She was known as softness in a world that respected only steel. To the outside world, she was the kind of girl people trusted without thinking-gentle eyes, warm smiles, hands that helped before they were asked to. She believed in quiet kindness, in listening more than speaking, in healing rather than hurting. Neighbors spoke of her as too pure for this world, someone who didn't belong anywhere near danger. And yet, danger had always belonged to her. Behind the calm grace she carried so effortlessly was a mind sharper than any blade and a power no one suspected. In the shadows, under a name whispered only in fear and loyalty, she ruled a secret mafia empire-one built not on chaos, but on control. She didn't command through brutality alone; she commanded through intelligence, strategy, and an unbreakable sense of justice. She destroyed monsters so others wouldn't have to face them. Her life had always been divided into two truths: One lived in the light. The other ruled the dark. Then came the marriage. She was to be married off to a man the world already feared-a mafia king whose name carried blood, power, and legend. To everyone else, it was a dangerous alliance; to her family, a terrifying gamble. To him, she was merely a gentle bride, a beautiful weakness. But marriage doesn't just change surnames. It changes empires. As she steps into his world, her carefully balanced double life begins to crack. Secrets collide. Power shifts. And the girl everyone believed was fragile must decide whether to remain hidden in the shadows-or rise, unapologetically, and reveal that the most dangerous thing about her was never her kindness... but the fact that she had always known how to survive without losing it # 13 IN CONTROL (19/12/2025) # 5 IN FAMILYHISTORY (19/12/2025) # 3 IN FAMILYHISTORY (30/12/2025) # 41 OUT OF 55.8K BOOKS IN POWER (2/1/2026) #2 IN FAMILY HISTORY (3/1/2025) #3IN SECRETIDENTITY OUT OF 8.2k BOOKS (23/1/2025)

"Ci sunnu tri règuli ntâ Famigghia Russo - There are three rules in the Russo Family: 1. Never leave a family behind. 2. Never let a woman lead. 3. Never let love ruin you." Book 1. The One Who Rules ****** Leone Roberto Russo has lived by these rules his entire life. Raised in the shadows of power, he climbed from boy to man, from son to capo, becoming the ruthless head of the Sicilian mafia. His name alone commands fear-from the gleaming marble halls of the villa to the bloodstained streets of Sicily. But no one has ever seen the face behind the fear... until her. Luna Agosti has had her gender used against her since she was born. Raised in a world where men ruled and women were expected to kneel, she vowed to shatter every glass ceiling and spit on every outdated tradition. But when she meets him-the very embodiment of everything she despises-her world tilts. She doesn't know his last name. He doesn't know hers. Yet the connection is instant. Dangerous. Addictive. He is bound by loyalty and legacy. She is fueled by rebellion and fire. When their worlds collide, the rules begin to crumble. He questions the very code he was raised on. She questions whether loving him means losing herself. In a love story set against the backdrop of ancient blood feuds, mafia ties, and a legacy of power and betrayal, two fierce souls must decide: Will they rewrite the rules... or be destroyed by them? Read to find out. ****** Started: 18/05/2026 2026 © SADIA KARIM

Content Warning (18+): This book contains explicit, graphic sexual content, including scenes and references to sexual assault, as well as graphic violence and gore. Intended for readers aged 18 and over. Please read at your own discretion. She ran from a crown-straight into a storm that chose her. BOOK ONE of The Breath of Aethriel Princess Serétha has spent her life being polished, paraded, and prepared to become a political sacrifice - a sacred "union" meant to bind kingdoms under the gods' gaze. But on the eve of her fate being sealed, Serétha runs. The wilds beyond the palace are not freedom - they are hunger, cruelty, and the kind of darkness stories never warn you about. And Serétha isn't just being hunted by men who believe they own her... she's being pulled toward something she doesn't understand - something old, forbidden, and waking inside her blood. A thief with too much charm. A prince with a devotion sharp enough to cut. A world ruled by gods who do not forgive. Serétha wanted a choice. Now she has one - and it might burn Aethriel to the bone.

*She ran for a new life. He followed with a contract-and a past she never saw coming.* When Everly Blossom moves to Canada, she's determined to leave behind the shadows of her father's legacy and start fresh. In her twenties, with a heart full of hope and a resume of regrets, she finally lands a job, new friends, and a taste of freedom. But everything changes the night of the party. There, she reunites with an old friend-and locks eyes with a stranger who feels more like a warning than a man. Vincent is cold, unreadable, and far too interested in her. Weeks later, when her boss urges her to transfer... to his company, she walks away without a second thought. Then he finds her again. At the mall. In her new job. Still watching. Still offering. Still refusing. Until the night he stops asking-and starts taking. Dragged into his world and bound by a contract she never wanted to sign, Blossom is forced to confront the one truth she's spent her life running from: You don't choose men like Vincent. They choose you.

She was never meant to be chosen. Isabella Rossi has spent her entire life being invisible-overlooked, unwanted, and controlled by a family that only sees her as a burden. Tonight was supposed to change everything. Just not for her. When the ruthless mafia heir, Luca Romano, arrives to choose a bride... all eyes are on her perfect sister. But Luca doesn't choose perfection. He chooses her. Now bound to a man as dangerous as he is powerful, Isabella is thrown into a world of secrets, violence, and control-where love is a weakness... and trust can get you killed. But the most dangerous thing of all? The way Luca is starting to look at her. As if she belongs to him.

Mia Fiore has been running from dangerous men for half her life. Now that she's focused on a fashion career and finally reuniting with her brother, is meeting her brother's best friend going to put Mia right back in the hands of yet another dangerous man? The most dangerous yet. Even with a past like hers she knows Domani De Luca is...a shade darker. Dom knows his best friend's little sister is off limits. And yet.... -Dark Romance- (Stand alone in the: A Shade Darker series)

(Part 2 of BlackHeart) The continuation of Mia and Domani's story after Dom walks out on her in Paris, unable to wait. Will the two find their way back to each other or is the damage done for good? (This storyline touches on trauma cycles and PTSD. It's not just a toxic story for toxic's sake. Over the series these matters will be addressed. As in real life, things get worse before they get better. Fair warning)

She was sold to pay a debt. He was born to rule an empire built on blood. Sofia Marina has spent years surviving a life she never chose. By day, she works in a quiet Manhattan bakery, pretending she is normal. By night, she serves drinks in a luxury gentlemen's club owned by the man who bought her freedom before she was old enough to understand what it meant. She belongs to a contract. To a debt. To silence. Until the night Alessandro Valenti walks in. Twenty-seven. Italian. Untouchable. The most powerful Don in Italy doesn't believe in fate. He believes in control. But when his eyes meet hers under violet lights and expensive lies, something shifts. Not desire. Not lust. Recognition. And Alessandro Valenti does not ignore what he wants. What begins as curiosity turns into obsession. What begins as business turns into war. Because Sofia has a past that refuses to stay buried. A violent ex. A dangerous debt. And men who believe they own her. But they made one mistake. They let Valenti see her. This is not a fairytale. This is a dark empire colliding with a broken girl who refuses to stay broken. And when the Don decides something is his... He never lets it go.

"Run if you want, abogada. I like my women breathless." Seraphina Fontaine was supposed to become a lawyer. Instead, she accidentally pissed off a cartel. In her defense, she won the damn thing fair and square. One private game later, Seraphina has a debt she never asked for, and Mateo watching her like he can't decide whether to kill her or keep her. Mateo is the kind of man who smiles before ruining lives. The kind of man Seraphina should avoid at all costs. Too bad avoiding things has never been her strongest skill. Now she's answering burner phones, doing favors for criminals, and trying to survive long enough to make it to law school. The plan is simple: find what went missing, clear the debt, and get out. Except Mateo keeps getting closer. And Seraphina keeps forgetting that dangerous men are only fun until they start wanting you back. **TROPE LIST:** 🖤 Dark Cartel Romance 🎲 Forbidden Romance 🔥 Enemies-to-Lovers 💎 Debt Bondage 🎴 Forced Proximity ⚖️ Worlds Collide 🔪 Morally Grey Hero 💋 "Touch Her and Die" 🐍 Obsessive Love 🫦 Battle of Wills ~~~~~~~ THIS IS BOOK 3 OF THE WHAT WE HIDE SERIES BUT CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE, THOUGH THERE WILL BE MENTIONS OF INTERCONNECTING CHARACTERS AND SPOILERS

When there's an attempt on Gia TerraNova and her family's lives she's forced into sheltering at the big boss of the Italian mobs home. She'll have to share space with both Luciano brothers whose reputations aren't good ones. When Gia becomes suspicious of these new found attacks she starts down a dangerous road to find answers. But what's more dangerous for Gia? Nicolas Luciano or the answers someone really doesn't want to have found. -Dark Romance- (A Shade Darker series) (Stand alone read)