Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
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

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2025

714 people are currently reading
639 people want to read

About the author

Maya Alden

54 books1,169 followers
A top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
421 (27%)
4 stars
387 (25%)
3 stars
442 (29%)
2 stars
203 (13%)
1 star
59 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
Profile Image for Mairi Swan.
529 reviews41 followers
December 20, 2025
4 stars cause I would have liked it lengthier. Though it was very good I believe it would be amazing if there was more.
Profile Image for daemyra, the realm's delight.
1,335 reviews37 followers
January 4, 2026
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 😔
Profile Image for Tenley.
399 reviews59 followers
January 22, 2026
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.

👎
Profile Image for hea booktubes.
1,701 reviews383 followers
z-dnf-2025
December 7, 2025
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.”
Profile Image for Danny Lea.
802 reviews12 followers
December 7, 2025
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kathleen  Lemke (Kathy Page).
634 reviews5 followers
December 13, 2025
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jac K.
2,537 reviews500 followers
February 3, 2026
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.
Profile Image for Serialbookstarter:Marla.
1,243 reviews91 followers
December 28, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Pinky.
644 reviews687 followers
December 26, 2025
Trigger Warnings:

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


Stay safe folks!
Profile Image for TJ.
3,311 reviews295 followers
December 23, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Joanne Farley.
1,305 reviews31 followers
November 29, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Jenny.
2,354 reviews73 followers
January 17, 2026
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.
Profile Image for Tmstprc.
1,313 reviews171 followers
December 15, 2025
Insta live between a hitman and his target.
Profile Image for Adrianna.
473 reviews4 followers
December 14, 2025
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for sil ♡ the book voyagers.
1,379 reviews3,175 followers
December 25, 2025
☠️🔪 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.
772 reviews9 followers
December 13, 2025
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.
Profile Image for S.
1,556 reviews39 followers
November 26, 2025
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.
3,264 reviews28 followers
November 12, 2025
★★★★★ 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.
183 reviews
December 13, 2025
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).
1 review
December 6, 2025
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
Profile Image for Elle.
241 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2025
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mandy.
184 reviews2 followers
December 7, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Celeste.
1,023 reviews59 followers
December 12, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Kerry Ann.
605 reviews8 followers
December 19, 2025
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.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.