From International bestselling author Maggie Cole comes her highly anticipated secret society, deliciously dark, next-generation Mafia series about two lifelong friends. Sean O’Malley Jr. and Zara Marino have a similar obsession with their fathers’ secrets, but discovering the truth requires them to surrender to each other and the unknown of their Underworld vows.
If secrets and lies, desires and denials, bonds and betrayal didn’t exist, Sean O’Malley would stay my friend forever.
That’s not the case.
There are two things we’ve always wanted but were off the table.
First: The truth about our fathers.
Second: Each other.
So when a mysterious man shows up with a branded skull on his hand, speaking in riddles about an Underworld he claims we’re meant to reign in, it’s too tempting not to get sucked into the forbidden.
Even if it means sinking deeper into the darkness, testing all our boundaries, and clinging to the friends we used to be and the vows we’re now bound to for eternity.
Bride by Initiation is a standalone with interconnected characters, and book one of The Underworld series. This dark, secret society, Mafia, friends to lovers, forbidden, first real love, marriage pact romance is not meant for the faint of heart. Expect violence, taboo, and graphic scenes.
Lots of new-to-me authors recently and I am loving it!!
Why has no one told me about this author before now?!?! Maggie Cole, you have just earned yourself a new fangirl!!
This series is apparently a spin-off from another series she wrote, but I can tell you I had no idea and you need zero prior knowledge to absolutely enjoy this book.
Bride by Initiation is an intriguing and gripping dark mafia/secret society romance. Sean and Zara are both on a quest to find out about each of their father’s secrets and it takes them down a path neither anticipated.
Maggie has written a brilliant story with an engaging plot, great characters with a storyline that flows at the perfect pace. I love the story plays out in perfect timing and she blends the dark with the suspense and romance in such a spectacular way that you can’t out the book down.
I devoured this book in one sitting and has left me wanting more about this whole secret society and what is to come in future books. Zara and Sean get their ending but you know there is more to come with others.
Maggie Cole is committed to bringing her readers alphalicious book boyfriends and fiercely strong heroines.
She’s been called the literary master of steamy romance. Her books are full of raw emotion, suspense, and will always keep you wanting more. She is a masterful storyteller of contemporary romance and loves writing about broken people who rise above the ashes.
Maggie lives in Florida with her son. She loves tennis, yoga, paddleboarding, boating, other water activities, and everything naughty.
Her current series were written in the order below:
All In (Stand alones with entwined characters)
It’s Complicated (Stand alones with entwined characters)
Brooks Family Saga (Read in order)
Behind Closed Doors (Read in order)
Mafia Wars (Stand alones with interconnecting plot and entwined characters)
Mafia Wars New York (Stand alones with interconnecting plot and entwined characters)
From USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Bella Matthews comes an Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Sports Romance.
Killian St. James was the boy I loved. Now he’s the man I love to hate.
To the world, I’m America’s sweetheart. A brand built on fairy tales and love songs that sell millions. But the truth? I’m not sure I believe in happily ever afters . . . At least not for me.
Burned-out and desperate for a break, I return to my hometown, craving quiet and a tiny taste of freedom. But instead of peace, I find a stalker in the shadows, paparazzi on my heels, and a meddling family with their own ideas about my life.
Everyone insists I need protection, and having my new bodyguard pose as my fake boyfriend makes total sense . . . Not that they asked me. If that’s not enough, did I mention that Killian is all too happy to volunteer for the job?
This MMA champion is brooding, relentless, and inconveniently perfect at keeping me safe. He’s also unimaginably gorgeous, with a quiet confidence that’s even sexier than the ink tattooed on his golden skin.
But as lines blur and sparks fly, I’m left wondering if the boy I once loved could be the man I can trust with my life . . . and my heart.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
When I say I devoured this book, that is no lie. I stayed up way later than I should and ignored a few responsibilities because I was so captivated by this book.
I have been reading Bella’s books for a bit now and I love that not one book has ever read the same or repeated any of the same plots. I love how I feel something different with each one and absolutely adore every character.
Lilah and Killian’s is a bit more angsty than previous books, but there is a reason for that and I loved every bit of it. And due to that angsty, there isn’t as much spice as others, but again – it’s what makes each book different and why each story hits so differently.
Bella nailed this one perfectly and delivered another phenomenal book in an amazing series. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading them in order just to get the true nature of how everyone is tied together.
Meet Bella
Bella Matthews is a USA Today & #1 Amazon Bestselling author. She is married to her very own Alpha Male and raising three little ones. You can typically find her running from one sporting event to another. When she is home, she is usually hiding in her home office with the only other female in her house, her rescue dog Tinker Bell by her side. She likes to write swoon-worthy heroes and sassy, smart heroines. Sarcasm is her love language and big family dynamics are her favorite thing to add to each story.
From Wall Street Journal bestsellers L.J. Shen and Parker S. Huntington comes a twisted second-chance romance between a prince haunted by a dark secret and his reluctant Sleeping Beauty.
Oliver
I don’t usually trap women with amnesia into marriage.
But I guess there’s a first time for everything.
When the woman of my dreams falls into my lap, I can’t help but wonder what else she can do in that position.
She’s here. In my house. At my mercy.
And she thinks we’ve been lovers the entire decade we spent apart.
Briar and I have always been unfinished business.
Now it’s time to seal the deal.
Briar
I’m marrying a beautiful monster.
A crooked fraud. America’s wealthiest bachelor.
He claims we’re in love, yet all I taste in our kisses is hate and lust.
I don’t remember why or how.
But I do remember he’s the enemy.
Now, I’m stuck inside a nightmare.
And Oliver will do anything to keep me in the dark.
Authors’ Note: My Dark Prince is a standalone enemies-to-lovers Sleeping Beauty retelling, in which a damaged billionaire with a dark past and his childhood sweetheart fall in love—literally. It is set in the decadent Dark Prince Road universe.
Like many who have been reading this series, I was not expecting anyone but Frankie to be paired with Oliver. Oh, how we were all so incredibly wrong and these two authors proved why.
Briar is the perfect and unexpected match for Oliver in so many ways. The amnesia trope can easily go wrong when not written properly, but Leigh and Parker wrote this beautifully and I love how it all played out.
I want to say so much but don’t want to ruin anything accidentally. My Dark Prince is wonderful romantic story with quite a few tropes that readers will love seeing intertwined and coming together so perfectly.
Parker S. Huntington is a stay-at-home dog mom from SoCal, where she discovered her allergy to rain.
In spite of her shoddy attendance record and strong aversion to homework, she earned a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside and an A.L.M. in Literature from Harvard.
When she’s not writing or exchanging food pics with her friends, she’s binge-watching an unhealthy amount of Netflix while curled up with her dogs.
Parker hates talking about herself and is (also) allergic to social media, but you can catch up with her in her newsletter or through the occasional TikTok video.
L.J. Shen is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary and NA romance. Her books have been translated in over twenty different countries. She hopes to visit all of them.
She lives in a picturesque beach town with her family, pets and inner demons, and enjoys reading, traveling, cooking and spending time with her grumpy cat.
I spend my days locked in a black-market nightmare, held captive by a twisted mastermind who considers me his prized possession. My only form of human contact are the victims in the next room, each of whom disappears faster than the last.
Everyone leaves…except me.
Then I hear him—Isaac. Brash, elusive, and haunted, he isn’t anyone’s idea of a hero. Separated by a wall, our faces hidden, his voice cuts through the darkness, becoming my only hope. He’s driven by vengeance, bearing scars as dark as my own. Despite his rough edges, a fragile bond forms between us—a lifeline.
Isaac might be my best chance of escape, but time is slipping away. Breaking free will mean outrunning both our pasts, and in this twisted game, the cost of freedom may be more than we can afford to pay.
Appearances deceive. Choices have consequences.
And some consequences? They are irreversible.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
I have literally stared at my computer for a few hours, trying to gather my thoughts on this.
All I have is – this book is a MUST READ. That’s all I keep thinking. So I am sure you are thinking, but why 4 stars and not 5 stars if it’s a MUST READ?
Well this book is marketed as a dark romance and while there are some romantic aspects to this story, I would be hesitant to call it a dark romance. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this story and the elements surrounding it, but I felt a bit letdown in the romance area.
Jennifer and Chelley deliver a suspenseful story that has some very dark elements that keeps readers engaged throughout the entirety of the story. This is what I loved most about this book – sitting at the edge of my seat, impatiently needing to know what happens next.
Overall, this is a great dark, suspenseful story. Just don’t expect too much in the romance area.
Meet Jennifer
Jennifer Hartmann resides in northern Illinois with her own personal romance hero and three children. When she is not writing angsty love stories, she is likely pondering all the ways she can break your heart and piece it back together again. She enjoys sunsets (because mornings are hard), bike riding, traveling, bingeing Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and that time of day when coffee gets replaced by wine. She loves tacos. She also really, really wants to pet your dog.
Chelley St Clair writes love stories full of emotional grit, often featuring broken, morally questionable characters who find their way to redemption.
Obsessed with learning and trying everything, she’s had careers ranging from gang intervention to zookeeping. After decades of collecting unusual experiences, she’s found her calling as a writer, weaving bits of everything into her imaginary worlds. Living in Tennessee, nature and the Southern U.S are frequently at the heart of her work.
Both are dangerous, deadly, and powerful. Both are second-generation soldiers proving themselves in the Roríguez cartel.
Both want me.
Of course, I wasn’t told until it was too late. That’s the way things work in the famiglia. My fate is up to Dario Luciano, my guardian.
He doesn’t care the way the men make me feel. How when I’m near them, the air crackles and my skin warms with stinging electricity, stirring something deep inside me that never before existed.
One fills me with desire, twisting my insides.
The other recognizes my need to be loved, filling me with a comfortable warmth.
By the time I learn that both have requested my hand, a deal has been brokered.
Neither man from the Roríguez cartel will have me.
I’ve been promised to another, the son of Dario’s sworn enemy.
Will I have any say in my future?
What will happen to the alliance between the Luciano famiglia and the Roríguez cartel when tragedy strikes?
Have you been Aleatha’d?
QUEENS AND MONSTERS is a stand-alone dangerous Mafia/cartel romance in the “Brutal Vows” series. Each arranged-marriage story is filled with the suspense, intrigue, and heat you’ve come to expect from New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig.
This was quite the wild ride and I loved every minute of it.
These books need to be read in order because there is an underlying plotline happening throughout each book. Each book does focus on a particular set of characters, but they all play into the underlying plotline, which just adds to the overall story.
Aleatha really knows how to write these mafia stories that keep readers engaged the whole time and flipping pages quickly. Her storytelling just pulls you in and leaves you wanting more.
Queens and Monsters truly showcases how well Aleatha intertwines the mafia/cartel worlds and how they “cater” to one another, when it fits their goals. There is so much going on but it’s never confusing to the reader and it all blends so seamlessly.
The blurb gives you all need to know going into this. I won’t spoil anything by attempting to give you any rundown of what happens in this book or any small parts because I loved seeing things unfold without any knowledge of anything but the blurb beforehand.
I am loving this series and cannot wait to see what she brings us in the next book.
Meet Aleatha Romig:
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Together with her high-school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years, they’ve raised three children. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns or her new lighter side, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!
When fiction meets fantasy it’s not all fun and games..
I don’t just dream about possessive anti-heroes.
I crave them.
The dark, dangerous ones dripping with Bratva energy, the ones who claim you with a single look and make the world kneel at your feet just to keep you safe.
“Touch her and die…”? I live for it.
“My wife…”? My favorite.
It’s all a harmless fantasy.
Until it’s not.
I’ve built an online following fan-girling over book boyfriends just like him.
And he knows it. The only problem? Rodion Kopolev doesn’t just embody the dark anti-heroes I love…he is one.
So when his obsessive focus lands on me, I feel like the heroine in one of my books.
His possessive words claim me.
His dominant touch brands me.
And when I try to run, he chases…
But when the threats of my past creep closer and I need protection from a dangerous stalker, Rodion is the devil willing to protect me… for a price.
Turns out, when the fantasy becomes reality, it’s not so harmless after all…
Please note: Untamed is a standalone dark romance with a strong, fierce heroine and an unapologetically obsessive, jealous, and possessive alpha anti-hero. No OW drama, no cliffhanger, always a hard-won HEA.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
This book had me all-in from the get-go. Hook. Line. Sinker.
Jane wrote this book flawlessly. From the characters, to the storyline, to the undeniable burning chemistry and how it played out and along with the plot. Jane merged all of it with impeccable plotting and it flowed beautifully.
Rodion and Amber were an absolute perfect match for one another in so many ways. The banter, push & pull, and hot-as-sin scenes (and not just those *ahem* scenes) it just added to the intensity of this book.
Let’s not forget this is a MAFIA romance. There is no shortage of drama & action as Rodion is out to prove to his brothers that he’s not the slacker they think he is.
I love this one so much more than the first & I’m excited to see what Jane delivers in the next books.
Highly recommended!!
Meet Jane
Fueled by dark chocolate and even darker coffee, USA Today bestselling author Jane Henry writes what she loves to read— character-driven, unputdownable romance featuring dominant alpha males and the powerful heroines who bring them to their knees. She’s believed in the power of love and romance since Belle won over the beast, and finally decided to write love stories of her own.
He’s a single dad starting over in a new town. She’s a relentless flirt with a penchant for trouble, ten years younger than him, and the babysitter. What could go wrong?
Eve has just graduated from high school, but she doesn’t know what’s next aside from working at the local motel, spying on Kyle, her neighbor, and stealing apples from his orchard. If she doesn’t figure things out soon, she’ll be stuck at home and treated like a child forever.
Kyle is a single dad and the new football coach who needs a babysitter for his adorable son. When he meets Eve, there’s an instant connection because she reminds him of someone—himself. But Eve is the preacher’s daughter, off-limits, and Kyle has already had his heart trampled by his ex.
After earning his son’s affection with her homemade apple sauce and youthful spirit, Eve asks Kyle to teach her things like driving his fishing boat and shooting his hunting bow. Despite his better judgment, he agrees, but swears Eve to secrecy so no one gets the wrong idea about them.
Their playful banter and innocent flirting crosses a line, and Kyle misses the heartbreaking secret Eve’s hidden in plain sight.
When tragedy strikes, can they find their way back to each other?
The Apple Tree is a standalone in the Sunday Morning series by USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Jewel E. Ann.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
I know this will sound completely biased, but there isn’t anything by Jewel that I will not devour and love wholeheartedly.
Jewel’s writing is unbelievably captivating and no matter what the storyline, characters or overall plot, readers are enthralled with the entirety of the book.
Eve and Kyle’s story is quite the emotional yet hilarious journey that makes me smile and brings tears to my eyes at the same time. There is so much that these two endure, that I was really wondering, “will they get their HEA?”
I won’t say much more on this book. Jewel delivers another phenomenal and realistic story that readers will not be able to put down once they start.
Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.
There are vampires in New York City. Turns out, they’re everywhere.
I went in to find my best friend. Ophelia disappeared without a trace after going to one of those elusive Red parties. Turns out Red parties are where vampires feed on willing humans, and where some people vanish, never to be seen again.
I went to that party for answers. What I found was a dangerously gorgeous vampire with tattoos, piercings, and a legacy as dark as the shadows he moves in—Ares Hunt. He insists I’m in way over my head. Maybe I am. But when I refuse to give up without a fight, Ares makes a proposal: he’ll help me find Ophelia, but in return, I have to pretend to be his fiancée so he can infiltrate his father’s inner circle. His father, a powerful vampire, is at the heart of these Red parties, and Ares is desperate to bring him down.
Suddenly, I’m living in a world I barely understand—wearing a massive engagement ring, sharing a penthouse with Ares, and mingling with the vampire elite. Pretending to be Ares’ fiancée turns my entire world upside down. With every passing day, our business arrangement begins to blur. Ares is intoxicating. He’s a man born of darkness, filled with venom that equals my need for vengeance, but I see the protective man hidden beneath the rough exterior. He helps me face my demons. He makes me feel like I belong. And when he kisses me for the first time?
I realize Ares was right – I am in way over my head.
A note to readers: Vengeance and Venom features spicier content, more explicit language, and darker themes than Keary Taylor books of the past.
VENGEANCE & VENOM is available in Kindle Unlimited. You can also grab the audio version on Audible, or the hardback on Amazon.
You’re just going to leave us hanging like that!?!? That build-up and then the perfect pace that literally leaves us begging for more…
First and foremost, you can absolutely read this book with zero prior knowledge to any of the other books in this universe. Keary does a great job of describing this entire word in this book so you have an idea of what encompasses the universe, but doesn’t take away from this series and particular world.
Vengeance and Venom – they are out to get their own justice and answers but never expected to need the other. Nor to find solace and romance in one another.
Keary starts this series incredibly well and gives readers the slow-burn and perfect building blocks to what will be another phenomenal series. I enjoy the background of the Born and how they came to be. The history of Venom and his family and how all other families work together.
I want to say so much more, but want readers to experience this story the way I did – with very little knowledge except what the blurb says.
Keary delivers another heart-pumping , fast-paced paranormal story in her Blood Descendants Universe. I cannot wait for the next book.
MEET KEARY TAYLOR
Keary Taylor is the USA TODAY bestselling author of over forty paranormal, sci-fi, and contemporary romance titles. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where, from a young age, she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She lives on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a new forced proximity, single dad romantic comedy. This steamy, laugh out loud, enemies-to-lovers, small town standalone romance is now available in all formats and delivers the perfect happily ever after. One-click your copy today!
What does one do when they completely blow an interview?
If you’re me, you pick up a one-night stand with the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen…
That’s right, after a lousy interview that could have changed everything for me, I headed over to the local small town bar to sulk when the one man I shouldn’t want walked in. And when my friend convinced me to take him back to my hotel room, I didn’t think about it, I just did it . . . well, I did him.
It was an unforgettable night, but I didn’t stay for breakfast. Instead, I got out of there and tried not to think about him again.
Everything was fine until I received a call from the interviewer saying I got the job as the assistant baseball coach at Almond Bay High. I’d be working directly under the one and only Ryland Rowley–my one-night stand.
Now, I’m not only working with him but renting the apartment above his garage. And I have to deal with the fact that he’s the man I dream about and can’t have while not letting my attraction get in the way of keeping the harmony between us. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
It should have been, except the plan falls apart when my shower breaks, and night after night I have to slip into his house to use the bathroom only to find him in the kitchen, staring me down with those hungry, single dad eyes.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
Never miss another NEW RELEASE, text READ to 474747.
From USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Bella Matthews comes a Single Mom, Marriage Of Convenience, Hockey Romance.
You’d think a romance author would know better than to fall for her fake husband. It’s the oldest trope in the book . . . literally. But it turns out writing it and living it are two very different things.
The plan was enticing—marry hockey’s hottest player so I could receive my inheritance and give my daughters the life they deserve. I’m already a single mom at twenty-five—how hard could it be?
Well . . . the answer is harder than you think because Leo Sinclair is so much more than I bargained for. Six foot, four inches of toned muscle and golden skin wrapped around the most perfectly chiseled jaw and dangerously charming smile. I knew he’d be hard to resist . . . but it’s not just his looks that weaken my resolve.
It’s the way he wins over my daughters with ease.
The way he sees through my defenses and quiets my fears.
The way he says “my wife” like he means it.
Suddenly, this arrangement doesn’t feel so fake. And I’m no longer sure which of us is playing pretend.
But when love wasn’t part of the deal, will saying “I do” turn out to be his biggest regret—or mine?
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
The books in this series just get better and better!! And the titles for these books are absolutely perfect for each story.
Leo Sinclair has my heart. We saw him as this funny man in Tempting, but he showed as whole other side in Enticing. This man will pull at your heartstrings and have you wanting more of him with each turned page.
Addie has been through quite a bit and her girls are her world. She’s an extremely fierce heroine and will stop at nothing to protect her girls.
I love how this story unfolded. Addie’s daughter’s were a perfect addition and just added another layer to Leo and Addie’s story.
Bravo, Bella! Another smashing hit.
Meet Bella
Bella Matthews is a USA Today & #1 Amazon Bestselling author. She is married to her very own Alpha Male and raising three little ones. You can typically find her running from one sporting event to another. When she is home, she is usually hiding in her home office with the only other female in her house, her rescue dog Tinker Bell by her side. She likes to write swoon-worthy heroes and sassy, smart heroines. Sarcasm is her love language and big family dynamics are her favorite thing to add to each story.
Meet Jane
