Book picks similar to
Dime Piece by Tracy Brown


urban
urban-fiction
african-american
urban-book

God's Gift to Women


Michael Baisden - 2002
    An even better listener. And handsome as heaven on earth. He is God's Gift to Women. Julian Payne gets into bed with millions of women every night. As an after-hours radio talk-show host, Julian captivates his female audience with his deep voice and sensitive spirit. Women can't get enough: They call in, begging for his advice about love, lust, commitment, and betrayal. Julian provides his listeners with the blunt male perspective, and he always has the right thing to say. But when it comes to his own romantic life, or lack thereof, he's at a loss for words. A widower and father to ten-year-old Samantha, Julian wants nothing more than to settle down again with the right woman. Just when he thinks he's found her in Dr. Terri Ross -- smart, stunning, and with her own counseling practice -- Julian is confronted by a ghost from the past: Olivia Brown, a woman with whom he had a one-night stand. Suddenly Julian finds himself in a situation with a woman who's determined to win him over...or make his life a living hell. Michael Baisden's hottest offering yet, God's Gift to Women is a compelling tale about the consequences of sex with a stranger.

The Kat Trap


Cairo - 2009
     Ghetto-born and street-raised, Katrina -- or Kat for short, is a self-proclaimed hood goddess. With her in-your-face razor-sharp attitude, alluring charm, and exotic beauty, Katrina is vivacious, vicious, and unsuspectingly dangerous. Detached from her emotions, she has no time for regrets. The product of a neglectful mother and an incarcerated father, Katrina is willing to do whatever it takes to climb -- or kill -- her way out of the hood. Calculated and cunning, Katrina already has two bodies on her hands by the ripe age of twenty. When a mysterious man invites her to join his multi-million dollar "work-for-hire" network of professional assassins, it becomes the opportunity of a lifetime. The first female killer on his team, she travels all over the United States and fulfills the bloody requests of her every client. With each murder, Katrina feels more and more powerful -- killing turns out to be an addictive aphrodisiac for her and the rush of violence is the only thing that satisfies her insatiable libido. Before killing each victim, Katrina tempts them with her irresistible, delectable charms -- and not one of them can resist. Disturbingly witty and devilishly enticing, The Kat Trap is an edgy, fast-paced urban drama with fascinating psychological elements that demonstrate how anger and bitterness can perpetuate self-destructive behaviors. Readers will be enthralled by Kat's deliciously criminal world of money and glamour, shocked by her cutthroat ambition and ruthlessness, and accosted by her physical and sexual prowess.

Diamond Life


Sheila Copeland - 2003
    Comprised of three beautiful ladies, the sexy all-girl group So Fine has got it all — voice, magnetism, great songs — and drive. There's just one thing missing — and Nina can supply it.Jamil is not only Nina's ex-boyfriend — he's a mega-hit producer with a hot new label: Suicide Records. Nina is sure she can get Jamil to sign So Fine. She's always been able to count on him — though lately, he's been acting a little strange. Maybe it's because he's still got a thing for Nina, even though she's married now. Or maybe it's the influence of his new partner-in-crime, Xtreme, baseball's first bad boy and Suicide's first artist. Whatever it is, Nina has laid a big chunk of her own personal funds on the line, and there's no turning back now.But soon, everything seems to spiral out of control. Egos clash, hearts — and promises — are broken.

Tar Baby


Toni Morrison - 1981
    Jadine Childs is a black fashion model with a white patron, a white boyfriend, and a coat made out of ninety perfect sealskins. Son is a black fugitive who embodies everything she loathes and desires. As Morrison follows their affair, which plays out from the Caribbean to Manhattan and the deep South, she charts all the nuances of obligation and betrayal between blacks and whites, masters and servants, and men and women.

Cartier Cartel


Nisa Santiago - 2008
    At 15, Cartier formed her own crew aptly named the Cartier Cartel. The main and only vision of the crew; Cartier, Monya, Bam, Lil Momma, and Shanine was to do petty crimes in order to wear the flyest gear. While Monya loves boys, clothes, and money (in that order), Cartier is tired of petty boosting to keep a few dollars in her pockets. Always wise beyond her years, Cartier observes how the corner boys hustle drugs and figures her crew could do the same. She's forced to make a life-altering decision.

Another Man's Wife


Shonda Cheekes - 2003
    But five years ago, her husband of fifteen years walked out on his family without a backward glance. Since then, Yani and her two children have played a waiting game, certain that he is coming back. Now, with the help of her friends and her sister Asia, Yani is finally over her love hangover and ready to get on with her life. At a party, she meets Alex Chance, a prominent New York businessman who's looking for a relationship with a woman who isn't out for everything she can get. Their powerful attraction leads to a whirlwind courtship and a fairy-tale like wedding. But their happy ending is threatened by Jarrin's sudden reappearance, which forces Yani to face the truth about her marriage -- and the life-altering choice she will have to make as another man's wife.With generous helpings of affection, humor, and romantic suspense, Shonda Cheekes has created a story that crackles with wit and the rifs and rhythms of modern life. Alternating between the first-person outlooks of Yani and Alex, Another Man's Wife captivates readers with a sassy tale of brothers and sisters on the move andsearching for love and fulfillment. Imbuded with the author's fresh, unique voice, it is a provocative and seductive look at relationships in the twenty-first century.

Married on Mondays


HoneyB - 2010
    But at night, they become Vanilla Cream, Cherry Cream, and Sugar Cream, and run an upscale swingers club called Creamé. Their clientele include everyone from judges, lawyers, politicians, and police officers, to soccer moms and housewives. Business is booming at the hottest club in town. Until the police chief extends an indecent proposal to Foxy: sleep with him, or go to jail. With the whole town standing behind Creamé (and not just because they all happen to be clients), the women must decide whether to stand together and fight, or risk losing their business.

The Vow


Denene Millner - 2005
    As they embark on their search to find their soul mates, they navigate the full-contact sport known as being a SSBFLA (successful, single, black, female in L.A.) and negotiate the shark-infested waters of making a name for themselves professionally in Hollywood.Can Trista, the hyper-driven celebrity agent, find the time to schedule a meaningful romance? Will Amaya, the sexy starlet, convince the married hip hop-label exec she has been seeing to leave his wife, or will the NBA star steal her heart in the final seconds? After undergoing a complete makeover, will Vivian, the jaded gossip columnist, win back the father of her child?As seductive as it is empowering, The Vow is a page-turner that will keep you cheering for these women as they discover that their desire to find a husband isn't as important as finding themselves.

Behind Closed Doors


Kimberla Lawson Roby - 1997
    With beautiful homes, fulfilling careers, and two adoring husbands, their joy could not be greater, their worlds could not be richer. But suddenly, shattering truths about the loving men they thought they knew turn happiness into anguish and rage. For Karen and Regina, nothing they believed in or cherished can ever be the same as it was.Yet, in the painful process of starting over, new doors will open, and two women who once had it all will rediscover the power of honesty and friendship ... and learn the true scope and meaning of love.

Disappearing Acts


Terry McMillan - 1989
    She was pretty and independent, petite and not too skinny, just his type. Franklin Swift was a sometimes-employed construction worker, and a not-quite-divorced daddy of two. Zora Banks was a teacher, singer, songwriter. They met in a Brooklyn brownstone, and there could be no walking away... In this funny, gritty urban love story, Franklin and Zora join the ranks of fiction's most compelling couples, as they move from Scrabble to sex, from layoffs to the limits of faith and trust. Disappearing Acts is about the mystery of desire and the burdens of the past. It's about respect, what it can and can't survive. And it's about the safe and secret places that only love can find. --

Full Figured


Brenda Hampton - 2010
    She's taken to her bed, watching life pass her by--until Roc, a 24-year-old with a jaw-dropping body comes along. Desa Rae can't keep her eyes open or legs closed to a man who excites her like no other man has. But can she really be serious about a man who is almost the same age as her son?Avery Belmont is a diva in her own right. Smart, sassy, and successful, she has always had it going on; so much so that not only did the full-figured beauty catch the eye of Duke, the sexiest dude on the block, but she encouraged him to leave the dope game and become legit. Now, seven years later, Avery is working hard and trying to move ahead, but it seems that Duke isn't feeling the same way. Working with Kurt, her attractive coworker, isn't helping her situation. Is the love between Avery and Duke strong enough to keep them together, or will the strength of that love make them realize it's time to let go?

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow


Francis Ray - 2002
    Her red Valentino slip gown highlighted her honeyed complexion and chocolate brown eyes. The gown also picked up the red in Wes's vest and the red in the rose in his lapel.They were the perfect couple and it was show time. And she wanted to scream.Madison Reed, popular talk show host and America's darling and her husband, well-known TV correspondent Wes Reed is everyone's idea of the perfect couple. Bute knows that after the loss of their child, they became no more than polite strangers, maintaining the façade, revealing only picture perfect happiness. But Madison's world is turned upside down when Wes is critically injured in a car accident and a woman is killed. Before he dies, Wes confesses that the woman who was killed was his mistress---and that he is the father of her nine-month-old daughter, Manda. He begs Madison to raise the child. Unsure if she can, Madison struggles to take charge of her fate and put her life back together. Overwhelmed, she accepts the help of Zachary Holman, her husband's best friend, only to discover that his life is also shrouded by lies. Can she forgive and forget---not just once, but twice?

Inconvenient Love


Elizabeth LaShaun - 2010
    Kinji Rockwell is a sassy, young journalist climbing the corporate ladder at one of Chicago's leading newspapers. When asked to go undercover on a deadly case, she is stunned. Though fully aware of the consequences; the money and promise of becoming lead journalist are just too enticing. Edwin 'Mo' Aguilera and his best friend Boss rule the Northside of Chicago. They want it all, by any means necessary. Completely taken by Kinji's beauty, Mo is immediately drawn to her, vowing to have her at any cost. Originally thought as a means to a need, Kinji, to her dismay, finds herself falling for Mo; just as quickly deciding that love has no place in her world. Kinji pulls out every stop to push Mo away, finding herself right back in arms time and time again. Finally accepting her feelings, Kinji opens her heart and allows Mo inside. Just as their relationship blossoms, so do the lies and deceit. Mo is none the wiser about her original intent and just as things become contented, Kinji finds the lies and deceit staring her in the face. Terrified of losing the man she's come to know and love, Kinji desperately searches for a way out of the entanglement, finally finding a viable solution. Will it work or will it be too late as Mo is on the brink of discovering Kinji's motives and the woman that she used to be. Will Mo's love be able to conquer all or will the truth destroy their union, quickly turning love to hate and giving Kinji a terrifying glimpse of street revenge with Mo leading the charge.

Get Money Chicks


Anna J. - 2007
    Best friends since day one, these Get Money Chicks always had a thing for the hottest gear, luxurious lifestyles, and the ballers who made it all possible. All of this changes for Mina when a tragedy makes her open her eyes to the way she's living. Peer pressure and loyalty to her girls collide with her own morality, sending Mina into a no-win situation.Will street life and fast money keep Mina trapped in the game or will she walk away from it all? Friendships are tested and life comes at you fast in the pages of Get Money Chicks.

Dirty Little Secrets


Joy King - 2004
    A small-town girl from Georgia, she quickly gets caught up in the glamorous entertainment industry. While pursuing her dream of becoming an actress, Tyler continually gets sidetracked by men who promise to help her and finds herself going from one dysfunctional relationship to another. Just when Tyler finally believes she has found her ideal man, in hip-hop producer Brian McCall, everything begins to go horribly wrong. Trapped in a nightmarish relationship, Tyler is determined not to go down without a fight."Passion, deception, heartbreak, love and a delicious read...what more do you need!" -- B. Lawson Thornton, Essence bestselling author of Misery Loves Company