Ashley Elizabeth has revealed the cover for Betrayed in the Dark!
Releasing October 21, 2025
Betrayed. With one letter, that’s what he did to me, irrevocably splitting my heart down the middle, causing everything we once shared in secret to become nothing more than a distant memory. One I try desperately to forget. So, imagine my shock when my brothers stood before me to tell me who my new bodyguard would be while I fought back tears, pretending my heart had never belonged to him. And only him. Especially since another man’s ring now rests on my finger. Yet, every moment spent in his presence makes it harder to stay away. Every secret embrace makes it nearly impossible to remember why I should hate him. Even though I never could. But as lines get crossed and feelings threaten to unravel everything, there’s one thing I must remind myself: This wedding is happening, whether I want it to or not. There’s just one problem. The same man who is doing everything in his power to stop me from walking down the aisle is the one I’m ultimately doing it all for: Eli Lyon.
Ashley Elizabeth is an author of steamy contemporary romance. Her books will always tell a love story with just the right amount of spice and, most importantly, end with a happily ever after. When she’s not reading a romance novel or overthinking everything, you can find her at Starbucks, keeping them in business, or watching Jurassic Park for the thousandth time with her fur baby, Bailey.
A dark single dad, forbidden, mafia romance from USA Today Bestselling author Jane Henry
Vadka Dragunov—Bratva executioner, cold-blooded strategist… and my dead sister’s husband.
The man who built his empire in blood and protected it with silence. The man with a stare that holds me hostage—and a voice that cuts straight through me. I’ve avoided him, and the way he makes me feel, as I’ve wallowed in my own grief following my sister’s death.
But now there’s no escape. I’m living in his world. I’ve been targeted. The Irish want war. And the only safe place left is under his watch… or under him.
He’s a single father now—haunted, vengeful, and dangerous. A man who reads bedtime stories with the same blood thirsty eyes that promise death and retribution. The man who would raze the world to keep his son safe.
He thinks I’m reckless, chaotic, unpredictable. I was only a child when we first met. But he doesn’t see me as one anymore.
I see what he hides beneath all that control—the obsession simmering just below the surface. The way he watches me like he wants to equally destroy and devour me.
And now the same loss that tore us apart is now pulling us together.
I wasn’t supposed to end up in his bed.
But the Bratva is splintering. The Irish want blood. And I’m spiraling – holding a secret that could end it all while falling for the man I can’t have.
Is there a future for Vadka and me, or will the secrets between us cause another tragedy?
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Unbroken is definitely the most emotional book in this series so far.
If you read the previous book, we were left on a cliffy with Vadka losing Mariah, Ruthie’s sister.
Vadka, now a single dad, and Ruthie are now trying to navigate a world without Mariah. On top of dealing with grief, working through very emotional feelings these two share alot with one another and grow closer. And then the Irish attack.
I like that readers can empathize with Vadka and Ruthie as they navigate their loss and you see things start to come to reality for them in how they feel towards one another. I will say that Ruthie’s was easier to accept than Vadka’s but you could see he was not replacing Mariah with her sister.
Jane does a great job of blending the suspense of the Bratva and the relationship growth in this. I love how the plot of this book just helps move the romance part of this story along and yet doesn’t get lost either. This family is not one to mess with and you can visualize that with every book.
And that ending – oh I have quite a few thoughts on what we get next but I will not spoil anything.
A dark single dad, forbidden, Bratva romance from USA Today Bestselling author Jane Henry
Vadka Dragunov—Bratva executioner, cold-blooded strategist… and my dead sister’s husband.
The man who built his empire in blood and protected it with silence. The man with a stare that holds me hostage—and a voice that cuts straight through me. I’ve avoided him, and the way he makes me feel, as I’ve wallowed in my own grief following my sister’s death.
But now there’s no escape. I’m living in his world. I’ve been targeted. The Irish want war. And the only safe place left is under his watch… or under him.
He’s a single father now—haunted, vengeful, and dangerous. A man who reads bedtime stories with the same blood thirsty eyes that promise death and retribution. The man who would raze the world to keep his son safe.
He thinks I’m reckless, chaotic, unpredictable. I was only a child when we first met. But he doesn’t see me as one anymore.
I see what he hides beneath all that control—the obsession simmering just below the surface. The way he watches me like he wants to equally destroy and devour me.
And now the same loss that tore us apart is now pulling us together.
I wasn’t supposed to end up in his bed.
But the Bratva is splintering. The Irish want blood.
And I’m spiraling – holding a secret that could end it all while falling for the man I can’t have.
Is there a future for Vadka and me, or will the secrets between us cause another tragedy?
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.
Not all monsters hide under the bed. Some guard your heart while plotting your ruin.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a gripping standalone mafia romance set in the electrifying world of the Eagle Elite series.
Welcome to your final dream.
Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.
I promise. Just close your eyes.
Sleep.
Grief has five stages, they say. But in the mafia, there’s only one: survival.
The day I buried my boyfriend, the Families replaced him with the man who rejected me four years ago—Ace “Matchstick” De Lange. Cold. Calculated. Deadly. He has the bedside manner of a serial killer and the looks of a fallen angel. And now, he’s my shadow, ensuring I don’t end up in the grave beside the man who died for me.
I despise that I’m the one left behind. I loathe how Ace provokes me, pulling me from the abyss of my sorrow. But most of all, I hate that the only piece I have left of my dead boyfriend is something others would kill to possess.
When Ace uncovers my secret, there’s only one solution: marriage to the devil himself to protect the legacy of the one who had no choice.
I vow never to love him. He promises he’ll never love me.
He’s a means to an end—the only one who can stand against my father and live to tell the tale.
He claims his life is mine, but I don’t want it.
I tell him I’ll never be his.
Ace’s response? A chilling, “We’ll see.”
But what happens when everything you believed was a lie? When the only one who can free you from your nightmare threatens to drag you deeper into the darkness?
Some families are tested and break under the weight of the mafia. The De Langes broke… then gathered the pieces and rose.
Diving into RVD’s mafia series is akin to coming home – a home filled with chaotic love and fiercely protected.
Little Nightmare is the second book in the Rise of the DeLanges series, a spin-off from her Eagle Elite series. You need zero prior knowledge to that series or her other spin-off, Mafia Royals, but you will have the need to read them after you finish this one.
Ace & Raven are from two different families within the mafia and had a previous run-in that left some bitter, unresolved issues. And now, Ace finds himself as Raven’s bodyguard. What could ever possibly go wrong!?
Rachel delivers a story that’s riddled with snarky interactions and two individuals dealing with their own struggles. Ace stole the limelight for me in this story though. His character arc was written so incredibly well, it became impossible for me to not feel everything he went through.
Little Nightmare is a fantastic second book in The Rise of De Langes series. While I felt the ending was a bit rushed, the majority of this book was perfection.
Previous readers of Rachel’s mafia books will know exactly what to expect in her books. New readers will get to experience her intense, darker side of writing and see why so many of us live by the quote, “Blood In, No Out.”
Meet Rachel Van Dyken:
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 100 books ranging from new adult romance to mafia romance to paranormal & fantasy romance. With over four million copies sold, she’s been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable sons, naked cat, and two dogs.
New York Times bestselling author Tijan delivers a bold romance about two people wrestling with emotional trauma, thrown into a deadly—and heated—power dynamic when the mafia comes after them both.
Every bride dreams of her wedding day.
Today was supposed to be that day for me, except it’s not me marrying my college sweetheart.
My best friend is doing that. Or, well, my ex–best friend.
Instead, I’m over a thousand miles away, riding the subway in a city where lost people come to dream.
Me—I’m just hoping to distract myself from my heartbreak.
That is, until I met Jake Worthing.
Grumpy.
Hot.
A total jerk.
Did I mention hot?
Also, extremely presumptuous.
Just because I look like I’m a thought away from a total meltdown does not mean I need an ambulance.
He had the audacity to ask if I needed medical treatment.
Well, good riddance to him.
I don’t ever have to see him again.
Except, well, I do when I’m taken to the police station for a total misunderstanding.
He walks in and…gah. He’s the same that I remember from our first meeting.
Brooding. Still gorgeous. (The universe is not fair sometimes.)
He’s stirring up emotions that I didn’t know were still inside of me.
Then someone tries to shoot him and I’m a witness, and…er, how is it that I’m the one being kidnapped?
And by Jake?
Now I’m heated for a whole different reason.
If I get myself out of this captive situation, I’m going to reign down my own destruction starting with Jake Worthing.
I just have to survive first and, also, not get my heart broken. Again.
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Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing after college and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Fallen Crest series, Ryan’s Bed, Enemies and others. She is currently writing many new books and series with an English Cocker she adores.
From USA Today Bestselling Author Jane Henry comes a dark Bratva stalker romance.
Anissa Laurent is a ghost—a master of deception, a woman who has slipped through the cracks of the underworld. Untraceable. Untouchable. Unclaimed. Until me.
I made it my life’s mission to find her, drag her back where she belongs, and punish her for her betrayal.
I traced every false identity until I found her, but I took my time. I studied the way she breathes, the way she moves, what she loves, and what she hates.
She thought she could run. She thought she could hide. She thought she could get away with betraying my family.
But I’m not a man who lets go of what’s mine. She was meant to be broken, to be owned, meant to carry my mark in the most primal way possible. I won’t just take her body—she’ll have my baby, too.
But I didn’t expect her to be as broken as I am. I didn’t expect her to fight like she has nothing left to lose. And now, I don’t just want to cage her—I want to own her.
She’ll curse me. She’ll hate me. She’ll claw and bite and scream my name in fury and in pleasure. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Because there is no escape from her past… and definitely not from me.
What to expect in Unhinged:
Stalking
Kidnapping
BDSM
Breeding kink
Caging
A snarky AF heroine and OTT alpha hero
Found family and a guaranteed HEA
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Jane Henry has quickly become one of my favorite mafia/Bravata authors.
Matvei and Anissa are exactly what this title says, Unhinged. They both excel at their jobs and have some very unusual tastes.
Matvei has been looking for Anissa ever since she shamed his family. Anissa has been hiding out under the protection of the Irish mob, but once a deal is settled between the Russians and the Irish, Anissa is free game – she just doesn’t it.
I loved how everything played out and how these two played the ultimate game of cat and mouse. But it’s once these two find some common ground, secrets and lies unfold and they find themselves fighting more than just each other.
Jane wrote this story flawlessly. There is zero pause in the intensity, and the spicy scenes are perfection. Jane does not hold back on anything and it just make this story all the more intense.
Matvei and Anissa are one of my favorite couples in this series and that is saying something because I have thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series so far. I am overly excited for the next book.
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.
A standalone enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, dark Bratva romance from USA Today bestselling author, Jane Henry
Semyon Kopolov. Gorgeous and formidable. My childhood crush and brother’s best friend.
They call him the Ice King—cold, ruthless, unforgiving. He’s the reason my mother’s dead. Now he’s my husband.
Once he was my protector. The boy who carried me when I fell and swore to shield me from monsters. Until he became one.
Forced into marriage, I’m trapped with the man I swear I’ll never forgive. But the harder I try to escape, the harder I fall. My body betrays me, and my heart whispers lies. I tell myself he’s not the boy I once loved, Yet I’m forced to face my greatest fear: I’m falling for my enemy.
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Jane has done it again!!! These books get better and better.
This can easily be read as a standalone. However, you will want to go back and read the first two because this book will have you wanting to.
The blurb is all you need to know going into this book. Jane does a wonderful job with character development and creating that tension between them. The memories were a perfect addition and helped add another layer to the story.
I really enjoyed the blend of the Bravata dangers with the romance elements and the family values. Jane weaves all of this so well and keep readers engaged the entirety of the story.
I cannot wait to see what she brings next in Unhinged.
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.
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)
Arranged marriage, age-gap, forbidden, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Romeo and Juliet vibes, dangerous romance
The Roríguez cartel is spinning out of control, tragedy putting the alliance and our future in question.
I’m Emiliano Ruiz and throughout the last few years, I’ve witnessed my sisters being doled out to members of the Luciano Mafia. The cartel has also taken famiglia women. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Luciano famiglia’s turn to take a bride.
My mind is set—it’s my turn.
I never imagined marrying a young bride until I caught sight of Isabella Luciano. She’s only eighteen, and with her long yellow hair and her big dark eyes, she’s a vision to behold. She sees me through the tinted lens of her father’s hatred.
Carmine Luciano’s distain of the cartel and the alliance isn’t a secret. His opinion won’t stop me. I’ll prove to Isabella that even bad men can be good husbands.
No matter what her father says or what happens in our war, Isabella will be mine.
Have you been Aleatha’d?
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD 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.
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!
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!
Arranged-marriage, love triangle, forbidden Mafia/cartel romance
Reinaldo Roríguez.
Emiliano Ruiz.
Both dangerous, deadly, and powerful. Both second-generation soldiers proving themselves in the Roríguez cartel. Both, forbidden.
I try not to think about 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. I’d have to be blind not to notice their bulging muscles, sharp jawlines, and strikingly dark stares. However, it’s their deep voices that call to me in my dreams, waking me in a sweat, wondering which one I’ll answer.
Even in slumber I’m torn between them.
It’s all a fantasy.
There will never be anything between either one of them and me. A war is coming to our world, brought to the Luciano famiglia because of the alliance with the Roríguez cartel. Dario Luciano, my guardian, wants me far away from Kansas City, safe and secure.
To disobey him would be my first mistake.
Falling for either of the two hottest men I’d ever known would be my second.
Besides, I’m Jasmine Renner. The cartel would never approve of me, a stray without the last name Luciano, to marry one of their princes. I’m not a Mafia princess and life isn’t a fairy tale.
It’s best for me to go back to university in New York and forget about both of them.
If the cartel demands a second bride from the famiglia, would they want me, a stray? Which man would I chose? Will the choice be mine? Or will this war destroy everything we know?
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.
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!
Meet Jane
