New Urban Fiction -- May 2007

Recent Urban Fiction From the Essence Bestseller List and Amazon.com

Little Ghetto Girl by Danielle Santiago (Atria, $14)*
After a successful life in the drug game, twenty-one-year-old Kisa Kane plans to retire -- settle down, find a good man, and raise a family of her own. Done with the thug life, she has everything a ghetto girl would want: plenty of money, drop-dead-gorgeous looks, and two thriving legitimate businesses. Until she falls in love with Sincere Montega, a powerful drug dealer whose down-and-dirty money pulls Kisa back into the world she is trying so hard to leave behind. With lies, cheating, and conflict, Kai, their newborn, may be the only reason for this couple to stay together, but their lives are inevitably changed in the most unexpected way, the only way the streets of Harlem can.

The Millionaire Mistress by Tiphani (Life Changing Books, $15)
Chasing money is all Chloe has ever known. Just when she thinks she’s got it all, times get tight, and her body is put to work in the bedroom. Between sexin’ married men for hire and searching for the man who would get her out the game; her life is shattered when her cousin Oshyn, pulls in a drug dealer with deep pockets. Oshyn knows her conniving cousin would do anything to walk in her shoes, so she flaunts glamorous gifts and icey diamonds, given to her by new love, Brooklyn Jones. Chloe gets senseless and resorts to desperate measures when she can’t steal Brooklyn from Oshyn. When her wild sexual escapades don’t work, she uses the ultimate betrayal as her weapon. But her plan is destroyed when a tragic moment happens that shocks everyone. Will Chloe look past her evil ways and change for the better, or will their fate be a replica of their dark family secret? There’s a reason why their mothers are locked down and six feet under.

In Cahootz by Quentin Carter (Triple Crown Publications, $15) (5)

• The Sequel to Hoodwinked* Three years after orchestrating the demise of her baby s daddy and his crew, Tukey Tosh resurfaces with the opening of No Draws - a club that sells everything from sex to Ex. In an attempt to conquer Kansas City s Ex industry, Tukey uses money, sex and blackmail to get In Cahootz with Police Sergeant Cody Brown. Together they form a murderous, robbing Drug Task Force - The D-Unit - whose objective is to attack rival dealers on her command. With the cops and hustlers on the same side, who could stop them?

Angel by Teri Woods (Teri Woods Publishing, $14.95) (1)
Third book in the “Dutch” series.

Hold U Down by Keisha Ervin (Triple Crown Publications, $15)*
Robbing men, getting money and living lavishly is all they know. For Unique a.k.a. Nique, Kiara, Kay Kay and Zoë, tomorrow isn't promised, love doesn't exist and men ain't shit. Stealing cars is their hustle and their way of doing it is Simply Unique. But jealousy, greed, love and envy are lurking in the shadows. For only the strong will survive and the weak shall fall. Unique knows this but the game of love has won her over. Once she decides to leave the only hustle she knows for the man she loves, her drama begins. When loyalty amongst family is questioned and their fate is unanswered, who will hold who down?

Hood Rich by Crystal Perkins-Stell (Crystell Publications, $13.95)*
When one doesn't understand the daily task of surviving in the ghetto, it's easy to criticize an inner city family for the things they value and their way of living. Hood Rich is a strong, fast paced, yet compassionate story about family, life choices, love, money, and growing up in the judicial system. You will immediately be drawn into this page turning drama, which totally immerses you into the ghetto lifestyle that inspires Prince to choose between loyalty and freedom. Looking at life through the eyes of a streetwise, DeMarques Prince, we are able to see why kingpins in his family were his biggest idols. Prince, an impressionable teenager in Detroit, Michigan takes us on an emotional adventure, recapping why at one time drugs, money, music, sex, and fashion defined his lifestyle. New experiences like love, death, and fatherhood test Prince's loyalty. In the end, he makes an ultimate sacrifice, which eventually teaches him about loving himself while striving to live a purpose driven life.

Hood Rat by K’wan (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.95) (3)
K'wan's latest (after Eve) is a meandering trip across Harlem with plenty of pit stops for vice and violence. Yoshi is a stripper who prostitutes herself for extra cash; Rhonda is a promiscuous and abusive mother of three; Reese is a scabrous, demanding kept woman; and Billy is an attractive, sporty woman with a healthy distrust of the men who live in their Harlem 'hood. All of the women get sucked into drama involving neighborhood rappers, drug dealings, abortion, fistfights, catfights, shootings, rape, AIDS or good, old-fashioned drunkenness. There's a bevy of minor characters, each involved in intersecting subplots, though these don't so much coalesce as run their course. The most interesting story involves Paul, a man who's trying to go straight and become an artist, and who's also dating a respectable lawyer named Marlene, but things are destined to end badly. None of the characters rises above stereotype and the plotting is mechanical, but the big draw here is the electric prose, which is imbued with profane, comic lyricism.

Deadly Reigns II by Teri Woods (Teri Woods Publishing, $14.95)*
The Reigns family is like no other found in urban novels. Damian, Dante, Princess and Dajon didn't grow up deprived in the ghetto then turning to hustling as a means to survive. The Reigns children grew up with silver spoons in their mouths constantly able to afford the finer things in life. But what can be worse than Ivy League Criminals???? The Reigns family runs and empire that's controlling the drug trade throughout most of the U.S. And they run it with an iron grip!!! Deadly Reigns is truly an appropriate title for this family. The effort in which they go after their enemies including each other is shocking.

Keisha by Darrell DeBrew (Triple Crown Publications , $15)*
As her mother lay dying in her arms, Keisha vows to herself to seek revenge on those responsible for the brutal, senseless robbery that ended her loved one s murder. Follow Keisha as she discovers that Clarence, the man she wanted to dedicate her life to, is responsible for the murders. The one and only goal of her revenge is to make him suffer like she is suffering. Murdering Clarence and his partner or sending them to jail just isn t good enough. As Keisha devises her plan for the most vicious payback, she meets resistance from DC s most successful and ruthless homicide detective, The Pinstriped Bitch, who pressures Keisha to give up the evidence against Clarence. As Keisha s thirst for vengeance escalates, she meets Jezebel, a high-priced call girl who teaches Keisha the art of seduction and makes her a brand new woman, helping her get the sweetest revenge possible. HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED.

Bruised 2: The Ultimate Revenge by Azarel (Life Changing Books, $15) (7)
Just when Carlie decides she s done with dangerous men, she s thrown right back into the fire by Kirk, her manipulative and deceitful new lover. Not even the diamonds and extravagant gifts can keep the tension from rising when Carlie realizes that Kirk s sleazy side kick will do any and everything to steal her man- even if it means extortion. The plot thickens when Devon, Carlie s drug dealing ex-boyfriend decides he wants Carlie back and will take no for an answer. Before Devon can woo Carlie with his bad boy personality, he realizes that Kirk has put his woman in jeopardy with the law. No doubt about it, Devon gets gangsta, and war is evident, but is Carlie willing to loose everything, even her freedom, and stay by his side?

Say U Promise …Again! By Michel Moore (Say U Promise Publications, $15) (5)
Sequel to Say U Promise. Once Again It's On!!!! Kenya a/k/a Tastey and her twin sister London return in this highly anticipated sequel of Essence Best Seller "SAY U PROMISE!" When you combine several Murders, a callous and cold hearted brutal rape, one crazed Uncle hell bent on revenge, stolen dope money and a hired Hit Man hot on your tracks, you've got one huge freaking problem on your hands! How can two girls from Detroit be caught in the middle of so much chaos and all out confusion?! "Say U Promise...AGAIN!

I’m Still Wifey by Kiki Swinson (Melodrama Publishing, $15)*
The sequel to Wifey. While Kira's husband Ricky is behind bars serving federal time, she clings onto the hope that one day she'll get a taste of sweet revenge for Russ—the nigga who played her! In the mix of all the drama, Kira unintentionally falls for a new 'hood rich cat who has it all. Money, good looks, and yes, a girl back home in Jersey! This time around Kira plans to play by a different set of rules! Although, Ricky is locked down in a Virginia federal prison, it doesn't stop his reign of terror. He gets wind of everything that went down with Kira and gives her a life altering ultimatum. Nevertheless, Kira refuses to adhere to his demand and Ricky has no choice but to suit up his street team. The question is: How will it end this time?

Baby Brother by 50 Cent and Noire (G-Unit books)
The seven Davis brothers made a promise to their mother on her deathbed: they would each make something of their lives. And they vowed they would watch over eighteen-year-old Zabu Davis, their baby brother. Intelligent, driven, and charismatic, Baby Brother had resisted the lure of Brooklyn street life and was headed for Stanford University on a pre-med scholarship. But on the eve of his departure for California, in a split second of blinding violence, Baby Brother's life is thrown onto a tragic collision course. Soon, his devoted brothers follow a path of blood justice that will rock the city streets. Baby Brother was their pride and joy. Now, he's their reason to fight for vengeance.

Death Before Dishonor by 50 Cent and Nikki Turner (G-Unit books)
Trill Johnson has five years of jail time under his belt, two women trying to get inside his pants, and one mission in his heart of hearts: Get the suckers who sold him out. And get 'em good. Sunni James will do anything for Trill. Lie, cheat, steal. Even risk losing her successful beauty salon to save him from the mean streets of Richmond. Precious Pay will do anything for Trill, too. She cribbed his kid while he did his time, so now she wants Trill to pay for the leg she lost in a robbery gone wrong. But when love is a lie, who do you trust? When the deals turn dirty, who do you betray? And when the guns start blazing, who's going down?