Natasha Pile

Knowledge Toussaint was exposed to a fast life of grittiness. Being forced to maneuver through a life based on survival at the tender age of ten, he depended on a mother whose life was driven by addiction. All it took were two bullets to change Knowledge's life forever. When he was forced to leave his mother behind, he was taken in by one of the most prestigious hit men in Miami, Booney. As Booney leads Knowledge through an underworld of darkness, he also shines light by teaching him how to play the game of life called 'Chess.'

It's summer in New York City, and a sweltering heat wave stifles the area. The entire city is on edge. Tensions between the Hasidic and Black communities of New York have been steadily escalating since a tragic incident a few weeks ago left a Black teenager dead. Then, two rabbis are killed in a gruesome attack at their synagogue. Meanwhile, FBI agent Janet Maclin has dreams of finally being appointed the FBI's first female director, when she is diagnosed with stage IV cancer and given four months to live.

A tragic beginning to life led Jah and Shauka Disciple to homelessness and poverty at such a young age that they grew into men before their time. Yet, they turned their hunger, abandonment, and suffering into diamonds, mansions, and power. The natural hustler instinct they’d inherited from their father was their driving force. Yet, this story starts when Messiah turns 18 and is finally freed from his adoptive parents. Reluctantly, he leaves his twin sister behind as he, Jah, and Shauka run the streets and break yearning hearts along the way.

Millicent “Mill” Brown is not the perfect mother, as she runs her apartment as a trap house on the Southside of Chicago. However, when Mill’s apartment is raided, and a deal goes wrong, Mill is arrested and watches Mrs. Ross, the Director of the Department of Children and Family Services, take her children away.

Assad Black, alpha protector and leader of the Black Mayhem Mafia, does whatever it takes to keep his family safe. When he meets Scarlett Graham, he extends her the same grace. Winning her in a poker game to secure her freedom, Assad doesn’t expect having her in his possession to open a rabbit hole of problems for him. Used to being used and abused by the men in her life, Scarlett finds it hard to accept Assad’s help as genuine. As she waits for the day he reveals what she considers to be his true colors, Scarlett falls for the beast of a man who sees beyond her beauty.

This is the story of how a nerdy, homeschooled kid in the church choir named John Stephens became the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling, genre-pushing pop star we know as John Legend. For a long time, he led a double life—excelling as a star student while his home life was in shambles, working in corporate America as a financial consultant while moonlighting as a musician in nightclubs, always straddling a line between the person he was and the person he wanted to be. These are his Words + Music.

Brandy has influenced the last quarter century of pop music and helped define the R&B legacy of the ‘90s and ‘00s with seven rich, innovative albums. She’s an esteemed vocalist who along the way had to manage the pressures of teenage fame, young superstardom, and self-doubt. These are her Words + Music.

Not having Krucial was the last thing she needed amongst everything else she was already dealing with. But how will the troubled beauty deal this time, without the protection she's used to, and with so many people gunning for her...even the people she loves? Not to mention the men who now see her as free game. The other couples return as well, with one realizing that no matter how hard they try to stray from one another, it's nearly impossible. And the other, let's just say they've gone from lovers to downright enemies, while still vying for the bond they once shared.

Lux Rose is the deadliest female assassin in the country. Killing is in her blood, but it is also her best-kept secret. An arranged marriage is in place to ensure Lux has the contacts needed to continue killing, but when murders start happening close to home, Lux realizes she has to keep her loved ones safe while she weeds out the enemies.

When her path led her to the middle-of-nowhere Virginia, she found the perfect place to hide. A woman on the run, Maya had no business befriending anyone, let alone allowing herself to become involved with a man...especially after her last experience. Even so, she couldn’t help but become obsessed with the bruised, battered, and beautiful killer who walked into her life.