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Black Fates #4
Buried in Embers
Clayton Wrigley saved her life. Then he broke her heart. Now he has a second chance to make Casey Arawn his.
As long as he can keep her alive.
As long as he can keep her alive.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2026
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Christine Roi
6 books17 followersWriting has always been my escape—a way to avoid reality, spin better ones, and create book boyfriends who set impossibly high standards. In 2023, I went all in on the dream: I went full delulu and quit my full-time job to finish my Black Fates series.
Turns out, writing books is the easy part; sharing your life online is where things get weird. As someone who’s spent years wrestling with terrible self-esteem, anxiety, and impostor syndrome, learning to own my story has been equal parts terrifying and transformative.
When I’m not writing, you’ll find me baking various things, hiking through the gorgeous terrain of Colorado, and hunting for secondhand treasures at local thrift shops. Spoiler: If you think my characters are oddly specific, it’s probably because they borrowed some of their eccentricities from me.
Turns out, writing books is the easy part; sharing your life online is where things get weird. As someone who’s spent years wrestling with terrible self-esteem, anxiety, and impostor syndrome, learning to own my story has been equal parts terrifying and transformative.
When I’m not writing, you’ll find me baking various things, hiking through the gorgeous terrain of Colorado, and hunting for secondhand treasures at local thrift shops. Spoiler: If you think my characters are oddly specific, it’s probably because they borrowed some of their eccentricities from me.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 28, 2026
I received this as an ARC read
Buried in Embers by Christine Roi is easily one of the most emotionally layered books in the Black Fates series. This isn’t just a mafia romance. It’s a second-chance story built on miscommunication, trauma, and two people who were trying to protect each other but ended up hurting each other instead. Clayton Wrigley is the ultimate protective hero and former Navy SEAL, mercenary, cybersecurity genius. but what makes him compelling isn’t his strength. It’s his restraint. Two years ago, he stopped an intimate moment because he saw fear in Casey’s eyes. She took it as rejection. He meant it as protection. That single misunderstanding fuels the entire story, and it feels painfully real. Casey Arawn is the heart of this book. She’s a survivor of abduction and assault, and Christine Roi handles her trauma with care. We see the anger, the shame, the dissociation, the support groups, the panic responses. None of it is glossed over. Her healing isn’t magically solved by romance, it unfolds slowly, and that’s what makes it powerful. Casey isn’t fragile. She’s fierce, guarded, and reclaiming her autonomy one step at a time. The forced proximity element works beautifully. One loft. One bedroom. Years of unresolved tension. Add in a Russian mob threat, digital warfare, and high-stakes retaliation, and the suspense keeps the pressure high without overshadowing the emotional core. The intimacy, when it happens, feels earned. It’s grounded in communication, consent, and vulnerability. Nothing about it feels rushed or gratuitous. What stood out to me most is how this story explores the difference between protection and control. Both Clayton and Casey’s father believe they’re keeping her safe. Casey has to decide what safety looks like on her own terms.
This book is intense, emotional, and deeply romantic. It’s about fire, yes, but more than that, it’s about what survives after the fire. Christine Roi delivered something raw and mature here, and it’s one of my favorites in the series.
Buried in Embers by Christine Roi is easily one of the most emotionally layered books in the Black Fates series. This isn’t just a mafia romance. It’s a second-chance story built on miscommunication, trauma, and two people who were trying to protect each other but ended up hurting each other instead. Clayton Wrigley is the ultimate protective hero and former Navy SEAL, mercenary, cybersecurity genius. but what makes him compelling isn’t his strength. It’s his restraint. Two years ago, he stopped an intimate moment because he saw fear in Casey’s eyes. She took it as rejection. He meant it as protection. That single misunderstanding fuels the entire story, and it feels painfully real. Casey Arawn is the heart of this book. She’s a survivor of abduction and assault, and Christine Roi handles her trauma with care. We see the anger, the shame, the dissociation, the support groups, the panic responses. None of it is glossed over. Her healing isn’t magically solved by romance, it unfolds slowly, and that’s what makes it powerful. Casey isn’t fragile. She’s fierce, guarded, and reclaiming her autonomy one step at a time. The forced proximity element works beautifully. One loft. One bedroom. Years of unresolved tension. Add in a Russian mob threat, digital warfare, and high-stakes retaliation, and the suspense keeps the pressure high without overshadowing the emotional core. The intimacy, when it happens, feels earned. It’s grounded in communication, consent, and vulnerability. Nothing about it feels rushed or gratuitous. What stood out to me most is how this story explores the difference between protection and control. Both Clayton and Casey’s father believe they’re keeping her safe. Casey has to decide what safety looks like on her own terms.
This book is intense, emotional, and deeply romantic. It’s about fire, yes, but more than that, it’s about what survives after the fire. Christine Roi delivered something raw and mature here, and it’s one of my favorites in the series.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this so much! Christine's books just always hit for me, and this one was no different! I absolutely loved both Clayton and Casey and their relationship so much! They have to live together (one of my favorite tropes!) and fall into such a soft domestic relationship that I absolutely love. I love everything about them honestly, but I especially love how both of them are just such caring people and how much they love each other! This series is mafia, so there is also a suspenseful mafia plot going on, which is how the book starts because her father is a mafia boss and has an angry rival that he is worried will hurt Casey so he hires Clayton to be her bodyguard and sends her to live with him. That's all I'm really going to say about the plot, so I don't spoil anything, but I loved it and thought it was really well paced! Overall, this was just a fantastic book that I would highly recommend!
(I received an advance reader copy for free, and these are my honest thoughts)
(I received an advance reader copy for free, and these are my honest thoughts)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews