Shadows of the Dead

Comes with a Devil's Lair sticker and vellum overlays.

A traumatic childhood. A wish for happiness. A best friend left behind.

Maddox

Life was perfect. My job? Loved it. Anything I wanted? Mine immediately. Except it was all a lie. Realistically speaking, work had taken complete control of my life. It was an anchor sinking me deep into troubled waters. that is, until Ana Bernardi entered the picture... and all because of a stupid birthday wish.

She made me realize I wasn't living; I was only surviving. I tossed and turned at night with the weight of nightmares I couldn't shake. I thought I had all the answers, but one remains out of each: what can I do to make life worth living again?

Kylie

My best friend, Ana, and her family disappeared four months ago. Not a trace, no evidence. Nothing to go off of. Not even my art, my passion, could fill the hole their disappearances left behind.

And then, the impossible happens: Ana shows back up, only now, she goes by Lilliana Bernardi. And there's also her bodyguard. Unspeakably beautiful doesn't begin to describe him. I can't help but feel an irresistible pull to the man. I know it will require working through the trauma of his past. The question is, how?

Tropes & other info:

Contemporary mafia romance

Approx 91,000 words

308 pages - paperback

Third-person multi-POV

Mafia

Bodyguard

Forced proximity

Caught in the rain

One hotel room

Touch her and die

Damaged goods

Dark past

Emotional scars

Family curse

Found family

Teach me

“Good girl”

"Yes, sir"

Hurt/comfort

Age difference (9 years)

Not good enough

Orphan

He 💦 in his underwear

Spicy, open door scenes