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.

I walked into the wrong hotel room...to a naked man fresh out of the shower. Now, I'm pregnant with his baby. I should've left as soon as I saw him. He was too beautiful to be real. I got halfway to the door… And then he saw exactly what I was trying to hide.

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.

Nicole Fox presents Book 1 in the Groza Bratva series.

I did a bad thing . . . and the man I love is here to make me pay for it. So now, I'm back where I started. Stuck somewhere I don't belong with a dangerous man who hates me. The difference between now and then? This time around . . . I'm pregnant with his twin babies.

It's the dog's fault, really. If this untrained Great Dane I'm walking had any manners at all, I never would've ended up here: With my leash wrapped around the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. Lucky for me, the guy is a good sport about it. (Although his joke that “Dogs take after their owners” hits a little too close to home when Rufus starts humping his leg.) He leaves me with his business card and a smile that makes my knees weak.

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.

Lev Zarkov is a real-life monster. No, correction, he's actually the devil. Except, when I first meet him, he's simply the mysterious, handsome man traveling next to me on a first-class flight to New York. And after being dumped at the altar by my loser fiancé who vanished into thin air the morning of our wedding, when things get flirty between me and the mysterious stranger, I think, why not? Surely, I deserve one night to forget. I mean, where's the harm in a little indulgence, right?

The ruthless mafia king is no stranger to violence, but when he lays his eyes on my bruised and battered face, he's furious. I thought my makeup was thick enough to cover the beating I suffered until my inappropriately flirtatious boss noticed. As a cocktail waitress in his casino, I've always been on Mr. Salvato's radar, but now he's obsessed, demanding to know who hurt me and why, intent on making them suffer.

Nico De Kysa. Cold. Detached. Ruthless. And my new husband. I didn't want to marry the despicable mafia don. But my father made a deal with the devil, and lucky me, I'm the currency. If I leave… He'll destroy my father's fortune. But if I stay… He'll obliterate my heart. In this union, the lines between love and hate are blurred. So blurred. He's a cold-blooded monster with ice in his veins and frost in his heart. But in bed, Nico De Kysa burns like wildfire. And in the heat of the night, I begin to forget why I hate the mobster.

He's the most dangerous man in Chicago—and I'm his newest obsession. Dark emerald eyes. Black tattoos. A killer's smile… god, that smile… When I'm dragged to a secretive nightclub, the last thing I expect is to find myself in the owner's back office. But after he rescues me from a drunken creep, that's exactly where I end up.

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.

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.

“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.

Tearing off the gilded veneer of elite privilege exposes the sordid scandals, dark secrets, and taboo desires of New York's jaded high society in this dark romance series from best friends and USAT bestselling authors Zoe Blake and Alta Hensley, writing under their new pen name, Blake Hensley.

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.

I never wanted a wife. No one is safe with me. No one is good enough for my daughter. But if I want to rule over the wealthiest crime family in New York City, I only have two weeks to find one. When Elsie broke into my home, I saw an opportunity, so I forced her into a marriage she didn't want. No one crosses me, not even someone as beautiful as Elsie. She may fight me with that smart mouth, but she will obey me–or return to the hell she came from. I told her she was mine for a year. Then she'd be free.

Savior or seducer. I am not sure which one he's playing at. He is forbidden, after all. I am married to a rockstar. Appearances must be upheld. But what does it mean when your marriage is breaking, and the dark, mysterious savior is offering you things you have never felt before? Do you say yes? Or do you say no? He owns a club that's specific to every person's desires. So the promises he is making might very well hold true.

Konstantin wasn’t the type to be ignored. He commanded his criminal empire with an iron fist but he had secrets of his own. But I was Tatiana Nikolaev. I’d never bend to a man’s will or be used as a pawn. Not again. The moment I tempted the fates and played with fire, life spiraled out of control. My only way of survival was to trust again. But could I?

My family betrayed me. Tossed me out onto the street at seventeen. But with a reputation to keep, my parents decided they would rather see their daughter homeless than have my teenage pregnancy taint the perfect facade they'd created. I swore I'd never again let another person close enough to hurt my little girl or me. Yet, every wall I built, he smashed straight through. Hawk wasn't just the VP of The Exiled Eight MC in Detroit. He was alluring. He was possessive. And the scars that decorated his skin told the story of a dark past.