Book picks similar to
Bruised - PT 1 by Azárel


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Heat


Geneva Holliday - 2007
    Between their bedroom antics and their busy lives, Crystal, Geneva, Chevy, and Noah are all faced with situations that are way too hot to handle . . .Crystal’s finding it hard to concentrate at work, and no wonder—she’s got a stud in Antigua who’s beginning to mean more to her than just steamy sex. While things are red-hot with Geneva and her sexy young man, Deeka, her new diet pills stir up more trouble than her collection of slinky lingerie ever did.Chevy’s out-of-control spending has finally caught up with her; when her paycheck is almost entirely garnished, she is forced to resort to sex with an ex to keep a roof over her head.Noah and his partner can’t come to an agreement about adopting children, but one thing’s for sure: A blast from his little-known past with a woman is about to rock his world.

Pipe Dream (Strivers Row)


Solomon Jones - 2001
    Black drew hard, squinting as the smoke rushed into his lungs."Where do you want to start?"the lawyer said, lighting a cigarette of his own."I guess there’s only one place to start; at Broad and Erie."Johnny Podres, a politician whose record against corruption had been propelling him straight to the mayor’s office, is found murdered in a North Philly crack house.Enter Samuel Jackson, a.k.a. Black, a drug addict who knows better, a man embittered by the fact that he can’t seem to escape from his addiction to crack cocaine or, for that matter, from himself. Though he was once a family man with a wife and son, Black’s only concern these days is getting his next high, that is, until he stumbles across a friend and fellow addict, Leroy, and both become prime suspects in the Podres murder. Black and Leroy hook up with two female pipers: Clarisse, a registered nurse who is slowly losing to crack any semblance of a respectable life, and Pookie, who already has lost it. Soon the hunt is on for all four as they try to stay one step ahead of a police department under tremendous pressure to solve the case—because if a killer isn’t found soon, this could blow up into one of the biggest scandals in Philadelphia history. Solomon Jones weaves a suspenseful story against the backdrop of corruption in the Philadelphia police department and centers it on a group of drug addicts who, in the process of fleeing the law, come to terms with their own addiction, leading to some devastating consequences.

Mama, I'm In Love With A Thug


Mercy B. - 2015
    However, nothing ever came of the sparks that had been ignited. Four years and a college degree later, Sanchez is finally ready to stake his claim. Against her mother's wishes, Kamey takes a daring chance on falling in love with a Thug. Drugs, jail, and a slew of deranged side chicks quickly become Kamey's reality. With the odds stacked against her, will her love for a Thug prevail?

A Taste of Honey


Darren Coleman - 2007
    Forced by events that leave her to fend for herself as a teenager, she evolves into a money-hungry vixen as an adult. Using her physical attributes to lead a suspect lifestyle, Honey treats men like toys—good for a while, but always disposable.That is until she meets handsome and charismatic Khalil Graves, an up-and-coming filmmaker who's desperately trying to escape the demons of his painful childhood. Already engaged, Khalil can't seem to shake his attraction to Honey. What he doesn't realize is that he's a pawn in Honey's plan for revenge.Honey's attempt at vengeance quickly unravels, complicated by her possible involvement in a murder and a devious plot to score a payday lucrative enough to free her from her unsavory lifestyle.In A Taste of Honey, Essence bestselling author Darren Coleman delivers another sizzling, drama-filled tale that is sure to take his reputation for delivering page-turners to another level.

The Velvet Rope


BRENDA L THOMAS - 2005
    From this Essence bestselling author comes a sexy, fast-paced novel about astreet-smart girl determined to make it big in the glitzy nightclub business.288 pp.

The Ugly Side of Me


Nikita Lynnette Nichols - 2015
    It was lust at first sight, and Rhapsody isn't going to let young Malcolm leave her presence without a promise to fulfill her fantasy.Malcolm had no idea when he accepted Rhapsody's invitation to her bedroom that he was selling his soul to the devil. Malcolm thinks he can bed Rhapsody and simply walk away, but she is not one to settle for a one night stand. Rhapsody goes to desperate measures to keep her cub extremely close to her. Gifting Malcolm a very expensive SUV, filling his belly with home cooked meals and funding a trip to Cancun are just a few of the tactics that Rhapsody uses to ensure that Malcolm spends his nights in her bed and no one else's. However, when Rhapsody finds a mysterious package on her doorstep containing proof of Malcolm's betrayal and deception, she seeks revenge and seals her own fate.

Desperate Damsel


Ink Mistress - 2014
    Being isolated from the world, other than her dead end job, she finds that she has no family, friends or money. Will her plan of escape work out? Will she get out before he kills her? Enter this romantic thriller of an abusive relationship that goes too far.

Congratulations


Darrin Lowery - 2007
    That's why no one is more surprised than her when she starts dating Thomas Anthony Young, the fit and handsome office heartthrob. After eight months together, Tiffany is sure that he's about to propose at any minute.Instead, she's taken off guard when they have a senseless argument. Thomas abruptly departs for a business trip, leaving Tiffany hurt and confused. In an effort to cheer herself up, she calls her friend Alicia for some company. Alicia already has plans to attend the wedding of a cousin she's not too fond of. She suggests that Tiffany go with her. They'll make a brief appearance and then spend the rest of the day together, shopping and catching up. Neither one of them is prepared for the pandemonium that breaks loose when they get to the wedding and Tiffany discovers that Thomas is the groom!

Diamond's Affair


Danielle Marcus - 2013
    And it's nothing any different with Diamond Smith, a young independent 23 year old who feels like her standards is set too high to be suckered into love by a small time street hustler. Garren is his name, a minor league hustler. With high standards of obtaining the woman he desire. But the streets of Detroit refer to him as plain ole G. He feels Diamond is the woman for him without a shadow of doubt, and he is willing to do everything he can to prove it. But, being Diamond Smith, one man just might not be enough. Now caught up in a heart clenching affair. Who will win? Who will lose? Find out in Diamond's Affair.

In My Girls I Trust


Brandi Johnson - 2010
    Their loyalty to each other has no boundaries, until it starts to affect India's relationship with her boyfriend. Will she have to choose between her friends and her man, or will he chose for her?

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.

Imagine This


Vickie M. Stringer - 2004
    . . and their lives.

They Way That I Love You(Parts 1& 2)


Dominique Thomas - 2015
    ​Inga is battling what to do when it comes to her on again off again boyfriend. She loves him with all that she has, but will that be enough to get to the happily ever after that she so desperately wants? Tegan is doing big things in her life. She's on her way to law school and living with the love of her life only she has someone on the side too. Tegan struggles to decide who matters most. She loves both men, but can only have one who will she choose? Elsie isn't a happy girl. Her only true love up and married another woman while she was away at college and now she's went from being his only girl to his mistress. Feeling like she is in a no win situation, Elsie makes a drastic decision, but is it the right decision for her? Harlow is living a double life. She is a successful stylist and a daddy's girl with a lot of skeletons in her closet. She's in love with two men and once everyone knows the details about her love affair she fears everyone will see her differently especially her father; someone that she doesn't want to disappoint. Harlow struggles to make the men she love happy and the man that brought her into this world happy. Harlow knows that it is only a matter or time before her secrets are revealed and she has no clue who will have her back and who won't when the smoke clears. The Way That I Love You Part 2 Synopsis: Inga’s fed up with Dante and his lies. After years of dealing with his mental abuse, she’s finally decided to move on, but the person she finds comfort in is the last person you would expect her to be with. Tegan’s marriage is struggling because of her infidelity that recently came to the light. Tegan fights to hold on to the first man she ever loved while wondering if he will ever forgive her for the mistakes that she has made.Elsie is now with Aiden and finally happy only he’s showing her things that she never saw before and she can’t help but to wonder did she make a mistake with choosing him? Elise starts to miss Elijah and contemplates being with him, but knows that Aiden won’t let her go without a fight that she isn’t sure she will survive. Harlow's life has changed drastically in the blink of an eye. She is now married and has so much on her plate that the things that she fought the hardest for like her company starts to fall behind. Harlow is still hiding secrets that could tear her family apart and will do anything to keep the men that she love happy only that is starting to feel like a goal she might not reach with so many obstacles standing in her way. Will the women find the peace they long for? They've fought hard to be with the men that they love, but anything worth having is not easily acquired. Follow Inga, Tegan, Elsie and Harlow on their journey and see how the women deal with drama, heartache, friendship loss and even death.

Thick Girls Need Love


David Weaver - 2015
    Then is patience still a virtue? Avion is married to who he believes will absolutely without a doubt be there forever. He's friends with who he knows for sure will ride for him whenever. When he crosses paths with his high school crush, he had so much he could tell her- but she had been hurt so many times that she was overly careful. In matters of the heart, physical attraction only serves as a daily introduction. Once introduced to the person, you must then deal with them, their spirits, their personalities, them as a person. Oftentimes, the person hates the person they're dealing with. Avion learns the true value of the word "love," and just why it can't be tossed around lightly. Sharo learns that even though she had been hurt in the past and felt like she would never need another man, that it was ok, and always going to be ok. No matter how angry or upset, or how much of an independent woman she was, no matter how thick of a shell she had wrapped around her heart, she still had to realize that in a world full of hatred... Thick Girls Need Love.

Grimey


KaShamba Williams - 2004
    With leads pointing in her direction, the first suspect on Yatta's list is his sister's ex-boyfriend, Cam. But Cam is no slouch in the game. Yatta must team up with Brooklyn's grimiest playas in order to get revenge. El'San and Sweetie, his partner in crime, are both known for setting up and robbing drug dealers for their ''already made money.'' Unaware that the plot is centered in on him, Cam is in for a life-altering surprise. But the heat is up when El'San and Sweetie find out Cam is not the playa he claims to be. In the end, they are determine to find out if getting down right ''GRIMEY'' is the only way to come out on top.