African Urban Fiction

The night she met Malik ignited a burning desire in her that Deja hadn’t even known she was capable of. She could never forget the way his strong hands had held her or the way his lips had electrified her body like a bolt of lightning. Things with Malik seemed like something out of a fairy tale, and the more time she spent with him, the more she was willing to give him every part of her. Until the unthinkable happened. Deja discovers that she’s pregnant. How could one night of passion create so much confusion in her life?

For some, love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends in tears. For four friends from Queens, it's about to get complicated....

Hip music critic Dwayne Robinson has two main gigs: defending rap's rightful place in the music industry and scoring as many women as possible. But this smooth-talking b-boy has yet to try working love into his lingo - until "buppie" Danielle Embry slides into and rocks his world. A Connecticut suburbanite, Danielle is as far removed from Dwayne's Brooklyn ghetto upbringing as it gets. Yet despite this clash, these unlikely lovers are drawn together.

Fed up with her married Miami boyfriend, savvy Dulce has no problem stealing his drug-dealer stash and fleeing to the Caribbean. Between her special skills - and an eye for very rich and/or very smokin' men - Dulce stays a hustle ahead of trouble and makes her new life one endless party in Puerto Rico. Until she's caught in Hurricane Maria - and witnesses both the heartbreaking disaster of climate change, and the international vultures who plunder the tragedy for a financial killing, making shady use of relief funds to devastate the island even more....

Sisters from Trinidad, Violet and Lily have never had much in common. Stunning Lily arrives undocumented in New York and makes her way as a stripper. But Harvard-educated Violet is this close to the perfect assimilated life, thanks to a prestigious job, and her rich bougie fiance.... Until she's wrongly accused of helping a notorious strip-club mogul embezzle millions of his workers' earnings. Violet loses everything - except the determination to get her life back. Now Violet's on his track with the help of his vengeful ex-wife and the Lower East Side Women's Health Clinic's resourceful crew - which includes Lily.

Owner of a string of Northwest car dealerships and movie theaters, Trey Lancaster is living a life of leisure. But all is not well in Paradise Bay, Oregon. After cheating on his wife with the wife of a wealthy client, Trey is trying to get past this moment of weakness, knowing that he loves his wife and no one else. But Ivana Kendall-Lancaster, former international model, has not been as easy to forgive or forget. Having already dealt with the pain of a miscarriage and her husband's infidelity, she turns to alcohol, only adding to the couple's woes.

With demanding careers and two children, Cherise and Mason McKenzie find themselves spending more time apart than together, which allows infidelity with a trusted loved one to darken their doorstep. It is only through a series of near-tragic events that the couple are able to rebuild their lives and rekindle their love.

Rhea's neighborhood is fading away—the mom-and-pop shops of her childhood forced out to make space for an artisanal kombucha brewery here, a hot yoga studio there. And everywhere, the feeling that this place is no longer meant for her. Because while their little corner of South L.A. isn't perfect, to Rhea and her two best friends, it's something even more important—it's home. And it's worth protecting. But as more white people flock to their latest edgy, urban paradise, more of Rhea's friends and family are pushed out. Until Rhea decides it's time to push back.

Dad, I just want to know how to not become a hashtag. In this gripping read, biracial siblings Reed and Olive hadn’t planned on navigating racial inequality or being roughed up by police on the subway, but as they face the truths and pains of being a person of color, they also lean into...

"Nine Lives" by Kiki Swinson: Wild-card Aiden. Dead-shot Ava. Killing nine targets in 10 days will be this brother-sister hit team's biggest score yet. But as Ava sets up their final target, she falls hard for him and a chance at a normal life. "The Crushed Ice Clique" by Noire: At first all ghetto princesses Honore and Cucci want is quick cash-flow. But after sexing jewelry distributor Slimy Sam and learning his illegal tricks of the trade, they assemble a crack team of thieves for one dazzling scam.

Do you remember your first love? Meagan will never forget hers because he held an important role in her life that should have prevented them from coming together as one. There were so many reasons for her and William not to be together, such as their 21 years age difference just to name one. Tragedy took the lives of those who would stand in their way and Megan was happy that it did...at first. It was those same people, may they rest in peace, that taught her the deadly game that provided her the keys to open Pandora’s Box at an early age, which sent her into William’s arms.

The honeymoon stage for the four couples is over, and Nic is feeling extremely vulnerable due to her current situation. Much to her dismay, she has plenty reason to feel unsafe. The King brothers have enemies coming from every which way, and they're not just after the brothers but their women too. Can the brothers protect their operation, all the while keeping their ladies happy? Or will both worlds collide causing them to lose one?

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE A blazingly original story collection about the interconnected lives of the residents of a public housing project on the South Side of Chicago “The residents and their buoyant dreams are documented, celebrated, honored. I bow to this writer...

Magic and magical creatures. Immortal gods and goddesses. History and mythology. Strap in for this action-packed YA novel that that takes place over the days leading up to World War II, when Ziva must rely on her wit and magic to outmaneuver Nazis and ancient Egyptian gods to prevent global...

Nikki Turner, Queen of Hip-Hop Lit, is back with one of her gutsiest female characters yet, a glamorous chick with a high-end hustle that can rival any man’s game. As the respected, renowned concierge for a luxury hotel chain, Beijing Lee caters to the wealthy and famous. Whether it’s...

The reigning queen of hip-hop lit, Nikki Turner, takes on the music biz in this tale of a young woman who risks everything to be a superstar. Fabiola Mays was born to sing. She has a voice like honey and a body to match, but one heartbreaking setback after another threatens to derail her dreams...

Octavian Munroe is haunted by the life and death of his older brother in one of the most racially segregated cities in the country. Mina Rose has never quite fit in and wishes she was anything but white. Once lovers, now estranged, they both left St. Louis for fresh starts in the wake of grief...

Stacy Washington, a college student majoring in Criminology gets the ultimate assignment; working with a former cop who fell out of grace with local law enforcement. It's the ultimate thrill to learn about policing with such a legend despite his tarnished reputation. Darryl Johnson was ousted from the force for reporting his commanding officer for corruption. Years later, the ex-copper was looking for a way to redeem his honor or what was left of it. Now, he has the chance to do so with one case...

Once inseparable, now estranged—former best friends Jordan Rules, Milo Cyrus, and Ram Cruise haven’t shared a beat in years. But when a legendary Bay Area hip-hop contest offers a shot at the spotlight they missed in their youth, the trio reunites their old crew, “Trail Mix,” for one last chance at glory. To win, they'll have to overcome broken trust, personal demons, and the childhood bully who's back—and badder than ever.

As gentrification encroaches on historic Harlem, Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award recipient Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts untangles the myth and meaning of its storied legacy. Drawing on Harlem’s history and her own observations, Rhodes-Pitts introduces a variety of observers who shared a common hope that Harlem would become the ground from which Blacks fully entered America’s democracy.