First published 2022
Marcus Williams keeps two worlds carefully separate. By day, he's a straight-A student in his Chicago high school's gifted program. By night, he fights underground matches in abandoned warehouses, earning cash to support his mother's medical treatments. When a local boxing promoter discovers Marcus's raw talent, he offers a contract that could change everything—but accepting means exposing the fights his family knows nothing about. Marcus must choose between a potential professional career and the fragile stability he's constructed, knowing one wrong move could unravel the delicate support system keeping his family afloat. The ring becomes a battleground not just of physical skill, but of survival and sacrifice.
Genres: contemporary, sports, action, family-drama
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Chicago
Period: 21st-century
160 pages · Paperback · Walker Books
Content warnings: violence