Book picks similar to
Wife by Michelle Monay


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The Real Hoodwives of Detroit


India - 2012
    Sometimes referred to as the Murder Capital for the huge murder rate that never ceases to surprise us, The Murder Mitten, or The Dirty Glove for the state’s shape on the U.S. map. Detroit is home to many; scholars, rappers, athletes, parents, and concerned citizens, but the streets belong to those in the underworld; addicts, dealers, and the women who help run the show from behind the scenes…The Real Hoodwives of Detroit! No! You won’t see these ladies on any television show, but you will see them make appearances in court for their mans’ hearing, or at the county jail on visiting day. You might even catch them riding shotgun, with a nine tucked in their Fendi bag…waiting to pop off and protect their men at any cost. And of course, they make appearances in the hood, twenty-four seven…three hundred and sixty-five days of the year! Follow Nikki, Tonya, Chloe, Mina, and Gucci as they ride you through Detroit, one city-block at a time. Watch as the tales of the black and dangerous unfold right before your eyes. In Detroit, only the raw and real survive - living to see another day. These streets are known for breaking the weak and leaving them helpless, they aren’t made for everybody! Scared? You should be….WELCOME TO DETROIT!

Expect The Unexpected


Tiffany Stephens - 2014
    Marriages are on the line, and the possibility of new love coming into play will alter everything that they have. Dive into this story of infidelity, secret lives, and murder. Remember to Expect the Unexpected.

City Lights


George Sherman Hudson - 2011
    Real and his lady, Constance, were living in the lap of luxury, with fancy cars, expensive clothes and a million dollar home until someone close to them alerted the feds to their illegal activity.At the blink of an eye their perfect life was turned upside down. Just as Real was sorting things out on the home front, the head of Miami's most powerful Cartel gave him an ultimatum that would eventually force him back into the life he had swore off forever. Knowing this lifestyle would surely put Constance in danger, he made plans to send her away until the score was settled but things spiraled out of control. Now Real and Constance are in a fight for survival where friends become enemies and murder is essential. Atlanta's underworld to Miami's most affluent community—no stone was left unturned as Real fought to keep Constance safe while attempting to regain control of the lifestyle he once would kill for.From the city of Atlanta to the cell block of Georgia's most dangerous prison, life under the City Lights would never be the same.

Pay Day


ReShonda Tate Billingsley - 2015
    . . but is it for better or for worse? When the office lotto pool lands the winning ticket for four friends, each will embark on journeys that change their lives forever. After years of stringing her along, Terrance has reluctantly married his longtime girlfriend, Sheray. . . just days before winning the lottery. Now, that he’s a rich newlywed, the former playboy is dreaming of what life would’ve been like as a rich bachelor. When the money drives a wedge between them, Sheray leaves and Terrance learns the hard way to be careful what you wish for. Angelique has been overweight since she was young. Despite her insecurities, her boyfriend, Marcus, gives her his love and affection without reservation. When she uses some of her winnings to get weight loss surgery, her new body and new attitude gets her some new attention, and could cost her the man she loves. After twelve years of marriage, Janine’s husband announces that he’s leaving her for another woman. When she realizes he could possibly get a portion of her prize, she devises a scheme to keep it from him. But when her plan backfires, will she lose it all? Raquelle’s life has just been turned upside down when she’s caught embezzling money, which she started doing to support her sick son. With a boss bent on making her pay, Raquelle is facing hard time and about to discover there are some things her lotto winnings can’t buy…or can it? With a bitter former coworker lurking in the background, these friends are discovering their big payday will definitely change their lives…just not in the ways they expected.

All I Want is Everything


Daaimah S. Poole - 2007
    Poole took readers on a wild, sexy ride with her novel Ex-Girl to the Next Girl. Now in All I Want is Everything we meet a young woman with a hot voice and superstar dreams... Talented Kendra Michelle Thomas always dreamed of becoming a singing sensation. At high school talent shows, she moved people to tears. Everyone thought she'd be the next Mariah Carey. But between Kendra's father abandoning her mother, her mother's alcoholism, and a tragedy that lands Kendra and her siblings in foster care, there's not much opportunity for making dreams come true. Before Kendra knows it, she's twenty-five-years-old, working as a bartender, and trapped in a relationship of convenience. She knows something's gotta give... Determined to break into the industry, Kendra takes her small savings and makes a demo. Her gift and personality soon get her a manager, a series of gigs, and finally a recording contract- plus a check fat enough to move her family into a house, and then some. But when a turn of events lands her right back where she started from, she'll have to make a choice: sink back into obscurity- or discover what she's really made of...

Beastmode


Joe Awsum - 2011
    He witnessed death and destruction within his own family—poverty and desperation of his own people. Instead of being part of the problem, he became part of the solution and rose to the top of his game. In his mind…it was survival.After an encounter with a brilliant scientist, King began to plot something so huge, that no one would see it coming or be able to stop the cycle…not even the police.

First Comes Love Then Comes Murder


Reign - 2013
    Whether or not she killed him is not the question, because she was found soaked in his blood. What her high profile defense team must prove is that she acted in self defense. But as the case unravels and her raunchy, violent and greedy lifestyle is exposed, Jewels doubts if she'll ever see the light of day again. To make matters worse, she desperately tries to prevent her dirtiest marriage secrets from being exposed. First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder has all the raw, explicit and jaw dropping gore that fans have come to expect from Reign. Read at your own risk.

The Knife in My Back


Stacey Covington-Lee - 2012
    She had a family that loved her and all of the advantages that came from being rich, smart and beautiful. She also had friends, one of which was Tameka Williams. Tameka was a desperate woman looking to gain fortune, fame and love at any cost. It didn't matter who she hurt or used as long as she got what she wanted in the end. Despite the warnings from others, Brook took Tameka in and tried to love her as a sister. However, after taking the one thing that meant the most to Brook, it was time for the tables to turn. Tameka had used and betrayed her for the last time.

Dirty Money Honey


Erica Hilton - 2011
    The Patsy. The Heist Vegas never saw coming.... At only twenty-five, Honey has a long list of exes in her life; an ex-con father, an ex-husband, and an ex-career as an ATF agent. Playing the cards life has dealt her, she's now working as a blackjack dealer in one of the most profitable casinos in alluring Las Vegas. Soon, her life's training is put to good use as Honey develops a master plan to get that dirty money!The city is taken by surprise when an armored truck is high-jacked in broad daylight on a sweltering hot Wednesday. Normally prepared for anything and everything, the Las Vegas police are baffled by this blatant crime, and pressure from the public and casino owners drive them to desperation.Honey and her crew of loyal followers pull off one of the most rewarding and masterful heists in Las Vegas history, but not everyone will get to enjoy the loot. Someone has to take the fall.

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?

Dice


T.N. Baker - 2007
    Rollin' dice is an everyday hustle for Wasuan, and he's one of the best the hood has ever seen. No one can defeat him. That is, until he stumbles across a dude from the same hood named Tone who has just as much confidence, a little too much mouth, lots of cash to back it up, and a strong desire for Wasuan's girl. When Wasuan is challenged and the stakes grow high, he finds himself caught out in deeper waters than he can swim in, with Tone dangling three options: pay up, take your last breath, or sacrifice something much greater...his girl, Enychi. But when Enychi agrees to spend one night with Tone in order to save her man's life, she finds herself caught up in an unwilling love triangle like the streets have never known. Love, betrayal, lies, sex and money are just the beginning in this scandalous tale, where loyalties are put to the ultimate test. In this new novel, T. N. Baker takes the term "sheisty" to a whole new level.

It's Like Candy


Erick S. Gray - 2007
    When she falls in love with Eric, one of her victims, all she wants is to find her baby sister, and settle down with her new love. But River soon becomes a prisoner of her dangerous world. And escaping it may cost her more than her life.By the time she turns sixteen, Starr is working for a pimp and turning tricks daily. But when an assault by one of her "dates" lands her in the hospital, Starr meets a woman who wants to help her change her life. Starr's heart is too hardened to believe in second chances, but soon she begins to long for more than selling her body just so she can survive. However the game does not give up its players so easily.Enter Eric's cousin, Yung Slim, fresh out of jail after seven years. He's looking to reclaim the streets and take care of some old grudges. When Yung Slim goes to battle, Eric—torn between his love for River, his ties to his cousin, and the lure of the streets—gets in too deep. When the war breaks out on the battlefield of the streets, who will be left standing?

A Broken Girl's Journey


Niki Jilvontae - 2014
    She is forced to endure unthinkable turmoil and pain at the hands of those who are supposed to protect her, leaving her battered and broken time after time. Lakea's life is just one tragedy after the next, pushing her into a pattern of violence and rebellion. Then one day she meets Jeremy and he gives her something she has been searching for her entire life....unconditional love. As Lakea continues to struggle with the harsh realities of her environment, she and Jeremy become closer, however tragedy strikes again, shattering her heart and dreams, while turning her world upside down. Lakea is a broken girl with a long hard journey ahead of her. Does she have what it takes to overcome? Or will she always be broken?

Allure of the Game


Danielle Santiago - 2009
     Twenty-year-old Arnessa didn’t grow up on the streets. But when her mentally ill mother abandons her and her older brother is murdered, Arnessa has no choice but to hustle just to keep herself and her little sister alive. Kisa “Kane” Montega, on the other hand, has a wonderful marriage, two beautiful children, and lives in a stunning home on the outskirts of Charlotte. Her cousin, Kennedy, has spent two years away from the volatile music industry, focusing on her children and building a solid foundation with her rap star fiancÉ, Chaz. But in spite of their success, both Kane and Kennedy are gravitating back to their old ways and the game they thought they’d left behind. After a chance meeting, Arnessa goes from being a low-level dealer to partner in their cartel. But the bigger their empire gets, the more haters they have to contend with—and the more each one of them stands to lose. Sexy, suspenseful, and unflinching, Danielle Santiago’s Allure of the Game gives fans exactly what they’ve been hoping for—a deeply satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy, packed with insight into the mean streets she knows so well.

Queen


Cynthia White - 2007
    Born and raised as Princess of The Black Mafia, an organization founded by her father, she wants for nothing except the love of her cruel, cold-hearted mother. When the police arrest Queen's father for her mother's murder, Queen's perfect life is shattered. Holding a dark secret, Queen must decide if she can reveal the true identity of the killer in order to spare her father's life. With her father gone, she searches for security in the arms of a series of lovers, who all have their own agendas. Just as her life seems to be spinning out of control, she learns to face her own demons and take control of her destiny. But when Queen finally realizes that she is so much more than the criminals and thugs who surround her, it may already be too late.