National Network for Equitable Library Service

Yarni, a sweet and innocent girl from a well-to-do family, by chance meets Richmond's notorious drug kingpin, Des. The spark between them immediately blossoms into an astronomical love, which separates Yarni from her family and friends. But when Des is sentenced to life in prison, Yarni will learn that being a hustler's wife isn't all that easy wit.

Bonus: This edition contains an excerpt from Nikki Turner's Heartbreak of a Hustler's Wife. #1 bestselling author Nikki Turner returns with an explosive new novel about a woman at an emotional crossroads—and the men left in her wake. Isis Tatum knows firsthand the way love can mess up a person. After all, she saw her mother drive a truck through the home of her father’s mistress before killing her dad.

Tracy Brown crafts a tale about a master manipulator and serial survivor, who will scorch earth to get what she wants. The question isn't who murdered her; the question is who wouldn't? Brooklyn Melody James has finally gotten the punishment she deserves after leaving a web of lies, heartache, and betrayal behind her. As her life slips away, Brooklyn remembers the events that shaped her into the cold, calculating creature she became. Brooklyn learned the art of hustling from her parents who used the church to get money.

A young adult novel about inner-city teens who live on a razor's edge and understand that chosen family is just as important as blood. Michie and her best friend Trissa grew up like sisters in a ramshackle duplex owned by their single moms. But now that they're sixteen, their differences in identity and experience have caused a rift. Michie's an introvert obsessed with a book called A Girl's Guide to Murder, and her mom has an organic weed and mushrooms grow-op in the basement.

"Forever and to the end. That's what they say instead of I love you." When Ruby King's mother is found murdered in their home in Chicago's South Side, the police dismiss it as another act of violence in a black neighborhood. But for Ruby, it's a devastating loss that leaves her on her own with her violent father. While she receives many condolences, her best friend, Layla, is the only one who understands how this puts Ruby in jeopardy. Their closeness is tested when Layla's father, the pastor of their church, demands that Layla stay away.

A dazzling novel about a young Black woman who walks the streets of Oakland and stumbles headlong into the failure of its justice system--the debut of a blazingly original voice that "bursts at the seams of every page and swallows you whole" (Tommy Orange, best-selling author of There There) Kiara and her brother, Marcus, are scraping by in an East Oakland apartment complex optimistically called the Regal-Hi. Both have dropped out of high school, their family fractured by death and prison.

Mommy and Daddy foot the bills for their little girl, Kylee Hampton, but if they looked in her closet they'd know she's living larger than her allowance, and beneath the designer clothes, skeletons would be discovered.

By eighteen, Alecia is married and has two children by Minke. Their life is like a fairy tale, until Minke leaves them with nothing. Heartbroken and lonely, Alecia spirals, and must find the courage to change her life.

A summer isn't enough time to get over a true love. Denise just can't shake the feelings she developed for soon-to-be-married Lena. Should she go for what she wants or leave well enough alone?

Serenity is a young woman who has always been curious about lesbian experiences. Denying her urges, she has never acted on any of her impulses until she goes off to college. When she meets Sadie Smith, Serenity gets sucked into an underground world of sex, seduction, and secrets, and her life is changed forever. When Serenity starts a down-low relationship with Sadie, she comes to discover that being possessive is not solely a man's trait. Sadie takes over Serenity's life and pulls her into a web of deceit and lies.