Book picks similar to
Strawberry Mansion: A Philadelphia Story by Julia Press Simmons


african-american
urban-fiction
fiction
african-american-fiction

Project Queen II


Teresa D. Patterson - 2010
    When she enters their lives, she brings along chaos and mayhem. She desperately seeks the love that her mother, a woman who cares more for drugs than her own flesh and blood, couldn’t give. She only knows how to show and feel love by opening her legs. A night that begins as partying and fun turns into horror. The events that transpire blacken Della’s heart. She vows that the pain inflicted upon her will be inflicted back on her attackers. She will pay them all back - with a vengeance. What happens when her obsession with getting even causes her to spiral out of control?

Thirsty


La'Tonya West - 2013
    She doesn't give her goodies to just anyone though. She prefers wealthy Caucasian men. Brothers are not to her liking. She has a thirst for the good life that she feels they cannot fulfill. That is until she crosses paths with Thrill. Initially uninterested Kaliyah has no words for Thrill but once she finds out about the paper that he is sitting on it changes the game. Will her thirst end up being her downfall?

Still Salty 4 (A Ghetto Soap Opera)


Aleta L. Williams - 2013
    Old issues, plus new characters equals more Drama. Can you handle it?Still Salty is the fourth installment of this ghetto soap opera and the drama is more captivating then before. Old issues, plus new characters equals more Drama. Can you handle it?Meet Shoneise and Lisa “double trouble” these two are only out for themselves. They don’t care who they have to cross to get what they want as long as they get it. They are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. Who will be the casualty that gets caught in their web?Calvin will be released from prison and now it’s time for some payback. His first target is pastor G who will be his next?Will Yay-Yay ever pay the price for shooting her best friend Paris or will karma give her a pass? Will Jazz be able to leave the past behind her and enjoy life with her Ken or will Salt break up their relationship?

What's Real


Daaimah S. Poole - 2005
    Janelle has had it with her boring job as assistant manager at a clothing store. As for Natalie, with a baby to take care of and a husband who won't even change a diaper, she need a time-out. Tanya is just looking for a good time and a man with a big, thick... wallet. Given the chance, these girls like to play, and their playground of choice is Miami. Almost as soon as they hit the beach they find themselves drawn into a fast-moving, flashy world of rappers, ballers, celebrities, and VIPs with cash to burn. But before thid wild ride of over, they just may find that all that glitters ain't gold and a good reality is worth way more than a fleeting fantasy.

Entangled


K. Elliott - 2003
    Entangled is a love story between a major drug trafficker and a history teacher. The subplots include a black DEA agent with divided loyalty. He wants to do his job and rid the streets of drugs but on the other hand he knows that the system is corrupt and it targets minorities, this story has all the elements of a major motion picture.

Baltimore Chronicles Volume 4


Treasure Hernandez - 2012
    But is he really safe?The mysterious observer has come out of the shadows and infiltrated the Dirty Money Crew. Together with his accomplice, he plans to exact revenge on Scar. Meanwhile, Tiphani is plotting her return from Florida to claim her children and also get back at Scar and the mayor who left her for dead. After recovering from his injuries, Derek Fuller is out of prison, looking for redemption.Can Scar fend off all of these enemies and still control the Baltimore drug trade?

Secrets of a Kept Woman


Shani Greene-Dowdell - 2009
    Entering the drug game is his ticket to the finer things in life, but it’s called a game for a reason. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. After marrying Shayla, attaining a lakeside property, and having anything he wants at his fingertips, he should be living the good life. But there’s always someone coming for the number one spot.Shayla Wilson gives up everything for her first love. Her pursuit of being a psychiatrist to help the mentally ill, attending church, and ties with her family are all broken when she marries Titus. However, she loves him too much to let go. Along with Titus, her best friends Gladys LaQuinn and Rhonda Jackson are all Shayla needs until the day she finds out that the people closest to her are not who they say they are. What will Shayla do when her beautiful, expensive, expertly designed house of lies threatens to fall?As rival drug cartels invade their lakeside property and friends unveil themselves as foes, will the walls come falling down around Titus and Shayla, or will they survive the darkest test of their lives?This is the second edition of Secrets of a Kept Woman, which has been edited and revised with 10,000 words of new content added.

The Womanizers


Dwayne S. Joseph - 2004
    Original. 15,000 first printing.

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?

If I Ruled the World


Joylynn M. Jossel - 2005
    In this unforgettable novel, her name is Harlem.Harlem Jones is a twenty-six-year-old bad-ass female who owns her own home, her own car, and her own business. And no, some drug dealer didn't front her the money for any of it. Nor did she have to sell herself to get what she's got. Harlem came up the hard way. She had the perfect family until her mother fell prey to an addiction and Harlem's whole world fell apart. After several life-changing encounters, Harlem seems to have lost everything. But then, under circumstance she wishes never existed, she inherits a modest fortune and opens up her own business. Then into her life comes an unexpected and unlikely love, a street-bred charmer named York. Not your typical hood, York is out for Harlem's heart. But when tragedy strikes, Harlem knows that, as a survivor, she must be the one to decide her own destiny.

Sins of Thy Mother


Niki Jilvontae - 2015
    Come on this emotional roller coaster with the Lewis sister's and find out whether the sins of a mother can be visited upon her child.

I Fell In Love With A Real Street Thug


Pebbles Starr - 2016
    The intelligent, charismatic, and handsome Constantine "Cue" Saldana. He's everything she ever wanted in a man...but there's only one problem. She already has a man of her own. A ruthless Caribbean king pin serving a 10-year bid that's not willing to let her go without a fight. Aubrey will stop at nothing to keep his fiancé Khari right where he wants her--even if it means using manipulation and murder. As far as he is concerned, she belongs to him and he'll go to great lengths to ensure that everyone knows it, including Cue. Kylie has been wrapped around Jamaal's finger for as long as she can remember. He's used and abused her at every turn but for some reason she just can't seem to stay away. When he pops back up in her life with a get rich quick scheme, Kylie cannot resist. Will her love and devotion for the bad boy she can't let go of be her ultimate demise?

Lady's Night


Mark Anthony - 2005
    Now Lady must find a way to survive on the cold, hard streets. After landing a dead-end job at a donut shop, Lady wonders how she will ever make it out of a six-dollar-an-hour existence. Then she meets Cream, the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in New York City. Cream quickly decides that he wants to own this beauty and recruits her for his prostitution ring. Lady joins the "Cream Team," but she has no intentions of working the streets forever. In fact, she plans to run the show and she's willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. But the streets don't love nobody, and it's not long before Lady is deep in a game she can no longer control. The question is: Will she be able to get out of the game before the game claims her?

Mama, I'm In Love With A Thug


Mercy B. - 2015
    However, nothing ever came of the sparks that had been ignited. Four years and a college degree later, Sanchez is finally ready to stake his claim. Against her mother's wishes, Kamey takes a daring chance on falling in love with a Thug. Drugs, jail, and a slew of deranged side chicks quickly become Kamey's reality. With the odds stacked against her, will her love for a Thug prevail?

Cuffed


Taisha S. Ryan - 2014
    After serving a 3 year bid, Marquez swore to himself that he would never step foot in another prison. Determined to turn his life around, Marquez occupies his days working at a local car shop. Despite the low pay and endless hours, Marquez does not let that deter him. His world is then shaken up the moment he meets Breanna, a cute, around the way girl, whose main focus in life is attaining her degree and escaping the gritty projects of Brownsville, Brooklyn, for good. Both from troubled pasts, they find themselves drawn to each other in ways they would’ve never fathomed. Breanna becomes the light to Marquez’s life as she opens his heart to something foreign to him. Love. Marquez then begins to realize the possibilities of obtaining a better life outside of the hood. It is until he is faced with an unexpected tragedy that shatters his world for the worst. His dark past now becomes a reality as the grim streets claw at every ounce of his sanity. Now, Marquez must decide whether to continue on the right path he vowed to take or succumb to the dangerous lifestyle he has always known. The streets.