Book picks similar to
Knowing by Rosalyn McMillan


fiction
challengedbooks
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Crave


Darnella Ford - 2004
    And after spending one night in complete darkness because "pretty didn't pay the light bill," Gerry and I broke up and are no longer speaking.Marshall wasn't a viable suitor because when he finally revealed himself to me, I found out that his breasts were larger than mine because he used to be a she. Marshall and I are no longer speaking.Keith could have been the one. I met him at a taco stand and I was certain he was the "It Man." He was beautiful, articulate, and one my favorite things on earth, employed. When I was in his presence he felt like the last man on earth. But on our first date I became extremely irritated by this simple fact: his wife kept paging him during our meal.So, Jesus, I am down on my knees begging for mercy. I ask for an eligible, employed, nonviolent single man with no current wives or husbands who has more teeth than felony convictions to enter my world and escort me to the rest of my life. Amen.---from Michael (a woman, craving her "It Man")

View Park


Angela Winters - 2006
    Los Angeles-based cosmetics tycoon Steven Chase has come a long way from his humble beginnings. Steven's family, including socialite wife, Janet, and four grown children, live a life of privilege in exclusive View Park. But when Steven wants to expand his empire by adding a chain of hair salons, one woman stands in his way. Once Steven realizes he can't seduce her with money, he tries a different approach: his handsome attorney son, Carter... Meanwhile, spoiled debutante Haley Chase is busy getting into high-profile trouble on her lover's yacht, pediatrician Leigh Chase is determined to start a free clinic—against her parents' wishes—and Michael Chase is busy doing Daddy's dirty work. His only soft spot is for his wife, Kimberly, who has her own ambitions—plans that may one day shake the very foundations of the Chase dynasty—and change their view from the top forever...

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.

Groove


Geneva Holliday - 2005
    This funny, sexy book has something for everyone!

If I Can't Have You


Mary B. Morrison - 2012
    Morrison delivers a seductive, mesmerizing tale of "love" gone dangerously wrong.  .  .No matter how direct Loretta is, Granville doesn't get it. He was fine when it came to burning up the sheets, but that's where their connection ends--or so she thinks. When he begins stalking her, Loretta's gorgeous girlfriend, Madison, claims she can tame any man...so Loretta dares Madison to prove she can tame Granville. But sexing Granville while she's engaged to the most eligible bachelor in Houston may cost Madison more than Loretta's bet is worth.  .  .Praise for Mary B. Morrison's I'd Rather Be With You "Drenched in jealousy, cheating.  .  .will leave readers gasping in shock."  --Library Journal "The sequel to If I Can't Have You has just as much drama, fighting and lying as its predecessor." --RT Book Reviews

Shades of Jade (Strivers Row)


Gloria Mallette - 2000
    Louis. Wayne. Eric. Marissa had been warned: One of these days you're gonna mess with the wrong woman's husband. But she doesn't care. Aside from an occasional bout of guilt, she feels no shame, because after all, if their wives were doing what they were supposed to, then their husbands would not be seeking her company. Marissa dates married men - four of them concurrently because it's easier. She gets all of the trappings of a relationship - love, wining and dining, physical pleasure - without any of the pain - cooking, laundry, and the day-to-day maintenance of a relationship. But when it appears that one of the wives of the men she is dating is out to get her - wants her dead, in fact - Marissa begins to reexamine the choices she's made. Her selfishness gives way to vulnerability and fear, and she comes to the conclusion that she deserves a man all her own. But will she survive long enough to find Mr. Right?From the Trade Paperback edition.

Sister Betty! God's Calling You, Again!


Pat G'Orge-Walker - 2004
    Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

Skin Deep


Kathleen Cross - 1999
    Proud to be black and serving as faculty advisor to the Black Student Union in a small Arizona college, she discovers that looking white can complicate her life...especially her love life. Disappointed by a colorstruck fiance who loves impressing the brothas with his "white" woman, Nina falls hard for Ahmad, a handsome black man, with plenty of reason to be hostile toward whites. His dangerous past is one he may not be able to escape and the little daughter he's raising alone has plenty of questions. But Nina hides her own vague and troubling memories and the family secrets that haunt her dreams. Yet neither Nina or Ahmad can know that the tumultuous circumstances which bring them together are about to unlock mysteries from the past that can open doors to a future they never thought possible.

Amaryllis


Nikita Lynnette Nichols - 2009
    After witnessing Randall Loomis drive off into the sunset with his new wife and family, Amaryllis starts a new chapter. She moves to Las Vegas to live with her sister, Attorney at Law Michelle Denise Price. Michelle is engaged to Minister James Bradley, and it doesn't take long for Amaryllis to set a new goal. Envying the attention and affection James showers on her sister, Amaryllis puts a plan in motion to destroy Michelle's fairy tale relationship and claim James as her own.What Amaryllis doesn't know is that someone else has a plan."Vengeance is mine," says the Lord.Stirring her pot of evil, Amaryllis cooks up a recipe fordestruction;but this devilish divais about toget adose of her own medicine."

An Inconvenient Friend


Rhonda McKnight - 2010
    Will she get her man or destroy herself and everyone else in the process?

Blackberry Days of Summer


Ruth P. Watson - 2012
    The novel begins as ?The Great War? is coming to an end. As Robert Parker?s body is lowered into the grave, Herman Camm introduces himself to the mourning family. He is a beady-eyed, small-framed, well-dressed man with a mysterious stare?and he is about to drastically change the lives of three women: Mae Lou Parker; her daughter, Carrie; and Pearl Brown. On Christmas Eve in Jefferson County, Virginia, trouble arrives when Carrie reveals a disturbing secret that will haunt and change their lives forever. Mae Lou is fed up with Herman spending time with other women and she goes to confront him. Everybody wants a part of him, including Willie; however, the tables are slightly turned when Willie ends up with a gun pointing directly at him. All of the stories converge when Herman is found dead from a shotgun wound. There are many people Herman has offended. And all three women are suspects in his murder. An investigation is launched. But no one really cares, including the police. Blackberry Days of Summer is a brilliantly crafted story of family secrets, complexity and the courage of forgiveness.

P.G. County


Connie Briscoe - 2002
    Jolene is half of P.G. County’s number-two couple–and she desperately wants what she doesn’t have: namely Barbara’s husband. Pearl owns a hair salon and lives on the outskirts of the posh community with her son, Kenyatta. She’s not only juggling a growing business and a bad divorce, but now she’s has to cope with Kenyatta’s less-than-ideal girlfriend. Candice is white and liberal, but her daughter’s new beau tests her beliefs–and opens a can of worms she never knew existed. Lee is a runaway teen, a girl whose only connection to her father is an old photo and the belief that he’s well-off and waiting for her in . . . P.G. COUNTYFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

With This Ring


Allison Hobbs - 2013
    But now, they are coming the realization that happily ever after might not be attainable, or even a reality. Harlow’s dreams of walking down the aisle are shattered when a muffled gunshot forces her to question her new husband’s character. Is Drake Morgan the determined entrepreneur she thought he was or a gangster and ruthless killer? After a bout with alcoholism and an emotional breakdown, Nivea is trying to rebuild her life, but the explosive result of her child’s paternity test threatens to destroy her fragile family ties. Desperate for her new man to put a ring on it, Vangie sacrifices her morals and puts a lifelong friendship to the test. From the bestselling author of Big Juicy Lips and Double Dippin’, this edgy new novel is sure to please both Allison Hobbs fans and newcomers looking for a spicy read.

Sunday Brunch


Norma L. Jarrett - 1999
    She seems to have it all together all the time until a seductive client topples her self-control. Then there’s Jermane, a devout Catholic who met her husband in law school and has never been with another man. But now her workaholic marriage is threatened by temptation.Angel, on the other hand, sees men merely as a means to sex. Her scorn for love of all kinds—godly or otherwise—is challenged by a serious health scare. Meanwhile, Jewel bases her dating choices on the size of a man’s bank account until she meets a new flame who causes her to reconsider her requirements. Finally, there’s Lexi, the link between the ladies, who provides sage advice while praying for Mr. Right. But what happens when depression hits hard? Through conversation and consolation, these dynamic characters provide one another with divine inspiration—encouraging readers to root for them along the way.

Diamond Life


Aliya S. King - 2012
    . . Set in the highest ranks of the music industry’s fame machine, Diamond Life is an intoxicating story of love, sex, ambition, money, betrayal, and the surprising realities of making it big. Alex Maxwell’s career as a journalist and celebrity ghost writer is taking off, despite the slightly embarrassing authorship of hip-hop super-groupie Cleo Wright’s memoir. And while Alex’s star is on the rise, it pales in comparison to her husband Birdie’s multiplatinum debut and world tour. Slowly but surely, everything they swore would never happen begins to come true, like leaving Brooklyn for a mansion in suburban Jersey and letting a reality TV crew into their home. Birdie is confronted time and again by the sexy groupies who pursue famous rappers like heat-seeking missiles and he’s forced to make some life-changing choices. Meanwhile, aging rapper Z, in recovery from drug addiction, is too busy trying to repair his marriage to leave much time for his son Zander, newly signed to Z’s label and struggling to maintain his appeal in the wake of a domestic violence scandal with his diva girlfriend Bunny. Record label president Jake is trying to deal with the death of his wife, multiplatinum R&B artist Kipenzi Hill, by drowning his sorrows in alcohol and women. When he meets Lily, a beautiful, quiet waitress, he can’t get her out of his head. But Lily has her own problems to handle and she wants nothing to do with the fame, drama, and baggage that Jake carries with him. This juicy follow-up to Aliya S. King’s Platinum is a scintillating roman à clef that takes readers behind the curtain once again for the real scoop on the biggest players in the hip-hop game—and the first ladies who hold them together.