Urban Books’ popular Girls From da Hood series is back, bringing readers 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, family bonds are put to the test. Jakki and School Boy are more than first cousins; they’re best friends and partners in crime with a reputation for getting theirs by any means necessary. The pair are ultimately forced to defend not only their family name but their loyalty to each other. With both wanting to stand at the head of the table, Jakki and School Boy feud, proving that there’s definitely no honor amongst thieves—family or not. Sanaa, a well-known gambling house owner, is at the top of her game, but after she decides to inject phony currency into her business, all hell breaks loose. Guns are drawn and opposing forces take sides. Luckily for Sanaa, her father and her brothers are well versed in the operations of the underworld. With millions of dollars still to be claimed, all the wolves come out, and the hunting season begins. Will the love of that mean green shatter families and friends, or will the players prove that money can't buy everything? With a gritty and promiscuous reputation, Star is indeed her mother’s child. When she meets Rello, a low-level hustler selling dreams of a better life, Star jumps at the opportunity to lock him down. However, when the connect’s package comes up short, Star’s lies start to unravel, and the true intentions of this wannabe wifey-to-a-kingpin are revealed.

In the third installment of the runaway hit series Girls from Da Hood, street fiction veterans KaShamba Williams and Mark Anthony are joined by newcomer MadameK, as they turn up the heat with fiery stories that will leave readers breathless.

Three Urban Books authors have teamed up to bring the drama in this latest installment of the popular Girls from da Hood Series. Get It, Get It! by Ms. Michel Moore: Monica was conceived on a pile of dirty clothes in the corner of a trap house. Cursed with a mother who worshiped the crack pipe more than her children, she quickly learned a Detroit reality: Get it how ya live or die trying. The young teenager is forced to beg, borrow, and steal to make sure she and her siblings survive to see another day. Cutthroat and conniving, Monica will make it, no matter who she has to step on or step over. You Can’t Break Usby Treasure Hernandez: Voodo and his girl, Moni, are inseparable. Like a modern Bonnie and Clyde from the hood, they let no one, even family, get in their way. When the people they do “around the way” business with turn out to be verified snakes, the ruthless couple gets revenge the only way they know how—street justice. With the law in hot pursuit, it’s Voodo and Moni against the world, just like they always knew it would be. So Far Gone by Katt: Sometimes love is the best feeling in the world, but the wrong kind of love can turn you into an entirely different person. When good-girl-turned-bad Renee gets together with Keithon, it’s them against the world, until the streets get to talking and their fairy-tale relationship turns into a full-blown nightmare. Karma steps in and has her way with the couple, and their lives will never be the same.

Two Essence® bestselling Urban Books authors have teamed up to bring the Motor City drama in this latest installment of the popular Girls from da Hood Series. All the Way In, by Treasure Hernandez: Born into the struggle, Sonya and Melody are far from living the good life. They’re missing meals, have no clean clothes to put on their backs, and are forced to sleep in abandoned houses. There are zero possibilities in sight for a legal come-up for either young woman. The desperate teens have no choice but to beg, borrow, and steal if they hope to survive on the savage streets of Detroit. In a twist of fate, the pair link up, adapting a bloodthirsty, anything-goes, what’s-yours-is-mine attitude that they inflict upon all with whom they come in contact. Sonya and Melody are made of no sugar, no spice, and definitely nothing nice! Escaping a Thug’s Love, by Ms. Michel Moore: The Dexter Linwood Area is one of the most notorious neighborhoods in Detroit. Sable and Mike Mike were both born into that pure madness. When they fall in love, the young couple soon becomes DLA royalty, and they embrace all the chaos that comes along with it. Whenever he rocks, she rolls. If she hustles, he grinds. Their gangsta lifestyle is picture-perfect until Mike Mike starts popping pills and getting high on the regular. Soon, bills are not getting paid, vehicles are being repossessed, and shutoff notices become the norm. The last straw is when Sable’s jewelry mysteriously comes up missing. Now, the hood princess wants out of their toxic relationship. Will Mike Mike let her go?

Details the lives of three women in Brooklyn--Disaya, Jada, and Londa--trying to find their way out of their troubles by any means possible.

A radiant debut novel about stumbling through the early years of adulthood—and a love letter to the role models who light the way. Like so many other recent graduates, Dawn West is trying to make her way in New York City. She’s got an ex-boyfriend she can’t quite stop seeing, a roommate who views rent checks and basic hygiene as optional, and a writing career that’s gotten as far as penning an online lawn care advice column. So when Dawn lands a job tracking down the past winners of Charm magazine’s “Ten Girls to Watch” contest, she’s thrilled. After all, she’s being paid to interview hundreds of fascinating women: once outstanding college students, they have gone on to become mayors, opera singers, and air force pilots. As Dawn gets to know their life stories, she’ll discover that success, love, and friendship can be found in the most unexpected of places. Most importantly, she’ll learn that while those who came before us can be role models, ultimately, we each have to create our own happy ending.

Essence bestselling author Brenda Hampton headlines this edgy fifth instalment of stories from three of Urban's best writers. Readers will be clamouring for more stories of tough, street-smart women - who boldly navigate life in the hood, a 'man's world'. Stories include 'Trick, Don't Treat' by Brenda Hampton, 'Queen Pynn' by Keisha Ervin and 'Breaking Down a Brickhouse' by Edd McNair. Each tale features tough, resilient women who cope with drugs, murder and mayhem, whilst showing the men what they're made of.