Alessandra has never believed in safety. Life never gave her a reason to. Pain carved her childhood, silence became her armor, and trust? That was a luxury she could never afford. So when she runs -- bloody, broken, and barely breathing, she doesn't expect saving. She certainly doesn't expect to be taken in by a family dripping in wealth and power and. . . warmth? A mother who refuses to give up on her. A father who watches like he's waiting for her to let him in. And six brothers. Rough. Protective. Complicated. Brothers, who don't know what to do with a sister who won't speak. She doesn't know how to trust. How to believe that maybe not everyone wants to hurt her. Every instinct tells her to run. To shut down. But they don't let her go. Not when she flinches. Not when she hides. Not even when she breaks. Happiness is for other people, or that's what she believes. But when love comes wrapped in gentle patience and fierce protection, when hands reach for her without demand, when hearts break themselves wide open just to hold her... she starts to wonder. Can a girl stitched together with silence and fear ever belong in a family built on love? Can she stand tall when the ghosts of her past refuse to let go? And when danger claws its way back into her life, threatening everything she's come to know... will she find her voice, or will she shatter all over again? Trigger Warnings: Child abuse. Violence. Addiction. Panic attacks. SA. Self-harm. Death, and more.

Raised to be holy. Born into something far more dangerous. Seventeen year old, Evienne Ellery spent her life preparing for heaven. Sent away to a secluded boarding school in the Swiss Alps by distant, unfeeling adoptive parents, she was raised by nuns and priests to be obedient, submissive and small. Behind stone chapels and cold classrooms, Evienne learned early that love was conditional, punishment was holy, and suffering was something to be endured quietly Her future was simple: be good, be faithful, and one day do her duty-marry a man who would secure her family's interests. Her life was planned. Controlled. Perfect. Until it wasn't. When everything she knows collapses, Evienne is torn from the only world she has ever known and sent to live with her biological family-six brothers who are loud, vulgar, violent, and unapologetically criminal. They don't pray. They don't obey. And they certainly don't believe in God the way she was taught. They believe in blood. With them, she learns the truth of who she really is: The lost princess of one of the most powerful mafia families in the world. Her brothers have been searching for her for years, and now that they've found her, they refuse to lose her again. In their world of power, crime, and betrayals, Evienne learns that love doesn't always look gentle-and protection often comes with a body count. But as old family feuds resurface, enemies close in, and the past she was hidden from begins to reach for her, Evienne is forced to confront an impossible question: What happens when the people you love will never be welcome in heaven-and you're no longer sure you want to go without them?

Marley Stone has always been sheltered, kept close, quiet. Her five older brothers are everything she's not: powerful, brave, untouchable. In their world, loyalty is law, and secrets are better left buried. But when cracks begin to splinter the glossy surface of their world, Marley starts to notice things she was never meant to. Lies buried in protection. As the truth unravels, Marley must decide: protect the brothers who raised her, or confront the darkness they've tried so hard to hide. Highest rankings: #1 in dysfunctional family #1 in sibling rivalry #1 in thriller #1 in teen romance #1 in crime

Tara Sinha grew up learning how to survive alone, never asking for more than life gave her. She doesn't believe in forever, doesn't trust promises, and doesn't expect anyone to stay. Yet, despite her guarded heart, she has an instinctive softness-she tends to people, cares for them, and helps even strangers, often without realizing she's giving away pieces of herself. Vedansh Singh Rathore owns the world-but has lost the people who mattered the most. Power, fear, and violence surround him, yet his heart remains untouched, sealed behind ruthless walls built from loss, responsibility, and blood-soaked loyalty. When fate intertwines the path of a girl who trusts no one yet cares for everyone, and a man who fears nothing but feels too much in silence, their worlds collide-not softly, but dangerously. This is not a love story that blooms gently. It is one that breaks, heals, tests, and transforms. Because when an orphan meets a mafia king- love is not the first thing they find.

At twelve years old, Emmy believes rules are the only thing that keep her alive. She believes her name is Emily-a girl who learned to be quiet, obedient, and perfect in order to survive. Every mistake feels dangerous. Every rule feels necessary. But when Lucian Valmont takes custody of her, Emily becomes Emmaline, and she is placed into a world nothing like the one she escaped. The Valmont household is powerful, disciplined, and unforgiving, ruled by stern authority and shaped by seven men who do not want her there. But as tensions rise within the family, it becomes clear that Emmy's quiet presence is changing them-whether they want it to or not. And when she is nearly lost, the Valmont brothers are forced to face the truth they've been avoiding. Emmy was never the weakest among them. She was the one holding them together

"He thought I was his fiance when he pushed me in his bed". She was just the quiet florist girl-delivering roses, not trouble. But when she stepped into the mansion with that bouquet, he mistook her for his runaway fiancée. And when the city's most feared mafia lord makes a mistake... he never lets it go. But was she really mute or pretending, it's still a mystery.

Ivory has never relied on anybody-anything. Not even her own mother. The same mother who forced her into a life she never deserved. But there's no backing out now. The assassin's life is all she's ever known, ever since childhood. Her mother made sure of that. Trouble finds Ivory like a vine-wrapping, twisting, never letting go. Spreading like a virus. Trouble finds her most when she discovers she's the bastard child of the Italian Mafia Don. When she meets him and his family-his wife and five sons-she realizes her life is no longer hers to control. And she hates that. It only worsens when her knight in shining armor reveals himself to be the devil in sheep's clothing. Satan himself, if you will. A new country. A new household. A new family. New friends gained, old ones lost. A thirst for revenge. How is she supposed to cope? Especially when stormy eyes follow her everywhere. But that's not quite what scares her. What terrifies her is the way he watches-not with the same disdain he gives everyone else, but with interest. With wonder. For her and her alone. You know what they all say; curiosity kills the cat. But satisfaction brought it back.

Everyone fears Major Alexander Draven. At twenty-nine, he's the youngest Major to command an elite operations camp buried deep in the burning sands of Iraq - a man born from a dynasty of power and politics. His father runs corporations and elections alike. Alexander? He runs a battlefield like an empire - cold, precise, merciless. No soldier crosses him. No enemy survives him. No one touches him - until her. Lyra Brooks was never supposed to end up here. She's just the pretty army doctor with a smile too perfect to trust. Lyra knows how to stitch up bullet wounds but not her own scars. She keeps her heart locked away behind sarcasm and late-night drinks. But here she is, buried in blood and sand as a Field Surgical Resident with the U.S. Army Medical Corps. One drunken night. A bar miles from base. A man everyone fears and a woman who pretends she doesn't fear anything at all. One night of brutal, wordless heat neither of them ever mentioned again. Until now. When the two pink lines appear in the harsh white light of the medical tent, Lyra knows one thing for certain - Alexander Draven cannot find out. Not now. Not here, never. But war doesn't care about secrets. Danger doesn't care about mistakes. And Major Draven? He does not like being kept in the dark.

When Aspen wakes up in the hospital with a severe case of amnesia, it's up to her brothers to try and help her remember what happened. Yet as days go by, Aspen begins to see that the people she trusts may be the very ones keeping her in the dark. And with that bitter truth comes the devastating realization that love can be just as destructive as hatred. • • • Contains sensitive material (no cliches). Copyright © 2023 by luxedreams. All rights reserved.

"No-please-don't do this!" Seraphina sobbed, her voice cracking as she clung to her eldest brother's wrist. "I-I'll be good. I'll do whatever you say, just don't-" A sharp crack echoed through the room as his palm struck her cheek, sending her crashing to the marble floor. Pain exploded across her skin, but it was nothing compared to the terror clawing at her chest. From above, his voice was cold. Unmoved. "You will marry him." She shook her head wildly, crawling backward until her spine hit the wall. "He's a monster," she whispered, her breath shuddering. "He's not human. Please, don't make me do this. I'll die." Her second brother crouched in front of her, grabbing her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him. His lips curled, eyes void of warmth. "Then die." Her breath hitched. "But you will die as his wife." The door behind them creaked open. Heavy footsteps. Her father stepped inside, his expression unreadable. "Lock her in this room," he ordered. "She will not step out until her wedding day." Sera thrashed as hands seized her, dragging her toward the massive iron doors. "No! Please-Father, please!" But he didn't even look at her. The last thing she saw before the door slammed shut was her brothers standing side by side, indifferent as she was thrown into a fate worse than death. Then darkness. And the only thing left was the suffocating truth. She was a sacrifice. A bride to the Sinister, a devil himself. #A STANDALONE BOOK