Silent Vow

Dark & Silent Night #1

by Maya Alden

In the shadows, he was hired to kill her.
In her light, he found the one thing he couldn’t destroy.

Lucian Maddox is a man of few words and even darker secrets. By day, he manages a part of the family’s media empire. By night, he’s a lethal assassin with no attachments—until his next target shatters his reality.

Calista Ferraro escaped her mafia past to run a homeless shelter and live a life of quiet purpose. But when a contract is placed on her life, her world collides with the man sent to end it.

Lucian was supposed to kill her. Instead, he falls for her.

As enemies close in, Calista begins to trust the man she believes is her protector. But when she uncovers Lucian’s truth, love may not be enough to save either of them.

Silent Vow is the first book in the Dark & Silent Night series—dark, emotional romances about the Maddox brothers that explore the razor-thin line between hero and villain.

🖤 Hitman/Bodyguard
❤️ Forbidden love
🖤 Opposites attract
❤️ Dark secret identity
🖤 Stalking
❤️ Mafia ties
🖤 Betrayal & Grovel
❤️ Novella (23k words)

Read the other novellas in the Dark & Silent Night series, following the lives of the Maddox brothers, written by my incredible

🖤 Veiled Silence by Eve Black
🖤 Silent Promises by Christine Michelle
🖤 Silent Flames by Cate C. Wells

Genres: Dark Romance, Novella, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Dark, Enemies To Lovers

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2025

About the author

A top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this, but it fell prey to the quintessential novella dilemma: super rushed insta-love with a super rushed story. Which is a shame because this really had potential.

I am DYING for Lucian's book by Cate C. Wells.

[Mairi Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars cause I would have liked it lengthier. Though it was very good I believe it would be amazing if there was more.

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a 112 page novella. The last 50 pages or 30% of the book is devoted to excerpts to the rest of the series. TBH I would give this 2.5 stars. The first few chapters are intriguing and kept my attention, but the hero and heroine are in LOVE with each other after one encounter, they have a separation because she can’t be with someone who is a hitman. She is running away from the mafia, and he is able to magically take out the don just like that no repercussions?

It doesn’t make senseee. Very good example of characters telling you how they feel but nothing shown. Not worth reading. I want a refund 😔

[Tenley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was really bad..... terrible, actually. Since this was only 112 pages, I held on till the end and that was likely a mistake since it didn't get better.

Lucian runs a sports media company by day and is an assassin by night (because that makes sense).

Anyway, he gets a contract to kill a woman but falls obsessively in love with her instead. She digs him back for no actual reason. A couple of things happen, but not much and then it ends with a HEA.

👎

[hea booktubes]

DNF 60% “omg I’ve had one conversation with you but I’m irrevocably in love but I can’t be with a man who kills people so we must both suffer.”

[Danny Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strong start to this four part series from Maya Alden, Eve Black, Christine Michelle, and Cate C. Wells. This book was fast pace, intense, and hit it's intended mark. Maya seems to be strong at writing novellas. Some of her books in the past drone on and on, but this was really good. The four part series follows four brothers. Lucian, Gideon, Logan, and Adrian. Gideon being the oldest, and Logan the youngest. The series isn't following numerological age order as you can see. They own an industry, and Lucian's front is a sports agent among other jobs. But his calling is a hitman after leaving the military. His target was supposed to be a mafia princess who escaped her fate after being protected by her grandfather. But he died, and now her ex fiance wants her dead to end her bloodline. Lucian of course sees how wonderful she is and can't go through with it as he's caught feelings. From there it's him working back towards her and taking out her demons. Definitely recommend.



At the end we got introduction chapters to each book in the series. And I gotta say Cate's was a harsh opener. It opens right into the cheating seen. It's going to be hard waiting for that one.

[Kathleen Lemke (Kathy Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4 stars

What I liked: I loved how strong Calista(h) was. Knowing who her family is but still willing to help people instead of just hiding made me like her more. I also liked how Lucian(H) went against the order and took care of the real problem.

What I didn’t like: I wanted more. We got a jump to the future but I wanted more in between.

***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers/Tropes: h overhears that the H is a hired hitman that is suppose to kill her.
H works for his family business and is close to his brothers. H also is a hired hitman and his next assignment is to kill the h. h’s family is part of the mafia. h is told she will marry a man who will next be in line to rule. h says no and she is beaten, her grandfather realizing she is in danger helps her escape. When the grandfather passes away, the man, who she was supposed to marry, is now the head of the mafia. He puts a hit out on the h (he is angry she ran from him and he doesn’t like that her children have a legit chance of becoming the head of the mafia). H goes and sees her at a homeless shelter that she is running. Seeing her interact with the people, H decides to have his brother look into her background. H follows the h and the more he sees her the more he likes her. When H takes too long to complete the job, the man orders another hitman. H saves the h. h thinks the H is a bodyguard. When a second hitman is hired the H again saves her and takes the h to his place. H and h feel the chemistry and decide to give things a chance. The next morning the h overhears the H tell his brother that she doesn’t know that he was hired to kill her. h upsets leaves and tells the H to stay away. H goes and takes care of the man that ordered the hit. H’s brother goes to talk to the h. h decides that she wants the H and goes to him. HEA with them together and they have a daughter.

Final thoughts: I enjoyed this quick read. Definitely will be reading all the brother’s books when they come out.

[Jac K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this over a week ago and never got around to writing a review. I typically like M.A’s novella length books, but this one bored me throughout, which was a total bummer because if I had to choose a Maddox brother, Lucian would be my choice.

For me it just never took off. Calista was a dud (and TSTL) and Lucian wasn’t anything like I expected his character to be. The insta-love was boring, and the “betrayal” generated nothing.

Bottom Line-This didn’t work for me because there wasn’t anything for me to sink my teeth into. (drama, chemistry, tension, feels, action) I could overlook the silliness of a sports media billionaire moonlighting as an assassin, but I needed something to fill 100 pages. I was hoping that she’d call him out on the promise he made and immediately broke after the reconciliation but that never happened. Why was she totally good with it after it was such a big deal before?

Holy Moly that preview for book 4!!! I cheated and skipped to it next and worked my way back.

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucian was my favorite H of the brothers. He’s sent to kill the h by a rejected mafioso. He sees her and can’t do it. Characters weren’t developed enough and this one just didn’t give me the feels.

[Pinky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:Violence, guns, stabbing, homelessness, poverty, death of loved ones, death of parents, orphan, murder, spiking drink of side character (possible rape but not confirmed), suicide side character, physical abuse, drugs, sexual assault (forced kiss on minor), pedophilia (older man kisses 16 year old, doesn’t specify his age), grooming for marriage, child abandonment, child neglect, alcoholic parent, attempted murder

This is the first nouvella in the Dark and Silent Night series. I am reading the books to prep for Cate C. Wells’ book. This was super short, and I’m not gonna lie, I was laughing while reading. The insta-love was just so ridiculous, and the FMC, Calista, was kinda stupid. The MMC, Lucian, barely had a personality. It's a nouvella so obviously there isn’t much to give. But the storyline was funny and took me out. Even though this is set in a mafia world with fucked up shit going on, I couldn’t take anything seriously. It helped pass time, I always love the author’s writing style. But story-wise? Nope lol. I still think you should give this a shot, since the books need to be read in order, so you don’t spoil the other nouvellas for yourself.


Lucian is a shadow that is ordered to kill. When he gets his next assignment, he doesn’t expect it to be a sweet girl like Calista. Lucian doesn’t know if he can do this job, since Calista captured his attention.

Now for spoilers


Lucian is one of 4 brothers from the Maddox family. Logan is the youngest, followed by Lucian, then Adrian, then Gideon. When they were younger, their mom abandoned them. Their dad became an alcoholic who fucked around. So Gideon took charge and became the father of the family, and Adrian was close in second. Lucian owns a media company, and the others own their own companies and work with each other. Logan is a genius hacker and sends jobs to Lucian. Lucian’s day job is to focus on his media stuff, covering for stupid hockey players. But at night, he is a shadow who is ordered to kill. He doesn’t think, he just does as told, even if the person doesn’t deserve it. His secretary and PA check him out, but their family has a rule not to fuck employees. So Lucian takes an envelope that has secret encryption of his new order. The picture is of Calista, whom he finds beautiful. At night, he finds Calista at her job in the homeless shelter. Calista is helping a bunch of homeless people, telling them to make sure to use the beds and eat their food. Lucian is surprised that someone is targeting a kind person like her. Then she gives someone money. Lucian asks Logan to look into Calista more. Logan asks Lucian why he is hesitating to kill Calista, asking if he wants her. They call her “Wannabe Mother Teresa” which had me dead.


They realize that Calista is a Mafia Princess. Her parents were murdered by her uncle, and her grandfather just died. At 18, Calista was ordered to marry a guy named Remo in the past, but she refused. At 16, he forced a kiss on her, fucking disgusting. We don’t know how old he is, but it’s clear he is way older. He spiked a girl’s drink, and he might have raped her (we don’t know). But the girl killed herself the next day. Anyway, Remo took offence that Calista rejected him. With Calista’s grandfather’s help, Calista ran away and changed her name. But Remo doesn’t think she should live, since rejecting him is humiliating. So he ordered the Maddox brothers to kill her. He offered to pay $100,000, but they didn’t get it until the job was done. So Lucian continues to follow Calista, but she is aware someone is following her. She was able to catch Lucian’s reflection after feeling him staring for so long. He is hidden in the shadows, but she is from the mafia world, so she knows. When she went to throw the trash, he didn’t kill her. So she doesn’t know who he is or what he wants. When she gets home, she notices Lucian is still there. So she calls her father’s friend in the morning. Her father’s friend says that her grandpa is dead. Because of that, Remo is comfortable ordering her execution. Calista is terrified, unsure of what to do. So she continues to live her life while wondering if Lucian will kill her. After three days, Remo hired another person to kill Calista. When they are about to kill her, Lucian saves her. Calista falls for him immediately, thinking he is a bodyguard or someone hired to protect her. Lucian asks if she is okay and says it was his pleasure to help her. He doesn’t give her much information, but she can tell he knows a lot about her. So she goes home and waves at him, daydreaming about him.


Lucian tells Logan that Calista saw him, and Logan asks what he is thinking. We find out that Adrian has been hitting the gym and sleeping in the guest suite. I know it’s cuz he cheats, since I read a snippet of his book (that’s the one I am curious about). Anyway, Logan says that Lucian has to figure his shit out, or they have to tell Gideon and Adrian. So Lucian continues to follow Calista and falls for her. He finds her kindness to be sweet. He feels that he is a shadow, and she is his light. Calista starts to wave at him. I found this so dumb, but whatever. When Calista is about to be killed again, she is ready to shoot them. She has a gun, and this time, she didn’t sense Lucian. But Lucian appears and saves her, taking the gun from her. He says that Calista is in danger and asks her to come with him. Homegirl doesn’t even question it; she follows him to his car. He barely answers any questions about himself. Then he takes Calista to his apartment, and Calista is so chill about the whole thing. Like this girl wants to get killed, goddamn. Her mentality was that if he wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it already. Anyway, Lucian tells her to shower, gives her food, and lets her relax. She asks him mundane questions, like where he got the food. Lucian doesn’t cook; they have a chef in the building. When Calista asks for his name, Lucian says it with a smile. He says he owns a media company, but Calista doesn’t question why he was stalking her. Calista tells him about her backstory. That her parents were killed by her uncle, who took charge. Her grandpa protected her the best he could. When she refused to marry Remo, her uncle beat her. So her grandpa helped her escape, but Remo found it to be a huge betrayal. She knows that Lucian already knows this since he knew everything about her. All over his apartment, he had things that she used. Her shampoo, clothing in her size, and things she likes. The girl doesn’t find this creepy; she’s just chilling. When Lucian asks what she wants, she says she wants to stop hiding. So Lucian says that he will protect her, and they hold hands.


Lucian says he can’t take it anymore and kisses Calista. They makeout and he takes her to bed where he gives her oral. Calista says she is a virgin, and he says he plans to take things slow. So he cuddles in bed with her for the first night. He’s never taken a woman to his home, especially in his bed. He realizes that he doesn’t want to kill Calista, but she might leave him cuz of his background. This was all so fucking stupid. Logan tells him that Remo is now targeting Lucian and Calista. So he calls his brothers to tell them he wasn’t going to kill her. Calista overhears Lucian talking. When Adrian gets pissed, Lucian says he fucked another woman other than his wife. Both Gideon and Adrian are married, Gideon to Kendra and Adrian to Cora. Lucian says he wants to protect Calista. Calista feels betrayed, which makes no fucking sense. The man was stalking her, knew everything about her, and saved her from being killed. She didn’t know anything about him other than her name and already thinks she loves him. So I don’t get how the fuck she feels betrayed. He protected her twice and never really lied about his identity. Like girl why you mad? Anyway, Calista didn’t want to be with someone who was from the mafia world, whose whole job was focused on killing people. So when Lucian sees Calista, she says that she can’t be with him. Lucian is sad, begging her to stay, but she says no. So he asks to drive her home, and she says no. This was all nonsense man.


So Calista leaves, and Lucian is heartbroken. Logan gives Calista a ride home and says that Lucian cares for her. Then he tells Lucian that Calista loves him too. Man was playing matchmaker when they knew each other for a couple of days. Gideon, Adrian, and Logan visit Lucian to cheer him up with food. Lucian gets frustrated and throws his drink. But once he sits down, he says he wants to kill Remo. His brothers say they will have his back if he needs it. But Lucian manages to kill all the guards and Remo. He is taken away on a helicopter with wounds. Then, Lucian continues to follow Calista. Logan visits Calista since he was ordered to watch her when Lucian isn’t available. Logan tells Calista that Lucian loves her, asking her to give his brother another chance. Calista says she can’t trust a man who kills, saying she hates that line of work. But Logan says that Lucian protected her and that she is safe. Calista realized that Remo was dead, and she confirmed this with her father’s friend. She knew Lucian risked his life to save her. So she cries, and Logan hugs her, but Lucian is watching from outside. Logan tells Calista that she is the first person Lucian ever fell for. Logan and Lucian fight in Gideon’s office since Lucian was pissed that Logan touched Calista. I was dying bro, this is too funny. Gideon gave them a deadline to stop fighting in 5 minutes. Then they talk on a rooftop, and Logan says he knows Lucian is in love with Calista. But Lucian knows that she can never accept him for who he is. This was all stupid bro, Y’ALL BARELY KNOW EACH OTHER LOL.

But Calista is thankful that Lucian saved her life. She realizes that she still wants to be with him cuz she loves him. So she goes to Lucian’s building, and it’s a fingerprint door. When she puts her finger on it, it works; he had it set for her. When Calista enters his apartment, he is there. They kiss and have sex, but Calista feels bad when she sees all of Lucian’s wounds. Lucian tells her that he is fine. He tells Calista he will leave the shadow assassin work. However, when Calista moved in three months later, he continued to do the shadow assassin work. There were loose ends related to Remo, and honestly, his brothers never stopped sending him work. Plus, he liked it. He knew that Calista knew too, but they never spoke about it. He was scared to lose her since she brought life to his home. She brought plants, she cooked for him, and the place felt warmer. He didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t want to stop the shadow work. Since he had a sad childhood with abandonment and neglect, he dealt with it the hard way. He had a quiet wedding with Calista, officiated by Gideon, and Logan was the photographer. When Calista and Lucian have a daughter, named Aria, Lucian wants to give up his work for good. He admits to Calista that he never gave up the work, but he will today, while crying. Calista says she knows, but she understands him. She is willing to take him in whatever way, since it’s what makes him, him. This was funny since I couldn’t take it seriously. But it was a quick read.

Stay safe folks!

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5.0

I guess one conversation equals a love so deep it will overcome everything. It’s the burn down the world kind on his end (Man, that one conversation must have been something). Oddly, even though he never followed through with her assassination and, in fact saved her life repeatedly, she hides her head in the sand and refuses to see anything good about him… until she does. Then, even if he lies to her and secretly keeps up his murder lifestyle, it’s okay… Because once she admits that insta-love connection, anything he does is perfectly wonderful and acceptable.

[Joanne Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Maya Alden's first dark romance and I have to say it is a total winner. Lucian is a business man by day and a hitman by night. Calista is hiding out trying to escape her mafia past. Their paths cross when Lucian is hired to kill her but he cannot do it.
He realises quickly that she is the light that soothes his dark soul. Even though this book is a novella it has depth to it and you will find yourself ponding it for a long while after you close your kindle.
This book is going to be part of series that will have other authors contribute a story each for the Maddox brothers. To say I am excited is really underselling it.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

That was super cheesy 🤣. Why was a billionaire who runs a sports media company (or something like that) also an assassin for hire? I was pondering that question while reading the entire novella.

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the angsty setup for this one, but the instalove irked me. It just wasn’t believable, so 3 1/2 stars. I needed more conflict and interaction to believe in their true love.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silent Vow is box one in the Dark & Silent Night by Maya Alden. Lucian Maddox has a secret: by day, he is the manager of his family's media empire; by night, an assassin. When he accepted this assignment to kill Calista Ferraro, he did not expect to fall in love with the target. Will Calista trust Lucian when she finds out the truth? Readers of Silent Vow will continue to follow Calista and Lucian as they discover what happens.

Silent Vow is an enjoyable novella, and the first book I have read by Maya Alden. Not a style of stories I generally enjoy. However, I did enjoy reading this book and engaged with the story and the characters from the start. I learnt about the importance of homeless shelters for the residents and the community.

I enjoyed Maya Alden's portrayal of her characters and their interactions throughout this book. Silent Vow is well-written and well-researched by Maya Alden. I like Maya Alden's descriptions of the settings in Silent Vow, which complement the book's plot.

I recommend this book.

[Tmstprc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insta live between a hitman and his target.

[Adrianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not good. The premise was good but the execution was not there. We have a hitman MMC who’s hired to kill the FMC but instead he falls into infatuation with her after finding out she’s not the shady low life he was expecting. That’s interesting! But what we get is a very rushed insta-love story. The novella is only around 100 kindle pages and they go from no contact as he stalks her to one interaction and they are instantly in love. Then in less than 24 hours she finds out he’s a hitman, not a body guard and leaves even though she’s in danger. They are both so heartbroken. Uh yeah right.

To protect the woman he loves, the MMC kills the man who put the hit out. When the FMC finds out, she’s overwhelmed with love and goes back to him. Boom they are in love and have sex for the first time. After that he tells her that he’s done with his hitman ways. Cut to years later, he’s still been doing his hitman thing but decides he needs to stop and come clean since he’s now a father. After his confession she’s like “oh yeah, I know. I’ve known the whole time. No big deal.” 🙄🙄🙄. And that’s the end.

I hope the other books in this series are better than this one.

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 3 out of 5]

☠️🔪 He's an assassin tasked to kill her... but then he meets her ☠️🔪

I was so intrigued by the premise of this novella. And it didn't disappoint in that way. It gave what it said it was going to give me. I loved the concept and I was craving more and more throughout the story. During my reading, some things were kinda sped up in a way, so that felt quick for me. And I thought the groveling was going to be different, I thought it was going to be a bit more, I don't know? The synopsis promotes it, but I felt that there was no groveling lol.

But aside from that, I enjoyed the characters and the romance. I love me a down bad man who meets the love of his life and literally everything changes.

[Margerm, Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. Sometimes I anticipate that one of this author's books will not work for me and I'm pleasantly surprised, but not in this case. The story didn't work for me. It is a novella and I have read some short stories that managed to develop a deep story but in this case the story felt very rushed.The H is one of four brothers who each have their area of expertise. Based on the excerpt included with this story, I am looking forward to reading Adrian's story. The H handles the media portion of their business (sports stars etc.) but by night he is a paid assassin. He takes a contract to kill the h. The h runs a homeless shelter, lives in a rat infested apartment and has no car or savings. The H compared her to Mother Teresa. The h refused an engagement to a man who is now head of the Cosa Nostra. He put a hit on the h once her protector, her grandfather, dies. The H saves the h from secondary contracted hits and they fall in love with each other. Not a lot of depth or layers.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silent Vow is the first book in the Dark & Silent Night series. It’s the first time Ms Alden is writing dark romance. This is a collaboration between authors who wrote standalone novels following Maddox brothers. The first book in the series follows Lucian Maddox who is a businessman by day and a deadly assassin by night . The story and plot hooked me from the very first page and kept me flipping through the pages. Calista is hiding from her past . Both Lucian and Calista’s path collide when he is send to kill her and she mistakes her as her protecter . The characters were written and so was the plot I am looking forward to reading the other brother’s stories. Maya is truly a talented author. Highly recommend this book.

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way way WAY too rushed, so much so it got ridiculous

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ Silent Vow by Maya Alden completely consumed me from the first page. It’s everything I love in a dark romance—moody, emotional, and dangerously intimate. Lucian Maddox is the kind of antihero who shouldn’t be redeemable, yet Maya makes you ache for him anyway. He’s lethal, controlled, and devastatingly magnetic… and when he falls, he falls hard.

Calista is the perfect contrast—soft where he’s sharp, hopeful where he’s broken. Their connection feels fated but forbidden, and the tension between them hums like an electric current. Every scene drips with danger and longing, and the twist when she learns the truth? My heart was in my throat.

Maya Alden has a gift for turning darkness into beauty. Her prose is elegant and cinematic, her pacing flawless. She builds a world of secrets, loyalty, and redemption that lingers long after the last page.

If you love hitman/bodyguard romances, morally gray heroes, and heroines who bring light to the darkest hearts—Silent Vow will ruin you in the best possible way.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the Dark & Silent Night series. Maya Alden just keeps getting better.

[Srk001 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to say this, but going to say it anyway. It gives assisted by AI vibes, as in edited/polished by AI at the least (maybe also prompted for other things at parts). First book I picked up where I got this impression. Hope it’s not more to come.

Rating itself is for lack of depth, TSTL FMC, insta-love that made zero sense, and disjointedness/contrived behaviour (could be another AI element, doesn't smoothly connect things like humans do).

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy this book at all. The relationship between the main characters felt extremely rushed, and the way she fell in love with him at first sight seemed unrealistic and poorly developed. Instead of feeling romantic, it just came across as shallow and unconvincing. The story lacked depth, and I found it boring overall. I expected much more, so I ended up feeling really disappointed

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every MMC in a dark romance who’s a hitman/vigilante are always so corny. Why do they all speak like that?

“I don’t walk in the light, I watch from the shadows. I’m the blade in the dark.”

You’re a CORNBALL.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

4 interconnected novellas set at Christmas time, each book following a Maddox brother. Each novella is also written by a different author. I like the idea of these, it's a great way to introduce yourself to different authors without having to read a full length book.

However, this one was not great. The sentence structure was very short and for me personally, I'm not a fan. "I sit down. I order a drink. They know my usual. I'm a regular". It's giving YA.

I know that with hardly over 100 pages, there's not a lot to work with, but the insta love was INSANE. I'm talking 1 face to face meeting and they are both in love. He for real says that he loves her more than his brothers and by that point they'd maybe spent 16hrs together. They also had zero chemistry, so there's that.

I AM interested in the other brothers' stories, particularly the brothers who are already married. I feel that with the length of these novellas, already having an established relationship to work with will take away some of the insta love ick.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novella

This was short and satisfying.

The h is a mafia princess in hiding who left behind a toxic life and instead runs a homeless shelter trying to make amends for her family.

The H is a bunch of red flags tbh, BUT, he falls in love with the h before he even speaks to her. This is the obsessive, burn the world down kind of love.

Now normally I'm not a fan of insta love/lust but Maya Alden made it work.

Really enjoyed this one.

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was alright. insta-love, OTT, super cheesy, but a good intro to the world?
idk it wasn't horrible for a novella, I guess.

[Kerry Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t think the format of a novella did this story any favors. It felt insta- everything. Rushed. Do like the idea of the brothers. But Lucian’s love story just wasn’t done the justice it deserved.