“Did you think, for a minute, I might want to be awake for the proposal?” I ask, fluttering my fingers so the huge princess cut diamond on my hand catches the light. His eyes go soft and warm. “I couldn’t risk you running again. There’s a tracking device in there.”

From the moment my twin sister set her eyes on Matteo, she decided he was the one. We were just kids, but that didn’t matter to her. In her heart, she believed they were destined to be together. So when their arranged engagement was announced, no one was surprised. At least, that’s what I thought. But lately, something had felt off. Wherever I went, Matteo was there. Lurking in the dark, concealed in the shadows, always watching.

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.

It was a one-night stand with a bratva boss. I never expected to end up pregnant. Or run into him again three years later at my friend’s wedding. He knows I’m hiding something, but he has no idea that 'something' is his son. Before he can question me, the wedding is ambushed. He forces me to go with him so he can keep me safe. I need to escape so I can get home to my son. Whatever happens, I can’t let him find out about Sasha.

Kane Romano is the most handsome, powerful man I’ve ever met. He’s also the man holding me captive. My asshole of a step-dad found himself on the wrong side of the mafia, and then offered me up in exchange for his life. How does he have the right? I’m 18 years old, and my step-dad doesn’t own me. The problem is, Kane Romano agrees. Everyone knows you don't fight with a Romano, unless you want to end up in an unmarked grave. I should be scared, but every time I look into those dark eyes, I feel safe and protected.

He's powerful, gorgeous, twice my age… and obsessed with me? I might be an innocent runaway, but I’m at my friend’s funeral to avenge her murder by the mafia boss: King. He has other ideas. I should have guessed he’d retaliate with kidnap. Now I'm under his control, still intent on his demise, and honestly so turned on I could cry. When he offers me pleasure, I can't refuse.

It's not a regular party, but instead, my wedding. To Angelo Rizzo. A coldhearted man who's feared by all. Including me. Turns out my stepbrother owes the Cosa Nostra money, and I'm being used to repay his debt to Angelo Rizzo. Do I have a choice? No. Not when it comes to matters concerning the Cosa Nostra. Three hours later, I have a new shiny wedding ring on my finger and a husband I'm terrified of standing by my side. Yep, my life just took a turn for the worse.

Tearing off the gilded veneer of elite privilege exposes the sordid scandals, dark secrets, and taboo desires of New York's jaded high society in this dark romance series from best friends and USAT bestselling authors Zoe Blake and Alta Hensley, writing under their new pen name, Blake Hensley.

I took her innocence as payment. She was far too young and naïve to be betrothed to a monster like me. I would bring only pain and darkness into her sheltered world. That's why she ran. I should've just let her go. She never asked to marry into a powerful Russian mafia family. Unfortunately for her, I don't care. I own her, and after three years of searching, I've found her. My runaway bride was about to learn disobedience has consequences...punishing ones. Nothing was going to keep me from claiming her before the eyes of God and man. She's mine now, and I'm never letting her go.

One wild night gave me more than just regrets. Six years ago, I walked away from Igor Sokolov—New York’s most dangerous Bratva prince—and vowed never to look back. Or so I thought. Now, he’s found me. And worse, he’s discovered my biggest secret: our daughter. Igor doesn’t ask. He takes. With ruthless determination, he drags us back to New York, claiming it’s the only way to keep us safe. Safe from his enemies, maybe. But not from him. He’s possessive, demanding, and dangerously irresistible. And he’s made one thing crystal clear: I’m his.

He doesn't play by the rules. He makes them. The first time Dimitrios Nomikos made me scream his name, I'd run from him and he'd caught me, bared me, and spanked my ass bright red. The second time I was bound to his bed, naked and helpless as this billionaire Greek mafia kingpin who's known me since I was a little girl flipped me over and took me in the most shameful way possible. But I won't be running from him again tonight. Because today he made me his wife. Publisher's Note: The Boss is the first book in the Vengeful Empire series but can be read as a standalone.

I went to a sex club to lose my virginity, but all I got was the attention of a man I should’ve stayed far away from. Nicholas is dark, dangerous, and charming. When he fails to sweep me off my feet, he finds another way to claim me. Now, locked away in his secluded mansion, I either give him what he wants or risk facing his wrath. This is a dark game, and if I’m not careful I could end up dead—if I don’t lose my soul to him first.

Money. It’s the root of all evil and I need it bad. You could call it the wrong place, wrong time. To me the day I met Enzo was the day the old me died. When he kidnaps me thinking I’m the daughter of his enemy, the only thing I can do is pretend to be something I’m not. But the more I pretend, the deeper I fall. Enzo is dark, cruel, and menacing, but he’s protective, fierce, and determined. Soon he wants to forge a contract between our families, making me his bride, but he has no idea I’m not whom he thinks I am and when he finds out … well, I know I’m as good as dead.

I’d played kiss chase when I’d been younger, but never with the devil himself… Never did I dream that my big day would turn into a bloody wedding. Handsome, cruel, and ruthless, Marco Marchiano is the Capo of Chicago and is feared by all. He terrifies me with his darkness, confuses me with his tenderness…and devastates me with his touch. And with this man, I am forever falling.

Konstantin wasn’t the type to be ignored. He commanded his criminal empire with an iron fist but he had secrets of his own. But I was Tatiana Nikolaev. I’d never bend to a man’s will or be used as a pawn. Not again. The moment I tempted the fates and played with fire, life spiraled out of control. My only way of survival was to trust again. But could I?

“Did you think, for a minute, I might want to be awake for the proposal?” I ask, fluttering my fingers so the huge princess cut diamond on my hand catches the light. His eyes go soft and warm. “I couldn’t risk you running again. There’s a tracking device in there.”

He's my brother's best friend... And completely out of bounds... One look from Nathan Davenport makes my heart stutter. Six feet three inches of pure muscle with stormy blue eyes that see right through me. He's everything I've dreamed about since I was sixteen. And snuck glances as he trained with my brother in our backyard. Not that he noticed... He’s the decorated Royal Marine who commands every room he enters. I'm the curvy girl who hides behind textbooks and oversized hoodies. He’s the definition of off-limits–my brother's best friend,...

I wake up chained to the bed of a stranger. He says I’m his wife. I have nothing—no money. No friends. No escape. He’s everything I never imagined: ruthless, calculating, feared. A beautiful monster with a face like a god’s, cold and untouchable. A mafia kingpin whose wealth could buy empires and whose power makes the world tremble. My captor. My husband.

Capo to the Luciano Famiglia was my birthright. The cruelty needed to succeed in this life has been beaten into me since I was a young boy. My father, Vincent Luciano, taught by example and with the slap of his hand. My independent streak took me down paths my father would never have gone. With our enemies gaining strength, it is my idea to attempt an alliance with an unlikely bedfellow. The Roríguez Cartel and the Luciano Famiglia are improbable partners, yet even Vincent Luciano can’t deny the possible benefits. The only way to solidify the deal is for me to marry Catalina Ruiz.

The rules of the Hunt: The prey will have a ten minute head start to run and hide.

At the signal, the hunter will enter the woods. The Hunt has begun.

If the prey isn’t captured before midnight, she gets $10,000.

If she makes it until dawn, she gets $100,000.

But if the hunter catches her, she’s his for the night.