Books Set In Chicago Novels & Stories

“I don’t love you. I can never love a man like you.”With these words, I shattered his heart.… An heiress to the wealthy Rosedale family, Alina was forced to cruelly break up with her longtime boyfriend and love, Dante, abandoning him. Two years later, she is alone to fend for herself and her daughter Serena. Their paths reunite when she is harassed and kidnapped only to be rescued by Dante. But, he is no longer the man she knew and is instead a cruel, coldhearted Mafia Don, and his eyes are set on her for revenge. Dante, on reuniting with the woman who broke his heart years ago because of his status, is set on vindication. Seeing her struggling state and debt, he offers her a double edged deal; become his personal escort. How far will he go to break her? Will she be able to keep their child a secret? With rivals and danger surrounding them will they be able to rekindle their lost love or will they be torn apart?

Veronica James, has been designed to drive any man beyond seven sensations of pleasure. She is the Queen of her own Empire, and there is nothing that she will not do to get what she wants. This blonde bombshell sets her heart on the biggest deal of her life and will stop at nothing until it is sealed. Joshua Hamilton a handsome and very much mysterious man walks into her life one night. His intention not quite as clear-cut. Veronica is set to meet Jake Hamilton but gets caught off-guard when Joshua shows up. Joshua convinces Veronica to go against her rules and he will push her to her limits. But things go wrong and Veronica is set two make the hardest decision of her life. But in comes Tom Hedford to complicate her life even more. She is made to choose between the two men, she needs to decide who she loves the most. Who will be the ultimate that will bring this Queen to her knees?

The deal was simple – have one dinner with the notorious crime lord, Declan Shaughnessy, and my dad’s gambling debts would be canceled. But I knew I was in deep trouble when he met me at the door looking fine as hell with those piercing blue eyes and a mouthwatering body built for sin. Over dinner, I could barely breathe when his hand grazed mine, and that wolfish grin set me quivering down below. An innocent slow dance quickly turned into a down-and-dirty horizontal mambo on his couch. Now I’ve become his burning obsession, and I’m trapped by the new debts my father owes the mafia. When that devilish grin spreads across Declan’s handsome face, I know that he'll never set me free-- especially now that I’m carrying his baby. ******** This steamy romantic suspense story is a standalone novel in the Wicked Billionaires Club series. Enjoy!

Mesi, Destiny and Samantha each owned their own set of worries, passions and dreams, the only thing connecting them being their need to be loved by another. What happens when fate pulls them together in the most surprising way possible? What happens when they love twice?

I’m a moaning mess as Sebastian slams into me from behind. His hips hit me hard, and each deep thrust sends shockwaves through my body. Celestia was never a daughter to those who raised her; she was a transaction. At just eighteen, she was sold to the cold and powerful Sinclair family to settle her father’s mounting gambling debts, a heartless deal orchestrated by both her father and her stepmother. After escaping the initial humiliation and betrayal of her family cage, Celestia disappeared into the shadows. By twenty, she was living a life they would never imagine, working as a stripper at the gritty New Bay Bar. It was there, under the neon lights, that Sebastian Sinclair the ruthless billionaire playboy first set his eyes on her. He didn't realize she was the girl his family had already "bought" until the truth crashed down. Now, at twenty-one, the ultimate betrayal is set in stone. Celestia isn't marrying the man who stalks her dreams and haunts her touch. Instead, she is set to marry Sebastian’s elder brother, Marco Sinclair. Trapped between the brother she is legally bound to and the brother who is dangerously addicted to her, Celestia is playing a lethal game of revenge. What begins as a calculated move to destroy the Sinclairs from within quickly spirals into a dark obsession. Sebastian doesn't just break the rules for her; he rewrites them, and he has no intention of letting his brother keep what he considers his. Can she survive the price of being a Sinclair bride? Or will the fire between her and Sebastian burn the entire empire down?

After her fiancé publicly humiliates her during a viral Instagram Live breakup, 27 year old interior designer Lila Moreau escapes to a secluded Caribbean island, desperate to reclaim her confidence and outrun the heartbreak that shattered her sense of worth. What she doesn’t expect is a single night that will alter the course of her life. Julian Cruz, a 31 year old billionaire real estate mogul and founder of Cruz Developments, arrives on the same island to finalize a discreet, multi-million-dollar deal. Hardened by betrayal and a painful past, Julian has sworn off love entirely, believing ambition and success are the only things that never abandon him. A chance meeting at a beach bar ignites an undeniable attraction neither of them planned for nor wanted. One reckless, unforgettable night follows, free of names, promises, or expectations. At dawn, Lila disappears, leaving behind only a silver anklet and memories Julian cannot erase. Months later, fate intervenes again when Julian commissions an interior designer for his newly purchased Chicago mansion to the woman who never truly left his mind. Forced into close proximity, suppressed emotions resurface amid late night meetings, simmering tension, and unresolved desire. But their growing bond is threatened by lingering betrayals, unresolved pasts, and fears neither is ready to confront. As secrets resurface and old wounds reopen, Lila and Julian must decide whether love is worth the risk of being broken again.

The contractions were ripping me in two. My vision was going dark. My husband, Don Vittorio, the man who ruled Chicago, squeezed my hand. His dark eyes burned with love. "Just a little longer, mia cara. You'll meet our baby soon." Sweat poured down my face. I still found the strength to smile for him. Then a nurse walked in. She held a syringe. I thought it was to stop the pain. But Vittorio’s hand fell away. He took a single step back. The needle sank into my arm. I heard Vittorio’s voice. It was cold steel. "Dose her carefully. She holds on until midnight. Not a minute sooner. Not until after Ornella delivers." And then I knew. He thought I married him for the money. He was stopping my labor. All for a sick Falcone family rule: the first son born is the next heir. Pain tore through me. I reached for him. Tears streamed down my face. I begged him to stop. He bit his lip. His voice was pure ice. "My brother is dead. Ornella carries his only heir. You will do as you are told. You and your child will not steal his birthright." The drug hit my veins. The violent squeeze in my belly, like some invisible hand, just… stopped.

I was the odd one out in the Chicago mob. Other men's women spent their time fighting for affection, clawing for power, watching out for the homewreckers. Not me. I spent mine cleaning up after my boyfriend, Don Vincent Maro. His political rivals — I squared away. His brother's messes — I handled overnight. The women he kept on the side — I dealt with personally. Last month it got worse. He asked me to go chase off a man who'd been hanging around Sofia, his new girl. Sofia pouted. "Elena really can do everything." Vincent said, "That's why I keep her around." Sofia asked, "Won't Elena be upset?" Vincent paused. "Her? She's used to it." Seven years. No title in the Maro family. No public acknowledgment. Just one function — fixing things. This time, I was tired. I slid the last stack of documents across to Vincent. He signed them one after another without looking up. When he was done, he asked: Anything else? I said: No. It's all handled. What he didn't know was that at the bottom of that stack was the document terminating every identity I held inside the Maro family. The moment his pen touched that page, I no longer belonged to the Maros. And I no longer belonged to him.

In my last life, I was Adrian Moretti’s wife for ten years. Everyone said he loved me. They called me the luckiest woman in Chicago’s mafia world. Then I overheard him making his will. The Moretti shares, offshore trusts, and port revenue would all go to Noah, the boy I had raised with my own hands. The son Adrian had with Celeste, the woman he had loved before me. He had even chosen to be buried beside her, not me. That was when I finally understood. Ten years of marriage, and I was nothing but a replacement paving the way for his first love and their son. That night, I died in a car crash. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Adrian had to choose his wife. Everyone thought he would choose me. Even the old Donna smiled and said, “Adrian used to follow Elena everywhere when he was little.” But when I looked up, I caught the flash of disgust in Adrian’s eyes. I understood at once. He had been reborn too. Since you never wanted me in either life, I’ll step aside this time. Before Adrian could say a word, I stood and bowed to the old Don and Donna of the Moretti family. “Godfather. Ma’am. I’m stepping aside.”

Falling in love with a handsome billionaire was one thing, but falling madly in love with a sinfully hot billionaire who has sworn off love was an entirely different situation. Such was the condition that Cookie Logan found herself. From desperately needing to be saved from her abusive ex, she ran into the arms of Jamie Henderson, the one man that aroused dark sinful desires in her that only he could sate. But just when she thought she’d finally found the perfect lover, everything came crashing down when she discovered he’s had an ugly past that she couldn’t ignore. Cookie’s heart was broken, yet she thought she could do without him until her ex arrived in her life again, to start a new bout of trouble. With no one to run to except Jamie, and with so many unshared secrets looming over them, she’s forced to make a decision that would either reap out her heart for the second time or mend her broken relationship with Jamie. To know more about my books, follow me on Instagram @sophia.bendel