Showing results by narrator "L. Steven Taylor" in All Categories

The first family of Miami, the Diamonds, are back and more ruthless than ever. When the family has to deal with the sins of the father, karma comes back and rests on the shoulders of Carter “CJ” Jones II. The life his father never wanted for him calls him, and the allure of family tradition sucks him in so deep that he falls victim to the game. This story shows the second coming of a king and solidifies the cartel family tree in the roots of the streets forever.

Three stories about one story... The God Particle is told out of chronological order and follows three main interrelated stories. Hitwomen Egypt, Asia, and Persia arrive at an apartment to retrieve a briefcase for their boss. A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but not necessarily in that order. Warning: There will be blood.

Joey Diamonds is on the verge of being a “made” man, with ice-cold blue eyes that pierce through the hearts of women...and men. After being disowned by his Mafia family, losing the love of his life, and realizing the world at large is his enemy, Joey throws extreme caution to the wind on his journey of self-debauchery in the name of fame and fortune. The Purple Don is the story of how self-destruction is never simply an internal state, and everyone around can be destroyed in the process.

Netta lays in a hospital bed in a coma, fighting for her life. She comes face to face with her own bad karma as she tries to untangle herself from the web she has woven, wanting to free herself from the streets. However, it may be too late to get out of the game alive. The odds are not in her favor - Netta is forced to face the consequences of her actions and pay the wages for the sins she has committed on the streets. She may be done with her past, but her past isn’t done with her.

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.

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: After the tragic death of Yanna's husband at the home of his longtime mistress, Yanna's teenage son is forced to step up and fill his father's shoes as the household's sole meal ticket. The straight-laced student soon links up with an unlikely partner in crime. Also featuring "Party Girls" by Clifford "Spud" Johnson and "Do or Die" by India Johnson-Williams.

Urban Books' popular Girls from da Hood series is back, bringing listeners 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, Redd, Nikki-Michelle, and Erick S. Gray deliver the stories with their trademark flair. Like a hood-rich Bonnie and Clyde, Candy and Raynail have their hands on all of the drugs that run through the veins of Westwood. When Raynail is set up to take the fall for a crime he didn't commit, Candy goes on a mission to take down everyone involved.

The love story with a hood flavor is back, but there is still no happy ending for Halleigh and Malek. Their situation has just taken a turn for the worse. Halleigh has been kidnapped by Malek's adversary, who's holding her for ransom. Malek only has 72 hours to save her, or she will be gone forever. With the help of Scratch, a seasoned junkie with a soft spot for Halleigh, Malek terrorizes the city to get his true love back. Will Halleigh make it out alive, or will she finally fall victim to the game.

In the latest installment of Treasure Hernandez's super hot series, the intensity heats up even more - more drama, more sex, more lies...more Flint! Ever since fate sent them down separate paths, Halleigh and Malek have been trying to work their way back to the innocent love they once shared. Now they're finally together again, but the rough streets of Flint keep threatening to tear them apart. Halleigh's life is hanging in the balance, and Malek has been knocked from his throne as the king of the city. Things are getting deep.

Urban Books' popular Around the Way Girls 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. Growing up poor and biracial, Shannon never quite fit in. Not truly accepted by either side of her family, the confused teenager turns to the one thing that loves her back unconditionally - the streets. With a bottle of liquor at her side and a worthless mentality in tow, Shannon allows the local strip club and the pole to become her new family.

Malek and Halleigh were once innocent high school sweethearts, but their lives changed drastically when they were separated by tragic circumstances and sucked into life on the streets. Now Malek has risen to the top of the drug empire and is running things after Jamaica Joe’s murder. His rival, Sweets, has left town, so Malek has things under control on both the South Side and the North Side. When Halleigh finally escapes from the clutches of Manolo, her pimp, she and Malek are reunited. For a while, things are running smoothly, and Halleigh and Malek are like well-respected hood royalty—until Halleigh grows bored with her life hidden safely away in the suburbs.

In Knucklehead we meet Marcus Hayes, a Black law student who struggles, sometimes unsuccessfully, with the impulse to confront everyday bad behavior with swift and antisocial action. The cause of this impulse is unknown to him. When Marcus unexpectedly becomes involved with the brilliant and kind Amalia Stewart, her love and acceptance pacify his demons. But when his demons return, he is no longer inclined to contain them.

Korey Taylor, a.k.a. "Killa Korey" and his ace, Hammer, were sentenced to serve two decades in federal prison, but after an unexpected change in the crack cocaine sentencing laws, Korey is released. Now he's on his way home to Charlotte, North Carolina. Like Hammer, Korey is a thug with a violent nature, nothing to joke around with in the cold streets. However, while serving his time, Korey took classes that he hoped would help him become someone other than a drug dealer. Armed with a new way of thinking and a deep desire to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Korey wants to wave goodbye to the game.

The Romeo and Juliet of the streets are still struggling to find their way back to each other after fate has cruelly separated them. In order to move up in rank on the streets of Flint, Malek knows that he's going to have to deal with some jealous players, but when he's forced to go up against players on his own team, the rules change. Halleigh, on the other hand, learns that everything isn't always how it seems. Those who she thought had a foot on her neck, keeping her held down and imprisoned, are the same ones who might be able to help her escape.

It is the end of days. A nuclear strike hits New York. Alfie, a young black male, survives but with no memory of what has happened. The only thing he can remember with any clarity is how to play his guitar and a few snatches of old blues and folk songs. Another survivor, Meg, has taken refuge in the hills of Vermont, and she, too, is the victim of near absolute amnesia. Her only hope is to survive these darkest of days.

In 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 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.

Trap Kitchen is more than just a cookbook. It's a glimpse into the meals that have now become famous in the LA streets thanks to the series of pop-up restaurants that continue to bloom throughout the area. Celebrities and residents alike flock to the locations for soulful meals, but it's more than that. Having lost friends and family to violence, we learn how the masterminds behind Trap Kitchen sought to change the paths they were on, using cooking as their driving force.

Teen sensation Melissa Jones is dragged into a world of conspiracy and violence when her boyfriend is shot dead by police. Melissa joins forces with unlikely allies in a desperate search to uncover the shocking truth behind his murder. Her unlikely allies include a newly elected senator who refuses to be compromised by a wealthy donor, a conspiracy theorist who believes the worst of all enemies has infiltrated the corridors of power, and a Black Lives Matter leader who seeks justice for her brother's murder.

Malek Johnson's hustle is the basketball court, and he's the best Flint's projects has ever produced. He's on his way to the University of Michigan, but not for long, because all the NBA scouts say he's destined for the pros after a year or two of seasoning. Malek finds love in the super fine girl everyone calls Halleigh, and he promises her that he will take her out of the hood.

"That's right! You are 100 percent guaranteed to succeed in any aspect of life when you never give up!" Percy Miller is living proof of the truth and power of that statement. He was born and raised in poverty, but today he's a successful multimillionaire. In this book, he shares the wealth wisdom that he has gained through his life's journey.