Ariana never thought her heart would lead her straight into the fire. Beautiful, sharp, and fiercely independent, she's been building a life of her own-working hard to rise above the chaos of her neighborhood. But when she crosses paths with Roman "Saint" Sinclair, the city's most powerful drug dealer, everything changes.
Saint is a man who commands fear with a look, respect with his name, and loyalty with his reputation. To the streets, he's untouchable. But behind closed doors, Ariana sees the man underneath-the one who's tired of bloodshed, who craves something real, something pure. With her, he lets his guard down. With him, she feels alive in a way she never imagined.
Still, love in Saint's world comes with a price. His enemies are watching, waiting to use Ariana as leverage. Friends become snakes, money breeds betrayal, and the line between loyalty and survival grows thinner every day.
Now Ariana must face the truth: being with Saint means stepping fully into his world. And in a game where love is both a weapon and a weakness, Ariana has to decide-can she survive being the queen to the city's most dangerous kingpin, or will her love story end in ashes?
Bare with me this my first book.
PAUL
I cheated on my fiancée.
Sophie and I were building our future. In love, happy, peaceful. Then she found a lump in her breast and I made the worst choice: I numbed my fear by sleeping with someone else. My worst mistake and my biggest regret. Now I see Sophie around town with him. She's radiant and laughing with people who actually show up. I'm trying to learn how to be a man who does. If she lets me, I'll spend the rest of my life proving I can choose her when it's hardest. If she lets me...
SOPHIE
I thought the promise was in sickness and in health.
But he buried his fear in someone else. On the same night, I walked into a bookstore and meet the gentle giant owner who invites me to his book club full of misfits.
I'm laughing again, I smile more than I ever have, I heal my heart.
My ex says he can learn to stay, but my bookstore owner keeps showing up like it's as easy as breathing. I don't know what the future holds; I don't know if I'll win this battle against cancer, but I do know I'm done wasting time on people that love only when it's easy.
CALLUM
She came in to Rivers & Rhodes Bookstore and asked for books with happy endings only.
I gave her a recommendation, an invitation, and an offer of friendship. Now, this beautiful brave woman is completely under my skin. I'm not here to win a competition against him. I'm here because choosing someone, second by second, is the only way I understand love.
Content Warnings: on page cheating, emotional and physical infidelity, cancer, mentions of vomiting, bleeding, surgery. Please be advised.