African Urban Fiction

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.

President Stephen C. Jefferson is back. Now that his mistress has been put on ice, he and First Lady Raynetta Jefferson seem to be back on track. She has managed to hurdle over her husband's affairs, but her mother-in-law continues to be the real thorn in her side. The two women want the president to choose whose side he's on, but President Jefferson has his mind on his job. The president is riding high from multiple accomplishments until he's told about a son he never knew he had, who has been classified as a terrorist.

Harmony used to love love. She loved the idea of being in love. As a result, Valentine’s Day was her favorite holiday...was. Now, she hated the very thought of it. Cody had ruined it for her and any chance of her ever falling in love again. He ruined it so much that when she met Dallas, she didn’t trust him to lead her to fall in love with love again.

Several years have passed, but Sylvia McMillan still can’t run and hide from the truth that continues to tear at her soul. Her love for Jonathan Taylor, her ex-friend’s husband, remains. Jonathan has moved on, though. In less than six months, he plans to watch his new bride cascade down the aisle as they join hands in holy matrimony. He’s not about to let Sylvia’s slickness derail him again - but then again, how can he resist the one woman who is willing to honor every single one of his wishes?

In the Frederick Douglass Housing Projects, the name of Jada Butler is synonymous with drama. Malika is a young, single mother trying to make a life in public housing. When she meets Teddy, she has new hope for the future. Gucci’s fiancé is now a rising star in the music industry. She’s thrilled when his tour brings him to New York. But she doesn’t know it’s more than music bringing him back.

Alexis Griggs has worked hard to get where she is in life. She owns several clinics that service people in need and is a pillar of her community, but looks can be deceiving. Alexis and her brother, Jace, are both leading double lives, which are both illegal and deadly. It leaves little time for Alexis to have a personal life; that is until she has a chance encounter with single father Kevell Farrell.

Published during a literary era marked by the ascendance of Black writers such as Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Alex Haley, this thinly fictionalized account of Claude Brown’s childhood as a hardened, streetwise criminal trying to survive the toughest streets of Harlem has been heralded as the definitive account of everyday life for the first generation of African Americans raised in the Northern ghettos of the 1940s and 1950s.

It's about to be an all-out war. While an ambitious rival has taken over Diamonds' crew, Diamonds lies in wait in exile, carefully planning his next move to come back and reclaim his position as king of the streets of New York for good. But when an unexpected enemy from the past one-ups Diamonds and beats him at his own game, Diamonds needs to dig deep into his bag of tricks - and make an unlikely alliance - in order to climb back to the top.

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.

In "Got Me Twisted", New York diva Ebony Queen heads south after her mother's murder and tries to reinvent country bumpkin Reshunda - but it won't be easy! In "Arrested Development", Kelly joins the police force to get in the good graces of her love interest, Dante - but what happens when her brother gets out of prison and finds out her boyfriend is the same cop that brought him down? And in "Greed", Jackie and her parents escaped the projects and now live the high life - but what's going to happen to her if they get murdered?

Thrown into a web of lies, drugs, and deceit, Dysha has had money put on her head by the most powerful man in the city. Now, with the entire city gunning for her, she can trust only one man. Ashley and JaQuavis weave a sexy, suspenseful tale with an unpredictable ending that will have you in awe.

Gutta Mamis includes four novellas featuring cold-hearted women who get ahead in America's grimiest underworld: "Twisted Loyalty" by Kai, "Three the Hard Way" by C. J. Hudson, "The Face of Death" by Brandie Davis, and "Chasers" by N'Tyse.

When Farah Cotton places a classified ad stating, “Cute redbone female looking to share a luxury apartment with another redbone female”, many women apply. One look at the lush apartment in Washington, DC, and every fly girl around wants a chance to call Platinum Lofts her new home. The moment Farah lays eyes on Lesa Carmine, a pretty young woman with an active lifestyle and a sunny disposition, she knows she’s found the perfect girl for her ultimate plan. The two become fast friends - until Farah becomes intrusive and her siblings move in, violating Lesa’s privacy.

What happens to an organized criminal enterprise when the weakest link finally breaks? Changes must be made for future growth, but nobody can see the forest for the trees. The Network, known for their calculated power moves, attempts to align themselves with new international business colleagues. With a leader like Taz, the possibilities seem endless, but not everyone adjusts well to change. Over the years, respect has been lost and decisions challenged. As secrets are unveiled, blood will be shed and lives will be lost. Will betrayal stand in the way of prosperity?

The Network and its affiliates used to be one of Oklahoma City's most organized crews. No one knew exactly where they got the money to buy up businesses and real estate, but everyone on the streets respected them. Their criminal enterprise is unraveling quickly, though, as member loyalty is challenged and betrayal becomes the name of the game.

A Lover's Embrace 2 by Skyy: Rayne has a new attitude. After taking six months to travel, Rayne is coming back to Memphis with a new job, a new love, and a new outlook on life. But coming home means coming back to the reality that she left behind. Can she stay strong in the presence of the man who turned her world upside down? Or will she fall back into the disastrous routine that made her run away to begin with?

Derrick. Ricky. Jamal. One's responsible; one's still a player; one's upwardly-mobile. Sentenced to the Branch Avenue Boys' Youth Institute at 12, they grabbed the chance for better futures. They beat the odds and turned their lives around. But now, these three best friends will go head-to-head with ambition, deception - and each other.

When G Double D, the founder of the gangsta rap label Explicit Content, seduces her singing partner, Leila "Fatal Beauty" Aponte, into splitting up their act to pursue solo stardom, Cassie Rivers is driven to find her own path to success, but her competitive nature could lead to danger when she uncovers dark secrets about G and his Explicit Content company.

James is days away from being married when he learns his fiancé Raquel has been keeping an explosive secret. Humiliated and with his reputation on the line, he sets out to destroy Raquel. The bride-to-be strikes back with a blow so intense it leaves James defenseless, with his life spiraling out of control.

When we left Alexis and the crew, lives were hanging in the balance and their enemies were celebrating their victories. Old relationships were strained, and new ones started to form. But they were quickly threatened by danger and drama from jealous exes and bitter enemies bent on revenge. Will Alexis and Kevell be able to survive and come to the rescue of their loved ones who need them the most? Or will the losses and damage their enemies have inflicted be too much for them to handle?