Book picks similar to
Youngin' by Arlene Brathwaite


put-on-hold
too-few-ratings
5stars
african-american-literature-fiction

What's it Like to Be In Love


Trese - 2016
    Meet Hendrix a street God that is ready to settle down. He finds love in Chandler, his sister’s best friend who is just as clueless at how the four letter word works. Can these two finally lay the bad taste that love has left in their mouth to rest or will they end their relationship feeling the same way that they walked into it? Take this journey with Hendrix, Chandler and their loved ones as they try finding the answer to the most asked question What’s it Like to be in Love?

A Hood Boy's Love is Forever


Taniece - 2019
    Her mother Net leaves her on her grandmother’s doorstep and never looks back. As she gets older, Bambi gets to the point where she pushes everyone away to keep them from leaving her, except her boyfriend Doc and best friend Hershey; that is until Doc breaks her heart and she severs ties. She finds herself in a situation with the sexy, hood boy, Ari XL. The more Bambi finds herself pushing him away, the more she craves him and eventually gives in. Ari XL is the oldest out of three brothers. After his parents died, he took on the duty of making sure that his brothers, Nick and MoneyBagg were straight by any means necessary. He gets distracted by the beautiful slick mouth Bambi and immediately feels a connection to her, but she turns out to be more trouble than he bargained for. Hershey and her boyfriend Surge nears their one year anniversary with thoughts of his infidelities on her mind. Finally getting proof that he’s been cheating on her, she ends their relationship and finds herself in the arms of the handsome, gentle, and kind Nick. She finds out that Nick isn’t who he says he is and it leaves her at a crossroads. Bambi and Hershey both are broken and in need of that unconditional love. Will XL and Nick be able to give them just that? Or will their hearts end up shattered even more?

When The Night's Over


Chelsea Maria - 2019
    He didn’t care that it was rude and borderline stalkerish to follow me to my hotel room. He didn’t care that I was afraid to love him. All he asked for was one night, and one night was all I had to give. He’d lied to me. He said one night, and one night turned into five. And then, he left me. Only to come back and shatter my world by revealing his connection to the past that I’ve run away from. Him She told me she didn’t know the first thing about love, and I promised to hold her hand through the motions. When it became too much for her, she gave me one day to rid her out of my system. Greedy after one taste, I took five days, and her heart along with it. She blamed me for being dishonest. I blamed her for doubting my love for her. I only needed her to trust me. To trust that my actions corresponded with my words. To trust in my love instead of a jealous family member from her past.

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.

The Teflon Queen PT 2


Silk White - 2013
    All Angela wants to do is disappear, but there's only one problem; every cop in the world is looking for her along with the white shadow, one of the best most brutal, vicious and dangerous assassins in the world and he won't stop until the Teflon Queen is no more. Angela quickly turns from the hunter to the hunted in a matter of seconds. Not only does Angela have to keep herself alive, but she's also responsible for the life of Agent James Carter; her once upon a time lover who trusts her about as far as he can throw her. Join the Teflon Queen as she takes you deep into the underworld and into the life of a high profile assassin who will do anything to stay alive and protect her lover. With two well trained assassins on a collision course the outcome is sure to be deadly. This heart pounding saga is sure to leave readers breathless. Silk White delivers the stunning sequel to the Teflon Queen. A story readers won't be able to forget.

A Summer Nanny in Fairbanks & The River Home


Renee Hart - 2017
     Third-grade teacher, Mandy Hastings, is almost certain that her boyfriend is about ready to pop the question. When he drops a bomb instead, Mandy wants to get as far away from her disappointment as possible. On a whim, she applies for a summer job as a nanny. Darren is raising his daughter Katie alone, except for the help of his housekeeper who has a family emergency in another state. Since Darren's job on the North Slope keeps him away from home for days at a time, there's no other solution except to send Katie to the lower 48 for the summer. Katie desperately wants to stay in Fairbanks with her father, so she takes matters into her own hands. She can only hope that the new nanny will meet with her father's approval. Also included is a new sequel to this story, The River Home, and an excerpt of Homer: End Of The Road, book three in the Alaska Adventure Romance series. These are clean contemporary romance adventure stories with HEA endings and no cliffhanger.

In Love with a Dope Boy 3


Treasure Bee - 2015
    Let's see if they can finally get it together or if they will call it quits once and for all. Skye had to learn the hard way that revenge ain't always sweet! Her secret relationship with Rell has left her pregnant with a child and she has no idea who the father is. Zyir wants nothing to do with her and she's feeling more alone than ever. Will her and Zy work on their relationship or will Rell come back in the picture to claim what he feels is rightfully his? Murder, Lies, Secrets and Love! You don't want to miss the emotional roller coaster part 3 is sure to have you on.

Jump Off Bitches 2


M.J. Sparks - 2013
    Deidre is bringing her side of the story rounding out the circle of this troublesome trio. And hers is a steamy one as she finds herself engulfed in a hot interoffice romance with a man she can't quite claim as her own. He's yet to be married, but that doesn't mean that he does not belong to someone else because he is engaged to be married. After a lust filled ride with Deidre seemingly takes a turn towards love, will he make to the alter? Bird left part one dizzy and she remains dizzy as ever as she continues to ping pong herself between two men. Will she ever settle and decide on who it is that she wants, or will her back and forth between the two of them cost her everything and leave her with nothing? Kenya's life is turned up side down after a suprise visitor shows up at her home. Is her rendezvous a thing of the past or will it come back and bite her in the ass?

Finessers 3


Lucinda John - 2015
    Chad finds himself battling with his heart and ego when he is under the impression that his wife has set him up . In this twisted finale, the snakes are sneakier than ever as they try to finesse anyone to get to the top. New motives are in play, secrets are revealed and lives will be at stake. Who can you really trust, when everyone around you has only one purpose for you? You can't finesse no finesser, or can you?

The Real Block Wives Of Atlanta


Sevyn McCray - 2013
    They are stronger, smarter, and wiser than they ever knew. And when it comes to the man that you love, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to be with him. Meet The Real Blockwives of Atlanta...

The Illest Taboo 2


K.L. Hall - 2021
    

Addicted to a Dirty South Thug 4


Shan - 2016
    With a secret dangling over their heads, Cuba leaves her marriage to Khi and decides that she’s better off on her own. Khi refuses to let his wife go and does everything in his power to get his wife back with him where she belongs especially when something comes up that may have Khi fighting for all the time he has left. Tangie and Cass are back together and Tangie finds herself being a mother to a child that she never wanted to accept. After Cass brings his daughter home to live with them, Tangie finds out that Cass is still up to his same old ways and has the both of them questioning if their relationship is even meant to be. KaeDee’s police girlfriend’s intentions are finally revealed and just when KaeDee thinks he has her out of the way, she comes back harder than ever showing him how better they were together as a team than apart. Dae finds that it’s easier to move on and start over when it’s revealed that Amber is dating other men. No longer the one to fight fire with fire when it comes to the ones he love, Dae is ready to put in work while in his search for love. The finale is fast and filled with drama from the very first page. Be sure to read along in full and stay tuned to see why everyone is Still Addicted to a Dirty South Thug.

Spotlight Investigations: The Complete Series


Harper Maguire - 2019
    But there he is, sexy as ever, sitting at her table. He’s even got a pretty impressive job; security guard to the stars. Wishing her writing career that she always dreamed of had ever taken off, Rachel concocts a plan. What if she can use some of Jayden’s insider information to write a bestselling book? She’ll only have to use him a little bit to get what she needs, what harm can there be? Except she never expected to begin to fall for him again…when she does can she still go through with her plan? Part 2 Max is the carefree younger brother of broken hearted Reid. He tries to keep his sarcasm in check and his jokes on point. Very little could ever get in the way of his jovial mood. Except the assignment Salvatore just gave him. Max’s new long term job is to work security for a pop-up fashion boutique series, which doesn’t sound all that bad if the pop-ups weren’t being opened by the one person he can’t stand - Reid’s ex-girlfriend Hannah. As he expects the two can’t seem to get along, there’s fireworks as usual when they’re around each other as they fight. But soon those fireworks turn from fighting into passion and something that could ruin his relationship with his brother forever. Part 3 Heartbroken after his breakup with Hannah, and confused by his brother’s new relationship with her, Reid has decided that romance isn’t in the cards. Not unless it's truly real. But does that even exist? He’s challenged by his new job from Spotlight, guarding the infamous and gorgeous Jennifer White from her wreck of an ex-boyfriend, also infamous Ian. How can Reid keep her protected from her ex when she is required to keep up appearances with Ian for publicity of their new movie? And what is he supposed to do when he believes that what he feels for her is real, but she’s too tied up with another man? Part 4 As the only female guard at Spotlight, Ireland has her work cut out for her among the boys, but this girl can hold her own. Her newest job is to help protect child star Kelly while she’s at school as there seems to be a stalker on the loose. Until she’s safe, Ireland will be reporting to elementary school every day to watch this spunky little girl. It seems like an easy task, though reliving the memories of her childhood feels haunting, Ireland tries to stay focused. But it’s hard to stay focused when Kelly’s newly single father is just so irresistible. Part 5 Salvatore has never recovered from the pain of his little sister’s unsolved murder when he was only a kid, and that’s why he began Spotlight to begin with. As new information comes to light for the police, her cold case is reopened, and with it all of Salvatore’s wounds. One misstep has landed him in court ordered counseling where he can’t stop fighting with his perky, perfect blonde counselor Ginny. Salvatore has a past he has to deal with and a future he needs to begin to make. If only he could stop fighting with, or kissing, his counselor, maybe he could find a way to work through his pain and see there’s more to the world.

The Throne II


Cole Hart - 2012
    And she's stopping at nothing to get her turn on The Throne. However, her mother is still in charge. Running the family drug empire from prison and getting a few wrinkles ironed out, Falisa is faced with a situation. The only way around it is to give herself up to the Colombian Cartel.***An Absolute Masterpiece***

Their Christmas Miracle


Misty Shae - 2017
    He never thought he’d find love again after the death of his wife and son. Natalie Porter and her son, Tommy are traveling to Chicago so that she can give birth to a child that she can’t keep. When Tommy goes missing on the train, Natalie and Ken cross paths in the search to find her son, but end up finding so much more in each other. When Natalie is forced to get off the train after going in labor, Kenneth decides to go with her, offering her a whole new life if she’ll only let him. Will Natalie accept his offer to be her husband and adopt the baby she so desperately wants to keep? Could the love that bloomed between them in such a short amount of time, be real?