Hood Rat Series by K'wan

Hood Rat (n.): A woman of questionable repute, one who has been known to "get around" in the 'hood.Yoshi is young, fine, and larcenous. She lives her life playing on men's hearts as well as their pockets. She learns the hard way that all that glitters isn't gold. Billy, a former high school basketball star, is at the end of her rope with the opposite sex. To her, all men are dogs, so she secretly seeks comfort in the arms of women, until she meets a man who makes her reevaluate her feelings... moreHood Rat (n.): A woman of questionable repute, one who has been known to "get around" in the 'hood.Yoshi is young, fine, and larcenous. She lives her life playing on men's hearts as well as their pockets. She learns the hard way that all that glitters isn't gold. Billy, a former high school basketball star, is at the end of her rope with the opposite sex. To her, all men are dogs, so she secretly seeks comfort in the arms of women, until she meets a man who makes her reevaluate her feelings. Reese is an around-the-way chick, trying to keep up with the Joneses. There's a revolving door on her bedroom as she tries to find the love she always felt was missing. Her promiscuity leaves her pregnant from a one-night stand and Reese is faced with the task of breaking an age-old cycle, passed down from mother to daughter in her family, and standing on her own. Rhonda is twenty-something with three kids, by three men, and riding the system all the way to the bank. To her, work is a dirty word; between the multiple checks she gets from the government, and the games she plays with men, she's living the life of a ghetto superstar. The game soon turns ugly when one of her "sponsors" snaps and decides to get some payback.Harlem has never seen four friends as scandalous as these. The neighborhood will never be the same again. less

Only the strong survie on the streets of Brooklyn. And while Dena Jones definitely has what it takes not only to survive but to succeed, she wants out. And she's determined to make it out of Crooklyn. She's determined to make it out of Crooklyn by any means necessary and doesn't have a problem manipulating men to get what she wants. Just ask her boyfriend Lance, or his girlfriend Michelle.True has finally made it... moreOnly the strong survie on the streets of Brooklyn. And while Dena Jones definitely has what it takes not only to survive but to succeed, she wants out. And she's determined to make it out of Crooklyn. She's determined to make it out of Crooklyn by any means necessary and doesn't have a problem manipulating men to get what she wants. Just ask her boyfriend Lance, or his girlfriend Michelle.True has finally made it. His debut album has the streets going crazy and is threatening to spill over into the mainstream. After the murder of his group, his jump off and almost his dreams, True's life is finally starting to look up, until karma catches up with him. Somebody wants him dead and he doesn't know why, or does he?Jah and Yoshi's was supposed to be a romance straight out of a story but there are no such things as fairy tails in the ghetto. Her position as a stylist keeps her in the mix and in the company of some industry heavyweights. Jah tries to be understanding but he can't help but to wonder just how much he can trust his girlfriend. He had promised to love her regardless of her past but in addition to wondering whether his girlfriend is creeping with her clients Jah has got a bigger problem. Someone is trying to kill True and its his job to make sure that doesn't happen. less

Since she was a little girl, Tionna's on and off addicted mother taught her to get hers by any means necessary. Tionna's heart is as cold as a December chill, but she holds a warm place in it for Duhan, the father of her two sons, and her on-again-off-again boyfriend since they were teenagers. Duhan becomes her knight in shining armor until the government turns their dream into a nightmare... moreSince she was a little girl, Tionna's on and off addicted mother taught her to get hers by any means necessary. Tionna's heart is as cold as a December chill, but she holds a warm place in it for Duhan, the father of her two sons, and her on-again-off-again boyfriend since they were teenagers. Duhan becomes her knight in shining armor until the government turns their dream into a nightmare. With Duhan behind bars and everything she loves seized she finds herself starting over in the same neighborhood she swore she'd never come back to.With two kids, a man in prison and no back up plan, Tionna is once again living by her wits in order to maintain the lifestyle she'd become so accustomed to. Back in the thick of things with her best friends Gucci, Boots and Tracy, she finds herself rediscovering her old life and suddenly begins to wonder if she's really cut out to be a prisoner's wife. less

In the Frederick Douglass Housing Projects, the name Butler is synonymous with drama. From the cigarette-selling grandmother, Ms. Pat, to little Ashanti, who can't seem to stay out of trouble, there's always something going on with the Butlers - especially Jada. With five kids by five men, Jada is the poster child for a failing system. But when Uncle Mookie comes home from prison and hooks back up with his old partner, Fish, Jada finds herself challenged as heir to the throne of ghetto antics... moreIn the Frederick Douglass Housing Projects, the name Butler is synonymous with drama. From the cigarette-selling grandmother, Ms. Pat, to little Ashanti, who can't seem to stay out of trouble, there's always something going on with the Butlers - especially Jada. With five kids by five men, Jada is the poster child for a failing system. But when Uncle Mookie comes home from prison and hooks back up with his old partner, Fish, Jada finds herself challenged as heir to the throne of ghetto antics.Malika is a young, single mother living in public housing and trying to make the best out of what she has to work with, which isn't much. From educated parents who turned their backs on her for becoming a teenaged mother, to the older man who wants nothing to do with her or her son, to the gang-infested projects she tries to protect her son from, Malika has had it rough. Things finally start to look up for her when she meets a man named Teddy who promises to give her the world and make an honest woman of her. The only problem is that he s already married.Gucci is back in New York and has become somewhat of a local celebrity thanks to her fiance Animal's new found success. Animal went from a street punk to a rising star in the music industry. Gucci is beyond thrilled when she finds out that his promotional tour will be bringing him back to New York, but what she doesn't know is that it's more than music bringing him back to the city he was once forced to flee.After her apartment is mysteriously burned down, Tionna is relocated by the Section 8 program to a plush high rise in Upper Manhattan called The Marquis. Aside from the occasional drama with some of the girls in the building, Tionna is finally starting to pull her life together. But when a ghost from her past shows up, things suddenly become complicated.And what would a Hood Rat novel be without Don B.? Between he and the artists signed to Big Dawg Entertainment, they have a total of five songs on the billboard top twenty charts, and the Don is making money hand over fist. He thinks that his life can't get any sweeter - until someone tries to take it. There goes the neighborhood...again. less

When three young friends, Porsha, Frankie and Sahara, decide to sublease an apartment from a mutual acquaintance, life becomes one big party for the girls. But the party comes to an abrupt end when they find out they've been fleeced for their money and an eviction notice is taped to their door. They have seventy-two hours to come up with the money or be tossed into the streets by the city marshals... moreWhen three young friends, Porsha, Frankie and Sahara, decide to sublease an apartment from a mutual acquaintance, life becomes one big party for the girls. But the party comes to an abrupt end when they find out they've been fleeced for their money and an eviction notice is taped to their door. They have seventy-two hours to come up with the money or be tossed into the streets by the city marshals. Armed with various schemes, they set out to try and stop the eviction and find themselves caught in the crossfire of a bloody war between the Notorious Clark family and a new player in the game.Meanwhile the police are still searching for the killer known only as The Animal, while his former lover Gucci tries to put the pieces of her life back together. When all is said and done, all parties involved will discover something about Animal and his abduction that no one was prepared for.There goes the neighborhood, again!One of Library Journal's Best Street Lit Books of 2011 less