Eight years ago, Rae Mitchell left Glencoe, Georgia without a goodbye. No note, no explanation, just a suitcase full of ambition and a heart too full to stay. She was supposed to outrun the memories. The whispers. And especially Khalil Reed, the boy who once made her believe in forever. But now she's back. Her grandmother's unexpected fall pulls her home, and with no job, no apartment, and a scandal she's still trying to forget, Rae has nowhere else to go. Glencoe hasn't changed, but Rae has. And so has Khalil. Once her first love, now the man she ghosted, Khalil isn't interested in forgiveness or small talk. He's running a business, raising his teenage sister, and trying not to care that Rae's name still hits him like it used to. In a town where everyone remembers who you used to be, Rae must confront what she left behind-family, friendship, and the one person who never stopped waiting for her to come home. But some wounds don't stay buried. Some love never really leaves. And some promises are made to be broken... until they aren't.

"She never asked to be chosen second. He never asked to love soft." Ka'Lani Simone Harris spent her whole life watching boys pick her brownskin twin, Imani, first. Every text, every glance, every "you cute but..." - it all ended the same. But when Juelz Amir Thompson steps into her world - quiet, tattooed, hood-smart, and realer than any man she's known - he flips her entire mindset. Only... Ka'Lani ain't sure if he really sees her, or just another shadow of her sister. Juelz got demons. A past that moves quiet but dangerous. And love? That shit was never part of the plan. But Ka'Lani pulls something out of him nobody's ever touched - not his exes, not his block, not even his blood. Now the city watching. Girls throwing shade. Secrets resurfacing. And his enemies? They don't like seeing him soft. But love like this? Ain't soft. It's bold. It's bruised. And it refuses to be background. This ain't no fairytale. This is hood love

Spoiled mafia prince Nicco Vitale never intended to fall in love until his personal assistant, Aria Senarath, stole his heart and shattered it to pieces. Following their painful breakup, they both resign from Jackson & James and move on to work at different banks. Nicco climbs up the corporate ladder to become the CEO of Danmore, and Aria is promoted to Director of Asset Management at J.M. Weiss. Years later, not knowing the full story, Nicco still believes that Aria betrayed him even though she never stopped loving him. When Nicco chances on an opportunity to acquire J.M. Weiss as a subsidiary, he doesn't hesitate to re-insert himself back in Aria's life. Nicco intends to make her existence a living hell. Sparks fly, chaos ensues, and, soon, these ex-lovers find themselves back in each others' arms against their will. They must join forces to overcome greater scandals and take down a very dangerous enemy. Will Nicco ever learn the truth about Aria's love for him? Or will he push her away before she can win his trust again? Season 2 of Nicco WARNING: This story contains mature themes, strong language, and depictions of violence that may be upsetting for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Niccolò Vitale is a spoiled mafia prince. From early on, Nicco has known that he will be heir to his parents' billionaire-dollar empire. At twenty-four, his life centers on all play and very little work, and he wants to keep it that way. When his ex-mafia boss of a father, Alessandro Vitale, forces him to give up his easy playboy lifestyle and take on a high-stress job at their family's investment bank, Jackson & James, in London, Nicco has no intention of sticking around and plans to escape his stifling new responsibilities at the first opportunity. Until, that is, Nicco meets his match in Aria Yue Senarath. Twenty-year-old Aria is Nicco's personal assistant at Jackson & James. She's smart, competent, beautiful, and everything Nicco never knew he wanted in a woman. In time, the two embark on a forbidden office romance against their better judgment. But, as things heat up between the unlikely lovers, Aria's head goes to battle with her heart as she tries to protect Nicco from her dark past. Will the spoiled mafia prince be able to save his princess? Or will Aria become the first woman who breaks Nicco's heart? Season 1 of Nicco WARNING: This story contains mature themes, strong language, and depictions of violence that may be upsetting for some readers. Reader discretion is advised. *** Book Three in the Devil's Playground Series. Nicco is a spin-off of Diavolo, featuring Elyse and Alessandro's son, Nicco Vitale, as the main lead. It can be read as a stand-alone.