Book picks similar to
Imagine This by Vickie M. Stringer


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Ida B.


Karen E. Quinones Miller - 2004
    Wells-Barnett Tower. The place held such promise when it was built in the late 1970s. It was Harlem's hope for a new beginning -- an affordable, safe residence for people who couldn't afford to live downtown. But that was more than twenty-five years ago, before the devastating crack scourge hit. But the residents of Ida B. are resilient. They've built their own community and they look out for one another to the best of their abilities. Neighbors may argue, and even fight, but whenever one of them is in trouble, the whole building rallies around.Twenty-five-year-old Brenda Carver is a welfare mother of four children who longs to be a writer; Rosa Rivera is an aspiring actress who will let nothing stand in the way of her career; Sharif Goldsby is a political activist determined to change the world, starting with Harlem and the Ida B. There's also Miss Jackie, the middle-aged, back-stabbing gossip; Vincent, the former bank robber turned scam artist; Mrs. Harris, the elderly neighborhood fence; and high school honor student Ricky, who hopes to be one of the scramblers on the corner -- hawking crack to passersby.When a building resident kills herself and two of her children, the tenants make a collective vow to care for her surviving child.But that's just the beginning of the tragedies facing the residents of the Ida B. A shocking crime occurs in the building, and everyone becomes a suspect. With accusations flying, the tight community of the Ida B. begins to collapse under the strain. And, to top it all, they learn that their home of more than twenty years is about to be torn down.As the search for the killer intensifies, unsung heroes step forward -- at greatpersonal risk -- to right the wrongs that have been done. In Karen E. Quinones Miller's world, the people who stand out are the people who survive, and go on, against all odds, to share their wisdom and find their dreams. In a modern take on the classic sentiment, "There's no place like home," "Ida B." affirms that home is a place we love, even when it is less than perfect.

Restricted


Takerra Allen - 2001
    Reigning king of the streets Julez Payne traded in his banger for the briefcase, and couldn't be more content. And when he puts a ring on the pretty little finger of the irresistible Noelle, life seems to be perfect. Sounds too good to be true? That's because it is. Noelle's far from the ideal housewife and Julez secretly has his own battle of temptation that he's fighting in the dark. So when the mansion walls come tumbling down, all of the skeletons lurking in the closets come spilling out for all to see! And who's there to witness? Enter scene Slim and Jordin. This couple's had their share of rough times and things don't seem to be looking up. Fresh out of prison, Slim struggles to stay on the straight and narrow while Jordin deals with her own insecurities and a hidden desire for the passion that Slim leaves her lacking. Praying for a miracle, Jordin hopes to live a life as lurid and luxurious as her gorgeous best friend Noelle and wealthy husband Julez. But when suppressed desires from the past resurface, Jordin finds out in a Restricted world, everyone has ulterior motives, even her! This sophisticated novel gives you your own personal magnifying glass, allowing you to take a close look into the lives of four dynamic heroines who are all bound by their lies, restricted by desires, and freed by indulgence...The soaps have been revamped and brought to life in the pages of this love thriller! Warning: Proceed with caution, you are now Unrestricted!

A Pimp's Life


Treasure Hernandez - 2009
    He's at the top of his pimp game in Queens, New York, until he breaks one of the cardinal rules of Pimping 101 and falls in love with one of his girls. Destiny was once an innocent young girl tricked into selling her body, but now she's as tough as the most seasoned professionals on the street. Then a tragic turn of events causes her to open her heart once again. When Mack is shot, she stays by his side during his recovery, proving herself to be as devoted as any wife would be to her husband. After she sees that Mack has regained his strength, Destiny finally gathers the courage to leave the life behind her, and Mack is forced to make a decision. He won't stop her from leaving, but he must decide if he will follow her out of the game. Will he stay with what he's always known, or take a chance on love? And even if he does choose to get out, will the streets let him go that easy?

Who Wants That Perfect Love Story Anyway


Natavia - 2015
    She comes across some devastating news causing her to run into the arms of another man, Royal, who is her best friend Jamie’s brother.Jamie and Ashaun marriage is rocky because he had a baby by another woman. Ashaun caters to her in every way hoping she would forgive him, but she can’t get over the betrayal. She longs for her first love who she has to pretend that she doesn’t even know, out of fear of what her brothers might think.Corey is Royal’s and Jamie’s baby brother, he is the wild one. Always hopping from one female to the next and has a serious temper. But only one person can bring out his soft side and that’s Tee-Tee. No one knows about their secret love affair because Tee-Tee is also a member of The Fam. The most notorious drug cartel in the whole DMV.When secret love affairs are exposed, and jealous exes can’t let go, who will remain? Will all three couples survive? Only way to find out is if you join the members of the Fam.

A Hustler's Promise 2


Jackie Chanel - 2012
    The price they have to pay for the decisions they made as kids is steep. But the pair are ready to face whatever the streets bring them..as long as they have each other.

The Bed We Made


Ivy Symone - 2017
    Just to give her cheating husband a dose of how it feels. She sought a one night stand; but instead, stumbled upon a serendipitous situation. Nothing should have come from it, but it changed the dynamics of her marriage. A bed unmade… Niecey had always piqued his senses; just as much then as she does now. Although she is considered off limits, it doesn’t stop Asad from seizing the opportunity once it presents itself. He could care less about boundaries. But as bad as he wants her, he knows he could never have her. Two things prevent him from wanting more of her: One, he is about to go away to prison for a few years; and two, he knows she doesn’t want anything more. He understands that he was only something she needed for that night. Those few years have passed; and through familiar circumstances, they have to face one another again. Asad is a young arrogant tatted up diabolical thug known for his churlish disposition. His mouth is reckless, his attitude sucks, and empathetic he is not. Niecey is an entrepreneur, beautiful, and well-off. She’s flawed, but has learned to love herself anyway. They’re not a likely pair, but those factors don’t matter much when they touch. The connection and unquestionable sexual chemistry between them turns their reunion into an ongoing carnal affair. However, things take a turn in a direction Niecey wasn’t intending. The bed has been made… Neither can contend the interdependence that exists between them. Succumbing to its power, they can no longer deny love’s right to live. But how deep will Niecey let their situation get before she can no longer keep the truth away, and from hurting everyone she cherishes, including Asad? Now they must lie in the bed they’ve made…

Everybody Lies


B.M. Hardin - 2019
     Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. What really happened? No one has a clue. Twenty-two people are questioned, but nothing is found. So one by one, Pepper narrows the suspects down. It becomes clear that everybody has something to hide. The closer Pepper gets to truth, the more everyone lies. Somebody saw something. Someone knows the truth. Someone is a murderer. The question is…who?

What Kind Of Man Would I Be


Blake Karrington - 2018
    When he must decide if he’s ready to leave his childish ways and become a man. For these four childhood friends that time has finally arrived. As choices start to become tougher, will life, love and new relationships force them to be the men their loved ones need them to be or will they fold under the pressure? If you are in need of a changeup of your normal reading and ready to get into the mind of the men you love. “What Kinda Man Would I be” is your next 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.

Hold You Down 2


Dominique Thomas - 2014
    He’s given second chances to people that stabbed him in the back and tying up loose ends with Floyd’s family that’s out for revenge and looking to paint the town red with his blood. Yet the life that he wants to leave behind isn’t ready to let him go and sending Sophie away to California only caused more problems for their already troubled relationship. Sophie is upset with Ameer for sending her away and that pain pushes her into the arms of another man. Ameer won’t back down and he won’t lose his girl. He’s a natural born boss and he’ll show the world that Ameer Kadar Matin is no one to be played with. Take a ride with your favorite couple and see if they can survive lies, betrayal, and even death.

The Ties That Bind


Electa Rome Parks - 2001
    A first novel. Original.

Keyshia and Cashmere: A Jersey Hood Love Story


Karma Monae - 2015
    And with beauty, education, and a hustler’s ambition, she proved just about everyone who doubted her wrong. Making it to the top wasn’t easy, but with her brother Ru, and his crew behind her, she was destined to make it happen. But she soon learns what goes up must come down and that having a few secrets of her own may just come back and bite her in the ass along with tearing her relationship with her brother apart at the same time.Ru had been raising Keyshia since she was a little girl, ever since their crack head mother ran off and left them for dead. After he steps up and does what he knows best, which is getting money, it’s only fair he takes his right hand man Cashmere with him. But what happens when they both end up facing 20 years in the feds? With his wifey Tandy by his side, Ru is prepared for anything as long as she is riding. But will she ride when she finds out Ru’s been hiding secrets of his own? Cashmere was the hoods hot commodity for as long as he could remember. Fast cars, pretty bitches, and racks of money were nothing new to him. Neither was going to jail. But after getting done dirty by his baby momma, he realizes the only person he ever loved was Keyshia, but being with Keyshia meant betraying his right hand man something he wasn’t sure he wanted to do. What happens when Keyshia’s big secret is revealed, will Cash still want her or will he write her off like all the other bitches who done him dirty?It’s a thin line between loyalty and love, and with secrets on the horizon not everyone is strong enough to make it. Take a ride with the crew in the first installment of “Keyshia and Cashmere: A Jersey Hood love Story”

The Doctor Is In


Carl Weber - 2016
    Kasen Phillips has the magic touch when it comes to helping his patients who are in dire need of counseling services, but when the love of his life winds up missing in action, Kasen's life takes a horrific turn for the worse. His office manager, Voncile Harper, is there to lend a helping hand. She's on a mission to shake Kasen from his misery, by offering him her sweet heat that he can't resist. It's not long before Kasen finds himself caught up in a web of Voncile's lies, and when he realizes that he may have bitten off more than he can chew, he wants out of their reckless relationship for good. Unfortunately for Kasen, walking away may be difficult to do. Voncile is deep in love, and any man who refuses to play by her rules may be forced to suffer dire consequences.

Hard


Anjela Day - 2013
    Betrayal, lust, lies, murder, and love all come into play in this urban love story.The Alton brothers run the Detroit drug game, and it was a long time coming! Now these boys have their act together and plan on going all the way letting nothing or no one get in their way.When Sacario, the second youngest of the four, fall for an insecure waitress in the men’s popular hot spot- things get hectic.Will they stand the test of time or will the game of love prove to be just too Hard?

Harlem Girl Lost


Treasure E. Blue - 2004
    Blue, street lit’s hottest newcomer, crafts characters that fly off the page and a story that burns with intensity. Set in Harlem, this searing novel is a poignant and gritty portrait of urban survival of the ghetto’s fittest . . . and most fierce.Silver Jones knows just how cruel life can be. Her mother was chewed up and spit out by its dark side–brutally murdered while turning a trick. Rather than live with her abusive grandmother, Silver runs away. Determined to escape the mean streets, Silver longs for an education. But after running into an old friend, a homeless youth named Chance whom she’d taken under her wing once upon a time, Silver puts her dreams of college on hold. Chance is grown now–and he’s a powerful drug overlord. But underneath the cool exterior is the same innocent boy Silver once loved. As they begin an affair, Silver tries to convince Chance to give up the lethal way of life that ruined both their childhoods. But Chance knows that walking away from the game means having to pay a deadly price. Silver won’t take no for an answer–even if it means delving into a seedy underworld and outscheming some of its most vicious drug-dealers and cold-blooded murderers.“Even in Blue’s world of double-crossing, misogyny, drugs and brutality, an against-all-odds fairy tale can come true.”–Publishers Weekly