It was the summer of '93, and the weather was almost hotter than the location. But then again, what could be hotter than hell? The Ninth! Some would assume that the steam which rose from the broken sidewalks in front of the brick apartment building justified the neighbor hood's nickname, the Ninth Circle of Hell. The heat wave however, had nothing to do with why people associated Messalina projects with Dante's Inferno. No, that honor went to the infestation of dealers, crack heads, boosters, and hoes. Dope boys handled their business like it was legal, and everyone learned to look the other way. If they didn't learn, then they never got the chance to look again. Life in the ninth operated by the code of the wild, predators ate and prey got eaten. The drug dealers sat on the top of chain. Boosters, strippers and hoes fell somewhere in the middle, while the crack heads and the civilians clung to the last wrung. Everyone knew their assigned roles and no one ever deviated from the script. Cleopatra James, an unremarkable thirteen year old girl, understood better than anyone, her dictated place in the procession. But that didn't mean she accepted the role she'd been given to play.

❝ SHE WANT A RICCH NIGGA, SO SHE CHOSE US. ❞

"You trust me?" he asked, eyes turning soft once they made contact. "Maj, I-I-" "I said do you trust me, Lucky?" he repeated, voice hard. "...yes," she breathed out, and his next words came without hesitation, sending a chill down her spine. "Then shoot."

Forget Jada. Forget Janet. Only one person had his heart till his last breath.

Ermias Asghedom community in Crenshaw came first even if that meant he put his own needs last, while he focuses on rebuilding his childhood neighborhood he is faced with a beautiful damsel in distress and his providing side kicks in to help out the stranger. London Nicole a woman from Crenshaw who made it out with a golden ticket to be an actress in Hollywood, she jumps at the opportunity and never looks back leaving loved ones and friends behind. What will happen when she returns and is the one in need of help will the community turn their backs on her like she did them?

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝟏 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍' 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗'.

-Book 1- The Normal Rules of Love Don't Always Apply, especially when the circumstances around those falling into it are far from normal. Matteo Leone is the head of the notorious Leone Family Dynasty of organized crime, he is cold, dominating, and the most wanted man in the country. There are debts to be paid, murders to be committed, and money to be made: the last thing on his mind is love. That is until he is left facing a life behind bars and he realizes that the best lawyer that money could buy was also a woman who,without much effort, was everything he never knew he needed. Kashera Daniels is one of the most gifted lawyers in the country. With a stellar track record, she is given a case that she quite literally can't refuse. Not knowing what to expect, Kashera leaps into the lions den without knowing that the decision will change her life forever. In the Lions Den time flows differently. Hearts beat stronger and faster. Love is shown, earned, and felt on a scale much larger than outsiders could comprehend. In this space, in this world, will Kashera and Matteo be able to find their way to survive? Or will they be unable to escape the piercing claws of The Lions Den with their souls and hearts unscathed?

Eli isn't your typical girl and this isn't your typical love story. She just wants someone to love her and accept her, flaws and all. © 2017-2018 ™. All rights reserved.

Johanna and Jose are from two different sides of the track, during the time of a power war between the Blacks and the Latinx's the two cross paths in more ways than one. How far are you willing to go to defend who you are? How far are you willing to go for love? What do you do when the two pull you to opposite sides?

Joyful Banks lives in Baldwin Hills, California. Storm Jackson lives in Chicago, Illinois. Despite living miles away from each other they deeply love each other. Distance couldn't make them any closer. At times it gets hard for the both of them. With the disapproval of others, its only worse. But despite all this, will they endure? Will the give out under the pressure and the surprises, or will they weather through this joyful storm?