Criminal Minds Birthright

Isabella Marino has spent her life toeing the line between duty and desire, torn between her family’s expectations and her dream of freedom. When her father arranges her marriage to Leonard Ricci, the most powerful and ruthless mafia boss in Italy, she’s thrust into a world of power, violence, and deception. She knows Leonard’s reputation—a man feared by his enemies, respected by his allies, and untouchable in the criminal underworld. But as their marriage forces them into each other’s lives, Isabella soon discovers the man behind the ruthless façade—a man scarred by betrayal, driven by loyalty, and desperate to protect the empire he’s built. In the shadowy world of mafia politics, where trust is a rare commodity and enemies lurk at every corner, Isabella and Leonard must navigate a dangerous game of power and survival. As secrets unravel and bloodlines are tested, Isabella faces an impossible choice: follow her heart and risk everything, or remain loyal to a family that sees her as a pawn in their game. But Leonard has his own battles to fight, and in a world where love is a dangerous weakness, the only thing more treacherous than their enemies is the growing connection between them. Power. Betrayal. Love. When the stakes are life or death, can two souls caught in the crossfire find a way to save each other, or will they be torn apart by the very forces that brought them together?

Kira Rojas is a ghost in the world of shadows—an assassin trained to kill without question. Her latest target is Luca Romano, the heir to a powerful mafia empire. Love at first sight causes her to spare his life, but the consequences are severe. Luca Romano, the dark legacy of his family’s criminal empire lives frivolously with the exterior of a CEO. When Kira reappears, the woman who spared his life becomes the woman he can’t live without—even if it means defying his family. As Kira’s ruthless organization hunts her for betrayal, the Romano family retaliates against escalating attacks. In the midst of the warring parties, Luca and Kira find themselves trapped in a love triangle with a journalist Vanessa, driven by jealousy and armed with explosive truths that can ignite chaos and destroy them all.

Born of scandal and treated like a curse, Lyra has spent her life suppressed, her wolf silenced and her birthright stolen. When the cruel Alpha King rejects her in favor of her scheming sister and marks her for death, Lyra escapes into the forbidden land of rogues where death should await. But instead of death, she meets him. The Rogue King. A man believed dead. A man who shouldn't exist alongside his kingdom. A man with secrets darker than the forest itself. Forced into slavery at his side, Lyra uncovers the truth of her lineage, her stolen powers, and the prophecy that marks her as the Moon Goddess’s Chosen. As kingdoms prepare for war, betrayals unfold, and desire sparks dangerously between captor and captive, Lyra must decide: Will she remain a slave to fate or become Queen of all?

Vivienne Moonborne was born by whim of the Moon goddess Selmara, and heir to the most revered pack in the realm. Until the night everything burned. Her parents were slaughtered. Her wolf silent. Her mate—Silas Vale—betraying her in the arms of another. She was sold into the Lycan slave trade and marked as nothing more than breeding stock for the highest bidder but Vivienne was never meant to be anyone’s pawn. Beneath her skin burns the truth of her birthright: she is the last Silvercrown. A Rune-marked silver wolf born of prophecy and power. Her blood can save or enslave. Her enemies want to control her but when fate collides with fire, a new legacy rises. Rescued by Cassius Noctbourne the ruthless Alpha King of Noctshire. Vivienne is offered protection but protection has a price and love… is the most dangerous game of all. She was betrayed once. She won’t be again. The wolf they tried to bury is back and this time, she’s hunting for vengeance.

Abused by her criminal father, Gail developed a trauma that didn't want to be touched, especially by men. One day, her father's karma came in Michael's form, killing him and leaving Gail alone. Not knowing what to do with her, Michael decided to take her in, originally planning on using her. However, what will happen if Gail, who only wants to experience genuine love, and Michael, who stops entertaining the concept of love at all, live in one house? Or when the original plan of using her completely changed to taking care of her?

Victoria Bura is the deadliest kept secret in the criminal underbelly, her father's legacy is cleaning up after the wealthiest and deadliest families in the world under the guise of being a modest hog farmer. When her father dies, leaving Vic and her sheltered, inept, contradictious younger brother to pay his debts it places her right in the path of Alexander Volkov a man more infamous for his ruthlessness than his name, and he makes it perfectly clear he knows the ghost in Victoria Bura's closet. Now Vic's life is turned inside out as she finds herself not only employed to the head of the most dangerous family in history, but she is left at the mercy of his three most trusted mercenaries. She soon finds that the Volkov family may not be the villains in her story, that title may just be claimed by someone much closer to home.

In my last life, my brother Leo—the heir to the Moretti crime family—stripped our estate bare of every last soldier, all for a Vegas jaunt. All because his new flame, Scarlett, had a jones for the high-roller tables. The Volkovs—our rivals, the very ones Leo had just pissed off—saw their opening and stormed our gates. My mother, Sofia, took a bullet meant for me. Died protecting me. I blew up Leo’s phone, my pleas turning to screams. He didn't answer. He waltzed back in after the shooting stopped, bringing our men home, but far too late for it to matter. Then, the news from Vegas. Scarlett was gone. A suicide note left behind. In it, she painted me as the monster. The one who’d leaked our weaknesses to the Volkovs. The one who'd orchestrated a fake kidnapping and torture plot, all to drive her to despair and lure Leo home. A perfect, tragic lie. Leo read the letter calmly. Then he burned the letter and told me, "Forget it. It's handled." Father tore into Leo for abandoning his post, for leaving his family to die. And me? I was named the new Consigliere. But after the celebration, Leo cornered me in the wine cellar. His face was a mask of cold fury as he pressed the barrel of his gun to my forehead. "This is for family traitors," he hissed, his voice pure venom. "The throne is my birthright, not some backstabbing bitch's prize!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Right in the middle of the fire and the blood. This time, I shoved my mother behind me, dragging her toward the panic room. And the bastards who were too blind to believe me? They’ll regret it.

Quincy Laurent had everything—wealth, privilege, a spotless record—until one reckless deal landed him behind bars. Now, prison is his personal hell… until Jordan Vex storms into his cell like a hurricane with tattoos, a criminal reputation, and a dangerously captivating presence. From the moment they meet, they clash like fire and ice. Quincy wants nothing to do with the smug, infuriating inmate who seems to thrive in chaos. But there’s something about Jordan—something raw, magnetic, and unexpectedly comforting. The intense gaze in Jordan''s eyes are irresistible, making the strangest part of him—he never knew existed—surface. As walls crumble and secrets unravel, Quincy begins to question everything he thought he knew—about prison, about Jordan, and about himself. But falling for someone like Jordan isn’t just foolish… it might be fatal.

The day Seraphina Lovelace steps out of prison is also the day her boyfriend dumps her. For him, she has been imprisoned for three years, but he betrays her, getting engaged with another wealthy girl. What's worse? He even sends killers to kidnap Seraphina to prevent her from divulging secrets. To avoid the killers, Seraphina serves as a waitress in an underworld criminal bar. One night, she happens to save a seriously injured young man. His name is Alfred, and the surname he conceals from Seraphina is Vanderwood. Vanderwood, the Alpha King Family. When Seraphina is about to be killed by the bar's boss, Alfred saves her. Finally, she knows his identity. The new Alpha King, also the most powerful were-wolf in the world. Seraphina thinks he will kill her as well since she once tied his wrists, pressed him against the pillow, and almost had a forced kiss with him. But he doesn't. The only thing he asks Seraphina to do is pretend to be his cousin. Excuse me? What the hell is he saying? Seraphina finds it ridiculous, but Alfred is serious. It seems like Seraphina has no better choice but to agree with his requirement. However, she has no idea that when she says "yes" to Alfred, she also selects a path that she is unable to turn back. Become Alpha King's Faked Cousin is created by Cara TaleSmith, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Her father's murder was just the beginning. Sold to the Italian mafia as punishment for a betrayal she never committed, Violet Fernandez finds herself imprisoned by Vlad Romano—ruthless heir to a criminal empire that shows no mercy. But the captor who should be her nightmare becomes her unlikely ally when Vlad discovers the truth: Violet was merely a pawn in her father's dangerous double life. Together, they uncover that her father died protecting explosive secrets—information that could bring the cartel to its knees. Now, marked for death and hunted at every turn, Violet and Vlad are forced to flee into shadows where only the most dangerous survive. With each desperate escape, the line blurs between captor and captive, between hatred and a forbidden desire neither can deny. As bullets fly and passion ignites, Violet must decide: is Vlad truly her savior, or is he leading her straight into a trap where there is no escape? Just when freedom seems within reach, a devastating revelation changes everything... "CAPTIVE HEARTS" — Some chains are made of steel. Others are forged by desire.