Walter Mosley Devil In A Blue Dress

Love built a kingdom. Love destroyed it. And love… might yet bring it back. Long ago, Queen Daphne and King Zerach ruled the Highland of Songhai with hearts bound by passion and destiny. But when tragedy stole the queen from his arms, the mighty king’s heart turned to stone — until Freda, a gentle soul with eyes like sunrise, taught him to feel again. Their love healed the kingdom… and from it came Prince Lucien, bright, noble, and pure. But fate is cruel. For in another corner of the land lived Lyra, a beautiful, fearless girl whose laughter could tame storms — and whose blood carried the same mark as the prince’s. When Lucien met her in the forest, time itself stood still. Their souls recognized each other before their lips ever spoke. What began as an innocent bond soon became an all-consuming love — one that defied gods, bloodlines, and fate itself. Lucien vowed to make her his queen. Lyra vowed to love him even if the stars fell from the sky. Yet destiny had written another story — a story of a secret birth, a forbidden prophecy, and a love so powerful it threatened to tear the world apart. When truth came, it shattered everything: the king’s peace, the queen’s heart, and the lovers’ dreams. But even as kingdoms burned and tears fell like rain… Lucien and Lyra chose love — even in death. And in the silence after sorrow, the Highland of Songhai bloomed again — the winds whispering their names, Lucien and Lyra… the love that defied eternity.

“No… we shouldn’t,” I whispered as my back hit the wall. The cold stone didn’t cool the heat in my body. “I’m your brother’s fiancée” He didn’t trap me. His hand rested near my hip, close enough that I could feel his warmth without him touching me. That made it worse. “And yet,” he said softly, his hand tracing a path down my thigh. “you didn’t push me back when I came near.” I bit my bottom lip hard, trying desperately to hold back a sound. From the other room, I could hear forks clinking and people laughing. Our family was right there, close enough to hear us. My heart was pounding. He leaned closer, “You’re shaking, Maisie,” he murmured. “And you’re not scared.” I swallowed, breath uneven. “Someone could see.” A dangerous smile curved his mouth. “ Then be as quiet as you can.” ***** Maisie’s world changed the moment she walked into that bar. She should never have let the alcohol numb her anger, her fear, her desperation to escape the life her parents had arranged for her— a life that felt like a trap. The perfect marriage. The perfect future. The perfect cage. She thought one reckless night would ruin everything… for them. She thought if she became someone they despised, they’d finally let her go. She didn’t know that one mistake would brand her instead. Now he wants her. Not gently. Not quietly. The more she runs, the closer he gets… until she can’t tell if she’s running from him… or being drawn to something far more dangerous. He is everything she wants. Everything she shouldn’t want. And when she turns to run for her life a second time…. She runs straight into him.

“Why are you like this, Axel?” she asked in a low voice, her tone slightly breaking. “Why won't you just leave me alone?” For a moment, something inside me stirred. I reached out slowly and placed my fingers under her chin, lifting her face. She tried to look away, but I wouldn’t let her. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she bit her lower lip stubbornly, trying to keep them from falling. But that tiny act of defiance… God, it did something to me. I wanted to pull her closer, to claim her, to make her mine and never let anyone else touch her. “One year,” I said finally. She frowned. “What?” “I want you,” I said clearly. “For one year, you’ll be my woman. In exchange, I’ll take care of you, your needs, your family’s protection, your brother’s freedom. Everything.” *** After catching her scumbag boyfriend in bed with her coworker, Olivia Brooks did what any heartbroken woman might… she drowned her sorrows at a club. One too many drinks later, she ended up in the arms of a dangerously handsome stranger. What she didn’t know was that the man she mistook for a gigolo was Axel Reynolds, a ruthless billionaire with a taste for control. Olivia tried to move on and bury the memory of that reckless night… until fate delivered a cruel twist. Axel Reynolds wasn’t just anyone—he was her step sister’s soon-to-be husband. Now, trapped between guilt and desire, Olivia wants to hide the truth. But Axel has already found her, and the devil never lets go of what he claims.

I had two fathers. One was Vincenzo, who was gentle and cultured. The other was Matteo, who was called "Il Diavolo Sanguinario", meaning the bloodthirsty devil, by everyone. Both were men my grandfather, Don Rossi, had chosen for my mother, Sofia. In my last life, my mother had chosen Vincenzo, thinking he was the man she could trust for the rest of her life. But after a woman called Carla came between them, he grew colder toward my mother and me. He took Carla's side and became convinced that my mother had drugged him on purpose and slept with other men. In his eyes, I was a bastard whose father was unknown. After my grandpa passed away, Carla framed my mother repeatedly. Vincenzo would let her get away with it every time. He had even forced my mother to apologize and locked us in the basement, to the point of starving to death in the end! When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my fifth birthday party. My grandpa was still gravely ill, and he was urging my mother to make a choice. "Sofia, whoever you choose will inherit everything in the Rossi family and protect you and Lia in my place." Mom held me in her arms, hesitant to make a decision. I pointed at the man everyone called the Diavolo Sanguinario. "Pick him! Only he can protect us!"

Warning: Read at your own risk! Abby Miller is the daughter of a well-known businessman. But when their business went bankrupt, the bank took all of their family's assets and property, and her life turned into a roller coaster when a dangerous man abducted her. Fabian Collins, the mafia boss, abducted Abby for marriage. But Abby continues to wonder why? Until she discovers the teeny-tiny family secret...which could cause her to lose her mind and hate the man she married! But how can she hate him if she is already in love with him? Mafia Series Book 1, 2, and 3. Happy Reading!

After the death of her parents in a fatal accident, Maria's life takes an ugly turn. Immersed in huge debts and meeting her supposed boyfriend pants down with another lady, Maria is heartbroken. In the spur of the moment, she decides to end it but luckily gets saved by a mystery man. Going to the club for a fun time, she gets drunk and bangs a stranger who is no other than Andrew Walker, the son of her parents's killers. Shockingly, he is her savior; the mystery man, and just as he gave her a second chance at life, he's determined to frustrate her to death. When his fake date for the day disappoints him, Maria is his only hope. What is supposed to be a one-time thing, needs another and another until she's tied with Andrew. How much can she endure her fate? And secretly seeking revenge for her parents, will she damn their bond and hurt her savior in wolf's fur?

“I was supposed to marry a prince. Instead, I was claimed by the devil.” Isabella Russo was raised to be a bride, obedient, graceful, and prepared to seal the most powerful alliance between two mafia dynasties. Her destiny was written: marry Angelo Moretti, the beloved heir to the Moretti empire, and secure peace between bloodlines. But on the morning of her wedding, Angelo is found dead. And standing in his place at the altar, with ice in his veins and hell in his eyes, is Dante Moretti, the ruthless, cold-blooded bastard brother who was never meant to inherit anything… except perhaps her. With one whispered vow and a signature on a contract forged in death, Isabella becomes his wife. But Dante didn’t just inherit a bride. He inherited a problem. Angelo’s death wasn’t an accident. It was a message. And Isabella, caught in a web of lies, betrayal, and violence, holds the key to secrets that could destroy the entire Moretti family. As tensions between rival families rise and enemies close in, Dante will do whatever it takes to protect what’s his. Even if it means breaking her. Even if it means unraveling her. Even if it means falling for the one woman he was never supposed to touch.

Natalie Grimaldi has always been a fighter. Rebellious, sharp-tongued, and unwilling to break under pressure, she’s spent most of her life enduring the cruelty of her uncle, Gideon Grimaldi , a greedy man who raised her only to use her as a pawn. When Gideon announces that she’s to marry Viktor Roman, a Russian billionaire twice her age, in exchange for a debt settlement, Natalie is furious, broken and frustrated. On the day of the wedding something unexpected happens she is claimed in a contract marriage by California's most feared Italian Mafia family, LORENZO DE LUCA. She finds herself being sold twice!! Lorenzo doesn't know her name, doesn't care about her except his own gains(the real reason he bought her) but something in her fire, her refusal to bow, stirred something long buried in him. He buys her for something much more deeper —nothing more. But Natalie refuses to break. Even as he claims her body, her life, she hides her heart, planning escape, revenge, and freedom. But the longer she remains under Lorenzo's roof, the more she begins to see cracks in his stone facade: his silence, his shadows, his haunting grief and most of all HIS SECRET. The real reason he bought her. And against every wall she’s built, Natalie begins to feel the tug of something she vowed never to give him—sympathy. Maybe even more. As Natalie secretly builds her own power, forging connections and learning the dark truths behind Lorenzo's empire, she must face the hardest question of all: Can she destroy the man who bought her, if he’s the first one who ever saw her? Or will she fall for the devil who was never meant to love?

A luxurious New Year cruise tour has stood on Brynne Emerson’s bucket list for years, but when it finally happens, she’s in for a shock. She catches her boyfriend cheating on her on the first night on board. Shattered, Brynne does the unthinkable. She has a drunken mishap with a stranger, probably the hottest man on earth. It isn’t so bad since she’ll not meet him again. But she’s mistaken and collides with him everywhere. Is he pursuing her? What can he want from her? Lucian Sylvester, a reckless billionaire, has trust issues where women are concerned. Therefore, he is unable to find himself a fake bride at such short notice. After a wild night with Brynne, he knows what he wants. Can he convince Brynne to sign a deal with him on his terms?

Ariel is a kind, beautiful girl who has just turned twenty. All her life, she believed that her younger brother was dead but everything changed the day that he parents broke it to her that he was still alive. As if that wasn't shocking enough, her brother had been in the custody of a Mafia boss and her parents planned to exchange him for her. Miguel is a ruthless mafia lord who only knows three things— money, power and sex. Love? That's not a word in his dictionary. He fucks any girl he chooses until they give up and can't take it anymore. He was a beast and Ariel was his newest catch. What happens when the innocent Ariel clashes with the hot and dangerously tempting Miguel and they both realize that they may have gotten more than they bargained for? What happens when a brutal past comes knocking again? Threatening to tear down and destroy? Betrayal and lust is the order of the day. Will love prevail? Or will it tear them down completely?