Of two things I'm certain: When something sounds too good to be true, it is; and when Alexius Del Rossa makes you a deal, you run far away and never look back. Me? I didn't run. I stayed. I opened that envelope, and I accepted his offer. Why? Because my life was a mess and on a downward spiral to a big, fat nothing. And he just offered me everything in exchange for six months of my life. It was supposed to be a simple arrangement, but I learned the hard way that nothing is simple when it comes to Alexius.

No one knows the real me. The ruined girl. The scarred woman. Not even Sebastian knows how many broken pieces I have to keep together. But he does. The stranger who doesn't pry or care about my past. The masked man who helps me escape my troubled mind by taking me down a forbidden path. A dark path. Just when I think my life can't get any more complicated, I meet Gabriel King. My future father-in-law. That's when a truly twisted journey begins, and the consequences are darker than I ever imagined.

Nicole Fox presents Book 1 in the Groza Bratva series.

Basilio DiLustro. Charming. Deadly. A monster dressed in a three-piece-suit. Wynter Star. Realist with the most romantic of hearts, hiding it all under her ice princess fame. The two were never meant to cross paths. When they do, worlds collide and volcanoes erupt. Basilio makes her feel everything when she’s with him. Protected. Loved. Desired. Every monster has a weakness. She’s his. His obsession. His addiction. His only salvation.

I thought I was late for my cousin’s wedding, but the wedding turned out to be for me... If I’d known the sexy arrogant guy in the elevator was my future husband, I probably would have turned and ran. My own father sold me out, promising my hand in marriage to Alexei Koslov, a sexy, arrogant bratva boss. The last thing I want to do is get married, but nobody says no to the Koslov bratva.

When I tried to blackmail Ezekiel St. James, I thought it would be easy. Turns out I had no idea who I was dealing with. Turns out I had no idea who I was dealing with. The moment his steel-grey eyes locked on mine, I knew the game was over. He knew exactly who I was. What I’d done. And he wasn’t going to let me walk away. With his immense wealth and power, he had me kidnapped. He could make me disappear. I’m no easy prey, though, and it’s not just my life on the line. I have to protect my sister.

“I do.” Words I never thought would escape my lips. Now they bound me to the charismatic head of the Volkov Bratva, Nikolai Volkov. His mesmerizing blue eyes, charming smile, and silky smooth voice would be my downfall, and yet, also my salvation. The two simple words would also be a personal vow to destroy my stepmother and enemies. If I’m forced to be bound to the mafia life forever then I’ll show them all. I’ll show them how far this ‘angel’ has fallen. I’m not a pawn like they all think.

Roman Melnikov is a deadly man in an expensive suit. I know what lies beneath the façade—the scars and tattoos that hint at the man he really is. He came here to find his sister, and his search led him to my dad and his friends. We both want to take them down, and the only way to do that is together. I had no idea how dangerous it would be, or that by the end of it, we'd all be covered in blood. Loving Roman is dangerous, but I can't let him go. His path is leading him straight to hell, and it looks like I'm coming along for the ride.

Sold to the mob. Four words I never thought I'd utter. Worse, it was my father who did the unthinkable. When the creditors come to collect, I'm handed over to the most ruthless man in New York City—Luca Valentino. The head of the notorious Kings is as gorgeous as he is lethal. Dark, possessive, and violent. Nothing like the boy I grew up with, my dead brother's best friend.

Charming, captivating, seductive—and a cold-blooded killer. I married the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva anyway. I had to, it was part of the deal. Now, I’m faking marital bliss as I tremble with fear, and I cannot wait to be out of the clutches of this ruthless man.

He's a killer. A monster. A thief. He stole me; ripped me from a life I thought was mine, and forced me into his. There was no negotiating. No choice to be made. No way out. He says once I give him what he wants, he'll let me go. But I don't believe him. Taunting me, humiliating me, hunting me...it thrills him. He's addicted to my tears, and amused by my suffering. I know he won't stop until he breaks me. But I won't go down without a fight.

I was supposed to marry Viktor Volkova, heir to one of the most powerful families in the society. But his older brother stole me on our wedding day, just as we were about to take our vows. Like a hellish wild card, Desmier Volkova stormed into my life, seeking revenge for my father’s sins. He forced me to marry him, dragging me into his game of lies, revenge, and deceit.

I stumbled across something I wasn’t supposed to discover. I saw something I wasn’t meant to see, and now I’m an alibi for a killer. He’s the most feared and powerful man in the New York underworld. I don’t have a choice but to do as he says. But he commands so much more than just my testimony.

My BFF pulled a bait-and-switch on me. Instead of drinks with the girls, I'm at this bar to meet a blind date. "He's nice and normal and handsome!" she promises. Only one of those three is correct. Yakov Kulikov is as gorgeous as they come—and ten times as dangerous. Sparks ignite, but this is no meet-cute. It's a prison sentence. Turns out Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding is in charge of the Kulikov Bratva. And now that I've caught his attention, he insists I need his protection. Kidnapped by a hot mob boss—most girls' dream, right? Wrong.

When he invited me to join him for a drink, I thought Alessandro was an ordinary guest at my family's hotel. I didn't know I belonged to him until he told me right there in the restaurant. I thought I had a say in the matter. But when I stood up to leave, it just earned me a sore bottom for the plane ride to New York, where our wedding was already planned for the next day. But I was soaking wet for him before he even walked me down the aisle.

Of two things I'm certain: When something sounds too good to be true, it is; and when Alexius Del Rossa makes you a deal, you run far away and never look back. Me? I didn't run. I stayed. I opened that envelope, and I accepted his offer. Why? Because my life was a mess and on a downward spiral to a big, fat nothing. And he just offered me everything in exchange for six months of my life. It was supposed to be a simple arrangement, but I learned the hard way that nothing is simple when it comes to Alexius.

No one knows the real me. The ruined girl. The scarred woman. Not even Sebastian knows how many broken pieces I have to keep together. But he does. The stranger who doesn't pry or care about my past. The masked man who helps me escape my troubled mind by taking me down a forbidden path. A dark path. Just when I think my life can't get any more complicated, I meet Gabriel King. My future father-in-law. That's when a truly twisted journey begins, and the consequences are darker than I ever imagined.

When he invited me to join him for a drink, I thought Alessandro was an ordinary guest at my family's hotel. I didn't know I belonged to him until he told me right there in the restaurant. I thought I had a say in the matter. But when I stood up to leave, it just earned me a sore bottom for the plane ride to New York, where our wedding was already planned for the next day. But I was soaking wet for him before he even walked me down the aisle.

Valachi, the name of a rival mafia family, was the last word on my mother's dying lips. After years of careful deceit and planning, my moment of revenge has finally arrived. The head of the Valachi family has died, leaving his innocent daughter vulnerable. She is forced to take my hand in an arranged marriage. By the time she learns my true identity, it will be too late. As her new husband, I will have complete control over her. I am the enemy in her bed.

He thought I was his—that's what his emails indicated. He thought that because our families signed on the dotted line many years ago, it was a done deal. But I ran away from that life for a reason. Little did I know, he would find me. And he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Crue wanted me to be his wife. And all I wanted was him in my bed.

Kieran Murphy is an Irish mob boss and one of the most powerful men in Boston. When he walks me home, people step aside out of respect for him. He could have any woman he wants. So why does he have eyes only for me? Is it how he has to lift my chin with his fingers to keep my eyes level with his when he scolds me and how I cover my bottom instinctively when he tells me that I've earned a spanking? Or is it how I quiver at the thought of everything I'm too ashamed to beg him to do to me? Maybe it's all of those, but I'm pretty sure there's something else too.

He's a killer. A monster. A thief. He stole me; ripped me from a life I thought was mine, and forced me into his. There was no negotiating. No choice to be made. No way out. He says once I give him what he wants, he'll let me go. But I don't believe him. Taunting me, humiliating me, hunting me...it thrills him. He's addicted to my tears, and amused by my suffering. I know he won't stop until he breaks me. But I won't go down without a fight.

An ancient curse. Two families bound. A forbidden love. When the Wildbloods presented their daughters to me on the night of the Tithing, they knew what was to come for the chosen girl. The crescent moon that marked Willow made her mine. I had no choice but to take her. Destiny determined our fates long before we were born, laying our roles out for us. A Sacrifice would be made. A Tithe paid. Only then would our families be free, at least until the next payment came due. I would have done my duty as Penitent. I tried.

The first lesson my father ever taught me was that power is the only currency, loyalty is the law, and always take what you want. When the Mayor of our city begs me to keep his precious daughter safe, I seize my chance to strengthen the DeLuca hold on the town. I’ll keep her safe, but it’ll come at a price. Mia Gordon, the sheltered heiress, must become my wife.

My bride. The daughter of my enemy. She's nothing more than a part of my revenge. I'm the one who holds her life in my hands. As well as her body. And soon, her very will. Yet, she refuses to break. This woman disarms me, not with weapons but with words. And not with a fist, but with a simple kiss. But a match made in hate can have no other ending except war.

A desperate attempt to pay tuition so I can graduate college is the only reason I took this job. When I accidentally spill a bottle of expensive tequila on Jovan Aguilar, I have no idea he's the one who owns the elite Miami nightclub—a fact he doesn't reveal until the morning after I end up in his bed.

I owe everything to Emilia's father. I'd do anything for the man. When he asked me to marry his daughter, I thought he was insane. I was only going to protect her. That was my job. Yet, one innocent kiss changed everything. Now, it's not about what her father wants. It's all about her. When enemies try to take her and the life we could have away, they will learn why they call me the devil. I'll show them no mercy. Emilia is mine, and God help anyone who tries to come between us.

Being attracted to her isn't wrong…but acting on it would be. As the patriarch of the powerful and wealthy Cavalieri family, my choices come with consequences for everyone around me. The roots of my ancestral, billionaire-dollar winery stretch deep into the rich Italian soil, as does our legacy of ruthlessness and scandal. It isn't the fact she is half my age that makes her off-limits. Nothing is off-limits for me. A wounded bird caught in a trap not of her own making, she poses no risk to me. My obsessive desire to possess her is the real problem—for both of us.

Cruelty is his middle name, and I'm at his mercy. My father has kept me locked away in an ivory tower. I thought he wanted to protect me, but he only wanted to protect his asset. An untouched, sheltered mob princess is worth a lot of money to the right buyer. My father's greed means Sicily is no longer big enough for him. I'm shipped across the Atlantic to Boston to marry a man I've never met, whose reputation for cruelty reaches as far as the shores of Sicily.

Maverick Crawford knew that Molly Mackenzie was off limits. She was too young for him . . . and a Silver Saints MC princess. Her protective father was their president, so starting anything with Molly would cause trouble between their clubs.