"Very good, Wesley," he breathed, the warm air fanning across the merchant captain's face. "Now I suggest you listen closely because I don't do this very often." Wesley curiosity grew, though he kept a healthy degree of skepticism as he listened to the pirate. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal." "What kind of deal?" he asked, his heart racing. "I seem to have found something that I want even more than your ship's cargo," he said with an unsettling smirk. "And I am prepared to let what remains of your crew sail free if I get it." "Name your price," Wesley said, at this point ready to agree to anything if his crew would live. Valentine reached out and tilted Wesley's head up so he could get a better view of it. His smirk seemed to grow as he let one little word slip through his lips. "You." *This is an LGBTQ+ story*

Revenge. I'm familiar with it. You have to be when you're the firstborn son of a notorious mafia leader. Death and vengeance have been the very foundations of my life. So who in their fucking mind would be stupid enough to cross me? My brother and I have been wrongfully convicted of a crime we didn't commit. We know who is behind this. We bid our time behind bars, planned and prepared for the day we got out. Now we're free and hungry for redemption. I know what must be done. I know whose blood will be spilled. But before I go after him, I'll go after his daughter. I never said I play fair. *Book one in the Marino Brothers Duet. Rated 18+ due to explicit language, sex, and violence.*

[SAMPLE. Paperback and Kindle e-book OUT NOW] A woman who's been through too much and a man that seems too good to be true. Raelynn and Milo. ***** 21-year-old Raelynn Garcia just moved into her new apartment when she gets stuck in an elevator with her downstairs neighbor, Milo Evans. He's built well, perfect even, with a smile that could blind, and she finds herself spewing all her problems out to this stranger she's forced to be accompanied by. After Milo pitches to her a deal to fake-date in order to convince her family that's she's not the unhinged girl she once was, things take a turn in directions she never could've seen coming. [[Content warning: mention of SA; insomnia, and claustrophobia]] Started: February 17th, 2022 End date: September 15, 2022