Book picks similar to
The Ultimate Test by Shelia M. Goss


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The Rock and the River


Kekla Magoon - 2009
    Especially when his older (and best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything forever. Sam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature about the Black Panthers under Stick's bed, he's not sure who to believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore. Sam wants to believe that his father is right: You can effect change without using violence. But as time goes on, Sam grows weary of standing by and watching as his friends and family suffer at the hands of racism in their own community. Sam beings to explore the Panthers with Stick, but soon he's involved in something far more serious -- and more dangerous -- than he could have ever predicted. Sam is faced with a difficult decision. Will he follow his father or his brother? His mind or his heart? The rock or the river?

Kendra


Coe Booth - 2008
    Renee and her mom made a deal -- Renee could get an education, and Kendra would live with her grandmother. But now Renee's out of grad school and Kendra's in high school ... and getting into some trouble herself. Kendra's grandmother lays down the law: It's time for Renee to take care of her daughter. Kendra wants this badly -- even though Renee keeps disappointing her. Being a mother isn't easy, but being a daughter can be just as hard. Now it's up to Kendra and Renee to make it work.

Poison's Kiss


Breeana Shields - 2017
    They all die afterward. It's a miserable life, but being a visha kanya, a poison maiden, is what she was created to do. Marinda serves the Raja by dispatching his enemies with only her lips as a weapon.Until now, the men she was ordered to kiss have been strangers, enemies of the kingdom. Then she receives orders to kiss Deven, a boy she knows too well to be convinced he needs to die. She begins to question who she's really working for. And that is a thread that, once pulled, will unravel more than she can afford to lose.

The Boy in the Black Suit


Jason Reynolds - 2015
    No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

Ballad Of A Bad Bitch 2


Ms. Bam - 2013
    Mia – All any kid ever wants is for their parents to love them. True... I made mistakes, but how could I not? No one but me knows what it was like growing up in a home with Terri. Yeah she paid the bills, fed and clothed me but she never loved me. The man she moved in got all my mother’s love, time, and affection. So as a kid, when you don't get the love you feel you deserve at home... You'll try and get that feeling from anyone. I was young. I made mistakes, I was also taken advantage of. I just hope I don't have to pay for those mistakes for the rest of my life and lose the only people that really love me in the process.Terri- Kids don't appreciate shit nowadays. I worked my fingers to the bone to give that child of mine everything I could. I gave Mia anything a child could want! It's not like she was some starving child living in the projects. So what I moved a man in! Didn't I deserve to have a life? Yeah, Quinton's a little rough around the edges and he's young, but hell I like a young buck! If I'm not happy... no one is going to be. Least of all my bitch of a daughter Mia, and Quinton; the man who I've given up everything for.Quinton- I almost lost the woman I loved messin' around with Terri's crazy ass, but she came back like I knew she would. Who wouldn't wanna have Quinton Jones as their man? Hell you see I got her mama going crazy! I don't give a damn what anyone says... even Mia. What we share is special. Everyone thinks they know me, “ Quinton ain’t shit,” but they can all go to hell. I was the one there for Mia in her darkest times and now Jeremiah's bitch ass thinks he can just have my woman Mia and my son? Anyone who thinks that is as crazy as Terri! Jeremiah- I fell in love with Mia the day I met her and when she needed me I was there for her. Three years ago I walked away from my own life to create one with her, and I've never regretted it. I know her deepest and darkest secrets; and she trusts me not only with her life, but with her child's life also. Blood does not make a family... Love and and loyalty does. The love, loyalty, and bond that Mia and I share could never be broken. I don’t think.

The King Cartel: Love & War


Frank Gresham - 2014
    DAMAR KING, the heir to the throne, is a young, brash leader who is intent on solving the riddle of his brother's murder and taking the organization to new heights. And whoever opposes him will be eliminated with no regard as he searches for the enemy from within his own crew.When the hidden opposition becomes strong, Damar becomes stronger, and the gunplay becomes fierce. However, the treachery that surrounds him is just as lethal as Damar's gun.To avoid the snakes that slither in his garden, Damar learns he must use brain over brawn as loyalties are forged and broken to remain on top.Will Damar learn that lesson in time? Or will his enemies bring him down to his knees? Will the burgeoning love that sprouts amiss all of the bloodshed become Damar's strength or his ultimate weakness? The only thing that's certain is that nothing is sacred in Love and War, and that Damar will go to any means to protect THE KING CARTEL.

Saved by A Billionaire


Miss J. - 2021
    

A Hood Affair


Shmel Carter - 2013
    Shaneice, bka Neicee and her boyfriend Quentin, known as Q takes you on a whirlwind of surprises. Q loves Neicee with everything in him, but he can't remain faithful. Neicee is from the hood and she grew up the only girl of 6 kids. She was determined to never have to go back to the hood. Despite where she is from, she graduated from law school and has built the reputation as the baddest hood lawyer to ever grace the streets of Charlotte. Now, someone is out to kill Neicee. Could it be one of Q's sideline hoes? Unbeknownst to Q, Neicee has her own secret. Will Q lose Neicee or will she remain his ride or die chick?

Blind


Rachel DeWoskin - 2013
    One of seven children, Emma used to be the invisible kid, but now it seems everyone is watching her. And just as she's about to start high school and try to recover her friendships and former life, one of her classmates is found dead in an apparent suicide. Fifteen and blind, Emma has to untangle what happened and why - in order to see for herself what makes life worth living.Unflinching in its portrayal of Emma's darkest days, yet full of hope and humor, Rachel DeWoskin's brilliant Blind is one of those rare books that utterly absorbs the listener into the life and experience of another.

For the love of ATL


Desiree M. Granger - 2014
    All combining to make one full series. When you take the Urban life of Atlanta, and combine it with the drama filled life of students on HBCU (Historically black colleges, and Universities," anything can happen. Black Greek probates, parties, love, heartbreak, cheating, and men on the down low. All goes down in this 4 part series. No other words to describe this book. Better than Reality TV.

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.

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.

Bad Boys Love Good Girls: The Return of the Outlaw


Porscha Sterling - 2019
     Janelle's dreams are all set to come true when she gets the chance to become the District Attorney of New York City. The only thing making her have second thoughts is the fact that she’s married to the city’s ultimate bad boy, Luke ‘Outlaw’ Murray. With no one around who understands her ambitious goals, she finds a friend in a woman who truly only wants to bring her down. The saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ always rings true but once Janelle finally realizes that her enemy is right in front of her, will it be too late? Luke ‘Outlaw’ Murray is the bad boy who no one ever imagined could be tamed. Now that he’s a family man, his reckless lifestyle has changed, but the savage in him is very much alive. With Janelle focused on her own dreams, he turns his attention back to running the streets... only to meet someone he would have never expected: Chloe Harvarty, the sister of Chris Harvarty, a man whose life he ended in order to protect the woman he loved. His guilt plagues him when he sees the way that his actions have utterly devastated her life and, against his better nature, he’s caught up—feeling obligated to help a woman he begins to feel responsible for. When a simple friendship begins to cross the line over into a lane that he knows he shouldn’t explore, will Outlaw stand strong or will he turn back into his old self and fall back into his womanizing ways?

She Gotta Be The Dopest To Ride With The Coldest


Kyoshi - 2016
    Instead of going away to college or turning up every weekend, she spent her days behind the counter at McDonalds. With a mother fighting Lupus and bills that had to be paid, Azuri put her life on hold to be whatever her mother needed her to be. A night working the late shift changed her life. It was the day she met Kashmir “Gotti” Banks. Gotti is an arrogant, smart mouthed boss from Harlem and used to getting everything he wanted, that is until he met Azuri. Love ‘em and leave ‘em had been his way of life for the past twenty five years. Chasing women was never his style and being caught, had never been Azuri’s style. The chemistry between the two was far more than either of them could ever imagine. Not sure if Gotti is good for her, Azuri built a wall up that he was determined to tear down. A day at the Rucker started a whirlwind romance between the two, but will they have a happily ever after? Lies, drama, murder, sex and deceit threaten to destroy the union the two have built. Will their love stand the test of time? Or will too many lines being crossed, tear the two apart? Find out in this juicy tale, unlike anything you’ve ever read...

Trash


Sharon Darrow - 2006
    Now on the run in search of their big sister Raynell, ironically they are forced to rely on their trash-picking skills for sustenance and shelter. Reunited at last with Raynell in St. Louis, Boy and Sissy shed their old identities, reinvent themselves as graffiti artists, and splash their new names on city bridges and walls. But one night's expedition goes horribly wrong, and Sissy looks again to trash, this time as the beginning of something artful and beautiful.