The Realest Thug I Ever Loved: An African American Romance

Twenty-six-year-old Fayola Robinson is excited about what the future has in store for her. After losing her young son two years ago, she finally found her zest in life again. As a student nail tech, her clientele is steadily growing, and she can't help but count down the days until graduation. Soon, she'll be licensed and doing nails in her own salon suite, as well as rocking the last name of her longtime boyfriend, Meechie. Fayola is excited that Meechie finally proposed to her.

Choosing to ignore his ill-mannered ways and live in the streets, Fayola truly believes that getting the ring will change things for the best. However, all of that comes to a halt when Meechie commits the ultimate betrayal. Fayola is left to pick up the pieces and start all over from the bottom. Determined not to accept defeat, she strives to finish school. Feeling damaged by love, she isn't looking to give her heart to another man anytime soon. That is, however, until Eli Harris comes into the picture and slowly breaks down her emotional barriers.

Eli is sexy, charming, and one of the most notorious drug dealers in the Midwest. He, along with his brother Ezra, run the biggest drug operation in Detroit. Eli prides himself on keeping a low profile, and his two priorities in life are making money and raising his son. He had a woman, but after two years, he came to the realization that he had settled for her. Kicking her to the curb was easy after finding out that she was mistreating his son.

Eli wasn't looking for love after that, and his goal was to focus on his hustle and being a father. However, when he met Fayola, he couldn't help but to be drawn to her beauty and aura. Will Fayola and Eli make each other believe in love again? Or will a dark secret from the past cause the budding romance to end before it had a chance to really begin?