a book that proves corporate women are just as scandalous, competitive, and insensitive as their male counterparts. But when he manipulates events to get hired into an office that is staffed by all women, events quickly spiral out of control. As romances sprout like weeds and Michael finds himself fighting for the women he works alongside, rather than against them, the question is whether he will be able to focus on his work, keep his flings a secret, and achieve the success he has always dreamed of. In turns hilarious, sobering, and eye-opening, The Office Girls tells the story of every woman who works in the corporate world and the challenges they face on a daily basis. The misogyny, sexual harassment, and gender inequality faced by these characters will ring true for all women who have experienced corporate America.

Just Say No!


Omar Tyree - 2001
    For John, it his music; for Darin, football. When Darin suffers an injury that closes the door on his sports aspirations, he reluctantly follows his friend into the music scene and quickly gets swept up in promoting John's new "Loverboy" identity to R&B superstardom. But the celebrity lifestyle of big-time money, fast women, and easy drugs quickly takes it toll, and the friends find themselves at a crossroads that will forever shape each of their futures.As only he can, Omar Tyree delivers another urban classic filled with irresistible characters you won't forget.

Holy Ghost Corner


Michele Andrea Bowen - 2006
    She can't, for the life of her, figure out why even Baby Doll Henderson, despite her false teeth and her navy-blue-socks-with-yellow-jelly-sandals-wearing self, can find a man and she, Theresa, can't. Theresa's been looking all of her life, and it seems like the only thing she finds are things that need to say lost. Like, for example, her on and off "friend" and sometime escort, the sneaky businessman, Reverend Parvell Sikes. So, when church mother Queen-Esther Green reacquaints Theresa with the older woman's backslidden player nephew, Lamont Green, it seems like the same old story. But this time, Theresa decides to listen to God and what she hears soon brings a smile to her face with the realization that the Holy Ghost has been in her love corner all along.

The Mistletoe Promise


Richard Paul Evans - 2014
    Three years earlier, her husband cheated on her with her best friend, resulting in a bitter divorce that left her alone, broken, and distrustful. Then, one November day, a stranger approaches Elise in the mall food court. Though she recognizes the man from her building, Elise has never formally met him. Tired of spending the holidays alone, the man offers her a proposition. For the next eight weeks—until the evening of December 24—he suggests that they pretend to be a couple. He draws up a contract with four rules: 1. No deep, probing personal questions2. No drama3. No telling anyone the truth about the relationship 4. The contract is void on Christmas Day The lonely Elise surprises herself by agreeing to the idea. As the charade progresses, the safety of her fake relationship begins to mend her badly broken heart. But just as she begins to find joy again, her long-held secret threatens to unravel the emerging relationship. But she might not be the only one with secrets.

The Interruption of Everything


Terry McMillan - 2003
    A chef. An interior decorator. A landscape architect, as well as a gardener. I’ve been a painter. A furniture restorer. A personal shopper. A veterinarian’s assistant and sometimes the veterinarian.... An accountant, a banker, and on occasion, a broker. I’ve been a beautician. A map. A psychic. Santa Claus. The Tooth Fairy. The T.V. Guide. A movie reviewer. An angel. God....For a long time I have felt like I inadvertently got my master’s in How to Take Care of Everybody Except Yourself and then a Ph.D. in How to Pretend Like You Don’t Mind. But I do mind." Since Terry McMillan’s breakout novel Waiting to Exhale surged onto the bestseller lists, critics and readers alike have been captivated by her irreverent, hilarious, pitch-perfect tales of women’s lives and contemporary issues. With The Interruption of Everything, her sixth novel, McMillan takes on the fault lines of midlife and family life, reminds us once again of the redeeming power of friendship, and turns her eye toward the dilemma of how a woman starts to put her own needs higher on the to-do list while not shortchanging everyone else.Marilyn Grimes, wife and mother of three, has made a career of deferring her dreams to build a suburban California home and lifestyle with her husband, Leon. She troubleshoots for her grown kids, cares for her live-in mother-in-law, Arthurine (and elderly poodle, Snuffy); keeps tabs on her girlfriends Paulette and Bunny and her own aging mother and foster sister—all the while holding down a part-time job. But at forty-four, Marilyn’s got too much on her plate and nothing to feed her passion. She feels like she’s about ready to jump. She’s just not sure where.Highly entertaining, deeply human, a page-turner full of heart and soul, The Interruption of Everything is vintage Terry McMillan—and a triumphant testament to the fact that the detour is the path, and living life "by the numbers" never quite adds up.

A Lova' Like No Otha'


Stephanie Perry Moore - 2003
    When thunder and lightning strike on the morning of Zoe Clark's wedding, her seemingly perfect world is turned upside-down as she loses her fiance to a pregnant girlfriend she never knew he had. With her engagement shattered, all her life's plans seem over. Unemployed, sinking deeply into depression, and wrongly blaming God for her troubles, Zoe seriously contemplates ending her life. But God sends Chase Farr to reintroduce Zoe to the importance of having God in her life. Yet when Zoe's friendship with Chase turns romantic, he suddenly backs away--further confusing Zoe with his decision to remain a virgin. Through life's twists and turns of celebration and sorrow, Zoe ultimately learns what it means to truly trust in God--but in the end, does this revelation come too late to fix things with Chase?

Milk in My Coffee


Eric Jerome Dickey - 1998
    When he shares a ride with a vivacious young white girl, a romance grow between the unlikely pair--much to the chagrin of Jordan's friends and family. Love on the other side of the color bar forces him to examine his own values and makes him stand up against what everyone expects him to do. In this brightly entertaining and emotionally complex novel, Dickey again demonstrates why he is one of the hottest voices in African-American fiction today.

Strongholds (The Blessed Trinity Series, #2)


Vanessa Davis Griggs - 2008
    . . When Pastor George Landris, the dreadlock-wearing minister of the new mega-church, Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center, urges his congregation to approach the altar and cast off their strongholds--also known as their weaknesses--it's the start of intense soul-searching for many.From a married couple's twin addictions to gambling and gluttony, to a female member's adulterous affair, a computer expert's obsession with cyber-porn and a therapist's workaholism, the Pastor's church family is about to open the proverbial floodgates. And that's just the beginning. There's also the woman whose battle with mental illness hides a buried trauma, and the religious devotee who's so busy fearing the devil she's forgotten what faith is really about. The plot only thickens when the Pastor's wife lightens his load by helping him counsel--and finds herself at the center of a decades-long deception.Insightful, witty, and always poignant, Vanessa Davis Griggs delivers another compelling novel, taking readers behind the scenes of mega-churches, and showing the amazing power that redemption and faith can have on people's lives.

Bring on the Blessings


Beverly Jenkins - 2009
    She was hurt—angry, too—but she didn't cry woe is me. Nope, she hired herself a top-notch lawyer and ended up with a cool $275 million. Having been raised in the church, she knew that when much is given much is expected, so she asked God to send her a purpose.The purpose turned out to be a town: Henry Adams, Kansas, one of the last surviving townships founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. The failing town had put itself up for sale on the Internet, so Bernadine bought it. Trent July is the mayor, and watching the town of his birth slide into debt and foreclosure is about the hardest thing he's ever done. When the buyer comes to town, he's impressed by her vision, strength, and the hope she wants to offer not only to the town and its few remaining residents, but to a handful of kids in desperate need of a second chance. Not everyone in town wants to get on board though; they don't want change. But Bernadine and Trent, along with his first love, Lily Fontaine, are determined to preserve the town's legacy while ushering in a new era with ties to its unique past and its promising future.

Diva Diaries


Janine A. Morris - 2006
    She's a successful marketing executive who still believes in sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

Roadrunner


Trisha R. Thomas - 2002
    He’s married to his college sweetheart, Leah, and they have two children and a dream home in Los Angeles. But an injury has sidelined his hot career, and prescription medication and depression are pulling him into a downward spiral, leaving Leah feeling emotionally distanced and lonely. Their fighting escalates, and one night Dell commits an act of violence that changes the course of their lives forever. But Angel Lopez, the cop who arrests Dell, decides to take the law into his own hands. Determined to teach the famous athlete a lesson, he drives Dell to the worst part of town and tries to kick him out of the car. The men struggle and the car crashes. When Angel comes to, Dell is gone and no one knows if he’s dead or alive.Leah is grateful when a guilt-stricken Angel offers to chase the media away from her home and help out around the house, “just until Dell comes home.” She and her family grow to trust him, and Angel falls in love with the Roadrunner’s lovely, grieving wife. Will Dell find his way home? Will Angel replace him? And what really happened that dark night the Roadrunner disappeared?

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.

In Sheep's Clothing


Mary Monroe - 2005
    Facing a future of cooking, cleaning and unsatisfying sex, Trudy decides to make some changes while she still can.

Maneater


Mary B. Morrison - 2009
    A too-hot-to-handle pair of novellas that prove there's nothing more powerful than a woman bent on seduction and revenge.

On the Seventh Day


T.D. Jakes - 2011
    Jakes pens a compelling story that unites love, suspense, and faith into one heart-wrenching package.Based on the film, Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the Seventh Day, executive-produced by T.D. Jakes, a novel that follows the lives of a couple whose love and commitment are tested when their only child is kidnapped right from under them in their gated community in New Orleans. David, a respected college professor and his wife, Kari, appear to be the perfect church-going prosperous couple when their young daughter is abducted. The police immediately launch an investigation and set out to find the child of this high-profile couple. Reports surface of a serial child-kidnapper on the loose with a pattern of killing his victims on the seventh day, so there’s no time to waste. In pursuit of information relevant to the case, they uncover information about Kari whose past threatens their marriage and challenges their capacity to forgive.