African American Literature Fiction

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama, where he's being sent to heal from a tragedy. But on his first night there, he accidentally ripps open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world.

At 40, Lena Baker is at a steady and stable moment in life—between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she’s happy in love and in friendship—until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world.

Jordan Gatewood's life is falling apart. Murder, sex, betrayal, suicide--the women in his world are paying him back for all the terrible things he's done, and they're bringing on the drama in spades. And now, with Desi Green bringing Jordan to the attention of the detective investigating his lover's murder, his tenuous grip on control threatens to unravel completely.

Five-year-old Clara Bynum is dead, drowned in the Potomac River in the shadow of a seemingly haunted rock outcropping known locally as the Three Sisters. River, Cross My Heart weighs the effect of Clara's absence on the people she has left behind: her parents; the friends and relatives of the Bynum family; and, most especially, Clara's sister, 10-year-old Johnnie Mae, who must come to terms with the powerful and confused emotions stirred by her sister's death as she struggles to decide what kind of woman she will become.

Named for her beauty, Belle Dubois is as sweet as can be. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she is always given the best - until her world is turned upside down. When she's away in her second year of college, she receives a call informing her that her parents have been murdered. She soon finds out that they were broke, and subsequently, so is she. With no home and nowhere to go, Belle is whisked under the wing of a woman named Aria, better known by her stage name, Passion. Before she knows it, Belle becomes a part of an underground world that she knows nothing about.

"Secure the bag" is their motto, and death before dishonor is their G-code, so when greed, disloyalty, and hidden agendas threaten their enterprises, these outlaw mamis exact revenge on a whole new level! This volume contains: "Blood of My Blood" by Jasmine Williams; "Honor Among Boss Chicks" by Niyah Moore; "Dishonorable" by India; and more!

Daniel is aggravated by the headstrong and much too observant new detective he's paired with, and Janeta is intrigued by the broken but honorable man she is tasked with betraying. As they embark on a mission to intercept Jefferson Davis and thwart European meddling, their dual hidden agendas are threatened by the ghosts of their pasts and a growing affection that could strengthen both the Union and their souls - or lead to their downfall.

Raven loves the night life, chasing women and her next high. Men and women fall under her spell at first sight, but she only has eyes for women. She accepts all shapes, sizes, and forms, for they are mere pawns in the quest to feed her cravings. She has a little secret, though - one that could have catastrophic results for anyone who encounters her, one that could lead Raven into a sticky situation - but her cravings are too powerful for her to resist. Will her little secret come back with a vengeance?

Urban Books' popular Girls from da Hood series continues its gritty street drama in this twelfth installment, featuring urban fiction superstar Treasure Hernandez and rising stars Katt and Paradise Gomez. Honey has been working them streets for El-Jihad, selling his wares and keeping up her end of the bargain. Strawberry has been a rather lucrative ho for Larry "Sir" Smalls; however, she's been at it for a minute, and it is starting to have an effect on her mind and body. Jackie spent 15 years in the state pen for stabbing the fool that had the audacity to put his hands on her.

The world will never be the same! Get ready for something new, bold, sexy, and highly addictive! Stephen C. Jefferson and the first lady are prepared to pull you right into the mix. This is a new era, and things in the United States are not what they used to be. The man who now holds the keys to the Oval Office was born and raised in the rough streets of St. Louis, where he discovered how to silence his enemies by wielding knowledge and power.

Urban Books' popular Girls from da Hood series is back, bringing listeners more dramatic tales about the lives of some tough, resourceful women who can hold their own when things get rough on the streets. This time, Redd, Nikki-Michelle, and Erick S. Gray deliver the stories with their trademark flair. Like a hood-rich Bonnie and Clyde, Candy and Raynail have their hands on all of the drugs that run through the veins of Westwood. When Raynail is set up to take the fall for a crime he didn't commit, Candy goes on a mission to take down everyone involved.

Jakki and School Boy are more than first cousins; they’re best friends and partners in crime with a reputation for getting theirs by any means necessary. The pair are ultimately forced to defend not only their family name but their loyalty to each other. With both wanting to stand at the head of the table, Jakki and School Boy feud. Sani, a well-known female gambling house owner, is at the top of her game, but after she decides to inject phony currency into her business, all hell breaks loose.

This collection is full of gritty stories of strong, spirited women who deal with everything from homicide and drugs to all sorts of turmoil - all while showing the men of the streets of Brooklyn that they are not afraid of anything. Perhaps the edgiest of all the Girls from da Hood books, this drama-filled installment follows a drug-fueled crime operation, which could put the girls and their extravagant lifestyles in permanent danger. But these girls from da hood are trying to find a way out of their troubles, by any means necessary.

In Choosing Sides, Malek became affiliated with the North Side's biggest kingpin, and Halleigh was manipulated into the streets by his South Side adversary. North versus South, love versus loyalty, and lies versus truth. Now the saga continues in Working Girls, as we are introduced to the Manolo Mamis, the baddest chicks in the game. They're playin' for keeps, and their services come with a price - an expensive one.

You've seen them in print before, and their books are hot, hot, hot! Now see what Edd McNair, Keisha Ervin, and Brenda Hampton can do when they join forces to bring you three stories in the latest installment of Girls from da Hood. Being married to notorious gangsta rapper Sean Pynn isn't as glamorous as it appears to be. Behind closed doors, Queen is dealing with knock-down drag-out fights, verbal abuse, and neglect. When her bodyguard, Ahsim, comes into the picture, things change in a hurry.

For three years of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her - until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause.

Kenny "Ken-Ken" Greene left his days as a hustler behind him when his wife was killed during a scam gone bad, leaving him with a baby daughter. Now he's a cab driver, doing what he can to put food on the table and give his daughter, Destiny, everything she needs. In spite of his past, or because of it, he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep Destiny off the streets. But when he is shot and paralyzed during a robbery while on the job, Destiny knows that she has to step up to the plate to take care of her father.

You have to use what you got to get what you want. For Journey Clayton, this statement rings more than true as she struggles under the weight of her mother’s cocaine addiction. She learns from a very young age that family doesn’t offer as much help as she hoped they would. It’s not until she befriends Khalid, the son of a neighborhood drug dealer, who is trying to stay above the struggle himself, that she starts to believe there might just be hope...even for little girls in the ghetto.

With a newborn in tow, Bubbles Jones escapes a brutal sanctuary for “wayward girls” to confront the hypocritical shame of her pastor father and the betrayal of a lover. But Bubbles is accompanied by a woman who offers her shelter and a dream. Forging an unpredictable path ahead, Bubbles will not yield and will not hide in her unwavering commitment to make a big life real in a world determined to keep her small.

Whole, I became, the moment God answered those prayers I put in and blessed me beyond measure. From that day, my priority has been and will always be catering to your every desire because you deserve a love that doesn't make you wonder, whimper, or worry. I've got that kind of love, and I'm here to give it to you.