Walk with Halleigh and Malek as they introduce you to a new struggle in a new city . . . a place called Flint, Michigan, one of the roughest little cities in America. It's a place where the good die young, loyalty is a rarity, and everybody has a hustle.In Flint Book 1: 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 Flint Book 2: 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.Halleigh is knee-deep in the game. She has become lost, turned out at the hands of her pimp, Manolo. Will she and Malek ever meet again? And if they do, will they share the same love that they once had, or is it too late?Welcome to Flint Book 2: Working Girls. The saga continues. Views: 55
There's a saying that if you come from my part of town, you're from around the way. Around the Way Girls 11 is a fast-paced look at the lives of some street-smart women who think they know it all, but are about to get the lessons of their lives."Meal Ticket" by Treasure Hernandez: From the outside looking in, Yanna Banks lives what most would consider a perfect life; however, after the tragic death of her husband at the home of his longtime mistress, Yanna's teenage son is forced to step up and fill his father's shoes. Doing everything he can to help his mother make ends meet, the straight-laced student soon links up with an unlikely partner in crime. The two of them, both under the heavy-handed guidance of their mothers, become their households' sole meal tickets. They have no problem dealing with anyone that gets in the way, including one another. "Party Girls" by Clifford "Spud" Johnson: Tammy and Debbie grew up in the projects on... Views: 55
Four friends, all graduates of Hampton Institute, keep a collective journal they call "If This World Were Mine," and share their personal diaries each month at a gathering filled with humor, gossip, and affirmation. The four group members are as different as the seasons, yet they all share a love of one another. Yolanda, a media consultant, keeps it going on with a no-nonsense attitude and independence that are balanced by the theatrics of Riley, a former marketing executive whose marriage has reduced her to a "kept woman with kids." Computer engineer Dwight's anger at the world is offset by the compassion of Leland, a gay psychiatrist whose clients make him question why God ever invented sex.But after five years, the once-strong bonds of friendship are weakening, and the group must handle challenges of work, lost love, and a stranger in their midst. As the group members confront their true feelings toward each other, resentments and long-held secrets surface, and the... Views: 54
He makes her feel like the most desirable woman in the world... Sexy, magnetic Florida business owner and philanthropist Mikhail Coles is wrong for Cyanna Dupres in every way. And he's the one man who can give her what she wants. Seducing the commitment-wary bachelor is the easy part. But once Cyanna wants a lifetime connection, will she lose the lover who makes her feel like the world's most desirable woman? Formerly Special Forces, Mikhail is haunted by demons he can't shake. But Cyanna's passion is taking him to thrilling new heights where anything is possible...even love. Called in on one final search-and-rescue operation--to find Cyanna's missing brother--Mikhail realizes he wants more than a fleeting affair. Can he succeed in his mission and keep Cyanna safe so they can become the family she's always wanted? Views: 53
Real estate magnate Jaylin Jerome Rogers is happily married to his one and only love, Nokea. They've got adorable kids and a lovely home in Miami Beach. The biggest mistake of Jaylin's life, his affair with Scorpio Valentino, is behind him—or so he believes. But beneath the still waters of marital bliss, drama is bubbling up! Jaylin thought Scorpio was just a short-term jump off, but his world is rocked when she reveals that he is her year-old son's father. Suddenly both of their marriages are on the rocks, as Jaylin tries to be a father to his newfound son, and Scorpio moves to Miami intent on reigniting their affair. While Nokea builds a new life for herself, her husband hatches a desperate plan to win her back. Views: 53
National bestselling authors Kiki Swinson and De'nesha Diamond light it up with two devious tales of players, hustles—and running out of time. . .Special Delivery Kiki SwinsonMail carrier Gabriella Vasquez is making stacks of sweet paper from the innocent-looking packages she delivers on her route. And that much cocaine can buy a lot of the sweet life—and even more of her sexy partner Eduardo's undivided attention. But when the Feds make her an offer she can't refuse, can she play Eduardo and his ruthless kingpin boss—and survive?Gun Play De'Nesha DiamondThe only thing Julian Smith can remember is a beautiful woman's anguished face. Still, for a man with no memory, he suddenly has a lot of enemies. Now he'll need all the lethal skills he didn't know he had to elude his pursuers and uncover the truth. But deep in the heart of the Caribbean underworld lies the one danger he'll never see coming in his merciless quest to get his life... Views: 52
Lifelong friends Dana and Sylvia often share their dirty little secrets, but Sylvia isn't happy about having to cover up Dana's ongoing affair with Lewis. Sylvia despises the man her friend is creeping with. In addition to sexing Dana, Lewis believes that he can have any woman he wants wrapped around his finger. That includes Sylvia, but after several sexual advances from Lewis, she makes it clear that only one man has her heart. She's head over heels for her handsome, no-nonsense boss, Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan is somewhat clueless about what is transpiring behind closed doors. He suspects that his wife, Dana, has some skeletons in her closet, but when the truth is revealed about Dana's adulterous ways, he's prepared to take action. Jonathan's retaliation will leave his wife's head spinning in circles, and her best friend sexually satisfied. When the lines of true friendship are crossed and matrimonial territory erodes, hell is bound to break loose. This tale... Views: 52
An African American girl comes of age during the civil rights movement in April Sinclair's hilarious, insightful novel that was named Book of the Year (Young Adult Fiction) for 1994 by the American Library Association Jean "Stevie" Stevenson lives in Chicago's South Side, a neighborhood that acutely feels the social changes of the 1960s. Curious and witty, bold but naïve, Stevie ponders questions such as what makes good hair, and which skin shade is better in light of "Black Is Beautiful." Amid the War on Poverty, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., race riots, and the Black Power movement, Stevie grows into a socially aware young adult with a burgeoning sexuality and pride in her identity. Learning as much from her mother's strictness, her father's steady encouragement, and her grandmother's strength as she does from her wild friend Carla and her white teacher Nurse Horne, Stevie makes the sometimes harrowing, often hilarious, always enthralling... Views: 51
On the outside, Tone seems to have it all. He has a father he looks up to and an older brother who keeps him under his wing—until the day his father crosses a line that changes everything. Tone is forced to enter a world he knew nothing about.Detective Abraham is obsessed with power and money, so he has figured out a way to play on both sides of the tracks when it comes to organized crime. The only thing stopping him from making it to the top spot is Santiago, one of the most feared suppliers in the country. Santiago's only weakness is his daughter, Serena. Detective Abraham develops a plan that involves his son, Tone, getting close to Serena.Against his better judgment, Tone goes along with his father's plan and sets out to win Serena over with his charm. What he hasn't planned on is Serena turning the tables and stealing his heart. Now Tone is faced with choices that leave him questioning his loyalty to his family. Views: 51
"Thoroughly well-written stories...fans of noir will enjoy this batch of sordid tales set in the sweltering heat of the tropics."--Publishers Weekly"Kingston Noir subverts the simplistic sunshine/reggae/spliff-smoking image of Jamaica at almost every turn...The collection amply rewards the reader with a rich interplay of geographies and themes."--The Los Angeles Times"Kingston Noir goes darker and deeper than any before...the purest of noir, and the richest depictions of Jamaica."--The Huffington Post“Kingston Noir is an eclectic and gritty melange of tales that sears the imagination . . . Kingston Noir proves its worth as a quintessential piece of West Indian literature—rich, artistic, timeless, and above all, draped in unmistakable realism.”--The Gleaner (Jamaica)"Some of these stories are mysterious, some are straightforward, but all are dark. There isn’t a single light-hearted story in the bunch, which falls in line perfectly with the noir theme. Readers beware, there are some stories in this book that address the darkest parts of human nature: rape, torture, murder. It’s not for the faint of heart. However, they are all well-written and tap into the true underbelly of another culture."--Examiner.com"Several of the stories in Kingston Noir succeed brilliantly in reproducing the simultaneously estranging and horrifying effects of urban violence in Jamaica. And there is something appropriately unsettling about the differences between the stories, collected and edited by Colin Channer, such that the sense of being dislodged somewhere puzzlingly dissimilar from the place one began sometimes mimics the feeling of moving through Kingston… traversing this collection as if going 'down the road,' with all the abrupt stops, shifts, and turns that Jamaicanism implies, does offer a way of connecting, piece by piece, story by story, to fragments of the city tucked away in consciousness and memory. It is a city rarely encountered in fiction; this collection satisfies a need and makes one hungry for more."--sx salon: a small axe literary platformOriginal stories by: Marlon James, Kwame Dawes, Patricia Powell, Colin Channer, Marcia Douglas, Leone Ross, Kei Miller, Christopher John Farley, Ian Thomson, Thomas Glave, and Chris Abani.From Trench Town to Half Way Tree to Norbrook to Portmore and beyond, the stories of Kingston Noir shine light into the darkest corners of this fabled city. Joining award-winning Jamaican authors such as Marlon James, Leone Ross, and Thomas Glave are two "special guest" writers with no Jamaican lineage: Nigerian-born Chris Abani and British writer Ian Thomson. The menacing tone that runs through some of these stories is counterbalanced by the clever humor in others, such as Kei Miller's “White Gyal with a Camera,” who softens even the hardest of August Town’s gangsters; and Mr. Brown, the private investigator in Kwame Dawes’s story, who explains why his girth works to his advantage: "In Jamaica a woman like a big man. She can see he is prosperous, and that he can be in charge." Together, the outstanding tales in Kingston Noir comprise the best volume of short fiction ever to arise from the literary wellspring that is Jamaica. Views: 51
