Feeling completely sapped of life, Rain and her daughter move to the suburbs of Fairview, where white picket fences, welcoming neighbors, and immaculate green lawns make her forget the pain she’s running from. Settling into her new life, she can’t stop thinking about the guy who wrecked her car. He’s charming, says the right things, and crashed into her life right when she needs it the most. It’s only natural Mr. Handsome presents Rai with a big, shiny rock to make it picture perfect.
Then a new neighbor moves down the street. Menacing sleeves of tattoos, a permanent scowl, single with no kids—he doesn’t belong in this family-friendly community.
People are whispering.
Doors are staying locked.
Secrets are being shared.
Heart pleasing love doesn’t exist here. It digs a grave and lies in it, whispering untold truths. The quaint town of Fairview isn’t so safe anymore—and neither is Rain.
M.N. Forgy is an International best seller, best known for her romantic biker stories. Living in the country with her family she often finds herself outside reading or writing most of the time. She started creating stories at a young age but never took it seriously until years later, as a stay-at-home mom, she opened her laptop and started writing again. As a role model for her children, she felt she couldn’t live with the “what if” anymore and finally took a chance on her character’s story. So, with her iced coffee in hand and the family dog sharing her seat, she continues to create and please her readers.
“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~Rumi
Lena Montgomery’s time and energy is spent making her dreams of wealth and power a reality, no matter who she leaves in her wake. She’s taken risks, climbed the ladder, and doesn’t intend to take a step back. Her hardline is involving herself with employees, and the last thing on her mind is blurring the lines with a man twelve years her junior. As danger nears, it’s not her mind that wants to break her own rule; it’s her body.
What happens when the lines are blurred? Are you ready for Lena’s story? Hold on tight.
Have you been Aleatha’d?
From New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a brand-new age-gap, forbidden romance, contemporary romantic-suspense novel in the world of high finance, where rules become blurred.
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. 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, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams and bring your imagination to life!
Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted style with an increase in heat.
In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.
In the spring of 2017, Aleatha released her first stand-alone, fun, and sexy romantic comedy with PLUS ONE, followed by the sweet stand-alone, ONE NIGHT.
Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Feeling completely sapped of life, Rain and her daughter move to the suburbs of Fairview, where white picket fences, welcoming neighbors, and immaculate green lawns make her forget the pain she’s running from. Settling into her new life, she can’t stop thinking about the guy who wrecked her car. He’s charming, says the right things, and crashed into her life right when she needs it the most. It’s only natural Mr. Handsome presents Rai with a big, shiny rock to make it picture perfect.
Then a new neighbor moves down the street. Menacing sleeves of tattoos, a permanent scowl, single with no kids—he doesn’t belong in this family-friendly community.
People are whispering.
Doors are staying locked.
Secrets are being shared.
Heart pleasing love doesn’t exist here. It digs a grave and lies in it, whispering untold truths. The quaint town of Fairview isn’t so safe anymore—and neither is Rain.
M.N. Forgy is an International best seller, best known for her romantic biker stories. Living in the country with her family she often finds herself outside reading or writing most of the time. She started creating stories at a young age but never took it seriously until years later, as a stay-at-home mom, she opened her laptop and started writing again. As a role model for her children, she felt she couldn’t live with the “what if” anymore and finally took a chance on her character’s story. So, with her iced coffee in hand and the family dog sharing her seat, she continues to create and please her readers.
Everything they thought they knew is about to change.
In Chaos We Reign, an all-consuming dark romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Amo Jones is out now!
I was the trick that they could never play. She was the greatest game of all…
There was elegance that comes from being carved from the ashes of all the darkness that surrounds you in the world. You start as dust, and you end as dust. At least that’s what I always thought. Crowned Princess Mayhem all my life became old fast, and I found myself forging my iron crown with the blood of our enemies.
To The Brothers of Kiznitch, I was nothing but a little brat that always got my way. I was the sister none of them asked for, but they’d find themselves needing. He was no different. Loving Keaton Cicero was never going to be easy. There was evil within him that would never be accepted.
They thought their over-protectiveness had kept me safe all these years, but they were wrong. Everything they thought they knew, was about to burn around them. I wasn’t someone who needed protecting…
They were.
In Chaos We Reign can be read as a stand-alone, but it is recommended to read In Silence She Screams first to better understand some story points.
Chapter One Cartier Sixteen years old I remember the first time I realized my brother was crazy. I was twelve years old, and I watched him rip the meat off a man’s bones after he kidnapped me and locked me in an abandoned house to play dress-up. The man was a stranger, and even though our family business was risky, it had no connection with Midnight Mayhem or Kiznitch. Yet my glorious brother tore him to pieces with his bare hands and didn’t blink once. Tonight is just like then, only worse. Worse because this is someone I know, and it’s someone who tried to hurt me. Doors slam closed outside, and I stop pouring the cashmere pink bubbles into my bath. Reaching for my phone on the counter, I open Spotify and hit play on “OT” by Niykee Heaton before dipping my toe into the warm water. Bubbles spill onto the dark veined marble floors as I sink deeper beneath the water, closing my eyes in an attempt at scrubbing the night away. I don’t want Kyrin to hear me cry because I know it will only make him worse. I’ve handled this school since my parents dumped me in it when Kyrin threw a fit to keep me away from Mayhem, and I will continue to handle it when he goes back on the road. Right now, I need peace. I need to feel nothing. See nothing. Hear nothing. They say drowning is the most peaceful death, I can imagine why. After being suffocated from oxygen for minutes, you welcome the feeling of numbness. Like now. Void. Stuck between a realm of life and death, I could float and hold my breath until I simply… die. A hand is around my throat, pulling me out of my haze and I swipe water from my face angrily when I resurface. “What the fuck!” As soon as my eyes open, they land on Keaton, one of the four Brothers of Kiznitch. He and my brother have been inseparable since they were born—they all are—but Keaton isn’t like the rest of them. He is simply… different. My mouth closes as I take in his clothes. Blotches of blood litter his designer jeans, and when I finally look up at his face, I find mud and more blood all over his cheek and shirt. The Brothers of Kiznitch have all been my extended brothers, all of them except Keaton. He is nothing like a brother to me, and that’s largely because he has never treated me the same way the other Brothers have. He doesn’t seem pissed about my presence, but not that fond of it either. He has always just existed. For a long time anyway. But I don’t know if I’d call what we share a normal friendship. My stomach always twists anytime I catch him staring, and it’s become more frequent the older I get, but that doesn’t change the fact that we both fight. Fight probably more than any of the other brothers, Kyrin not included. “What the fuck, Keaton?” I glare up at him while leaning back against the curve of the bath, flicking my toe against the faucet to turn the hot water back on. I see him dip to a kneeling position out of the corner of my eye, when his fingers curl around my chin, forcing my face to his. I hold my breath when his eyes settle on mine. Keaton is the scariest of all The Brothers—to everyone but me. Darkness hovers over him everywhere he goes, and no matter what he does, he’ll never be rid of it. Torment swims beneath the surface of his god-like features, and it has always bothered me that I can never take it away. No one can. “Was there anyone else involved?” His voice is low enough to be a warning. I find myself losing my train of thought when I trace the edges of his naturally swollen lips. “No,” I whisper, only it comes out broken from the saliva forming in my throat. He stands back to his full height and kicks off his boots, tugging his shirt over his head from the back and throwing it onto a pile in the corner. “Keaton…” I warn. “If Kyrin—” “—don’t really give a fuck right now, Tigger.” I close my eyes and lean against the edge of the bath, listening as the clink of his belt falls to the floor before a long stretch of silence drifts between us. Just when I think he’s not going to do what he’s going to do, I feel his leg brush mine as he lowers himself into the bath opposite me. Keaton and I have kept each other at a distance, and most of the time I think I’m imagining the things I do. The long stares, brushes of hands, lingering touches. We fight as hard as we clearly care about one another, but it has always been clear. The lines have never been blurred. Until now.
“A killer’s love is as violent as the art in which they take lives.”
Sooooo….I am probably one of the very few of Amo’s readers who has not read this series at all. So why did I read the last book, first?!?! Because I can. And I was not once confused at all.
Maybe it’s because I have read her EKC series so I knew of some of the secondary characters and what they entailed. Or maybe it’s because I have read other books by her, that I knew how dark her writing can be.
Or maybe it’s just the plain and simple fact that Amo is able to right fantastic inter-connected standalones within a series and make each book standout on its own.
Regardless, I gorged on this book from start to finish within a day and it is by no means a small book. I devoured the craziness and chaos that riddled these pages and lapped up every bit of destruction these characters left behind.
I always think I am prepared for what Amo could bring her readers, but she always delivers way more than I can ever anticipate.
And now I must go back and read the previous books and lose myself in the world of Midnight Mayhem.
“She feels like sin wrapped in angel dust.”
Meet Amo Jones Amo Jones is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author whose books have been translated in multiple countries.
She resides in the tropics of Australia with her family, though she’s a born and bred Kiwi who more often than not, misses New Zealand.
Claire Contreras has revealed the cover for Because I Want You!
Releasing: September 15, 2022
Cover Design: Hang Le Designs
From New York Times bestseller Claire Contreras comes a new, sexy standalone mafia romance novel…
Roselyn Vega – When Gabriel De Luca waltzed into the nightclub where I was bartending, looking like he’d just stepped out of the pages of GQ Magazine: Wall Street Edition, it felt like fate.
I hadn’t seen him in ten years, but it felt like no time had passed between us. He’d been my first boyfriend, and I trusted him, so when he asked me how I ended up bartending for one of the most feared crime bosses, I told him everything. After that night, he went MIA, and suddenly, I’m very concerned for both our safety.
When he finally shows up, a week later, he’s acting different, walking different, and even looks a little different, but I’m so relieved that he’s okay that I barely register those things.
A couple of nights later, when he breaks into my apartment in the middle of the night I realize that it wasn’t Gabriel who’d walked into the club the other night, but his brother. His infuriating, domineering, dangerous brother, who, unlike Gabriel, followed their father’s footsteps into the world of organized crime. He demands that I pack my bags and go with him. I refuse, fight and argue, but the thing about Dominic De Luca is that one way or another, he always gets his way.
Dominic De Luca – There’s a code between brothers. I should know. I have a lot of them.
Don’t lie.
Don’t steal from each other.
Don’t f each other’s women *without permission*.
This particular situation made that last one a little less black and white because my brother, my first best friend, the guy who shared a womb with me, failed to tell me that the bartender he’d been seeing was Roselyn Vega. Of course, he wouldn’t tell me. Now the voice message he left before he completely disappeared makes sense. “Take care of her. Don’t f her.”
Usually, that wouldn’t be a problem (read: the code), but it’s a little tricky this time. You see, Rosie was mine before he took her from me ten years ago, and many things have changed during that time. I’ve changed, my circumstances have changed, but my confounding, obnoxious crush on Rosie? Yeah, that’s still the same. He left her in my care and warned me not to do anything, but I’m not making any promises.
**Because I Want You is a complete standalone novel set in the same world as Because You’re Mine and Because I Need You
Claire Contreras is a New York Times Bestselling Author who traded her psychology degree to write fiction. Don’t worry, she still uses her knowledge on every single one of her characters.
She’s a breast cancer survivor (x2), who was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in Florida, and currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband, two adorable boys, and French bulldog.
Her books range from romantic suspense to contemporary romance and are currently translated in over fifteen languages. When she’s not writing, she’s usually lost in a book.
On the surface, Talent has it all. The respect from his city, a successful law firm he shares with his brother, and a beautiful woman by his side. Nothing is as it seems. When the workday is over and the lights go down, the charming and sophisticated lawyer loosens his tie and takes rank in the mob he grew up in.
The elusive Lydia Montgomery changed everything the moment she stepped into his office and his heart a year ago. They navigate the delicate balance between their public and private lives as they delve deeper into the world of organized crime.
As a lawyer, he swore to abide by the law. As a made man, he pledged his life to the mafia.
Mary Elizabeth was born and raised in Southern California. She is a wife, mother of four beautiful children, and dog tamer to one enthusiastic Pit Bull and a prissy Chihuahua. She’s a hairstylist by day but contemporary fiction, new adult author by night.
Mary can often be found finger twirling her hair and chewing on a stick of licorice while writing and rewriting a sentence over and over until it’s perfect. She discovered her talent for tale-telling accidentally, but literature is in her chokehold. And she’s not letting go until every story is told.
I have been patiently waiting for this book to be released and Mary did not disappoint at all.
Criminal is the third book in this series and you must read the previous books to fully grasp all that is going on in this book.
In the first book, Tramp, readers met Talent and Lydia and watched them fall for one another. But their story was far from over and now we finally get more of it. Mary has truly upped her game with this book. We not only get the continuation of Talent and Lydiai’s story, but we are finally seeing how everything is starting merge together.
I will say that this was a bit slow for me in the beginning but around the 40% mark, things started picking up and Mary really started bring the suspense fully into the book. I do wish that romance and suspense blended a bit better, but it didn’t hurt the story too much.
It was great to see Lydia grow a lot in this book; she’s still 100% there but her growth was amazing. Talent has the patience of a Saint but it’s because his love for Lydia is so strong, there is no other choice for him.
I loved seeing all the secondary characters playing bigger roles in this book as we get more of the mafia parts in this book. I am really hoping to see more of Rip and the mafia side of things in the next book (read the novella Kiss of Death to get more on him) along with romance and suspense aligning more together than being separate.
Mary has definitely set us up perfectly for the next book. It’ll be interesting to see where things go next.
“Tijan delivers on the fun, edge, and angst. Her books never fail to please!”―Kylie Scott, New York Times bestseller
The Damaged, the next unputdownable romantic suspense in The Insiders Series from New York Times bestselling author Tijan, is now available!
No longer an outsider, Bailey has a family and love that she never could’ve imagined.
Used to living in the shadows, Kash will now do anything to protect his family and his woman.
They will take on the world together…
In the meantime, stunning motives, lies, and explosive secrets continue to unfold.
1. Quinn is in jail, awaiting trial.
2. Friends might actually be enemies.
3. And what is Calhoun plotting? More importantly, will Kash discover it before it’s too late?
Everything will come to a head as passion and danger ignite in The Damaged.
Excerpt
Swish, swish. The windshield wipers were busy at work this morning. It’d been raining since late the night before, and now there was just a whole dreary feel to the day. Dark and gloomy, matching my mood. It was perfect. Swish, swish. “Are you nervous, miss?” I wasn’t responding, because this isn’t how things were supposed to be. I wasn’t supposed to wake up in the middle of the night and find the bed empty. And I wasn’t supposed to have to be escorted by one of our guards down to the apartment building’s gym to find my boyfriend , the guy I loved, the guy who was so not a secret from the entire world anymore, pummeling a boxing bag so hard that his knuckles ripped open every night. It was not right that I had to stand on the side, waiting for him to fight through his haze before he noticed I was there, and then watch as blood dripped from his hands to the floor. But all of that was happening. Because three weeks after there’d been a kidnapping attempt on me, after he had saved me, everything was just, simply, not okay. To be more frank, everything was shit. And here I was. In the back of an SUV being driven by one of my two personal bodyguards, to a school that I used to daydream about attending, while my boyfriend, that guy I had come to love so much, was heading into his own personal nightmare. Fitz, my guard, clued in on my state and didn’t ask again, but his eyes were on me . He saw. He more than saw, and I knew I’d be getting a call from Kash about two minutes after the first chance Fitz had a moment to text his boss that I was not okay. Because I wasn’t. Today was the day all my dreams were supposed to come true. Instead, I was a week late going to my graduate program and I wanted to be anywhere except where I was going. And I had no say, because the world found out in a big way I was the daughter of Peter Francis, a tech legend that I’d grown up idolizing until I found out myself, this past summer, that he was also my father. And then there was my boyfriend, Kash Colello, whose grandfather was one of the richest men in the world, but that came with strings and dangerous alliances with the dark underground of the world. My boyfriend, with his inherited wealth, now that he had come out of the shadows to the world, and whose “coming out” was even bigger than mine because of his connections and his family, was now the ninth wealthiest man in the world. Life as Peter Francis’s daughter, life as Kash Colello’s girlfriend, was a whole lot different than life had been as Bailey Hayes. There were rules and expectations and lots and lots of people watching you. So no, I was not okay.
4.5 Stars
The Damaged continues right after The Insiders and is a great second book in this trilogy.
We get to see not only Bailey and Kash’s relationship build, but we see Bailey’s relationship with everyone else develop over time. Bailey herself is moving forward, as best as she can but also still trying to come to grips with what happened to her.
Tijan does a wonderful job of building this story and give readers more details about key players in this suspenseful story. There are some filler parts and I understand why they are there, but they don’t mesh perfectly into the story. It doesn’t hurt the story in any way, it’s doesn’t help build the overall story either.
Tijan holds nothing back when it comes to twists and turns in this story. Just when readers think they are getting a grasp on things, another curve ball is thrown into the mix. I love that Tijan keeps the readers right at the edge the whole time.
The Damaged moves at the perfect pace. The story progresses perfectly and the timing of everything is on point. Tijan blends the romance and suspense beautifully and readers are literally left gasping by the end.
The third and final book cannot come out fast enough!
About Tijan 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 later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new series from north Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.
“I can always count on Tijan to write an action-packed, intense, emotional story that will have me invested until the very last page.”—Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author
The Damaged, the next highly-addictive romantic suspense story in The Insiders Series from New York Times bestselling author Tijan, is now available!
No longer an outsider, Bailey has a family and love that she never could’ve imagined.
Used to living in the shadows, Kash will now do anything to protect his family and his woman.
They will take on the world together…
In the meantime, stunning motives, lies, and explosive secrets continue to unfold.
1. Quinn is in jail, awaiting trial.
2. Friends might actually be enemies.
3. And what is Calhoun plotting? More importantly, will Kash discover it before it’s too late?
Everything will come to a head as passion and danger ignite in The Damaged.
About Tijan 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 later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new series from north Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes the final standalone in the bestselling Mafia Royals Romances…
Unrequited Love.
Arranged Marriage.
A love triangle for the ages.
A contemporary mafia retelling of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table.
I will do anything for my family, and as the heir to the Campisi Mafia throne, I fall on my sword and do what’s expected of me—it wasn’t an accident that I was given the name King.
I marry the girl I love—who’s already in love with someone else, and because I’m a masochist, I make him her personal bodyguard.
After all, who better to protect the woman I love than the man she loves?
I have seven days after our wedding to own her—body and soul.
Seven days to show her everything I feel.
But tragedy strikes, and I’m forced to take the weight of the mafia crown on my head.
Now I need my Queen by my side.
I don’t know who’s with me or against me, but I will rule them all with an iron fist and make everyone proud.
As our seven days come to an end, I wonder how I will ever be able to let her go.
“Until it ends,” I whisper.
A tear slides down her cheek. “Until it ends.”
Amen.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!
Ahhhhhh, Rachel!!! This is how you end a series and temporarily end a saga. My heart is heavy yet happy.
When Rachel forewarned many of us in her group that this book would make us cry, I truly had not anticipated the magnitude of that statement. This book rocked me and dropped me to my knees.
Broken Crown is King’s story. If you have read the previous books (which I highly, highly recommend doing before reading this one), then you know who King is – Tex’s son, the next Capo. But his story is not an easy story.
“She may not love. But I vow to love her enough for the both of us.”
Rachel truly allowed King to tell his own story in his own way and it is wrought with so much emotion. I could feel my heart pounding the entire length of this book and even after finishing it, it hasn’t slowed down.
King and Del’s story is one hell of a ride. It is a love triangle, but not one you expect. It is a story of trust, strength and a love that knows no bounds. And that is all I am saying on that.
I thought I was ready for this, but I wasn’t. I’m not. To have 25 stories over 12 years come to a rest….it’s a lot. And Rachel ended it in the only way a mafia saga can end. There’s a lot that goes in this story that brings it all together and only in a way that Rachel can.
“Until it Ends.”
“Blood In. No Out.”
Meet Rachel
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times Bestselling, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 90 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. 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. For more information about her books and upcoming events, visit www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com
I believe that there is one person in this world that can both break us and make us whole. One person who can love us more than life can hurt us. With this comes deep, intense passion, and a burning connection. But in turn, that person can destroy us, cut us, make us bleed in ways no other ever could. They have power over us.
For me, that one person is Dash Black.
He walked into my life in a rush of sunshine, in the darkness of heartache and uncertainty. We were broken apart, and whole together. He healed me. I believed I did the same for him. Until the past became the present, and every moment of suffering in his life consumed him. Instead of seeking refuge in me, he pushed me away. As the famous quote from an unknown author says, “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours; if it doesn’t, it never was.”
I’ve set Dash Black free. Now, I wait.
When I Say Yes is the third and final book in the Necklace Trilogy.
Dash carries me to the bedroom and lowers me to my feet at the end of the mattress. I reach for him, and I can feel his need to feel my hands on his body, but instead of caving to that burn, he catches my wrists again. “Not until I say you can touch me.”
Defiance rips through my body and my chin tilts. “And if I touch you anyway?”
“Then you won’t feel my hand on your ass, baby. Or anywhere else.” He drags me closer, aligning our bodies. “You know what I want. Tell me. What do I want, Allie?”
“Control,” I say without hesitation, but there’s a hint of vulnerability in my voice that I cannot tame. Just as I know I will never tame Dash. And the thing is—I don’t want to. In fact, I want the opposite. I want him unleashed. I want him wild and free.
“Are you going to give it to me?” he presses. “Can you trust me that much, Allie?”
Trust.
That’s the monster that torments each of us in our own minds and yet, we want it from each other, we demand it be given blindly, irrationally perhaps, but it doesn’t seem to matter. So much about how Dash and I approach each other is irrational and yet somehow, we make sense. And so I say, “I already do.”
He turns me to face the bed, one hand cupping the side of my neck under my hair, the other on my waist, his hard body at my back. Dash leans in close and says, “I can be demanding, Allie.”
My mind flashes to the night of our fight back in Nashville, when my hands had been pressed to the front door of our apartment, his hand on my throat, him behind me, thrusting into me. “I know,” I whisper, my skin flushing with the memory and because it’s the truth, now I dare add, “I like it.”
“Do you?” he challenges.
“Beyond reason,” I whisper.
His fingers flex on my neck, seconds ticking by before he replies with, “I used to think I wanted to scare you off, Allie.”
“And now?”
“Now, I pray I can’t.” His teeth scrape my shoulder, rasping roughly.
I suck in a breath at the rough, erotic nip that borders on a bite. He cups my jaw and drags my head back to his shoulder, just enough to angle my mouth to his and lower his to mine. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t try,” he adds. “Nice guys are gentle, Allie. You need to know that I’m not a nice guy.”
“If I’d wanted nice, I would have walked away before we ever started calling me cupcake which was almost the moment I met you, Dash.”
It’s a joke about the nickname I’ve earned with him, but he doesn’t laugh or smile. He brushes his lips over my lips. “You taste like you don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“And you taste like you talk too much, Dash Black.”
He lingers there a moment, his breath rushing over my lips with a promise of a kiss that doesn’t come. Instead, he says, “No more talking. Knees on the mattress, baby.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones writes dark, edgy fiction including the highly acclaimed Inside Out series and the crime thriller The Poet. Suzanne Todd (producer of Alice in Wonderland and Bad Moms) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned a multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a cat that talks too much, and a Golden Retriever who is afraid of trash bags.
Scared to Love, an all-new angst-filled dark mafia romance set from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Siobhan Davis, is available now!
A new dark mafia friends-to-lovers romance from USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Siobhan Davis.
Serena has felt trapped her entire life, living a lie because it was demanded of her.
Years of torture at the hands of her sadistic husband have left her battered and bruised, but not defeated. She needs to stay strong for her children, and she’s determined to reset her future.
The future she has all thanks to Alessandro.
He saved her that fateful night when her husband died, and he continues to save her as she struggles to piece her life back together.
Yet the closer they get, the more it terrifies her because no man has ever made her feel like this.
It can’t work.
She’s too broken.
He’s too young.
And she’ll never trust a made man again.
Women never get under Alesso’s skin—until Serena. They share an intense connection that can’t be ignored, no matter how hard she tries to push him away.
He knows she’s scared. He is too, but she’s worth the risk. Alesso vows to be patient, until danger resurfaces and now all bets are off. Serena needs to understand how much she means to him and he will do everything to protect her.
The situation grows more tense as the DeLucas plot against Bennett Mazzone and the surviving mafia heirs. But Alesso will lay down his life before he lets Serena get hurt again.
Now his walls are lowered, the gloves are off, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
Even if it means letting her go.
This is a full-length 105k-word novel with NO cliff-hanger and an HEA, set in the Mazzone Mafia world. This is the third and final book in this series. For readers who enjoy friends-to-lovers, second chance, reverse age-gap, dark mafia romance. May contain triggers – please read the note at the start of the book.
She slams to a halt, turning to face me. “I would never deliberately deceive you. That’s not who I am.” Fire underscores her tone, and I like hearing it.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I know who you are.”
The saddest expression washes over her features. “If that was true, you wouldn’t be standing here with me now. You wouldn’t be spending time with me each day. You would run a mile if you realized exactly who I am.”
I risk stepping a little closer. “I have known you long enough to know the kind of woman you are, Serena. I’d like to think you’ve known me long enough to know you could tell me anything, and it wouldn’t scare me away.” Reaching out slowly, I take her gloved hands in my bare ones. “I spend time with you because I enjoy it. I want to get to know you better. I want to support you as you deal with the things you need to deal with.”
“Why me? I’m too old. Too broken. I have kids. I come with so much baggage I’m completely weighted down with it. I—”
I can’t listen to her beat herself up any longer, so I place two fingers over her mouth, quietly shushing her as I prepare to negate each of her concerns. “One. You’re not too old, and I’m not too young. Age is just a number, and I refuse to allow stupid societal norms to dictate who I spend my time with or categorize the nature of that relationship. Two. Broken is subjective, and we all have our broken parts, but guess what?” I move my fingers from her lips to her cheeks, silently rejoicing when she doesn’t flinch or shy away. “Broken parts can be glued back together. Three, I adore your kids, and they are the cherry on top. And four, every single person in the world has some kind of baggage. It’s called life.”
Tears glisten in her eyes, spilling onto her cheeks. “You’re not real,” she whispers. “You can’t be.”
My heart aches for her because I see the mistrust and disbelief in her eyes. “I’m real, Rena.” Taking her hand, I slip it under my coat and over my shirt-covered chest, where my heart is currently jumping cartwheels in honor of her presence. “I’m as real as it gets.”
Another amazing mafia romance read from Siobhan. Scared To Love is a standalone mafia romance buy does feature characters from other books within this mafia world. Each and every book can be read completely separately and read in any order. Siobhan does a phenomenal job of keeping things connected between the characters but the stories themselves aren’t interwoven, if that makes sense. I won’t say anything in regards to the plot because even the smallest tidbit, gives away too much. I will say that I had been looking forward to Alesso and Serena’s story from the very beginning and wasn’t let down at all. Their story is a slow burn and I expected nothing less. There’s nothing easy about each of their lives and Siobhan delivers their individual and joint stories beautifully. Scared To Love was the perfect way for me to finish my 2021 reading list.
About Siobhan
Siobhan Davis is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Top 10 bestselling romance author. Siobhan writes emotionally intense stories with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She has sold over 1.5 million books and her titles are translated into several languages.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She lives in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
