Tag Archives: Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

CAPTIVATED – BLURB REVEAL

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CAPTIVATED

by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: July 2018
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance, Standalone

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CAPTIVATED

SYNOPSIS REVEAL

A shadow meets the light …

When someone needs to disappear, the Chicago mob calls on Joe Rossi. A man who can move without a sound, and kill without a word, they don’t call him the Shadow for nothing.

This time, it’s a New York crime family in need of his skills, but it takes one glimpse of her to make him agree to the job.

Liliana Marcello is every inch a principessa della mafia. Her life has taught her to be wary of strangers, yet her ballet career contradicts everything by putting her on display.

It’s a man with a dark smile and a constantly changing demeanor that makes her feel safe again, but it’s the unknown that holds her back.

It takes one look …
One dance …
One word …
One smile to captivate a man.

And one second to kill a woman because of it, too.

Not all monsters hide in the shadows.
How are you supposed to see them coming?

CAPTIVATED teaser 1

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Shoving the phone back in her pocket, she headed out of the bathroom, and damn near crashed into what felt like a fucking brick wall the second she left the room.

Liliana couldn’t have caught herself from falling even if she tried. For all her balance, strength, and grace … none of it helped very much when she ran headfirst into something as unexpected as—

“Careful there,” came a dark, rich voice.

Like a bass rumbled with his words.

Like a melody colored up his chuckles.

A strong arm had caught her easily—just one, it seemed he didn’t need two—and righted Liliana to her feet probably before she even realized what had happened. Pushing her wild waves of dark blonde hair back out of her face, she blinked.

And came face to face with him.

The mysterious man from earlier in the driveway.

He was not quite the same as he had been earlier, though. Getting a closer—really up close and personal, considering how she was balancing herself by putting her palms to his chest, and was close enough to feel his warm mint-scented breath wash over her face—look at him was bad for her insides.

Bad, because he was gorgeous. More so than she realized. Bad, because her stomach clenched, and her palms felt sweaty already. For a second, she tried to make her voice work, but nothing came.

The dark lines of the man’s face were shadowed by the hall, but it only added to the appeal of his square-cut jaw, strong cheekbones, and inviting grin. He was taller than her five foot eleven by at least six inches or more. She had to wonder if he played football, or rugby, because under her fingertips, his chiseled-from-stone muscles jumped from her touch.

Jesus.

“You okay?” he asked.

Liliana nodded quickly. “Yeah, sure.”

“It’s Liliana, right?”

She blinked.

He grinned deeper.

Right?” he pressed.

“Liliana, yeah, but if you call me Lily, I’ll probably gut you.”

Might as well get that right out in the open and over with. She expected a bit of surprise in the man’s eyes at her warning, but he actually tipped his head back and laughed. And sweet Christ, that laugh of his was dangerous.

The sound made her breath catch.

The sight made her heart race.

“Good to know,” he said.

Laughter echoed from down the hall—her cousin, sister, and friends voices followed right after. Conversation about the movie they wanted to pick, or something like that. It didn’t really matter.

“Ah, that’s what I was trying to find,” the guy said.

Liliana’s brow dipped. “Pardon?”

“I heard noise, but this place is so big that I couldn’t find out what it was or where it was coming from. I think I got lost.”

She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Well, the mansion is pretty big.”

Liliana had a good mind to ask him what exactly he was doing at her grandparents’ mansion, and why she had caught sight of her father and uncles waiting for him and the other man before she left with the girls. She didn’t ask any of that because if the guy was in any way connected to her father and uncles’ business in the mafia, he probably wouldn’t tell her anyway.

Besides, sometimes it was better not to know.

That’s what life as a Marcello principessa had taught Liliana. It was also pretty quick to teach her that even men who weren’t connected to the life were their own particular brand of dangerous when it came right down to it.

“I bet your friends are wondering where you are,” he said.

It was only then that Liliana realized how close and alone the two were in the dark hallway. Sure, someone might hear her shout if she needed to, but none of that had even factored in to her usual cautiousness.

In fact, the last thing she felt in that moment was unsafe.

“They probably are,” she agreed.

“Would you do me a favor first?”

“Shoot.”

He cocked a brow, and shrugged one large shoulder like it wasn’t a big deal before he said, “Give me directions to the downstairs—I don’t want to miss supper later. I hear that’s rude, and I’m going to be around for a while. I would hate to make a bad first impression and all.”

Liliana laughed, but not for the reason he probably thought. The last thing he did was make a bad first impression.

Far from it.

CAPTIVATED teaser 2

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

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LOYALTY – BLITZ

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LOYALTY

John + Siena, #1
by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: March 5, 2018
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

LOYALTY cover

AVAILABLE NOW!

LOYALTY cover2

SYNOPSIS:

Fresh out of prison after serving a three-year sentence, Johnathan Marcello wants to get back to normal business as a mafia capo. The rules set out for him are clear—keep out of trouble, maintain a low profile, and stay stable. But stability is a delicate balance for a man like John, and shaky ground is only a single step away.

A chance encounter with a blue-eyed woman might just change his whole world.

Siena Calabrese’s life revolves around cooking numbers, and scrubbing books clean. After all, a girl is only useful to men in the mafia, if she isn’t totally useless. As long as she does what they want, then she can maintain the illusion of freedom. But illusions are only delusions in the grand scheme of her life, and reality is far more dangerous.

A man with secrets might just be the one thing she didn’t know she needed.

In this life, family is everything. Or, that’s how it should be.

Distrust.
Love.
Betrayal.
Loyalty.

Mix it all together, and it makes for a volatile city.

A war is coming.

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LOYALTY teaser

EXCERPT

A louder clang echoed from downstairs, and was followed by a loud cuss. John decided it was time to get up before Siena fucking hurt herself, or something. He pulled on a pair of sleep pants to cover his lower half, but nothing was hiding the half-mast of his dick pushing against the cotton.

Fuck it.

Soon enough, John was leaning in the entryway of the kitchen, and he watched as Siena balanced on a chair while she tried to pull a mixing bowl off the highest shelf in the pantry cupboard. Her wet hair hung in rivulets down her back, and he could see just a peek of her bare ass beneath the dress shirt she had thrown on.

His shirt.

It looked far better on her.

He didn’t even mind.

Those bare legs of hers—all soft lines, and sweet curves—looked damn good as she tried to balance on one foot and stretch to reach the bowl high above her head. He was so caught up in staring at her that he didn’t even mind she had seemed to tear his cupboards apart.

Anyone else, and John’s odd tendencies about his place and things being just how he wanted them might have come out to play in a not so nice way.

But this was her.

And he didn’t mind so much with her.

“Need some help?” he asked.

She must not have heard him coming downstairs because the shriek she let out damn near burst his eardrums. Not to mention, her body swayed on the chair, and she missed her step when she set her foot back down.

John bolted forward, and barely managed to catch Siena before she hit either the chair, the floor, or fucking both. Her brown hair created a curtain over her face, and she blew out a hard breath. A couple of strands puffed forward before Siena used a hand to push the hair back.

He’d caught her just a few inches from the floor. Lucky, really.

“Make some noise,” she told him, glowering. “I almost killed myself.”

“Thank you, John,” he mocked, “for not letting that happen.”

Siena pursed her lips. “And that, too!”

“Mmhmm.”

She grabbed his jaw with one hand, pulled him in close, and gave him a kiss that made his dick go from half-mast to all the way hard. Damn. All it took was her teasing little tongue flicking against his lips, and then the promise of a taste of her, and there he was … ready to go again.

LOYALTY teaser 2

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook GoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

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LOYALTY + DISGRACE – Double Reveal

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LOYALTY

John + Siena, #1
by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: March 5, 2018
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

Cover Design: Mignon Mykel at Oh So Novel Designs

loyalty covers

Fresh out of prison after serving a three-year sentence, Johnathan Marcello wants to get back to normal business as a mafia capo. The rules set out for him are clear—keep out of trouble, maintain a low profile, and stay stable. But stability is a delicate balance for a man like John, and shaky ground is only a single step away.

A chance encounter with a blue-eyed woman might just change his whole world.

Siena Calabrese’s life revolves around cooking numbers, and scrubbing books clean. After all, a girl is only useful to men in the mafia, if she isn’t totally useless. As long as she does what they want, then she can maintain the illusion of freedom. But illusions are only delusions in the grand scheme of her life, and reality is far more dangerous.

A man with secrets might just be the one thing she didn’t know she needed.

In this life, family is everything. Or, that’s how it should be.

Distrust.
Love.
Betrayal.
Loyalty.

Mix it all together, and it makes for a volatile city.

A war is coming.

loyalty cover2

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loyalty teaser

EXCERPT: Loyalty, John + Siena #1

Johnathan’s eyes widened, and Siena grinned at the sight. Surprise looked good on the man. His confident smile earlier had sharpened his strong jaw and chiseled cheekbones, and made her think, I bet he could kill a woman with that smile. Stop her heart with a look, and restart it with a wink.

The surprise, though?

That took his sexiness, and turned it almost boyish in a blink.

“You didn’t know who I was?” Siena asked.

“Marcellos don’t tend to … mix a lot of business with the Calabrese family.” Johnathan’s confident grin took over once more, and his gaze traveled over her form. “You must be Matteo’s daughter.”

“One of a few,” she replied.

Johnathan cocked a brow. “I only know the Calabrese boss to have one.”

“The three illegitimate ones don’t get much recognition in the family.”

Across from her on the bus, Johnathan cleared his throat.

“Ah, I see,” he said.

So was the way of their life.

Nobody ever said being a principessa della mafia was an easy thing. In fact, it was one of the most suffocating things to be. All the rules and expectations that never ended. Having a Cosa Nostra boss for a father—and high ranking brothers—left a young woman like Siena under their control and demands.

She was used to it, now.

Twenty-five years dealing with it all had done that to her.

“Kind of strange to see a Capo driving on a city bus,” Siena said.

“And what do you know about Capos, donna?”

The way he called her woman, and his hazel gaze drifted down over her jean-clad legs left a heavy feeling thumping in her throat. Siena was used to men staring—a byproduct of having taken after her exceptionally beautiful, but cold, mother. She wasn’t, however, used to a man like Johnathan doing it.

A man connected to the mafia. One that might face punishment from her father or brothers for disrespecting their family name in such as way by treating one of their women in any way that wasn’t honest and pure.

Like she was some angel.

Or a saint.

Siena was none of those things.

She quite liked the way Johnathan was looking at her.

“Well?” Johnathan asked. “What do you know about the business, huh?”

A lot.

More than he probably thought she did.

Siena simply said, “Do you think I shouldn’t know who is who when it comes to the Three Families in New York? Wouldn’t that be a little dumb of me, considering who my father is and all?”

“Fair enough.”

She mentally patted herself on the back for dodging that bullet. After all, one who dealt in the business did not discuss the business.

It was a rule.

Siena’s father repeated it to her a little more often than he did to everyone else. She figured that was because she was a woman, and no made man in the mafia wanted other Mafiosi to know a woman was handling business.

Especially … numbers.

“Isn’t it always black cars, and ten under the speed limit for Capos?” Siena asked.

“For some, maybe.” Johnathan chuckled. “My car is still in shipping somewhere between the Rust Belt and here.”

“But is it black?” she asked.

Johnathan smirked. “Possibly.”

“And do you drive ten under the limit?”

“Possibly.”

“I knew it,” Siena said, winking. “So, for now you’re slumming it on a bus, then?”

“I don’t mind the bus. I get to be around people without actually engaging with people.”

Siena lifted a single eyebrow. “Is that a shot at me—I shouldn’t be engaging you, or something?”

Johnathan’s grin deepened, and he looked her over once more. “Nah, I don’t mind engaging you, Siena.”

“It’s just a shame my last name is Calabrese, huh?”

He waved a hand, and said, “It is what it is.”

loyalty teaser 2

DISGRACE

John + Siena, #2
by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: APRIL 2018
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

Cover Design: Mignon Mykel at Oh So Novel Designs

disgrace cover

DISGRACE BLURB COMING SOON!

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebookGoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

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