Twelve years ago, Emilio Moretti walked out of my life without a goodbye. No explanation. No phone call. Nothing.
Not that I'm bitter.
Okay, that's a lie. I'm extremely bitter. And angry.
Unfortunately, holding a grudge gets a lot harder when said grudge suddenly reappears, still looking at me like I'm the most important person in the room.
The Emilio I remember was my childhood best friend. My first love. The boy who knew me better than anyone. The Emilio standing in front of me now owns a nightclub, has armed guards, and has somehow become a powerful man in New York's criminal underworld.
That should probably bother me more than it does.
Instead, falling back into his life feels terrifyingly easy. His family still feels like mine. His world doesn't scare me. The blood, the violence, the questionable morals? Apparently, my moral compass is a hell of a lot more flexible than I thought.
So, I do the one thing I swore I'd never do.
I trust him again.
Twelve years after Emilio Moretti vanished from her life, sarcastic, burnt-out New York waitress Laurel Quinn comes face-to-face with her childhood best friend and first love, only to discover he's become a powerful figure in New York's criminal underworld.
As old feelings resurface, Laurel finds herself growing increasingly comfortable in a world of blood, violence, and questionable morals, all while trying to keep the man she never really stopped loving.
Tropes:
- Mafia Romance
- Darkly funny / witty / dry humor
- Second Chance Romance
- Fast banter
- Healing old wounds
- Morally gray characters
- Feminine rage set ablaze
- Italian-American family dynamics
Note to readers: This ARC has not yet undergone its final proofreading pass, which is scheduled for December.
