Book picks similar to
Keeping the Secret by R.M. Johnson


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Live and Learn


Niobia Bryant - 2007
    It's 24/7 money to burn, it's fancy houses, designer clothes, and luxury cars. It's leaving no-pay jobs and crumbling projects to have everything mad cash flow. And best friends, Alize, Dom, Moet, and Cristal will do anything to get the glamorous life - and put the past in the rear-view mirrors of their brand new whips. A savvy and smart business major, Alize had her childhood shattered by the divorce of her parents and is determined to never fall in love and risk being hurt. Dom learned early to use her sizzling-hot body to make much bank - and find an eascape from her too dark looks and drug-addicted mother. Disillusioned by the faith and strict parents she grew up with, Moet figures hooking up with powerful men is now the real way to heaven. And streetwise Cristal has a master plan to get the security she never to knew as foster child. To make these dreams come true, these sistahs will go after the East Coast's biggest movers-and-shakers - superstar rappers, mega-successful moguls, and powerful thugs-for-life. But between the wild times and wilder men, one of them is going to gamble one time too many, one will play a player too far, one will take a dangerous chance, and one will face a hard real-deal choice. To survive, they'll have to depend on each other and remember who they truly are to learn that the good life doesn't cost a thing...

Hunger


Erica Simone Turnipseed - 2006
    His former identity as a successful investment banker and eligible bachelor has disappeared. A beleaguered graduate student, she's got no money, no man, and no Ph.D., yet. A year of predoctoral research in Haiti leaves Noire drained. And a trip home to Côte d'Ivoire offers Innocent little more than intermittent sexual gratification. In the aftermath of 9/11, Innocent and Noire are back in New York City and find solace in each other's bed. But even that arrangement collapses under the weight of Innocent's revelation that he has unfinished business in Africa. For Innocent and Noire, patching together their unraveling lives becomes an exercise in hope and humility. With Hunger, Turnipseed lives up to the promise of A Love Noire and has matured into a writer who fearlessly explores the intersection of sex, love, identity, and loss in a cross-cultural context.

Games Lovers Play


Mark Dunson - 2014
    When Rob's busy schedule leaves Shelia longing for love and affection she falls into the arms of Jason. Jason is the handsome and powerful heir to The Young Family Empire. He has been married to his beautiful wife Karen for three years. He loves her and treats her like a queen, but lately he seeks adventure. When he begins an affair with Sheila he finds out she’s just the adventure he needs. After they decide they will keep their affair going, Jason creates some rules. But when feelings began to develop and the rules get broken, drama begins. How far will Jason and Sheila go to protect their affair? Games Lovers Play is the first book in the Games Lovers Play Series. Each Book is about 30,000 words. This book contains page turning drama and explosive love scenes!

A Dollar and a Dream


Carl Weber - 2003
    Reprint.

Fortunate Son


Walter Mosley - 2006
    Eric, a Nordic Adonis, is graced by a seemingly endless supply of good fortune. Tommy is a lame black boy, cursed with health problems, yet he remains optimistic and strong.After tragedy rips their makeshift family apart, the lives of these boys diverge astonishingly: Eric, the golden youth, is given everything but trusts nothing; Tommy, motherless and impoverished, has nothing, but feels lucky every day of his life. In a riveting story of modern-day resilience and redemption, the two confront separate challenges, and when circumstances reunite them years later, they draw on their extraordinary natures to confront a common enemy and, ultimately, save their lives.

Country Girls


Blake Karrington - 2012
    You were either going to stand behind her or be the one standing on the other end of her gun! Any and every nigga, known to get money in North Carolina, was a target. "MHB"(Money Hungry Bitches) began as a small movement ,but quickly became an organization.Take a walk with me and see how southern hospitality can become deadly for anyone who doesn't understand how Country Girls roll!

Unspoken Lies


Darrien Lee - 2010
    From four-time "Essence"-bestselling author Lee comes the compelling tale of a marriage that is tested when infidelity--and tragedy--come into play.

Love, Lies and Obsessions


Demettrea - 2013
    She is in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend Raymone. Tired of being forced to deal with his baby mama drama and sidechicks, Mia finally decides that enough is enough! She decides to move on and turns to Harlem, who has always been there for her. However, Raymone won’t make it easy. His obsession and jealousy gets out of hand and leads to all sorts of conflict. Will Harlem and Mia be able to weather the storm and find true love, or will Raymone ruin their relationship? Love, Lies, and Obsessions is a tale filled with deceit, murder, and drama with an unbelievable ending!

Baller Dreams


Tasha Macklin - 2012
    He is forced to make a number of decisions that will change his life. Choosing school over the mean Detroit's Eastside streets, the sudden reality of his poor circumstances make him painfully aware of the fortunes that can be made if he embarks on the career path of a hustler. Deciding that he wants to be a baller, Dre meets and forms an alliance with an older, very beautiful female named Destiny. Unbeknownst to him, she had a secret and motive that draws her to him, which causes her to assist him in making all of his plans reality. Dre and his closest friends will create a clique called the Eastside Syndicate and set a hustle in motion like Detroit has never seen. No one else in the city will be able to compete with the murder and muscle game that they release upon the streets. However, when he falls in love with another and finds himself at odds with Destiny, the beautiful temptress who helped to make his dreams come true will stop at nothing to bring Dre and the organization that he created to its knees. Dre has everything that a hustler could ever want. Only when the tide turns, he will quickly realize that the dream life he once lived was no more than a nightmare in disguise.

Chocolate Star


Sheila Copeland - 1997
    Then the way to fame was leading him toward a mistake that could send him straight to hell...She never looked back.Lies, drugs, too many men-- golden skinned singer Topaz Black would do anything to get a hit to the top of the charts, even walk away from her friends and family. But surrounded by greed and lust, the love the longed for seemed to be slipping away forever.He broke all the rules.Brought up in South Central L.A., movie producer Gunther Lawrence learned early how to get the wealth and women he wanted-- and to turn his back on his roots. Now, blinded by Hollywood's glitter, his illusions may shatter when he discovers who really controls his career.As their lives touch, ignite, and explode, three talented African-Americans pursue fame at any cost...and the price may be their happiness...or their lives..An alternate selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club

Hell Razor Honeys


Eyone Williams - 2008
    Vida is young, sexy and naive. That is until she grows tired of Samara, the leader of The Come Back Honeys using her body to entertain local hustlers. When Vida refuses to play the whore, Samara reacts and kicks her out of the crew. Alone, Vida stands firm and decides she will not be pushed around even if it means taking a few beat downs. On the sidelines, Tia, also a loaner decides she ll help Vida stand up against Samara even though it s not her battle. Their unity starts the beginning of a new gang they call, The Hell Razor Honeys. Only two girls strong, eventually they meet up with Ice, nicknamed because of her white skin and innocent nature. Her innocence quickly disintegrates once she becomes a member of the infamous crew. Despite a few fights, the Hell Razor Honeys were only known for tucking razors in their mouths and slashing a few faces. That is until they meet Tec. Under his watch, he teaches the girls a new hustle which includes murder, mayhem and larceny. Even though they go harder than most men, one look under their skirts would prove they re all women. But when Vida s grandmother begs her to get out of the streets, she complies vowing to change her life. But how can she when the friends she calls family maintain their hold? Take a journey with Vida, Tia and Ice as the rip through the streets of D.C., cruise through the city of New York and land on the L.A. Hollywood scene on a mission. Hell Razor Honeys reads like a fast paced car chase! This novel is one to die for, one bloody slice at a time!

My Best Friend and My Man


Cydney Rax - 2008
    But the last few men Veron has been with have either added her to their five-woman rotation or relegated her to the dreaded “just friends” zone.After one particularly bad date, Veron caves in and asks her best friend, Demetria Sparks, to share her secrets. Demetria is a gorgeous woman who has something special–men line up to paint her toenails and lavish her with Caribbean cruises and diamond rings. Demetria tries to give Veron a mind-and-body makeover, but sweet Veron struggles with being aggressive. And when Demetria demonstrates her method on Veron’s dream guy, Seaphes, his lack of interest provokes her to pull out all the stops–and forces Veron into a fierce competition between mentor and student. With pressure (and sexual tension) mounting, Veron begins to wonder if changing herself is a mistake. But is it too late to back off her new game now that she’s gotten a juicy taste of just what she’s capable of?

Talk to Me


Pat Simmons - 2008
    Louis non-profit organization, finds what he's looking for both in his spiritual life and love life when he joins God's Grace Church, where he meets beautiful interpreter Mackenzie Norton.

Spoiled Rotten


Brandi Johnson - 2008
    She thought she was better than everybody, or rather you thought it. But remember the day you found out that she lived in the projects/ghetto/hood just like everybody else? You were shocked, and now less envious of her, knowing she came from exactly where you did. Well, Trouble is that chick! Spoiled rotten by her brother, who has a complex occupation, and her boyfriend, the star B-ball player at their high school being sought after by colleges across the map who don't mind lacing him with SUVs and putting money in his pocket to sway him towards attending their university to play ball--Trouble seems to have it all. And what she doesn't have, she manages to get. But unlike some of the chicks in these other street lit tales; she doesn't have to use her body to get things. She uses the ghetto diva attitude that makes people believe she deserves the best and therefore they do back flips trying to provide. This urban novel has a completely different twist than any other written thus far. In Trouble's journey, she loses her brother, who she is closer to than bark on a tree, and feels as though it's the end of the world. But when she finds out that the person who murdered him had once tried to get with her, a huge scheme comes to mind in order for her to seek revenge. She pretends to like her brother's killer in order to get him right where she wants him, but her plan backfires when something happens that she never saw coming. She falls in love with her brother's killer.

Sinful


Victor McGlothin - 2007
    . . Everybody's got a weakness and Chandelle Hutchins' is a love of material possessions--a love that is causing serious trouble in her marriage. Chandelle's latest object of desire is an expensive new house. Her husband Marvin knows they can't afford it--and he also knows he can't talk Chandelle into giving it up. With their relationship crumbling under a mountain of debt, it may just be easier for Marvin to walk away. But with Chandelle's scheming cousin Dior in town, money may be the least of the couple's problems. . .Dior's weakness is her insatiable appetite for causing trouble--and her latest target is her cousin's marriage. When the time is right, Dior would like nothing more than to seduce Marvin on the rebound. But Dior is being trailed by her own troublemaker: a crazed female employer who refuses to release Dior from her twisted duties as nanny to her children and late night mistress to her kinky husband. Fortunately for everyone involved, the Lord works in mysterious ways. For despite a tangle of lies, manipulation, and mayhem, a series of unexpected events is about to bless everyone with a much needed second chance. . .