Criminal Epidemiology

I can’t believe I fell for a man that cares less about me. The days and nights we spent together, everything didn’t make any significance to him. I glared at him with nothing but disgust and bitterness. Cheating on me is one thing but cheating on me with Maria is another. I can’t believe this he is the Kyle I loved. "Get out of my house." I faintly said, I can’t even scream at him, he isn’t worthy of my yells. "Oh come on Tara, don_" "Get the fuck out!" I cut him off ——————————————————————————- Tara is a simple lady whose identity is hidden to keep herself safe. When Tara lies to be in a relationship with a handsome stranger in order to get back at her ex-boyfriend for cheating on her, she carelessly lets in the stranger in her house who is known other than the most wanted criminal in the city; Andrew Black. She and Andrew each have a reason for needing a relationship and agree to pretend to date, of course, Tara has no clue of the reason behind Andrew’s agreement. As they get to know each other, it’s only a matter of time, before they fall in love with each other. Living together, Andrew never told her the truth about himself nor did she tell him about her true identity. In a roller coaster of lies and love, she and Andrew come across each other’s hidden secrets, but what happens when the tables turn and Andrew takes away Tara’s most price possession?

One reckless night. That was all it was supposed to be. For Elara Vane, it was a desperate escape from a life that was already crumbling. But by morning, she was gone leaving nothing behind but a memory and a scent Adrian Knight couldn't scrub from his mind. A year later, Elara is a ghost of her former self. Her parents are dead, her fortune is a memory, and she’s trapped in a "marriage" that feels more like a prison cell. Her uncle treats her like a pawn; her husband treats her like an inconvenience. Desperate for a way out, she lands a temporary job at the most powerful firm in the city. She thinks she’s safe. She thinks she’s hidden behind a new name and new character. She’s wrong. Adrian Knight hasn't forgotten the woman he calls "Cherry." He hasn't forgotten her face, her fire, or the way she vanished. Now that she’s walked back into his lair, he has no intention of letting her go again. But as Adrian pulls Elara into his dark, possessive world, secrets begin to bleed out. Why does he have a child’s toy in his office? Who is the boy he speaks of with such fierce protection? And why does Elara’s "husband" look more like a criminal than a partner? In a world of fake contracts and blood-soaked legacies, Elara is about to find out that the man she’s terrified of might be the only one holding the truth about the child she thought she lost forever.

When powerful mafia boss Nico Ricci's sheltered younger sister Aleta suffers a mysterious hit-and-run that leaves her with complete amnesia, fate places her in the hands of her brother's greatest rival—Elio Castellano. Elio, thirteen years her senior and harboring deep resentment toward the Ricci family, recognizes her immediately. Instead of returning her to her brother, he seizes this opportunity for revenge by convincing the vulnerable Aleta that they're secretly married. What begins as a cold deception grows complicated as their chemistry ignites into passion. As Aleta gradually recovers fragments of her memory, she discovers they have a forbidden history: a summer romance in Italy years ago that her brother ruthlessly ended with lies and manipulation. But Aleta's accident wasn't random. As Nico tears the city apart searching for his sister, dark secrets emerge about his criminal empire that even Aleta wasn't meant to discover. The hit-and-run that stole her memory may have been ordered by someone much closer than either Elio or Aleta could have imagined. Caught between family loyalty and consuming love, Aleta must decide whom to trust when her full memory returns. Meanwhile, Elio faces an impossible choice between his thirst for vengeance and the woman who has unexpectedly captured his heart. In a world where passion and danger collide, Aleta and Elio are on a treacherous path toward truth and redemption. Their journey exposes the thin line between love and revenge, proving that some vows, even forgotten ones, are destined to be remembered—and some secrets are meant to be revealed.

She was auctioned like an object, bought like a secret, and caged like a sin. After a brutal betrayal by the people she trusted most, Seraphina Vale is left drowning in debt and despair—until she’s sold at an underground auction to the one man every criminal fears: Lucien Marchesi, the ruthless head of a powerful mafia empire. Cold. Controlled. Deadly. The world assumes she’ll be discarded like the others who came before her. But Seraphina isn't a lamb sent to slaughter. She’s a lioness in velvet chains—calm, calculating, and waiting for her moment. Lucien didn’t expect her fire. She didn’t expect his scars. What begins as a twisted game of control and survival becomes something far more dangerous: emotion. As secrets unravel and obsession burns into something deeper, Seraphina edges dangerously close to what she swore she’d never feel again—trust. Love. Want. But she hasn’t forgotten her mission. Lucien was supposed to be her weapon, not her salvation. And when her revenge explodes into reality, both hearts will shatter under the weight of betrayal. Until he asks the one question that changes everything: “Have you ever loved me?” Chains of Velvet, Heart of Fire is a gripping dark mafia romance about love born from power, loyalty forged in fire, and two broken souls who dared to rewrite their fate. Perfect for fans of morally gray heroes, twist-filled emotional sagas, and heroines who take their power back—beautifully, mercilessly, and on their own terms.

Olivia had a life that was almost perfect. Her father was the city mayor, her best friend was a good handsome man who was also the son of the founders of the city’s top hospitals, and her physical appearance was almost perfect too that she could make anyone like her anytime. But the thing was that she hated her father for never giving her love ever since her mother passed away—which resulted to her becoming a rebellious teenager. Dakota, on the other hand, had the opposite kind of life as Olivia. She had to do minor crimes at the age of 15 for survival with his older brother. She used to have a dream to be a nurse—which ended up vanishing ever since her life became miserable. One day, Olivia and Dakota crossed paths as Olivia insisted to enter the criminal life of Dakota for fun. Everything was fine at first as they enjoyed being partners in crime—not until the time came when they had to be separated because of the big difference between their lives and the betrayal that cut the relationship between the two girls. Years later, they met again as the both of them had changed to be more mature and powerful from the past years. Olivia had been holding the same guilt for years as Dakota had been holding the same grudge for years. Their sweet relationship had already ended years ago, but did their feelings ever change through the years that passed? What happens when they cross paths again? Will Dakota get her revenge? Or will their sweet relationship as partners in crime be restored again?

Raina Gonzalez thought she'd found her savior in Castor Rowland, a charismatic politician who swept her off her feet and rescued her family from financial ruin. Their whirlwind romance ended in a fairy-tale wedding that made headlines. But behind the mansion's gleaming doors and beneath his polished smile, Raina discovers the man she married is a monster in a tailored suit. Her wedding vows weren't promises of love. They were chains binding her to a life of lies. Forced to play the perfect political wife while her husband builds his empire on corruption and destruction of lives, Raina feels hope slipping away. Until she meets Sylvester Brian, Castor's mysterious rival who lost someone he loved to men like her husband. Together, they forge a dangerous alliance to expose Castor's criminal network. But somewhere between stolen moments and whispered secrets, their partnership ignites into something neither expected: a forbidden love that could destroy them both. Just when Raina thinks she's found an ally she can trust, Sylvester's carefully constructed lies begin to unravel. The man she's fallen for has been using her all along, and she's caught between two devils: the one she married and the one who captured her heart. With election day approaching and innocent people's lives hanging in the balance, Raina must make an impossible choice: stay silent and complicit, or risk everything. Her family, her safety, her heart... Because sometimes, the only way out of a cage is to burn it down.

Hera Delacruz thought she had escaped the shadows of her past. Once a fearless soldier, she sacrificed her career, her family, and her freedom to marry Mateo, the man she thought was her salvation. But love turned dangerous when rumors surfaced that Mateo, the feared "savior of the mafia", orchestrated her father’s death. Pregnant and heartbroken, Hera fled. Five years later, Hera lives a quiet, nomadic life with her daughter Mila, a bright, spirited child battling diabetes. Constantly on the move to evade Mateo’s relentless pursuit, Hera works as a waitress in a sleepy town, keeping her past hidden and her daughter safe. She’s a survivor, hardened by military training and sharpened by heartbreak. Mateo Delacruz is as ruthless as he is determined. Known as a savior to the criminal underworld, he has spent years hunting the only woman who dared defy him. When he finds Hera, he is prepared to bring her back into his world, but nothing prepares him for the revelation that she has been hiding his daughter. Now, with two Delacruz women to protect, Mateo will stop at nothing to reclaim his family. But the mafia doesn’t forgive easily. Mateo’s family and men resent Hera for abandoning them and leaving them in the hands of their merciless boss. As Hera fights to shield her daughter from the danger that follows Mateo, she must also confront her unresolved feelings for the man she once loved, and the truth about what happened to her father. Can they find a way to trust each other again, or will their pasts destroy the fragile bond between them?

Evelyn Ward never imagined that a routine walk home could shatter her life. Taken from her small Oregon town, she’s thrown into a velvet prison known as The Bidding Room, an elite underground auction where innocence is rare, and the most powerful men in the world come to buy it. Dressed like a doll, paraded as prey, Evelyn is thrust into a world of wealth, cruelty, and obsession. What should have ended in despair becomes the start of something more twisted - because the man who buys her isn’t a collector or a sadist. He’s something far worse. Lucien Moretti - The Devil of Verona - rules a vast criminal empire, built on fear and blood. He doesn’t pay for what he wants. He takes it. Yet something about Evelyn stops him. A silent challenge in her eyes, a trembling defiance that speaks louder than screams. He buys her not for pleasure - but to destroy what is pure. Except she doesn’t break. And that enrages him more than he expected. Their lives spiral in a dangerous dance of power and obsession. Lucien's enemies circle like vultures, and his own people begin to question his judgment. Evelyn isn’t just a girl anymore - she’s a symbol of his weakness, and they want to exploit that. As Evelyn is drawn deeper into the mafia world, her morality blurs. Can she resist becoming like them? Or is the darkness already inside her? In a story of violence, betrayal, and unnatural love, Evelyn and Lucien are caught in a storm they may not survive. And even if they do - what will be left of them?

Mia George. A reporter, a tomboy. Never been involved in anything related to having a relationship with any guy. But is quite okay with her not so boring life. She is suddenly endangered, when the man who was thrown into prison because of her is back...and is out to take revenge on her. Alex Friedrich. He's ruthless, cold and distant to everyone around him. A lawyer who hasn't lost any case before. He prefers being alone, in his study with heaps of books. He's more closer to his dogs than humans. But he's bound to know his life will never remain the same when he saved the life of Mia George. Bolu Afolabi. An elegant doctor. She's independent, has it all. She meets Alex and falls deeply for him, hoping reciprocate her feelings. Her love for him, turns into a dangerous obsession and she is willing to take lives down because of him. Charles Douglas. A cop and also a single parent. He believes he's contented. He loves his job, his daughter. Yet he despises women. He's vowed never to have any relationship with them or whatsoever. Ever since the mother of his daughter abandoned his daughter, when his daughter was an infant. His six years daughter goes missing and is brought back to him by a lady. But, what happens when he starts developing feelings for this same lady? Worst, his life and his daughter's is at stake, when an infamous hardened criminal is after him. ****Totally worth reading****

Gregory Wolversen the Alpha of the Black River Pack. He was forced to banish his brother and declare him rogue for challenging his right for the pack. But his brother is mysteriously dead now on the other side of the country. Gregory knows there's a woman claiming to be his brother's bride, but the woman missing and no one has her name. What does she know about his murder? Did she kill him? His money and belongings have been accounted for. So is she a victim too? Aricka Daniels is a widow, a single mother and waitress/librarian who's struggling to survive. It's been seven years and she still looking over her shoulder. Widowed less than seven days after her wedding. She must come to grips with no home or job and a baby on the way that she was never able to tell her husband, Richard about. Her husband had told her to always stay away from his family because they weren't just rich but dangerous. For that reason she fears they might have had a hand in his murder and also fearing they might ruthlessly try to take her son from her. She never told them of him. Recently out of guilt she'd left a cryptic note informing them of his existence. The Black River Pack are the enforcers of the supernatural world in the area. It's their job to deal with the supernatural criminal element. If they don't then they will look weak to the North American Ruling Council and lose the right to their territory. With Gregory's very own parents on the Council they would suffer a lost of power that would rock the supernatural community as a whole. Can he do it all and find his mate and Luna to keep his pack stable?