Black Amethyst

by Toni Carter

What would be the most romantic way to ruin yourself?

Lady Ross has long accepted that love isn't for her. After years of heartbreak, she's chosen solitude—until Sauder Atlas steps into her world. Mysterious, alluring, and dangerous, Sauder lures her into a slow, intoxicating waltz between hesitation and surrender. As an artist with a shadowed past, he creates beauty from darkness, sculpting the grotesque into the divine. But his masterpiece, his greatest temptation, might just be her.

Sauder swore vengeance on his mother's grave, his life a mission of calculated destruction. With wealth, power, and an arsenal of secrets, he is a man unshaken—until Lady. Her presence is an exquisite disruption, a threat to the armor of a man who has never known softness. For the first time, revenge is no longer the only thing he desires.

But love and ruin walk a thin line, and when the past collides with the present, both will have to Is love an escape—or the ultimate destruction?

As precious as a gemstone. As enticing as the deepest hue. If life can imitate art, then surely love can as well… right?

A seductive and pulse-pounding blend of romance, mystery, and raw emotion, Black Amethyst is a masterful, genre-defying novel that will leave readers breathless. Toni Carter delivers a stunning tale of passion, power, and the choices that define us.

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2025

About the author

Toni Carter enjoys writing paranormal romance and short stories and she also writes under the name, Alice Black. She was born in England and has lived in several countries including Spain, Greece and Saudi Arabia.
Toni was a Senior Flight Attendant on a private jet for many years and she often includes a trip abroad, within her stories. ''Cheers William it's Christmas,'' is the seventh short story from her collection. She is currently working on a new Young Adult Paranormal Romance called, ''Spider Eyes.''

Twitter
https://twitter.com/WriterToniC

Reviews

[Toria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting mystery/romance read, that wasn’t too long.

We follow a few different characters but the main ones being Lady (FMC) and Sauder (MMC). It’s an insta love for the MMC but only insta lust for the FMC at first, and seeing how their relationship developed was nice.

I get this is a mystery but I’m unsure if it was the genre or the writing style that confused me sometimes about what was happening and who was speaking. However the writing was also still illustrative and brought forward a lot of vivid imagery in some moments.

There were a few “entanglements” from other characters that left me curious so I think all in all, if you enjoy the following, this may be a great read for you:

- insta love
- insta lust
- cheating trope
- complex story lines
- realistic and complex relationships
- crazy and morally grey (possibly black????) MMC who’s borderline stalkerish

[lexx t · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Lady, a woman trying to regain control of her life after a messy breakup, who ends up entangled in a world that blends crime, art, and desire. She works closely with law enforcement in a way that’s anything but typical, and somehow that connection places her in the path of Sauder, a man whose presence is as magnetic as it is unsettling. As their connection deepens, the lines between right and wrong start to blur in ways she doesn’t fully see yet.

This book really had me locked in because of how it balances romance and suspense. The chemistry between Lady and Sauder is intense from the start and builds in a way that feels both exciting and a little dangerous. I also liked how layered everything felt. Just when I thought I understood what was going on, something would shift and make me look at everything differently. The relationship dynamics are messy in a way that keeps you entertained, especially with how all the connections overlap.

Overall, this felt like watching a movie play out. The suspense mixed with the romance keeps you engaged the entire time, and there’s still so much left to uncover. You can tell this is only the beginning, and I’m already ready to see how everything unfolds next.

[LEX Btw The Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

DmPTFO!!! Where is part 2??!!

Toniii Dmptfo!! Where is book 2 maam!! Soon as I settled in I seen "part 2 coming soon" I didn't know this was a series or duet but I need the rest! We need to know what Malik got up his sleeves and hor far he's willing to go for a woman who clearly does not reciprocate the feelings he's haboring but otherwise she wouldn't be so pressed about Lady and just divorce. Poor Jenson I don't feel sorry for him though because well he made those vows at the end of the day. This was good! And I love a good Louisiana read!!